[Tasl] FW: AASL Hotlinks - September 2007

Wed Sep 5 12:31:13 EDT 2007

Check out the following information from AASL!!!

Margaret Hausauer, 2007 TASL President

------ Forwarded Message
From: Kathy Agarwal <kagarwal at ala.org>
Date: Wed, 05 Sep 2007 11:23:48 -0500
To: <margaret.hausauer at cmcss.net>
Subject: AASL Hotlinks - September 2007

To:  Margaret P. Hausauer

************************************************************
AASL HOTLINKS
The Official Monthly E-mail Newsletter of the
American Association of School Librarians (AASL)
Vol. 6, No. 6
September 2007
************************************************************

     September is here, and the new school year has begun.
     All of us at AASL hope you had a restful summer and
     are energized for a new year of creating life-long
     learners.

     News ideas and innovations will be presented at the
     many programs and sessions during the AASL 13th
     National Conference & Exposition in Reno, Nev.,
     October 25-28. Plan your trip to Reno and learn many
     new things, visit library-friendly exhibits, network
     with colleagues, and be an active part of the largest
     professional conference for school library media
     specialists.

     You have until September 28 to take advantage of the
     discounted Advance registration rate - AASL members
     save $50 of the cost of full conference registration.
     Register today at http://www.ala.org/aasl/reno

     As you consider your plans for professional development
     for the new school year, consider joining us in Reno
     in October. This issue of AASL Hotlinks brings you
     many reasons why the AASL National Conference should
     be #1 on your list of educational events this year.

     ... Read on!

************************************************************

IN THIS ISSUE: 

COUNTDOWN TO RENO:

1.  AASL National Conference is "going green"
2.  Award-winning authors to present in Reno, Nev.
3.  The Exploratorium to showcase school library media best
    practices
4.  AASL Advocacy Institute to launch in Reno, Nev.
5.  Scholastic Library Publishing to sponsor Exhibit Hall
    Block Party
6.  See best practices in action - take a school tour
7.  Circus Circus hotel offers comfort and fun

AASL NEWS:

8.  AASL e-Academy to offer five courses in the fall
9.  AASL seeks developer for online survey data analysis
    tool
10. AASL is seeking presenter for Advocacy Regional
    Institute

ALA NEWS & NOTES: 

11. Aye, mateys... celebrate your freedom to read!
12. Last call for Councilor-at-Large nominees for 2008
    ALA election
13. $5,000 Scholastic Library Publishing National Library
    Week Grant announced
14. September is Library Card Sign-up Month
15. Get to know ALA president Loriene Roy
16. Celebrate Teen Read Week and win a visit from author
    Tiffany Trent

TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION:

17. Partnership for 21st Century Skills releases updated
    Framework for 21st Century Learning
18. NSBA social networking study results

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

19. Call for presentations for TechEd 2008
20. Online courses for librarians serving  young adults

... AND: 

21. The AASL Hotlist

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COUNTDOWN TO RENO:

1.  AASL National Conference is "going green"

AASL is pleased to announce that its 13th National
Conference & Exhibition in Reno, Nev., is "going green."

"As we think about the future at the AASL Conference, we
are focusing on what our library media programs need to
look like to help prepare our students for the future,"
explained Carl A. Harvey II, co-chair of the National
Conference Committee. "We also want to think about what we
can do now to help preserve the environment our students
will be living in. To that end, we found ways we can
'go green' for the 2007 AASL National Conference."

AASL will not have paper handouts in Reno. Starting
October 1, all handouts will be made available to
registered conference attendees, who can either print
those materials they will use in Reno and bring them along,
or download the files onto their laptops and use them
electronically during the sessions.

Find out more details at
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/conferencesandevents/national/green.cfm

Read full news release at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/august2007/aaslgg07.htm

-----------------------------------------------------------

2.  Award-winning authors to present in Reno, Nev.

AASL is pleased to announce the Author Track at the AASL
13th National Conference in Reno. The Author Track contains
concurrent sessions presented by award-winning children's
and young adult authors:

 - Julie Anne Peters ("Luna")
 - Marilyn Reynolds ("Detour for Emmy")
 - Laura McGee Kvasnosky ("Zelda and Ivy" stories)
 - Kathleen Duey ("The Unicorn's Secret" series)
 - and more!

