Tag Archives: CMLE

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

AASL’s Lesson Plan Database

Image by Jonathan Barragan. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by Jonathan Barragan. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

Update 9/22/2014: “AASL has received word that the organization that hosts and provides technical support for the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner Lesson Plan Database has refocused their mission and will no longer be providing these services. As such, the lesson plan database will be archived and future plans are currently under consideration” (AASL Lesson Plan Database).

Whether you are looking for a lesson plan on digital citizenship or wanting to share the snazzy lesson plan you created on screen-casting, there is now a place to do so. After all, why should every school media specialist re-invent the wheel, right?

AASL gets credit for creating this database, and contributors get credit for what is in it! This lesson plan database is meant to support school media specialists and other educators too as they teach essential learning skills within the AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner.

You can do free searches by standards and indicators, content topic, grade level, type of lesson or schedule, and of course keyword too. Registered users can bookmark lesson plans, rate and comment on content, print to PDF and socially share content too. Again, it is free.

Submissions to the Lesson Plan Database are vetted by AASL reviewers to ensure lesson plans published are of the highest quality. The lesson plan template was developed using the Action Example Template from Standards for the 21st-Century Learner in Action. All lesson plans published are aligned with AASL’s Standards for the 21st-Century Learner and are crosswalked with the Common Core Standards.

Search the AASL Lesson Plan Database Now!

Do you still have lots of questions? Go directly to the FAQ’s on the site!

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Library Journal’s Top Ten Books in 2013

Image retrieved online at Library Journal 11/19/13.
Image retrieved online at Library Journal 11/19/13.

Aha, we are getting close to the end of a calendar year, and the flurry of lists begin, which is always popular! And book lists rank supreme with our readers!

Library Journal’s review editors are now sharing their Top Ten  List, and as you read their blog post you feel their pain. They  briefly chronicle their struggles in just choosing ten titles. They lament a bit about the “ones that got away” too, simply because other books  grabbed them with more intensity.  I like that image….

Some of us read for plot, others for character development (that’s me), and yet others for flowery language (not me) among other things, so it is possible you will love a title  on the discard list too! Take a look at their More of the Best List too!

Tip: If you read one of these books and would like to submit your short review to our offices,  we can include it in our Featured Book blog posts. Thanks!

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

GRRL’s Online Catalog Just Got Better!

Image retrieved online from GRRL. 11/18/13
Image retrieved online from GRRL 11/18/13.

A recent press release shared an exciting new development in our region. In addition to the expected bibliographic data we see in our GRRL search results, that information is now fortified with a service called NoveList Select!

According to the press release….” It makes book searches fun by providing recommendations readers will see as they browse online. For example, readers who look for Catching Fireby Suzanne Collins will not only see that the library owns multiple copies, but also that it is the second book in a series: the Hunger Games trilogy. They will also see covers of other series and other books recommended for readers of Catching Fire. Additional enhancements include listings for recommended authors, reader ratings and reviews, a link to the NoveList website, and extras from NoveList in the form of award winner listings and booktalk links.

NoveList Select turns a static catalog into a place for book discovery. The recommendations are created by a large team of experts at NoveList including numerous professional librarians. “Traditionally, readers would speak with their local librarian to get book recommendations,” said Jake Grussing, the library’s associate director for collection development. “That reader’s advisory still takes place, but large numbers of patrons now visit us online, and the addition of NoveList Select makes it possible for us to provide an equivalent kind of service to the online browser.”

Great River Regional Library’s website address is griver.org. GRRL provides library services at 32 public libraries in Benton, Morrison, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright Counties. It provides Central Minnesota residents with nearly 1 million books, CDs and DVDs, 250 public computers, programming and information services.

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

CMLE Featured Service: Scholarships

CMLElogoFY11

Are professional development funds tight in your work setting? Did you know that CMLE offers scholarships of up to $200 per fiscal year per individual for staff affiliated with  any type of  library in Aitkin, Benton, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright counties in Central Minnesota? The scholarships can be used to attend workshops, conferences, library meetings or task forces, and other library-related activities to promote professional development. CMLE scholarships also come in handy in settings that require your employer to pay for a “sub” while you are off enhancing your library skill sets. Past recipients of the scholarship program were able to use CMLE scholarships towards attendance at national library conferences such as ISTE, AASL, and ALA. Locally, members received scholarships for attending the Children’s Literature Workshop in St. Cloud, the TIES conference in the Twin Cities, the Library Technology Conference at Macalaster College, and for annual MEMO and MLA conferences too. Keep watching the Upcoming Events portion of our Weekly Review message for upcoming opportunities.

We all owe it to ourselves to keep our skill sets sharp. Confidence and engagement often result when we  take time to invest in ourselves. CMLE would like to support you to that end. For all of the details and to apply for a scholarship, go to www.cmle.org/scholarships.asp.

 

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Distance Learning: The Next Steps

Image by Nazzen. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by Nazzen. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

Distance learning is often marketed as a way to meet diverse educational needs by offering course flexibility, accessibility, and program diversity. In an infographic, Career Graphics illustrates the evolution of distance learning starting as early as 1728; emphasizing key factors which influenced its transformation to what we know it as today. Some of these elements include the first correspondence courses and the introduction of new technologies such as the radio, television and internet.

In an article by Edudemic, author Nina Hassing eludes to the number of times employees change career paths as an important variable in the growing need to apply broader, analytical thinking skills. She stated, “Memorizing facts will have a much lower value, while utilizing information for analysis and decision making will be a critical skill for educational and professional advancement.“  This is used as the backdrop to discuss why the concept of distance learning needs to evolve. Hassing lists 9 ways in which this type of learning will continue to grow, why change is needed and her predictions for the future of distance education. Click here to read the full article, Why (And How) Distance Learning Needs to Change (August 2013.)