Our school libraries are challenging, exciting, information and communication spaces, supporting the construction of knowledge. With many voices, we have one message - school librarians are agents of change!

Libraries provide equity. All learners deserve 21st century librarians and 21st century library programs.

But what does the Read/Write Web really mean for school libraries? As we create new conversations, connections, new possibilities for academic discourse, and new 2.0 learning communities, we open the door to a better school library future--one that embraces students' digital identities and their multi-modal minds.

This session--aimed at librarians, as well as their classroom teacher partners and administrators--demonstrates the urgency of finding, choosing, using, and embracing rich and immersive, library-powered learning experiences for all students, and the critical need to develop information fluency in all of our young citizens. It explores the tools--blogs, wikis, podcasts, shared digital video, digital storytelling, and many others-- that transform school libraries into vibrant entryways to the Web 2.5 world. It shares new models for collaboration.

Librarians: Whether you've been tech savvy for years or are just venturing into the cyber community, regardless of the tools and applications available in your facility, you will recognize yourself in this diverse panel of teacher/librarians.

Classroom teachers and administrators: Learn about the exciting partnerships now possible with your colleagues in emerging library landscapes.

Each panelist, a fresh, outspoken, and successful voice in the teacher-librarian world, will describe his or her vision for best practice, as well as the specific, replicable learning strategies these practitioners use to lead their school communities in new interactive and media-rich information and communication landscapes.

Outline

Joyce Valenza: Introduction and expectations for the 2.0 and 2.5 school library. What type of partner should classroom teachers and administrators find in their school librarians? (7 minutes)

Cathy Nelson: streamlining your own professional development; introducing the cool tools at school. (7 minutes)

Carolyn Foote: role in supporting your administrators and campus vision with web 2.0 tools--grappling with problems/obstacles, access (7 minutes)

Anita Beaman: New techologies for an old past-time: using 2.0 technology to promote pleasure reading (7 minutes)

Diane Cordell: Easy pieces: introducing technology one step, one learner, at a time; catch them wherever/whenever you can - administrators, teachers, students; becoming comfortable with technology: it's never too late (7 minutes)

Judy O'Connell: Learning is a global multi-modal conversation, and it is [r]evolutionary .... really! (7 minutes)

Kim Cofino: (Presenting remotely) An international perspective on school libraries (7 minutes)

Questions and answers (11 minutes)

Supporting Research

Valenza, Joyce Doctoral thesis on Virtual Libraries (research article upcoming)
Valenza, Joyce Web 2.0 Meets Information Fluency. In Coming of Age 2 Terry Freedman, ed. (http://comingofage.ning.com/ upcoming Fall 2007).
Joyce Valenza's NeverEnding Search Blog (School Library Journal--http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1340000334.html)
Hey Jude (Judy O'Connell's blog--http://heyjude.wordpress.com/)
TechnoTuesday (Cathy Nelson's Blog--http://technotuesday.edublogs.org/)
Not So Distant Future (Carolyn Foote's blog--
http://www.futura.edublogs.org/)
Journeys (Diane Cordell's blog--http://dmcordell.blogspot.com/)
Anita Beaman: University High School Library Blog (http://uhighlibrary.wordpress.com/)

Presenter Background

Joyce Valenza has been the librarian at Springfield Township High School (PA) since 1998. Joyce is author of Power Research Tools and
Power Tools Recharged for ALA Editions. She is a Milken Educator and an American Memory Fellow. She was the techlife@school columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer from 1996 to 2006. Her video series, Internet Searching Skills was a YALSA Selected Video for Young Adults in 1999. The video series Library Skills for Children was released in 2003, and her six-volume video series Research Skills for Students was released in Fall 2004. Super Searchers Go to School, was published by Information Today. Her Virtual Library won the IASL School Library Web Page of the Year Award for 2001 and her blog won the Edublog Award for 2005. She is active in ALA, AASL, YALSA, and ISTE and contributes regularly to Classroom Connect, VOYA, Learning and Leading with Technology, and School Library Journal. Joyce speaks regularly about issues relating to libraries and thoughtful use of educational technology. She recently earned a doctoral degree in Information Science at the University of North Texas.

Anita Beaman has an MLA from Univeristy of Illinois; an MA in English from Eastern Illinois; and is the librarian at University High School, Illinois State University, Normal, IL. She is an instructor in the school library certification program @ ISU, as well as a Knowledge Quest Editorial Board member; member of various state and local library boards; a wife, blogger, keeper of three cats & voracious reader of YA lit

Diane Cordell is a New York State certified School Library Media Specialisy(MLS from C.W. Post) working in a K-12 Library Media Center; Online facilitator and research consultant; Wife, mother, lifelong learner. She has also been a social worker. Diane took her first online course in 2006; began blogging in June 2007 and is growing old disgracefully.

Carolyn Foote: has a B.A. in Liberal Arts from the University of Texas; an MA in English Education, from the University of Texas; Library Certification, from the University of Texas, is a finalist for Technology Librarian of the Year(TCEA)2007,and is the librarian at Westlake HS. Carolyn has blogging since 2006 (futura.edublogs.org).

Cathy Nelson, a 22 year veteran educator, has been a teacher librarian for 12 years, and is an accomplished media specialist, achieving National Board Certification in Early Childhood to Young Adult LIbrary Media. Cathy possesses skill and talent as grant writer and has taught many professional development seminars, courses and workshops in her career. She considers herself a "catalyst for change" in education, and strives to explore and introduce others to the tools of the 21st Century.

Judy O'Connell is Head of Library and Information Services at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill in Sydney Australia. Prior to taking up this position in 2008, she was an Education Consultant for Libraries and Web 2.0 for 80 primary and secondary schools in the Western Region of Sydney. Her professional leadership experience spans K-12 and tertiary education, with a focus on libraries, technology, curriculum and professional development in school libraries and classrooms in a Web 2.0 world. Judy is a regular presenter at Australian and international technology and teacher librarianship conferences and seminars. Judy has been "blogging with the best of them" since 2006 being fascinated by emerging technologies, the development of Web 2.0, and what this all means for schools and school libraries, and her 'HeyJude' blog won the 2006 International Edublogs award for best Librarian blog, and was nominated again in 2007. Judy is a teacher librarian, with a Master of Applied Science and a Master of Education (Curriculum). She is the Past Vice-President (Association Relations) of the International Association of School Librarianship; a member of the Editorial Board of School Libraries Worldwide; and in 2007 won the John H. Lee Award for Innovation in Technology & Teaching, from Charles Sturt University and the School Librarian Association (NSW).

Kim Confino: Born in the US, [ http://mscofino.edublogs.org/ ]Kim has been teaching abroad for the last 8 years, first in http://www.mis-munich.de/ Munich, Germany, then in http://mkis.edu.my/ Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and now in http://isb.ac.th/ Bangkok, Thailand.

Currently, Kim is the http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2007/09/11/putting-the-puzzle-together-being-a-21st-century-literacy-specialist/ 21st Century Literacy Specialist at the http://isb.ac.th/ International School Bangkok. Her role bridges the gap between technology and the library by helping core subject teachers utilize web 2.0 technologies in the classroom, creating a global and collaborative approach to learning. Over the past two years Kim has worked with classroom teachers to develop internationally collaborative projects that authentically engage students from all around the world, helping them become effective 21st century learners, collaborators and creators.