hero worship
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I find myself relying more and more on national mentors who always seem to be ahead of the curve, who have inventive ideas, and who are not shy about sharing what works best when working with students and teachers. If you are developing your professional learning network (PLN), bring the names and website addresses of the people in the profession who influence you most, and I will share my library heroes. We can also discuss best practices for keeping track of all that information and tips for actually following through and implementing some of the great ideas that a good PLN generates. Presented at the 2013 Kansas Library Conference by Martha HouseTRANSCRIPT
School Library Hero Worship
KS Library Conference10/10/13
Your HeroesThree Tech Ninjas
Lucas Loughmiller@kslibraryguy
Zite App
Elementary Librarian
TechChef4U
Shannon Miller
CriteriaSolid Content
Sensible
Working Librarians
Upbeat
Inspiring
Heather BraumProfessional Learning Network Plan
Paige JaegerLibrary Door
“This hyper-connected generation loves technology, but unfortunately, it is not a panacea
for high performance.”
Karen HornbergerLiving in a Library World
Practical instructions for making your library work. Her work on eBook management in Destiny is
going to be very, very important to me.
Kristin FontichiaroMs. Fontichiaro has been sucked into the Maker
Movement and Badging, with mixed results in my opinion, but when she talks about school libraries
and school library issues, nobody is better. Her work on Common Core implementation is
unsurpassed.
Karen JensenTeen Librarian Toolbox is a collaborative site
networked with VOYA magazine. Featuring lots of book reviews, it is upbeat and sometimes serves in
place of an expensive therapist for me.
Sue FitzgeraldThe Unpretentious Librarian knows her way around smore and promotes her middle school library like
a pro.
Susan OxnevadA professional developer who earned the Martha House Stamp of Approval with her post on SAMR
this summer.
Zoe P. MidlerShe blogs infrequently but when she has
something to say, it is pure genius. Her post Embedded Librarianship with Google Apps made
me sit up and take notice.
Nikki RobertsonShe is an unabashed self-promoter, something I usually dislike,
but she has too much energy and too many good ideas to ignore. Though I often have to take a nap after looking at her blog, The True Adventures of a High School Librarian , I also
steal from her when I can.
Gwyneth JonesAnother exhaustingly energetic woman,
The Daring Librarian won my heart with her Comic Tutorials on various subjects.
Pam HarlandThe librarians behind the
Sanborn Regional School District are not promoting themselves at ALL. They just do good
work. The summer reading program they put together and their library guides are fantastic.
Emily FordI don’t have a staff to develop awesome LibGuides, but Hunterdon Central Regional High School DOES. Emily Ford is one of four. I am not ashamed to float
along in their wake.
Michelle LuhtalaIn Bibliotech.me, Michelle Luhtala is like the
sophisticated hostess of a salon. Yes, she has original ideas that she expresses very well, but
she excels at introducing me to interesting people in the field.
Richard ByrneIf I check no other sites, I make sure to check this
one. Free Technology for Teachers is on top of what is going on in educational technology. I
ruthlessly ignore most of what’s here, but if it is relevant, it is RELEVANT.
Jennifer LeGardeThe Adventures of Library Girl is passionate yet
sensible and eminently realistic. Though she now works for the North Carolina Department of Public
Instruction, I still love her.
Buffy HamiltonBuffy is THE high school librarian in my opinion.
She is this shining beacon. She left school libraries for a bit, but now she is back working at
Norcross High School. Any of her webinars, blog posts, or really, anything she produces, are
worth your time and attention.
Doug JohnsonSometimes, I think Doug Johnson is the only guy
on the internet who really understands how effective good libraries and technology can be
together in schools. His Blue Skunk blog has very useful and practical information about how to
really make things happen.
Joyce ValenzaThe most prolific working librarian on the internet, there must
be at least three of Joyce Valenza. She writes for School Library Journal, effectively managed the
Springfield Township High School Library for years, and has now joined the Rutgers School of Communication and Information.
Keeping Track of It All
BalanceAbsorption
Boldly Explore
Interest Oriented
Passive
Creation
Ruthlessly Narrow
Goal Oriented
Active
ToolsFeedly
#tlchat Daily
Professional Organizations
Occasional Webinar
Library 2.0 (and MOOCS, Apps, old school classes and workshops, books, magazines: Booklist and MacWorld and remember to read outside the profession . . . . )