It's August!

It's BACK TO SCHOOL time! My the summer has gone by quickly! Are you ready to get back to school? Are you ready to join your friends? Are ready for a new teacher? Are you ready to get back to the school library? I hope the answer to all of the questions is YES!

New books have been ordered and are arriving in all three library centers. I know weeding has also taken place to make room for these new additions to the collections.

I have been working with Jason [our IT guy] and various people from Follett Company to get a new library automation system implemented before school begins. We were able to acquire the Destiny Library Automation System. This addition will greatly update our present automation system and offer an online book catalog for our patrons via the school web page. The conversion of our collections was free [usually 50 cents or more per title] and the whole system is web based. The library aides are scheduled for training the first week of August.

I hope you all have been reading through out the summer. I have read Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer, Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black, Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library by Eth Clifford, Twilight and History edited by Nancy R. Reagin, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, The Named by Marianne Curley, to name a few and I am currently on its sequel The Dark. The third book in The Guardians of Time Trilogy is The Key and I hope to get that done before school starts.

I was very lucky to learn of a free 3-day online conference that took place July 30-AUG 1. IT WAS AWESOME. "Showcasing Innovation in Education" The Reform Symposium was a free online conference for educators, administrators, parents and students. This year the conference focused on innovative practices in education and what role these practices can play in educational reform. There were 712 registered users representing 59 different countries. Educators from around the world presented 35 presentations/keynotes/panels. I learned so much! There were discussions on blended learning, social networking, cool tools for schools, 21st Century Skills, and Skype, to name a few. You can search the archives by going to www.reformsymposium.com.
I have come away realizing how important it is for our students to move into the 21st century using tech tools. But is not so much about the technology tools as it is about using these tools and skills to facilitate learning. It is also the duty of the instructor to model these tools for the students. I have a blog that discusses tech tools and my journey in the techno world at www.techwalks.blogspot.com. You can also find me on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TheresaReiter. "You have to experiment and learn these tech tools for yourself and see which ones work best for you" - from CybaryMan1 on Twitter.
I was awed by the passion of the presenters and their dedication to education!

Enjoy the last few weeks of summer!
Mrs. T.L. Reiter
K-12 Teacher Librarian and Educational Architect