Weekly News - October 1st

Hello Colleagues:  

Once again we are posting this news to the web so that it is retrievable for those who delete.  Please see the bullets below and sign up for any and all you are interested in!  

• We are closing in on the Opals configuration and have appreciated your patience.  Please send Sharon the list of what you'd like removed.  
• Grolier is hosting customized NOVELNY training sessions to help inform NOVELNY users about Grolier Online's program features and how to incorporate Grolier Online into schools and public libraries. In this training they will focus on the different databases and how you can create your own Common Core lesson plans using these resources, which include content at multiple reading levels and perspectives.Please register at the links below.October 10, 3:30-4:30: https://scholastic.webex.com/scholastic/onstage/g.php?d=653011342&t=a
  October 22, 2:30-3:30: https://scholastic.webex.com/scholastic/onstage/g.php?d=659850736&t=a
  October 30, 3:00-4:00: https://scholastic.webex.com/scholastic/onstage/g.php?d=652784983&t=a
  
  If you have any questions about the webinars please contact Grolier at scholasticcustomersupport@scholastic.com or 1-888-326-6546 option 4.
  
• Battle of the Book (BOTB)  titles have been ratified by our advisory team.  The titles can be found at our wiki location:  http://www.wonderfulreading.wikispaces.com  
  PLEASE INDICATE THE GRADE LEVELS WHICH ARE PARTICIPATING VIA THIS LINK:
  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GLNY58P    
  
• February 27th is Library Lobby Day.  Mark your calendars now, if you'd like to attend.  Better yet, plan a student activity with your PIG students:  How can you change the world lobbying 5 minutes per day?
  
• Reading Incentive:  Passports to Reading - We are going to do another printing.  Our first 4000 are about gone, and people have requested additional.  If you need more, please email before Monday.   

• Your School Library - Mobile, Flipped, and Curated - Webinar by LMC
  Tuesday, October 8, 2013- 4PM Eastern Time
  
  E-content and mobile technology transform the role of the librarian and notion of library. Participants will rethink library as a hybrid platform and explore options for addressing ubiquitous portable service, instruction, and resources. Joyce will share options and strategies for curating, flipping, and mobilizing the traditional physical library for 24/7 availability.
  To Participate in the Live Session
  - Login at www.instantpresenter.com/edwebnet8 at the scheduled time.
  - As a member of this edWeb community, pre-registration is not required.
  - This webinar will be recorded and archived in this community for viewing at anytime.
  - Test your system for best quality: www.instantpresenter.com/systemtest
  About the Presenter
  Joyce Valenza is currently the teacher librarian at Springfield Township High School (PA) and an adjunct professor at the School Library & Information Technologies Graduate Program, Mansfield University. In January 2014 she will join the faculty at Rutgers University, School of Communication & Information. Joyce is the author of Power Tools,Power Research Tools and Power Tools Recharged for ALA Editions. Joyce is a Milken Educator and an American Memory Fellow. Joyce is active in ALA, AASL, YALSA, and ISTE and contributes to VOYA, Technology and Learning, and School Library Journal. Joyce earned her doctoral degree from the University of North Texas, and speaks nationally about issues relating to libraries and thoughtful use of educational technology. 
  This program is sponsored by Library Media Connection.
  
  
  FYI - a  2 minute video where Amy Rudet and Eric Sweet comments on "Adopting or Adapting the modules" 

• Last week I attended a couple of days for the NYLA conference (meetings and I had one presentation).  I have to say that I love NYLA, but the SSL conference is sooo much better for our school librarians.  If you missed last year's conference, you really missed a good one.  Looking Ahead...  Consider applying to present at this year's NYLA Section of School Librarians (SSL) Conference: 

• Expect More: Exploring Excellence in Education
  NYLA - SSL 2014 Conference April 24th, 25th & 26th
  515 Montgomery St, Syracuse, NY 13202
  Syracuse, New York @ Oncenter
  Hello Everyone,
  
  
  NYLA - SSL (New York Library Association Section of School Libraries) is calling for workshop proposals for our 2014 Conference which will be in Syracuse @ the OnCenter.  We are switching up the format and will have a Supertech Saturday along with a Nonfiction Common Core themed Friday.  
  We are looking for workshops, poster sessions, and much much more.  
  Check out our website for more information.
  
  
  We are working on the schedule so if possible if you are interested in presenting, bringing a poster for our poster sessions, or anything other presentation type medium please submit an application today.  If you are unsure if your idea would fix and want feedback please due let us know.  Library Students, teacher partners are welcome as well.
  
