Ontario Library Association 2010: Step Up Your Passion
Summary of Sessions and Events by Diana Maliszewski
This year’s conference was, as usual, a pleasure to attend. My learning occurred not only during the sessions offered, but in the conversations and networking opportunities in between. These were long days (at home at midnight Thursday, at 11:00 p.m. Friday, and at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday) but well worth the drive back and forth.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
9:05 a.m. - Exciting Technologies for 21s Century Teachers (Pekka Baier-Reinio)
Summary
Pekka demonstrated a variety of different kinds of technological tools you can use in your classroom to engage students and meet expectations.
3 key ideas or points
- It’s not necessarily the tools but how you use the tools that helps learning; Scratch (from MIT) is open-ended, free, and the students never tire of it (like the costly Lego Robotics)
- Blogs are a great way for the parents to keep up-to-date on what’s going on in the class (Pekka subscribes to a service that’s a bit fancier than Blogger)
- Take advantage of things like Wikipedia Simplied English version for an easier reading level of many entries
So what? My take.
Ø I had heard of and used many of the things Pekka mentioned but hadn’t devoted the same amount of time to them (that’s why he said his class’ wikis never took off) and so this encourages me to devote some class time to Scratch, Captivate, Photo Story and some other tools he discussed.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
10:40 a.m. – Complying with Copyright in the Digital Age (Erin Finlay)
Summary
The lawyer for Access Copyright discussed the legal implications and ramifications of digital content. I didn’t stay for this session. A friend of mine from another board who sits on the Canadian Library Association’s subcommittee on copyright said that Access Copyright has no jurisdiction on Internet content. Instead we discussed Access Copyright fees to boards and maintaining standards for cataloguing.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Morning – Forest of Reading Interviews and Expo Hall of Vendors
Summary
Eight students from Macphail and six from Tom Longboat Jr. P.S. came by bus as guests of the OLA to interview the 2009 Forest of Reading award-winning authors. I introduced the students to the authors and, after their interviews, my students and I went to visit the Vendor Hall. They received sweet swag, met other authors and had a great time.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Lunch – TDSB Teacher-Librarians
Summary
Twenty-five teacher-librarians gathered at Joe Badali for lunch. The conversation was enjoyable and energizing. Topics discussed included how to make the most of the conference (especially when you have an avant-garde head of library at your school already providing great in-house PD), returning overdue material to the professional library of TDSB, eventual retirement, and pre-planning upcoming workshops.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
2:10 p.m. – From Overcoming to Embraching: See Opportunity in Adversity
(Aimee Mullins)
Summary
The all-conference plenary speaker was a track star, model, and actress who also happened to be a “double-BK” (an amputee of both legs below the knee due to being born without fibulae).
3 key ideas or points
- maintain a sense of childhood naivete (don’t let assumptions prevent you from trying and doing – she never knew “double BKs don’t do running long jump because they don’t have a real leg to launch off” and by still entering, set a record in the sport)
- just see adversity as change, some new opportunity
- think differently (her “cheetah legs” didn’t look like “regular legs” but who said prosthetics had to – it took her a month to learn to walk with them and at her first meet they fell off due to sweat but she won records with them)
So what? My take
Ø Aimee was a good speaker. I hadn’t heard of her before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I should’ve written down the statements she had in the slides that popped up during her talk so I’d remember. Maybe I shouldn’t worry so much about the students “saying the right thing” or “being impolite” as I should about ensuring their curiosity isn’t stifled.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
3:45 p.m. – Twilight and the School Library (Diana Maliszewski)
Summary
I talked about how I discovered the series, the impact of the movie, what age guidelines can be set, what other books can be recommended to readers of various ages, what lesson plans can be used with Twilight, and the online buzz.
3 key ideas or points
- The first three books of the saga are fine for grade 6 and up but be flexible with your community (most objections center on the implied sexuality but much of it occurs “off the page”)
- There are people who really hate it and really love it; be respectful of their passions (don’t put it down if it’s not your cup of tea – news reports say the series is partially responsible for declining skin cancer rates)
- Be wary of pre-made book lists; due to the popularity among all sorts of ages, recommendations need to consider the age and wants of the reader (supplied a list for juniors, intermediates, teens, and adults)
So what? My take
Ø 38 people attended (at least that’s how many prize tickets I counted in the bag) and people came up to me afterwards to say they liked it. We ended early so the audience and I had time to talk (someone had a series recommendation that I wrote on one of my business cards but I accidentally gave that card away!). It was tricky because 1/3 were elementary TLs, 1/3 were secondary TLs, and 1/3 were public librarians or “other”; in addition, ½ had read the books and /12 hadn’t, so I wanted to talk plot without spoiling it. I was a bit stern with someone who walked in 5 minutes before the end asking for a book list and a prize ticket without hearing the talk at all – he didn’t get either and left empty-handed.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
5:15 p.m. – OSLA Award Presentation and Reception
Summary
This ceremony was a chance to honour the top people in the field and socialize, courtesy of Saunders Book Company.
