I just started reading Marilyn Johnson's 'This Book is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All'. I should preface this by saying that I rarely rave about a book to ANYONE--I know, I know, this is sort of silly seeing as though I love books and want people to read them--but I had … Continue reading A Book Long Overdue! →

I have had the honour of being a part of the Ab-Ed program at L.V. Rogers Secondary I feel as though I am privy to the things that most Canadians know nothing about and could, unfortunately, care let about.One example is the plight of the Sinix't Nation. Most people living in the area have never … Continue reading Bringing Home the Bones →

Wow...After speaking with her twice over the phone (the amazing press that surrounded her aside--I had read 'The Slow Fix' and had visited her page on MySpace--I was already a fan) I was immediately captivated by Ivan. I had a strong feeling that she would 'wow' us all. And she did not disappoint. Ivan Coyote's … Continue reading Ivan Coyote: Storyteller Extraordinaire →

Facing huge cuts to teacher-librarians in California, the TLs have rallied and as part of their advocacy have put together a six minute clip on what it is that TLs do to enhance the academic environment in schools. Our skill set is wide and the variety unparalleled--there isn't anyone in education that comes close. For … Continue reading What do Teacher-Librarians Actually Do All Day? →

It's that time of year again! The annual BC Book Prize nominations have been announced. For a list of the 2010 finalists in all categories check out the BC Book Prizes site. Of particular interest is the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize which includes Robin Stevenson's 'Inferno', Carrie Mac's 'The Gryphon Project', and 'Return … Continue reading BC Book Prize Nominations →

November Group member, teacher, university instructor, and self-admitted technophile, Julia Leong, did a first-rate presentation at the Prestige Hotel on our February 19th Pro-D day. Here's her slide presentation if you are interested:Kootenays Keynotehttp://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=kootenayskeynote-100218131633-phpapp01&stripped_title=kootenays-keynote

As I sit in on department meetings, staff meetings, technology committee meetings, etc. two theme keeps re-emerging: the need to reduce spending, and the need to begin leveraging what we have at our disposal. Some aruge that e-textbooks may be one option for schools in the future to consider. Check out this article from the … Continue reading A New Way of Thinking with Money Well Spent →

Well, a few days to go before our teacher-librarian presentation to the SD8 Board of Trustees. I'm looking forward to our approach and presentation. We're not going with our hands out asking for money that we all know doesn't exist. It is an approach that some have called 'active advocacy': letting the trustees and senior … Continue reading Board Presentation Countdown is on! →

Well, it started off with an overwhelming feeling of embarrassment, disgust, and sadness (probably hopeless, too--yeah definitely hopelessness). I mean what were we really doing here. No money, No direction. No hope. And the bad news kept getting, well...worse.BUT, leaving the meeting I felt as though we are in a better position than yesterday. Nothing … Continue reading ITSC: One Perspective →

I'm astounded by this article from MediaShift! It has to be heresy to greatest degree! I never really believed that email would ever go away, but it looks as though it is here to stay and appears to be making a 'resurgence' on the backlash against social networking phenomenon.Surprisingly, the vast majority of our staff … Continue reading Email Still the Way to Go…? →