  
  The deadline for submissions is Friday, November 1, 2013 at 11:59 p.m
  Submissions will only be accepted via the online form on the CNYSL website. Email, mail, or fax submissions will not be accepted.
  
  
  Website:  http://cnysl.weebly.com/2014-ssl-conference.html

URL Basics 101 - Database Access 101

For those who  need a refresher n URL's, here are the basics of URL's, database access and the new "geolocation" URL movement.   

_______________________________________________________________________

For every database there may be multiple access portals. 

For every database there are multiple access scenarios:

• URL for generic access   [Ex.  Go.grolier.com    http://search.ebscohost.com/  Tumblebooks.com   Brainpop.com - These usually prompt you for a password
• Embedded URL’s  - sometimes are embedded with a “location” code
• Embedded URL’s  -  sometimes with a “username and password”  (not all vendors offer this approach as anyone from your website would in theory be able to "enter" with the username and password embedded URL.  These URL's are supposed to be hidden behind a password-protected page. 
• Now there are also, "Geolocation URL's  (Gale and EBSCO are moving to those for NOVEL products). A Geo location URL works like "caller ID" and the vendor knows who you are, or that you are from "NY" and will allow the NOVELny Products. 
• URL's that point to a "family" of products, often called a "host URL" - such as  http://go.grolier.com 
• Product  specific URL's that have the specific database pointer so that you only get a specific product within the "family"  (examples below) or, a specific “group” of products within the family – see these Grolier examples:

o   AMA.grolier.com = Amazing Animals (AMA.grolier.com)
 (However, upon clicking the URL may  “redirect” )

o   NBK.grolier.com = New Book of Knowledge ( NBK.grolier.com)

o   GME.grolier.com  = multimedia encyclopedia (GME.grolier.com)

o   EA.grolier.com  = Encyclopedia Americana (EA.grolier.com)

o   ATB.grolier.com  =  America the Beautiful  (ATB.grolier.com) 

o   LP.grolier.com = Lands and Peoples (LP.grolier.com) 

o   NBPS.grolier.com  = New Book of Popular Science (NBPS.grolier.com) 

o   For Elementary School: http://go-elem.grolier.com

o   For Middle Schools: http://go-middle.grolier.com

o   For High School: http://go-high.grolier.com

o   For Adult Patrons: http://go-patron.grolier.com

o   For Librarians/Educators: http://go-library.grolier.com

o   For GO Kids: http://go.grolier.com/kids

o   For GO Passport: http://go.grolier.com/passport

IP addresses which also work as authentication rather than a username and password.  This approach works within the building, but remotely students need “usernames and passwords” to get in.   This IP authentication works like “caller ID”  Where they know who you are and what you are calling for…so they let you in to the “products” to which you subscribe. 

NOVEL NY  Changes - URL's and access: 

In May the state announced they were eliminating Searchasaurus.  (We communicated this multiple times and sent around usage statistics to every district so assess whether they would like to order this.)   There was some question about the alternative elementary products provided by NOVEL.  Here are the two “new” elementary products now provided via NOVEL:

Proquest product:

·        

 www.proquestk12.com/myproducts    or

http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/libweb/k6/do/search

GALE products:  

 These images can be used: 

 

The geo-location ID's are ready for GALE and Proquest NOVEL products.Visit the NOVELNY URL geo location page: 

 http://galesupport.com/novelny/#   

Choose:  Direct Database URL's link.

CAVEAT:  I had to search this NOVEL geolocation generator twice:

• Once with the "nysl_ca_wswhes"  (substituting your letter code for wswhe,) and 
• Once with just "wswhe"  

For Proquest URL's you will need to place in only the "letters" within your ID such as wswhes  - and then search the list for your Proquest URL. You can generate your NOVEL Geolocation access URL's for either a general host address (all products)  or the "power search" URL.  

When I went to this page, I searched the list (via a Control +F) for "washington"  and then scrolled the list until I came across my URL:  

http://galesupport.com/novelGeo/novelGeoLink.php?wac=59-28466&db=ELIBE  

Knowing this geolocation access URL (sample above), I can now substitute any product code for the ELIBE  and get a direct access URL for Gale products. (See examples below)   
  

Go to the other URL generator to find the "product" acronym substitution for the specific product you want.  
This way you will have a direct access URL via Geolocation!  http://galesites.com/directurls/    

Welcome Back!

