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Drop these resources into your library website or online course!

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Information Fluency Teacher Resource Kits

This is the home page for our Full Circle Resource Kits. Each Kit is designed to provide online and face to face teachers with a comprehensive set of online articles about searching, evaluating, and ethically using digital content. Includes, games, assessment ideas, and curriculum building resources. 
Topics Include:
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
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Checking Out Whichbook.net

According to the website:

Whichbook gives readers an enjoyable and intuitive way to find books to match their mood.

Instead of starting from the overwhelming choice of books available, whichbook starts from the reader and enables each individual to build theelements of that elusive 'good read' we are all looking for but don't quiteknow how to define.

The standard way of organizing books for choice, on shelves in a library or a bookshop, or on the web, starts from the products available - the authors,titles, publishers or genres. Whichbook enables, for the first time, the choiceof book to start from the individual reader and what they are looking for.


This site looks like fun. I am going to try it with my students.

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Isn't this a face and a cartoon you can trust to represent you in the PK-12 for ISTE Board of Directors?

Voting for the 2010-2011 ISTE Board of Directors will begin March 11 and end April 12, 2010.

Hi everyone! Well, I've never run for a position like this before (local sure, but not international!) so I'm not sure this blog is kosher...but I'm really passionate about working for the PK-12 Ed Tech peeps out there and I'm shameless enough to PLEASE ask for your vote! :-)

Here's where you can find out more information and can vote.

Voting for the 2010-2011 ISTE Board of Directors will begin March 11 and end
April 12, 2010.


I want to thank my good friend, mentor, and Maryland buddy Ms. Brenda Anderson for nominating me for a position on the ISTE Board. ....so Thank YOU dear amazing Brenda for not only believing in me but taking the time and effort to encourage me to step up and try and make a difference.

I also want to thank my good friend and mentor Joyce Valenza for supporting me in her award-winning recent Never Ending Search blog. She asked me to write up my goals and my vision for leadership within ISTE. I'm gonna re-post that here:

I was amazed and honored to be nominated for the board of directors of ISTE. Now more than ever, I passionately believe that we need to be seen as vital to our schools and the technology education of our most important customers - our kids. As a Media Specialist and a Technology Leader for over nineteen years, I think I am in a great position to see how to advance technology integration, digital citizenship, and helping our students create a digital footprint they can be proud of.

Innovative professional change is very important to me. I believe we need to support the effective use of technology in education to better the earning experience of the teachers and students.

I am also enthusiastic to bring in new members to the association and to foster those new members to contribute, participate, and join personal learning networks to create a more involved community of learners. Collaboration, innovation, approachable leadership, and building community bridges are central to my vision of leadership if I am elected to the board.

If you're reading this ISTE10 blog that means you're already committed to your own professional growth, and you're probably a change agent for your school and county, and I'm "preaching to the choir." For years I've been active with ISTE locally but meeting and working with Joyce Valenza and the geek squad has inspired me to step up and try and make some changes for us and for our profession - changes for the BEST!


Oh, and in the above paragraphs I realize there were WAY too many "I's" for my liking - But hey, it's not easy to write about one's vision of leadership without them...but if elected I promise that it will be about the we, us, and about the you. Thank you for your time and consideration! Cheers!

If you are a member of ISTE I really would appreciate your support....and though I am a teacher-librarian I am very appreciative and supportive of all my other subject area technology education colleagues, related arts, and support staff! - If you teach in a PK-12 School - I would be honored
to be your voice to ISTE and am very approachable for any concerns you have - you would have an eager advocate in me! Here's where you can find out more information and can vote.

Voting for the 2010-2011 ISTE Board of Directors will begin March 11 and end
April 12, 2010.


Follow me on Twitter
My Electronic Portfolio
My professional blog: TheDaringLibrarian
I also want to thank former MSET
president Julie Wray
for her support!

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\And if you're a SIGMS member please consider voting for Brenda Anderson for Professional Development chair! She's AWEsome! (and not just for nominating me! LOL) - for real she rocks!

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Powersearching in a Web 2.0 World Power-Searching In a Web 2.0 World

| 4 weeks | $99

This is a 4 week overview class suitable for beginning, intermediate, and advanced searchers.
  • We use discussions, open-book quizzes, interactive glossaries, and learning games to teach information fluency.
  • You will learn to search, evaluate, and ethically use online materials
  • We will help you locate materials specific to your needs.
  • We will show you how to investigate the credibility of the resources you find online.
  • We will help you create a personal search engine based on the online materials you select.
  • Our materials are designed to help you teach these skills to your own audience.
  • Join us! It's fun!

Introduction to Google Docs Beta Introduction to Google Docs

| 1 week | $40

This is a one week introduction to the essentials of Google Documents designed for those who have never used Google Docs. If you're using Google Docs and need some guidance we can help you learn how to use this powerful (and complex) online tool.

