IASL School Library Happenings Worldwide

The ASLA Online III Virtual Conference to be held in May 2008 will focus on three strands:

• Digital environments: Designing and applying collaborative tools for learning,
• Digital literacy: Building and providing online literature experiences, and
• Digital pedagogy: Crafting and exercising digital teaching and learning practices.

Register now for the ASLA Online III Virtual Conference — Under Construction: A World without Walls

The theme for the ASLA Online III virtual conference was inspired by the work of Thomas L. Friedman (2006), The world is flat. The flattening of the world, according to Friedman, was triggered by ten forces - 11/9/89 (fall of the Berlin Wall), 8/9/95 (Netscape goes public), work flow software, uploading, outsourcing, offshoring, insourcing, in-forming and the steroids (Friedman 2006, pp. 50-200).

The focus for this conference emphasises the evolution of technology and the implications of rapid and significant change on the education agenda.

Each strand will host a lead paper and be supported by a number of general papers around the sub-theme of each strand. The papers will be available to registered delegates during April to allow participants to read, reflect and prepare for the discussions with presenters in the virtual forums in May.

The digital environments strand lead paper by Raylee Elliott Burns looks at a recombinant architecture approach to the design of learning spaces whereby familiar architectural forms and functions are transformed by the digital-online modes. Who and what is valued is an influential aspect of the learning space designing process. Anne Gillespie, James Herring, Pru Mitchell, Judy O´Connell, and Belinda Spry & Sarah Hayman present supporting papers that cover the provision of online environments for school libraries, the changing role of the teacher librarian, e-portfolios and professional learning environments, the effective use of blogs as professional learning tools, and Library 2.0 and collection development policy and
procedure.

Katina Zammit from the University of Western Sydney, Australia provides the lead paper for the digital literacy strand. Katina explores the concept of digital literacy within new modes of learning using new mediums and technology. The accompanying papers by staff from the Queensland Library Cyberschool and Julie Mabb provide different perspectives on literacy skills and learning environments, whilst Pat Pledger explores the literature blogosphere. Margaret Meijers encourages the use of video games to develop literacy skills.

Web 2.0 and information fluency by the lead presenter for the digital pedagogy strand, Joyce Valenza from Springfield Township High School in the USA, challenges us to consider how the information skills used in traditional information structures are merged with the skill set required to survive in the new information landscape. Valenza also includes reference to the Web 2.0 tools that students use to foster information fluency development. Gary Green´s paper within this strand continues the focus on how technology can be utilised by teacher librarians in the library and classroom to improve learning outcomes. Stuart King targets
YouTube as a useful tool to develop media literacy skills as well as relevant learning experiences. Barbara Combes presents initial findings of her research into the information seeking behaviour of the Net Generation and John Raiti explores the cultural changes schools will face and the role teacher librarians will play in the new technologies arena.

This year a social networking space has been established …..join in and invite your friends to the ASLA Online social networking pre-conference space for even more lively discussion.