3 key points or ideas
- the Teacher-Librarian of the Year was Mary Beth Snyder from the Waterloo Region District School Board
- the Administrator of the Year was John Kostoff from the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
- the Award for Special Achievement went to Tim Gauntley from the Toronto District School Board and Marlene Turkington from the Thames Valley District School Board
So what? My take
Ø It was great to see a director from a board of education receive the admin award. There were many standing ovations so it was obvious these people were very well admired.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Evening – Dinner and Carr McClean After-Party
Summary
Two other teacher-librarians and I dined at Jack Astor’s and enjoyed swapping book recommendations with our waiter as well as describing the sessions we attended and our thoughts on them. At the invitation-only late-night soiree, it was a great opportunity to talk with some of the vendors and meet some new faces – topics included the lack of an ARC for the third installment in the Hunger Games series and the Olympics.
Friday, February 26, 2010
9:05 a.m. – Battle of the Bands @ Your Library (Ellen Stroud and Jennifer Goodman)
Summary
The pair discussed how to host a Rock Band tournament. Unfortunately, it took me two hours to drive to the Metro Toronto Convention Center and I completely missed the session. I’ve been in contact with one of the presenters and she may send me a synopsis of her talk.
Friday, February 26, 2010
10:40 a.m. – Lieutenant General The Honourable Romeo Dallaire
Summary
M. Dallaire was the Force Commander of the UN Assistance Mission to Rwanda during the genocide and is now an author, senator, and speaker.
3 key points or ideas
- A human is a human; one human life is not worth more or less than another > one of the world’s problems is that they intervene only in areas where there is self-interest and sub-Sahara Africa “only has people”, which is why the world didn’t pay attention to the horror
- Canada, as a mid-level power, one of the 20% of the “have” nations, needs to step up to its leadership potential and help out the 80% of the “have-not” nations; yes, blood of our soliders will be spilled in this attempt but Dallaire says we should only pull out if we are successful or if there is no possible way anything we do will make a difference and should not turn to isolationism in the face of terrorism
- When faced with hard choices (he told several stories of children used as bait in the road, a rape pit with survivors still in it but ravaged with AIDS, and child soldiers firing on peacekeepers trying to rescue people holed up in a church), soldiers try to do the right thing and when they return, they should be treated with respect and care
So what? My take
Ø Although the connection to libraries was slim, L.Gen. Dallaire was good to listen to, to put things in perspective when we complain about our shrunken budgets or lack of time.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Lunch – Association of Canadian Publishers
Summary
I was invited to a four-course lunch at the Azure Restaurant in the Intercontinental Hotel to hear about the initiative of the Association of Canadian Publishers, Canadian Books for Canadian Kids. Everyone that attended received a bag of free books. I ate lunch with author Sharon Jennings and my table talked a lot about ways of getting Canadian books promoted and the TD National Reading Summit. (I didn’t realize after I had shared my views on the summit that many of my fellow diners were high-ranking members of the Steering Committee!)
Friday, February 26, 2010
2:10 p.m. – Back to the Future: School Library Trends and Issues over time
(Ken Haycock)
Summary
Dr. Ken Haycock reflected back on his forty years in the field, showing that often the more things change, the more they stay the same.
3 key points or ideas
- In the 1960s they were doing inquiry learning, had well-staffed libraries and collaboration
- There’s been research since the 1950s that shows the importance of school libraries to student success > when asked, Haycock says that the type of research we need now should focus on developing collaboration and ensuring proper action research at the school level is undertaken and shared within the wider community
- We should stop whining and advocacy (or whatever you want to call it) needs to not come from TLs; often when professions feel undervalued or powerless, they change their names to try and gain that power and influence
So what? My take
Ø This was exactly what I needed to help me work on my capping paper for my M.Ed. – Haycock referenced a study that shows that you don’t have to have an open/flexible schedule to have a great library program. It was neat to hear about “how it used to be”.
Friday, February 26, 2010
3:45 p.m. – OSLA Hot Topics
(Ruth Hall, Gianna Dassios, Lisa Dempster, Diana Maliszewski, Roger Nevin)
Summary
The panel discussed the most “happening” issues in school libraries today. The areas mentioned were the learning commons, the new world of reading, technology “must-haves” and social media.