  • Learn to create and share online documents using Google's powerful and free document sharing tools.
  • Learn to use earlier revisions of a document.
  • Learn how to create a webpage from a Google document.
  • Ask questions and find answers working with an online facilitator.
  • Access a rich set of educator resources that will help you teach with Google Docs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many hours a week will this take?

Courses take about 5 hours per week. (You can certainly spend more time if you wish.)

Will I be working alone or with a group?

You'll be working with an online teacher who monitors the course on a daily basis. Our classes are fully moderated. That means you're working with a facilitator and other members of the class to learn together. You'll be able to get help, ask questions, and learn from both the facilitator and other participants.

What if I've never taken an online class?

We have an information rich, but low pressure learning environment. This class is a good introduction to learning online. Many of your classmates will be taking their first online course. Try it!

How will we learn online?

We take a hands-on approach. We use the Moodle online learning management system to organize and present our courses. Moodle is a popular online learning environment used around the world.
  • You follow a set of instructions that explain the goals and objectives of the course.
  • You watch online videos demonstrating essential concepts.
  • You refer to a glossary of technology terms to acquire a professional vocabulary.
  • The PowerSearching class uses discussion forums, learning games, and open book quizzes to introduce the concepts.
  • All classes have a Question and Answer forum that is monitored daily by your instructor.

What kind of technology do I need?

  • You need a reliable Internet connection.
    • We recommend a high speed connection.
    • Those using dial-up connects will need patience as the web-based materials load.
  • You need a MacIntosh or PC with an updated web browser.
    • MacIntosh with Safari or Firefox
    • PC with Firefox or Internet Explorer.
    • (Most other browsers work with our Moodle learning management system.)
    • You will also need an up dated version of Adobe's free Flash Player.
  • It is very convenient if you have access to an Internet computer at home and at work.
    • However this is not a requirement for success.
What kind of computer skills do I need?
  • You should be able to navigate the Internet with your web browser.
  • You should be able to use email.
  • You should be familiar with word processing fundamentals.
  • You should be interested in learning new communication concepts.
  • By the end of the course you'll know more about both the course topic and web 2.0 concepts!
  • It really help to be curious!

How long will I have access to the materials?

We leave the course open for at least three months after the class end date. You can return and browse the resources on your own schedule.

Is Course Credit is available?

  • Illinois Educators can earn CDPU's for our courses.
  • Educators from outside of Illinois can earn CEU's
  • No additional charge for credit.
    • However you must complete the required number of course assignments.
  • You can audit this class. (But you'll learn more with full participation.)
  • (College credit is not available at this time.)

Can I preview the courses?

Yes, follow the link below. When prompted, login as a guest. This allows you to see an outline version of the courses without enrolling.

How do I enroll & pay?

Follow the link below to set up your personal 21CIF Moodle account.

  • After you set up your account we will send you a confirmation email.
  • You will then be able to enroll and pay for the class of your choice.
  • We accept major credit cards.
    • We use a PayPal based secure payment system.
    • You do not need to become a PayPal member to use this system.
    • Your credit card information is not stored by PayPal or Information Fluency Partners.
  • When you complete the payment and registration process you will be able to login to your class.
  • The full course is available on the course opening date.
  • To pay by invoice contact: carl@21cif.com.

Do you have free materials?

Yes, almost all of our materials are free online at 21cif.com. You'll find many years of research based curriculum materials on our site. We support our research project by offering online classes, conference presentations, and custom online programming for educational and corporate clients.
Click here to visit our list of online classes. (Login as Guest to preview the courses)

21st Century Information Fluency and Moodle

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Carl Heine is developing a series of online learning games to teach elementary students the essentials of search. We're looking for feedback and suggestions as we begin the development cycle.You will find all the details on the Information Fluency group We are asking for feedback on our new elementary age games to be posted to the group's discussion thread. Please join the group and participate!
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Searching for the Date to cite

I recently got an email from a librarian in Illinois asking about ways to use Google to identify the date of an article. She wondered if there was a command in Google that would provide update information.I responded by saying that I don't think Google itself has a tool for sorting records by cache date, but if any page is cached, students can click that link and find the date it was updated or added to Google's index. Look for the term Cache at the end of the snippet. This isn't the same as "last updated" or copyright, but it's better than nothing.Personally, I wouldn't use it for a date in a citation, but as a guide for freshness if the date of the information was critical (usually for very current events). Back to this point in a moment.I did a quick search using keywords GOOGLE CACHE DATE and found that third parties create tools that come close to what she may be looking for. For example: http://www.webuildpages.com/tools/ advertises a Cache Tool: "Enter in a URL and this tool will check that page, and all links off of that page to see when each page was last cached. Will also show if any pages aren't getting cached. Improved and updated." The tool is no longer free and may be purchased. I think I'll pass, but in case anyone owns this, I'd like to know how you use it.The important issue here is what date to cite: copyright, last updated or cached. I'd like to hear from practitioners what they advise. What if copyright isn't available? If you should assume copyright on all Web content, is "last updated" the most accurate?
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