We trust you are all back-to-work and excited to face another year of challenges, change, and student achievement!    Welcome.  Please read the highlights below and mark some dates in your calendar for whatever interests you.  We have tried to schedule PD that will help librarians wrap their heads around the CCSS and prepare you to be a building leader.     Please try to read the emails (at least scan them) that I send out weekly, if possible.  Very often I get questions on items that really were addressed in an email.   It’s fairly obvious when people post on the listserv, or ask questions that were previously answered…FYI. We are happy to answer questions, even a second time.  Usually, I try to anticipate needs and feed information to you ahead of time, if possible.

Reading Passports are being printed and will be sent to your school, if you requested those via our link in June.   The print shop was backlogged with district calendars and newsletters so our passports were delayed.

Please send us any staffing changes (emails included) for changes in your library.

Save the dates:        October 16th will be our General Membership Meeting.   We welcome all librarians to attend to kick off the year with poignant PD catered just for you!   We will be spotlighting the new research initiative from NYS, Close Reading and the Library, Mentor Texts, and more.            October 28th the SLS and Model Schools will host a joint – PD day Information, Technology & Higher Level Thought: Best Practices showcase.  This session will model how technology and information can be partnered to support Common Core objectives.            December 12th – Marc Aaronson,  Non-Fiction and the Common Core – This is jointly sponsored with Cap Region, HFM, and Questar BOCES and we will be limited to 25 seats.  This will be held at the Clifton Park Public Library        November 22nd – Research to Build and Present Knowledge    Mike DeCaprio and I will present the NYS Research Initiative and how to roll-this out in your building.   This is intended for Librarians and ELA educators.

Welcome our new colleagues:                Allison Lattimore, Hudson Falls High School (replaced Don Winyall)  Annie Miller, Kensington Road Elementary  Glens Falls City Schools  Gary Walsh – St. Mary’s Ballston Spa (replaced Gail King)    Monica Parmenter   - New Ballston Spa Elementary School “Gordon Creek”    Joan Rocco is a new TA at Mechanicville Elementary who will be covering the library there.  Susan                 Starr has moved to a 2nd grade classroom.

NOVEL NY  Changes: For those of you who haven’t heard…  NYS NOVEL  purchased “Opposing Viewpoints”  for everyone in the state.   All of the NOVEL resources they are trying to get accessed via “geo-location” IP identification, so that someone accessing from an IP within NYS will not have to enter a username and password.   Those geo-location URL’s will be different from the individual URL’s that are generated below.      To get UNIQUE  URL’s for Gale products (including the new NOVEL resources)  please enter your GALE id (yellow highlighted code) into the box at this URL :   http://galesites.com/directurls/   nysl_ca_wswhes    Your URL’s will then be generated.    I will try to send out the geo-location URL’s later in a specific email with all NOVEL products.   If you had purchased Opposing Viewpoints for your district, you will be given 150% credit towards Gale eBooks or ALL FOUR other GALE secondary databases for free this year.    The 8 districts who had purchased this prior to the announcement, will receive a specific email later with details.

If you are interested in Battle of the Books, we will hold an online discussion on Monday September 16th, at 3:00.  You may come to BOCES in person for the meeting, if you prefer.  Please save the time and we will send out directions.  It will probably be held via webinar.     For the most part, the books will remain the same and we are seeking some substitutions.

Consider this free webinar... Join us for the next LMC @ The Forefront webinar! Guided Inquiry Design and the Common Core Tuesday, September 17, 2013- 4PM Eastern Time In This Session The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are upon us. As we are in a time of great transition with these new expectations, we can react with dismay or see it as a grand opportunity for change. These standards tell us what to teach but do not tell us how. This is the opportunity. Right now, we have a chance to shift to the needs of today's learners through an inquiry approach. Guided Inquiry Design is a new framework based on researched principles of learning that include an integrated process approach to subject area content, and is set up to be a powerful way to accomplish the rigor required of the Common Core. This session will inspire you, and will include how to use Guided Inquiry Design to achieve rigor, college and career readiness, in a learning centered approach necessary to meet the CCSS. To Participate in the Live Session - Login at www.instantpresenter.com/edwebnet8 at the scheduled time. - There is no pre-registration for this event. - This webinar will be recorded and archived in this community for viewing at anytime. About the Presenter Leslie K. Maniotes, PhD, is an administrator in the Denver Public Schools as well as a curriculum specialist and national consultant on inquiry learning.