Read full announcement at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/september2007/aasla.htm

Get Author Track details at
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/conferencesandevents/national/attendees/aaslconf
program/authorevents/authorevents.cfm

-----------------------------------------------------------

3.  The Exploratorium to showcase school library media best
    practices

AASL is pleased to announce that MetaMetrics, Inc.,
developer of the Lexile Framework for Reading, will sponsor
the Exploratorium in Reno.

The Exploratorium will be held on Thursday, October 25,
from 1 to 3 p.m. This two-hour educational session,
consisting of more than 50 individual learning stations,
will showcase "best practices" from the school library
media community. Attendees can browse at their own pace,
spending as much or as little time at each station as they
wish. 

Read full announcement at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/august2007/aasle07.htm

Get Exploratorium details at
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/conferencesandevents/national/attendees/aaslconf
program/educationalprograms/exploratorium.cfm

-----------------------------------------------------------

4.  AASL Advocacy Institute to launch in Reno, Nev.

AASL will launch its new Advocacy Institute during the
13th National Conference in October.

The AASL Advocacy Institute will be presented as an all-day
preconference on Wednesday, October 24, from 9:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. Led by experienced presenters Deb Levitov and
Nance Nassar, participants will receive information,
resources and strategies that will help define advocacy
and guide them in the creation of long-term advocacy
action plans for their school library media programs.
The institute will clarify the difference between public
relations, marketing and advocacy and emphasize how each
has a place in program planning. Participants will develop
action plans that will help them work toward transforming
passive stakeholders into active advocates for school
library media programs.

Registration for this workshop is $179 for AASL members
and $284 for non-members.

The AASL Advocacy Institute will be presented in
cooperation with the ALA Office for Library Advocacy.

Read the full news release at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/august2007/aas07.htm

Learn about all AASL preconferences in Reno at
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/conferencesandevents/national/attendees/aaslconf
program/aaslpreconferences/preconferences.cfm

-----------------------------------------------------------

5.  Scholastic Library Publishing to sponsor Exhibit Hall
    Block Party

AASL is pleased to announce that Scholastic Library
Publishing will sponsor the Exhibit Hall Block Party at
the AASL 13th National Conference & Exhibition.

The Exhibit Hall Block Party serves as the official
exhibits opening ceremony and provides a no-conflict time
for attendees to get a first look at the products and
services offered by the more than 200 exhibiting companies
who will fill the exhibit hall in Reno, Nev. The Block
Party will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 25,
immediately following the Opening General Session with
best-selling author Dan Pink. During the party, attendees
will have an opportunity to meet Pink in person and get
a copy of his latest book, "A Whole New Mind," signed in
the AASL Bookstore on the exhibit floor.

Read more at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/august2007/aaslbp07.htm

-----------------------------------------------------------

6.  See best practices in action - take a school tour

AASL will offer four school tours in Reno, with separate
focus on rural, elementary, independent and public schools.
Planned as full- or half-day excursions on Wednesday,
October 24, and Thursday, October 25, 2007, the school
tours will showcase examples of excellence in a wide range
of school library media programs.

Read the news release at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/july2007/aaslconf07.htm

Get school tour details at
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/conferencesandevents/national/attendees/aaslconf
program/renotours/schools.cfm

-----------------------------------------------------------

7.  Circus Circus hotel offers comfort and fun

When considering hotel accommodations for the 2007 AASL
National Conference in Reno, look no further than the
Circus Circus hotel. You can make a reservation online from
the AASL Reno Web site and get low conference rates!

This official hotel of the AASL 13th National Conference
offers continuous shuttle service to and from the convention
center, shuttle service to AASL special events, and a huge
selection of restaurants, shops and entertainment, as well
as many tourist attractions in close proximity.

Be sure to mention the AASL National Conference when you
make your reservation to get the lowest rates!

Find out more at
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/conferencesandevents/national/attendees/housing/
housing.cfm

Check out Circus Circus amenities at
http://www.circusreno.com/amenities/default.aspx

************************************************************

AASL NEWS:

8.  AASL e-Academy to offer five courses in the fall

AASL's e-Academy fall 2007 offerings include:

  "Creating an Engaging Web site"
  10/1  11/9; facilitated by Kathy Lehman; registration
  fee is $49.95 for AASL members and $59.95 for non-members

  "Trends in Children¹s Literature"
  10/1  10/26; self-paced program; fee: $19.95

  "Copyright Issues in the Classroom and Library"
  10/1  10/26; self-paced program; fee: $19.95

  "Multi-Cultural Literature for Children & Young Adults"
  10/1  10/26; self-paced program; fee: $19.95

  "Reaching Reluctant Readers in the School Library Media
  Center":  10/1 - 10/26; self-paced program; fee: $19.95

AASL e-Academy registration will open on September 7, 2007.

