How important is your network?
In his keynote speech at TIE Copper Mountain last summer Will Richardson asked participants where we get our information. Who are our mentors? Who pushes us to do our best? Who are the members of our professional learning networks? Alec Curosa asked this question on his Voicethread.
For myself- I’ve found fabulous librarians doing amazing things. Buffy Hamilton’s work on the Unquiet Library blog taught me how to use delicious bookmarks as pathfinders. I’ve used TWITTER to connect with other Teacher Librarians (wow my pgoerner is one of the 600 + librarians listed!). In fact- wouldn’t it be cool if all our state organizational blogs could be linked together?
I’ll start! Take a look at this one. The Georgia Library Media Association…there are some really great posts and good ideas that we can use! Start adding more that you know in the comment section- let’s make some good contacts!
Keep building your networks with folks that challenge and support your work! ~guybrarian
Tags: collaboration, networking
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March 29, 2008 at 9:31 am
Okay Phil – here we go
The Oregon Library Media Association is my favorite right now. I bet you can’t guess why – funding! Their site is amazing and has everything we need as a state to take their model and replicate it in Colorado. All we need is a few crazily committed parents! Any takers out there? Check out this site and help us replicate what the good folks in Oregon did to save their school libraries and help insure all Colorado kids the best opportunity for success!!
http://www.oregon.gov/OSL/LD/school/Report2007.pdf
http://librariesfordemocracy.org/fundfuture/
http://www.fundourfuturewashington.org/14.html – amazing timeline and best practice model! We need to find some committed parents to do this in Colorado!
http://www.cafepress.com/fundlibraries?s=fundlibraries&type=c2 – buy a t-shirt and wear it!
http://www.fundourfutureoregon.org/8.html – join the effort!
On a another note, the best professional networks within Colorado for me right now are the listserves for the Technology Leadership Forum, the Colorado Association of School Libraries, and CDE-Technet. If you are not a member of these free organizations, you should join even if you cannot attend meetings. They are a great resource for information and a great group of professional folks. Check out: http://coloradotlf.ning.com/ and
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/caslcommunity/ and
CDE-TechNet the interactive discussion list for building-level technology coordinators in Colorado schools, sponsored by the Colorado Department of Education’s Educational Telecommunications Unit. Subscribers to this list must be affiliated with a Colorado public or private K-12 school, a Colorado school district or a Colorado BOCES.
To subscribe:
Send an e-mail message to: collins_d@cde.state.co.us with your name, e-mail address & your district or school affiliation.
cosll@windom.bvsd.k12.co.us – list serve to email to join Colorado School Library Leaders
tlf@co.tlf.org – list serve to join Colorado Technology Leadership Forum