Thanks for Kali Nagler and Sue Demick who are representing our region on the ENYSLMA board.  Please consider joining this organization.  See the membership application attached to this email.    Here’s Sue’s recent message that was sent to our listserv: Hi all,  I am the new ENSLYMA person for our BOCES system.  Below is a great program that you might enjoy.  I highly recommend Tailored Tea.  Really yummy!  The membership for is also included.  Have a great school year!  Sue Demick ENYSLMA invites you to hear HIS STORY on Saturday, October 5, 2013. Come enjoy a private Murder Mystery Tour of Historic Cherry Hill at 9:30 am, followed by lunch at The Tailored Tea at 12:30 pm.  More information about this opportunity is detailed in the registration form attached. If you are not already a member of ENYSLMA, or you need to renew, a membership form is also attached for your convenience. Attendance is limited for our fall event, so please register by Friday, September 20th. We hope to see you soon! Look for Fall events posted on the site,  http://www.enyslma.org/  and on our Facebook page, as Kali recommended.

OPALS   24-7  Single Login database access will be up and running shortly. All configurations have been made for Opals customers, and we are aware that there are certain “missing” smaller vendor products at this point.  Look for these by the end of September.   In addition, Sharon will be querying you to ask which NOVEL products you might want “removed” (such as “Business and Company Resource Center”  from the elementary menus).

Looking Ahead...  Consider applying to present at this year's NYLA Section of School Librarians (SSL) Conference:  Expect More: Exploring Excellence in Education NYLA - SSL 2014 Conference April 24th, 25th & 26th 515 Montgomery St, Syracuse, NY 13202 Syracuse, New York @ Oncenter Hello Everyone, NYLA - SSL (New York Library Association Section of School Libraries) is calling for workshop proposals for our 2014 Conference which will be in Syracuse @ the OnCenter.  We are switching up the format and will have a Supertech Saturday along with a Nonfiction Common Core themed Friday.   We are looking for workshops, poster sessions, and much much more.   Check out our website for more information. We are working on the schedule so if possible if you are interested in presenting, bringing a poster for our poster sessions, or anything other presentation type medium please submit an application today.  If you are unsure if your idea would fix and want feedback please due let us know.  Library Students, teacher partners are welcome as well. The deadline for submissions is Friday, November 1, 2013 at 11:59 p.m Submissions will only be accepted via the online form on the CNYSL website. Email, mail, or fax submissions will not be accepted. Website:  http://cnysl.weebly.com/2014-ssl-conference.html

S.L.O. and the librarian

SLO and APPR—Your “roster” or lack thereof…  Someone inquired about any “new” information regarding librarian rosters or lack-thereof and APPR regulations. 

This is not an easy answer.   It is a labyrinthine formula that has been questioned, scrutinized, and answered 2 different ways.   However, Courtney has this language below that may help you interpret everything.  If you go to the link she provided, you will find “librarian” in the document 10 times.   Courtney is no longer at WSWHE BOCES, but now she is at  NYSED.  This language below should give you some hope of avoiding the SLO measure. 

Basically,  the teacher review process will come down to a local decision.  All teachers should be evaluated, but this document actually exempts you from the SLO language “growth measure”  required in the APPR RttT  legislation agreement.  Each year, a district has to have their APPR “plan” reviewed and approved by NYSED. They have to state how they are evaluating everyone. 

Many districts have chosen to use the APPR approved tool for librarians as an alternative.  This is listed on the state website at this link:
http://usny.nysed.gov/rttt/teachers-leaders/practicerubrics/#ATPR

http://usny.nysed.gov/rttt/teachers-leaders/practicerubrics/Docs/nyla-rubric.pdf  

Here’s what I was told from a state official:  

From: Jablonski, Courtney
Sent: Friday, March 01, 2013 10:51 AM
To: Jaeger, Paige
Subject: RE: SLO question for you

Hi Paige-

The regulations state that only educators with 40% or more of their time defined as instructional-   teacher of record (i.e. scheduled courses) are mandated to be part of the "new" teacher evaluation.  Therefore many districts are not creating SLOs, local measures, or using observation for those professionals with less than 40% of their time on record as instructional work. Instead those employees would be connected to whatever evaluation plan was in place prior to this regulation unless negotiated differently.

I have attached the link to the APPR Guidance document that this guidance comes from, section B3 (instructional support service reference and librarian reference) and  B12 are sections that can help shed some light on this. Regulations would allow for people with less than 40% of their time dedicated to instruction (coded as "teacher or record") to be exempt from evaluation process. 