Get the details at
http://www.ala.org/aasl/eAcademy

Read the full announcement at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/august2007/aaslc07.htm

-----------------------------------------------------------

9.  AASL seeks developer for online survey data analysis
    tool

In January 2007, AASL launched a longitudinal survey,
"School Libraries Count!" to gain an understanding of the
state of school library media programs nationally. The
survey will be conducted annually and will result in a
longitudinal series that will provide data on the health
of the nation¹s school library media programs.

AASL is seeking proposals for the development of an online
data analysis tool to provide access to the survey data for
AASL members and subscribers.

Proposals will be accepted through October 5, 2007.

Read the details of the RFP at
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/slcsurveyrfp.cfm

Get more information about "School Libraries Count!" at
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/slcsurvey.cfm

-----------------------------------------------------------

10. AASL is seeking presenter for Advocacy Regional
    Institute

AASL is seeking a presenter for the AASL Advocacy Regional
Institute: Advocacy for the School Library Media Specialist.
This new regional institute will engage library media
specialists in thoughtful and meaningful activities to
strengthen their advocacy skills in collaboration,
partnerships, communication and action planning.

The presenter of the AASL Advocacy Institute will be
responsible for presenting content, developed and
supplied by AASL, to regions throughout the United States.

Proposals are being accepted through October 1, 2007.

Get the details at
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/conferencesandevents/aaslregionalinstitutes/advo
cacyrfp.cfm

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ALA NEWS & NOTES:

11. Aye, mateys... celebrate your freedom to read!

ALA's "Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read"
is observed during the last week of September each year.
Observed since 1982, this annual ALA event reminds Americans
not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted.

This year marks BBW's 26th anniversary and the celebration
will take place September 29 through October 6, with a
pirate theme.

Check out the Banned Books page at
http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bannedbooksweek.htm

Read more from the OIF blog at
http://tinyurl.com/yw2n2q

Learn more about ALA OIF at
http://www.ala.org/oif

-----------------------------------------------------------

12. Last call for Councilor-at-Large nominees for 2008
    ALA election

The ALA 2008 Nominating Committee has extended the deadline
for nominees to run for Councilor-at-Large on the 2008
spring ALA ballot through September 21, 2008. After that
date, those seeking to run may file by petition.

The Nominating Committee will select no fewer than 53
candidates for the 35 at-large Council seats to be filled
in the 2008 spring election.

All AASL members are encouraged to consider running for and
serving on ALA Council to advocate for school library
issues within ALA and to raise the visibility of school
library media specialists.

Read more at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/august2007/cal07.htm

-----------------------------------------------------------

13. $5,000 Scholastic Library Publishing National Library
    Week Grant announced

Libraries of all types are invited to apply for the $5,000
Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant,
which will be awarded to a single library for the best
public awareness campaign incorporating the 2008 National
Library Week theme, "Join the circle of knowledge @ your
library."

The 2007 recipient, Minoa (N.Y.) Elementary School,
promoted National Library Week by partnering with local
businesses and municipal agencies. The library presented
each partner with a sign to display outside its building
featuring a customized slogan and the theme for National
Library Week.

The 2008 grant application and guidelines are available
on The Campaign for America's Libraries Web site at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/natlibraryweek/nlwgrant.htm

The application deadline is October 1, 2007. The winner
will be notified and announced following the 2008 ALA
Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia.

2008 National Library Week is April 13-19.

See the full announcement at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/august2007/scholastic.htm

-----------------------------------------------------------

14. September is Library Card Sign-up Month

ALA has announced the release of five new radio public
service announcements (PSAs) that are now available to help
libraries promote Library Card Sign-up Month in September
and the library card as the "smartest card in your wallet."

Observed in the month of September since 1987, Library
Card Sign-up Month is a time when ALA and libraries across
the country remind parents and kids that a library card is
the most important school supply of all.

Learn more about Library Card Sign-up Month at
http://www.ala.org/librarycardsignup

-----------------------------------------------------------

15. Get to know ALA president Loriene Roy

In late August, ALA president Loriene Roy was interviewed
by the author of the cynleitichsmith blog about her plans
and goals during her presidential year.

