Each month we’ll bring you a compiled list of fun national holidays, birthdays of authors, and publication dates of favorite books. You can use these for your own personal use or for some library inspiration! Share what inspired you in the comments.
June is National Adopt a Cat Month! Other things to celebrate in June. . .
We are passing this on from ITEM:
“Park Rapids Area Schools and Nevis Public Schools are again hosting two weeks of staff development training this summer – one in June and one in August. I would greatly appreciate it if you could share this with your staff.
We are inviting area school employees and substitute staff to join us in any of these trainings, which are being held in the Park Rapids Century School building and in the Nevis School building (depending on the date). Each two hour class has a $25 registration fee, with the exception of the full day, August 11th session with Kayla Delzer.
If you have any questions please contact me at lconzemius@gmail.com.
Over 50 2-hour classes are available! Most of these classes are related to technology integration, utilizing all types of portable devices and tools. There are also classes for all of the required teacher continuing education areas of reading, mental health, accommodations, ELL and positive behavior strategies.
Please note that the courses for continuing education are for members of Education Minnesota only. Please share this information with others who may be interested.”
REGISTER ONLINE AT: https://goo.gl/forms/
Thank you!!
Laurie
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
This article is from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund:
“Good news from Minnesota! Following receipt of a letter from National Coalition Against Censorship member organizations including CBLDF, the principal of New London-Spicer Middle School responded that she will recommend keeping Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian in the 8th grade curriculum. The book was challenged by parents who said it contained “gratuitous and unnecessary” profanity and references to sexual acts.
This challenge to Alexie’s novel is not to be confused with the one in neighboring Wisconsin, where the superintendent of the Sauk Prairie School District is also recommending that it remain in the curriculum. In the Minnesota case, NCAC members this week sent a letter to New London-Spicer Middle School principal Trish Perry urging her to consider the value of the book as a whole, and the negative precedent that would be set by allowing a few parents to dictate curricular selections for all students. Yesterday, Perry responded to thank NCAC for the letter and said she will recommend that Absolutely True Diary be retained because she “[values] the work that is in the book.”
Perry’s support is certainly a positive step, but it may not be the end of the line for this challenge. According to New London-Spicer School District policy, if the complainants are unsatisfied with her recommendation they may request a meeting with the superintendent and then the school board. Although Perry is defending the book in this case, this type of challenge policy leaves curricular materials too vulnerable to unilateral censorship by one person, as we’ve seen in past cases. The letter from NCAC also recommended that New London-Spicer revise its policy to adopt the more common model of forming a review committee to consider challenges to materials, and offered assistance in formulating such a policy if needed.
Luckily, New London-Spicer superintendent Paul Carlson also seems to support the book, saying in a radio interview that it contains “some very good topics about a 14-year-old boy who wants to better his life and overcome poverty.” He plans to meet with the complainants as well, but expects that the challenge will be on the agenda at the next school board meeting on June 12.
Below, check out the letter NCAC sent to Principal Perry this week. We will be on the lookout for updates!
(Read the rest of this article here!)
“Online courses, open educational resources (OER) and virtual schools are all the rage nowadays.
Christine Voelker teaches other teachers how to build their own online courses. She’s the K–12 program director for Quality Matters, a nonprofit educational organization based in Annapolis, MD.
Voelker’s got a background in childhood education and library science. She has also helped start libraries and three brand new schools — one elementary, one middle and one high school. Plus, she has extensive experience in starting and maintaining online courses. At the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference in San Antonio, TX, she will be presenting “Designing Your Online Course” Sunday, June 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Preregistration and an additional fee ($239) is required.
Continue reading Designing Your Online Course: Learning From an Expert
CHICAGO – The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) invites proposals for concurrent sessions to be presented during the 2018 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference. The conference will be held June 21 – 26 in New Orleans, La. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. Central on Friday, Aug. 25, 2017.
AASL seeks proposals for 60-minute concurrent sessions. All programs should include up to three learning objectives and should address how the session supports the AASL standards and strategic plan.
Continue reading AASL seeks program proposals for 2018 ALA Annual Conference
