If you haven't already read the British Columbia Teacher-Librarians Association's Points of Inquiry document outlining the role of teacher-librarians' in our schools in the twenty-first century as important contributors to the success of learning for our students you NEED to. I strongly encourage all BCTLA members and advocates for digital literacy to take some time … Continue reading Points of Inquiry: A chance to rethink our purpose? →

 The other day the injunction sought by Sunshine Logging against the Sinixt blockade on Perry Ridge in the Slocan Valley was denied by the courts.http://www.bclocalnews.com/business/106771333.htmlSo, the Slocan Valley advocacy group is one step closer to the long-awaited Perry Ridge Nature Conservancy that the Sinixt Nation and the Perry Ridge Water Users Association have worked so … Continue reading Sinixt Nation: Extinct or Not? →

Professor Richard Quinn of the University of Central Florida was so disgusted by evidence that many of his students had cheated in their midterm exam that he gave them a lecture that he hoped would teach them a life-long lesson. In the lecture, Quinn told the class he had enough evidence from statistical analysis and … Continue reading Cheating & the Aftermath at University of Central Florida →

Education technologist, Alan November, published a white-paper several years ago, and I had forgotten about it every until recently when our professional learning network began looking at how technology impacts student learning.It is titled "Creating a New Culture of Teaching and Learning" and was pretty heady stuff only just a few years back.Now, more than ever, its message is an important … Continue reading November asks…What’s our culture of teaching and learning? →

Congratulations to our colleague and teacher-librarian, Wendy Phillips of Richmond Secondary School, for winning the 2010 Governor General's Award for Children's Literature with her first novel, Fishtailing! Her inspiration for her work? Her students, of course! Wendy is busy researching for her second book and maintaining the library at Richmond Secondary.Way to go, Wendy! Gotta love those … Continue reading BC Teacher-Librarian Wins Governor General’s Award for Debut →

So it begins (again)...Jane Byers Goodwin tweeted, sarcastically, last week to a colleague: "Aren't librarians mostly an in-house sub paid to sit alone in an empty book-filled room most of the day? Many admin. think so!" I have been asked by my administration to 'sub' only once in three years while in the position of teacher-librarian. … Continue reading A glorified in-house sub? Me thinks not… →

Maybe you have had enough Assessment for Learning to last a lifetime, you say? However, isn't true that its one thing to understand what it is (or at least think so), and another to actually put it into regular daily practice in our classrooms. Another analogy...Okay, so you get the idea. Assessment for learning assumes … Continue reading FEEDING the Pig or just WEIGHING it? →

To be Wireless...or not...Our school, despite the motions of many schools world-wide to remove wifi, has begun a wireless network pilot project. And only after four days (and without any public announcements or fanfare) we have over 98 student users with accounts (that's about 15% of the school population!). The 'student' accounts are valid for … Continue reading Our Technology Surges Ahead…Literally! →

In a courageous, intensely emotional talk at the city council in Fort Worth, Texas, councilman Joel Burns reaches out to the targets of teen bullying -- kids who are gay, perceived as gay, or just different -- with a vital message about their lives, and the harassment they face. Amid a rise in bullying and a … Continue reading Councilor Joel Burns to Gay Teens: It Gets Better →