Training

Coming up next weekend (September 27 and 28th), I’ll be facilitating a workshop for School Library Media Specialists. I can promise you it will be a weekend full of learning, laughter and a lot of fun. The workshop will be held at the Hudson Valley Resort in the Catskill Mountains, so it will also be full of beautiful mountain views.

The new AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner include inquiry based learning and student-to-student collaboration for learning. Integration of new technologies is a given. Students need to know how to use ALL of the tools available to them to work effectively and efficiently. Many of the newest tools, such as wikis and tagging, provide for collaborative work. School library media specialists are strategically positioned to lead learning communities in the responsible uses of technology for learning. This two day fall retreat is designed to help library media specialists gain a comfort level with some of the Library 2.0 technologies (blogs, wikis, de.lic.ious, Flickr, Library Thing, Podcasts). Sessions will be informal and collaborative. Strategies for integration into the curriculum will be offered and shared.  (Dutchess BOCES SLS Blog)

I love this weekend retreat format for training. It gives everyone an opportunity to immerse themselves in learning, while providing time to relax and network with colleagues. I’ve seen so much learning going on outside of the classroom at these retreats, in what one colleague has dubbed “canoe time”, sharing ideas and inspirations while outside the classroom (whether in a canoe or not!)

Hope to see you there! Sponsored by the Dutchess County and Ulster County BOCES School Library Systems.