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I was very pleased to participate in ALSC’s four week online education course, Sharing Poetry with Children. The course was taught by Sylvia Vardell, SLIS professor at Texas Woman’s University, author, poetry columnist for
ALA’s
Book Links, and self proclaimed poetry enthusiast.
She led us through online readings
as well as through
her book,
Poetry Aloud Here! , and she guided our lively discussions.
I was excited to take the class, as I was certain it would inspire me and better prepare me for my monthly poetry breaks that I was holding with two classes of 2nd and 3rd graders. Through the years, I felt that my knowledge of children’s poetry and ways to share poetry with kids had all been learned on the fly. I was looking forward to reaping the benefits of learning in a more structured setting, and to hearing ideas and suggestions from other librarians and teachers. I was not disappointed!Each week focused on a different broad topic including an overview of children’s poets, poetry awards, types of poetry, evaluation of poetry, and poetry that stands up to the kid-test. The background readings were interesting and reinforced concepts and names that I had forgotten. I also learned a great deal that was “new” to me, especially in regards to the types of poetry that we can be sharing with kids, beyond the basic and easy to remember formats such as limericks, haikus, couplets, nursery rhymes, and free verse. Participants in the class were from across the
United States and abroad, and represented small and large libraries and schools.
It wasn’t long before we began slowing down bandwidth everywhere as we posted our favorite books, anthologies, poems, and poets.
We wrote of our
memories of how poetry was shared with us during our own childhood, and we shared observations and thoughts from using poetry in our own jobs.
The postings were very useful as everyone shared practical ideas, tips, and techniques.
Everyone shared freely from their experiences,
and the ideas were ones that could be easily adapted for success in any setting.
The class was a great experience for me, as I was able to focus on poetry and compile a lengthy “must read” list as everyone shared their favorite poems and poets. I “discovered” poems and techniques that I put to good and immediate use as I shared them in storytimes and school visits. As a result not only am I incorporating more poetry into every program that I present, but my staff is too, after patiently listening to me say, “oh, you have to use this one…it’s a great poem!”
The content of the class rejuvenated me and the flexibility of learning online in the Moodle environment made it possible for me to fit some fun and important learning into my already busy schedule. I look forward to enrolling in another online course offered by ALSC.
Julie Bascom
JCPL Manager
Clark Pleasant Branch
New Whiteland, Indiana
Want more proof that ALSC is one of the coolest divisions around? Then check out their online courses coming up this summer. As someone who got their library degree 100 percent online (shout out to a great program at UWM!), I really like the idea of convenient continuing education. And since I’ve always loved the Newbery Medal, K.T. Horning’s recent ALSC course, “The Newbery Medal: Past, Present and Future,” was an obvious fit.
I was continually impressed by the content of the class, the caliber of the discussions, and the insight from all sorts of distinguished guest speakers. Given the recent discussions surrounding the award, it was very helpful to be able to put the award in its historical context and to learn that professional debates about quality vs. popularity, kid appeal, and even boy appeal, have been ongoing since the first decades of the award. As the class progressed, we engaged in discussions about what it means to kids today, how the books have withstood the test of time, and how we could use the award to create programs in our schools and libraries.
Don’t forget to check out the courses coming up. There should be something for everyone.
Rose M. Stuart
Youth Services Librarian
East Greenbush, New York
School’s not out for summer this year! ALSC is offering three engaging online education courses, beginning July 20, that will enhance your professional skills and knowledge. The three courses being offered are: “Reading Instruction and Children’s Books,” “The Newbery Medal: Past, Present and Future” and “Sharing Poetry with Children.” Registration opens May 18, and discounted rates are available for ALSC members.
ALSC’s online courses have received excellent reviews from participants. Every week during the month of May, the ALSC Blog will feature first-hand accounts of participant experiences. Check-out the first three posts that were just listed today!
Courses are taught asynchronously using Moodle, an online learning community. A certificate of completion will be sent to participants upon successfully finishing the course. Detailed descriptions and course registration information is available on the ALSC Web site. Fees are $95 for personal ALSC members; $145 for personal ALA members; and $165 for non-members.