3 key points or ideas
- the learning commons will need to have space for quiet and un-quiet work
- genre and type of reading (fiction / non-fiction) impacts whether or not we read it / access it most often online or in print (the brain processes reading on screen and on paper differently)
- technology favourites of the panel include smart boards, wireless networks, Google aps, Twitter, computing-like / recording devices (can be laptops, cell phones, Blackberrys netbooks, etc.) and such
So what? My take
Ø This was a new approach to the perennial workshop and the two minute time limit for the panelists was useful. Roger and Lisa are real leaders and agents of change and I was glad to hear them speak.
Friday, February 26, 2010
5:15 p.m. – Ontario School Library Association Annual Meeting
Summary
This was the Annual General Meeting for OSLA. The President’s Report described Library Camp OTF, the document and other council activities. Dr. Elizabeth Lee made a plug for the International Association of School Libraries and Linda Shantz-Keresztes encouraged us to visit Edmonton both for Treasure Mountain Canada and the CLA conference.
Friday, February 26, 2010
6:15 p.m. – All-Conference Networking Event (Banned Book Olympics)
Summary
This was the main social event of the conference. People played Winter Olympics on Wiis spread throughout the room, ran relay races balancing books and pushing people in office chairs, and listened to a jazz band. The hors d’ouvres were tasty and the chats engaging.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Evening – Gatherings with OLA staff and Greater Essex District School Board TLs
Summary
Several members of the OLA staff met to toast the birthday of the person responsible for doing the layout of The Teaching Librarian magazine – Natalie Marlowe. Book and TV show recommendations flew fast and furious. After that, I met with friends of mine that are SATLs (Specially Assigned Teacher Librarians) with the GEDSB. We caught up on each others’ personal lives as well as discussed PD opportunities in our respective boards and weeding precautions and regulations.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
9:05 a.m. – New Directions for Ontario School Libraries (Peggy Thomas, Ruth Hall)
Summary
This was the official launch of the new document, Together for Learning.
3 key points or ideas
- “A learning commons is a flexible and responsive approach to helping schools focus on learning collaboratively. It expands the learning experience, taking students and educators into virtual spaces beyond the walls of the school. A Learning Commons is a vibrant, whole-school approach, presenting exciting opportunities for collaboration among teachers, teacher-librarians and students. Within a learning commons, new relationships are formed between leaders, new technologies are realized and utilized, and both students and educators prepare for the future as they learn new ways to learn. And, best of all, as a space traditionally and naturally designed to facilitate people working together, a school’s library provides the natural dynamics for developing a Learning Commons.”
- Key Components include Physical and Virtual Space, Equitable Access, Learning Partnerships, and Technology in Learning, resulting in Empowered Learners
- Developing individuals in the learning commons involves imagination and creativity, confidence and self-esteem, cultural awareness and social contribution, as well as character education (especially intellectual curiosity, respect and responsibility, and initiative)
So what? My take
Ø The document was received positively and through the interactive activities used to explore the book (e.g. make tweets on your cell phone or on Post-It notes on key points for Learning to Learn), people owned it more.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
10:40 a.m. – Get Your Game On: Gaming In the Library (Beth Gallaway)
Summary
Beth Gallaway is a major player in the world of gaming in libraries and discussed the benefits as well as great board games, video games and activities to do with all of them.
3 key points or ideas
- Ensure your purpose for introducing games is clear, think about your return on investment (it’s often very good) and get genuine feedback you can analyze.
- Card games usually go for $6-$15, board games for $15-$65, video games depend on if you have the controllers, unit, games, etc. (you can always borrow, get older versions at garage sales, etc.)
- Look for games with great replay value that aren’t just “made to teach” as well as ones that are easy to learn but take a long time to master, with short playing time and multiple players (e.g. Apples to Apples is good and deals with grammar, Pictureka has visual literacy and is cross-generational, Ticket To Ride involves geography and problem-solving, Max teaches overcoming failure and self-sacrifice to young kids)
So what? My take
Ø I geeked out at this session (Beth was my instructor in a course I took with Simmons College) and brought my copy of Game On for her to sign. Beth recommended examining the library gaming toolkit from AASL, which I’ve been meaning to but never got around to it; her examples show I need to make that visit sooner rather than later.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
12:15 p.m. – Closing Luncheon Gala
Summary
The lunch was delicious but after three intense days, I was too pooped to stick around to hear the closing speaker, writer Jonathan Goldstein.
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