Courtney

http://www.engageny.org/resource/guidance-on-new-york-s-annual-professional-performance-review-law-and-regulations/  

Regional Assessment creation has been devouring all our time lately, but we hope to quickly move beyond that bologna to student-centered activities!   Glory Be.   We took into account the feedback we received from our first-year RAD assessments and hopefully librarians using these will find them a bit easier to deliver.   (Creation of these is a task I wouldn’t wish on my enemies.)

Annual Dinner Discussion and Recommendations!

 A good time was had by all...in addition to the wonderful brownies and food!  In case you missed the dinner, please see the: 

•  summer book recommendations below from our local librarians,
• 1 CCSS lesson suggestion and the sample invitation  letter that was sent to Administrators by Liz Bailey (who shared the lesson)
• Diane Cordell's (our local photographer) postings at this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/8952927965/  

Young Adult Books
TITLE	AUTHOR
Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe	Saenz
Bad Girls	Jane Yolen & Heidi Stemple
Breaking Night	Liz Murray
Clean	Amy Reed
Code Name Verity	Elizabeth Wein
Drowned Vault	N. D. Wilson
Girl Stolen	April Herny
Golden Boy	Tara Sullivan
Grave Mercy	Robin LaFevers
Knits for Nerds	Toni Carr
Moonbird	Phillip Hoose
Out of the Easy	Ruta Sepetys
Perfect Escape	Jennifer Brown
Please Ignore Vera Dietz	A. S. King
Poop Happened:  A History of the World from the Bottom up	Sarah Albee
Raven Boys	Maggie Stiefvater
Seraphina	Hartman
Tiger Lily	Jodi Lynn Anderson
Ungifted	Gordon Korman
Children's Books
TITLE	AUTHOR
Can We Save the Tiger	Martin Jenkins
Goldilocks & Just One Bear	Leigh Hodgkinson
Ralph Tells a Story	Abby Hanlon
The Thing About Georgie	Lisa Graff
Splendors & Glooms	Laura Amy Schlitz
Stolen Into Slavery	Fradin
Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur	Judy Sierra
Unspoken	Henry Cole
Until the Cows Come Home & Other Expressions About Animals	Sandy Donovan
Waiting for the Magic	Patricia MacLachlan
Wonder	R. J. Palacio
Adult Books
TITLE	AUTHOR
Age of Wonder	Richard Holmes
Cooked	Michael Pollan
Cutting for Stone	Abraham Verghese
Destiny of the Republic	Candice Millard
Echoes of the Mountain	Khaled Husseini
Frankenstein (paired with Age of Wonder , above)	Mary Shelley
Grave Mercy	Robin LaFevers
Inferno	Dan Brown
Reconstructing Amelia	Kimberly McCreight
The Know it All	A. J. Jacobs
The Life Boat	Charlotte Rogan
The Paris Wife	Paula McClain
The Twelfth Imam	Joel Rosenberg
The World Until Yesterday	Jared Diamond
Where'd You Go Bernadette?	Maria Semple

 Dear Administrator Mover and Shaker friends,

I would like to invite you to experience what a 100% Inquiry project looks like at the elementary level.  The students in Mrs. Robbins’ 5^th grade class were given the opportunity to follow their interests generated from nonfiction reading this year.  They students developed “Essential Questions” that they would like to have the opportunity and time to seek answers for.  For example, one student wanted to know why France gave the U.S. the Statue of Liberty.  Another wanted to know what in Anne Sullivan’s life caused her to want to spend her years helping Helen Keller.  (I know, that one is amazing, right? Remember, we are talking 10 year-olds here.)

Students did independent research, meeting with their learning coaches (myself and the teacher) along the way at different benchmarks.  They were invited to brainstorm ways of expressing their learning, and chose a method that would be a good fit for the material they wished to convey to the audience.

We would like to share their work with you on Friday, June 7 from 9:30 to 10:15.  The first 20 minutes will be 4 whole group presentations, and the rest will be set up museum style, where you will be able to browse from station to station to see what the students accomplished.

                In an educational culture presently smothered in high stakes test taking, this will provide proof that our students can still have authentic, learner-driven experiences that will provide opportunities for critical thinking, creativity, and communication.  I am also hoping to highlight the importance of a collaborative library media program to make this happen.  I know you KNOW this, but here is a chance for you to see what is possible with an average group of kids given the right supports and a learning culture that celebrates their success. 

Thank you for considering attending, if your busy schedule allows.  And feel free to add any other guest that you might think this might find this interesting.

Liz Bailey

School librarian, Shenendehowa Central Schools