For the past few weeks, I have been a member of the ALSC online education course called “The Newbery Medal: Past, Present, and Future.” This is the first time that I have taken advantage of ALA’s continuing education courses, and I have to say that I couldn’t be more pleased.
The virtual class was taught by K.T. Horning, who is the director of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been involved all over ALA, and will be delivering the 2010 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture. Needless to say, we were in good hands!
Over the six weeks that the course was in session, we read at least 9 Newbery winners of our own choosing, along with course guest, and Newbery winner Linda Sue Park’s A Single Shard. We also read many articles questioning and championing the Newbery Award dating back from the 1920s.
All of the reading was very rewarding, of course, and I did find some new favorites that I had overlooked in the past. But the true beauty of the course was the dialogue that went on in the “forums.” This is where class participants would rant and rave about certain titles, try to puzzle out the elusive idea of “distinguished”, and make connections with each other. It was refreshing since there were many points of view, and few titles had participants in full agreement.
I highly recommend taking advantage of the classes that ALSC is offering virtually. I certainly learned a lot, made some great professional connections, and had quite a bit of fun!
ALSC invites student members to interact, network and learn virtually with our new online workshop series, ALSC Student Sessions. These free, one-hour programs taking place in OPAL (Online Programming for All Libraries) give students the opportunity to learn first-hand about hot library issues from ALSC members around the country. Sessions aim to be interactive, and all participants need is a computer with speakers and internet access. OPAL allows participants to interact via text chatting, voice-over-IP, synchronized browsing, and other functions. Visit OPAL for more information.
ALSC Student Sessions include:
“Feeling the Crunch: Library Programming on a Budget”
Thursday, Feb. 19, 7 p.m. CST
Presented by Eva Mitnick, senior librarian, Los Angeles Public Library
To attend this discussion, enter ALA 25 seat room B at the scheduled time
“How I Got My First Library Job: Tips from Library Directors”
Thursday, March 19, 5 p.m. CST
Panelists include Therese Bigelow, assistant director, Chesapeake (VA) Public Library and Gene Nelson, director, Provo (Utah) City Library
To attend this discussion, enter ALA 25 seat room B at the scheduled time
“Library 2.0: Technology in Children’s Services”
Wednesday, May 6, 7 p.m. CST
Panelists include Amber Creger, Chicago (IL) Public Library; Lauren Anduri, Brooklyn (NY) Public Library; and Jessica Trujillo, Somerset County (NJ) Public Library
To attend this discussion, enter ALA 25 seat room B at the scheduled time.
For more information, including program descriptions, visit the student membership page on the ALSC Web site. We hope to “see” you there!
by Lisa Taylor
Ocean County (NJ) Library
If the inaugural session of ALSC’s new online continuing ed courses is any indication, they’re going to be a great success! In “classes” powered by the software program, Moodle, librarians gathered online to participate in Sharing Poetry with Children, Reading Instruction and Children’s Books, The Technology-Enhanced Library Professional, and in my case, The Tech Savvy Booktalker.
Recent library school graduates are likely familiar with online classes and should find the format familiar and easy to work with. Less tech-savvy librarians should take the plunge and learn the benefits of online classes. Online courses run asynchronously; participants log in and participate when it’s most convenient for them, not the instructor. It’s easy to catch up on what’s happened in class since your last login. Online courses allow us to learn new skills without leaving the library for the day and wasting time (and gas!) on travel. Of course, nothing takes the place of interaction with other librarians, and there is plenty of that available online as well.
In Nancy Keane’s Tech Savvy Booktalker class, we had high tech fun. Public and school librarians created booktalking podcasts, comic strips, music videos, movie shorts and more! We’re not experts (yet!), but we’ve discovered so many new ways to promote books and reading to media savvy kids!
When the next session of ALSC online continuing ed courses rolls around, be sure to check it out!