Read the interview at
http://cynleitichsmith.livejournal.com/28154.html

-----------------------------------------------------------

16. Celebrate Teen Read Week and win a visit from author
    Tiffany Trent

The library with the best celebration in honor of the 2007
Teen Read Week will win a visit from renowned young adult
author Tiffany Trent.

Sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association
(YALSA), 2007 theme for "Teen Read Week," October 14-20,
is "reading for the fun of it." More information and tools
can be found at http://www.ala.org/teenread

Read more at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/august2007/trwtt07.htm

************************************************************

TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION:

17. Partnership for 21st Century Skills releases updated
    Framework for 21st Century learning

In August, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills released
an updated version of its Framework for 21st Century
Learning, which creates a clear vision for 21st Century
student outcomes in the new global economy. It also defines
how school systems can best support these outcomes by
focusing diligently on 21st Century standards, assessments,
professional development, curriculum and instruction, and
learning environments.

AASL has been active in the Partnership since 2005.

Read the announcement at
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org

See the Framework at
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2
54&Itemid=120

-----------------------------------------------------------

18. NSBA social networking study results

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) has released
a study report, "Creating & Connecting: Research and
Guidelines on Online Social - and Educational - Networking."
This study was conducted by Grunwald Associates and
underwritten by Newscorp, Microsoft and Verizon.

The study defined social networking as a cluster of
technical functions that allow users to easily create,
share and respond to information. Some key findings:

1. Many students report using social networking to discuss
education-related topics (60%).

2. Social networking is allowing students to engage in
creative expression of all kinds.

3. Negative experiences online are much lower than was
expected.

4. Parents are much more involved in kids' use of
technology than is commonly perceived.

Download the full study report at
http://www.nsba.org/site/docs/41400/41340.pdf

************************************************************

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

19. Call for presentations for TechEd 2008

K-20 educators are invited to submit proposals to present
their best practices at the 2008 TechEd conference. The
2008 theme is "Realizing the Vision."

Some of the main conference topics include:

 - Administrative Technologies
 - Equity & Accessibility
 - Digital Media
 - Virtual Learning
 - Standards-Based Instruction
 - Integrating Instructional Technology
 - New & Emerging Technologies
 - Career Technical Education

TechEd 2008 will be held in Ontario, Calif., April 13-16.

Learn more at
http://www.techedevents.org

-----------------------------------------------------------

20. Online courses for librarians serving young adults

YALSA is offering four online courses this fall: "Booktalks
Quick and Simple," "New Technologies and New Literacies for
Teens," "Reaching Teens with Gaming" and "YALSA
Competencies Live." The target audience for the courses are
librarians who serve teens.

Get the details at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/august2007/yalsaoc07.htm

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...AND: 

21. The AASL Hotlist

Contact AASL
  When you need anything from the AASL office, whether you
  have a question about National Conference, can't find the
  right page on our Web site or want to know how to
  volunteer for a committee, the AASL staff is here to help.
  http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aboutaasl/aaslstaff/contactaasl.cfm

SKILLs Act information
  Support the "Strengthening Kids' Interest in Learning and
  Libraries (SKILLs) Act," which guarantees students across
  America will be served by highly qualified,
  state-certified school library media specialists and will
  have the library resources they need to succeed.
  http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslissues/SKILLS_Act.cfm

LEGO's Creation Nation
  LEGO is offering $5,000 in Creativity Awards to kids ages
  6-13 in the new national creativity contest.
  http://www.legocreationnation.com

Reading 101
  Tips and advice on reading instruction.
  http://www.readingrockets.org/teaching/reading101

Outstanding Young Educator Award
  The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
  is seeking nominations for its Outstanding Young Educator
  Award, which recognizes a teacher under the age of 40 who
  demonstrates excellence in his or her profession, a
  positive impact on students, creativity in the classroom,
  and leadership in his or her school or district.

http://servicelearning.org/resources/funding_sources/index.php?popup_id=242

************************************************************

American Association of School Librarians
http://www.ala.org/aasl
aasl at ala.org 
50 E. Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611 
800 545 2433, ext. 4382
312 280 4382
fax 312 664 7459 

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) is a
division of the American Library Association (ALA). The
mission of AASL is to advocate excellence, facilitate
change, and develop leaders in the school library media
field. 

************************************************************

Copyright (c) 2007 American Library Association

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****************************END*****************************

------ End of Forwarded Message