Vermont School Library Association

Save the Date for “Dynamic Landscapes 2.0: Synergy at Work”

On December 30, Sue Furry-Irish and Sue Monmaney met with Ed Barry of VITA-Learn to finalize plans for a joint VSLA/VITA-Learn Spring 2010 conference, to be called “Dynamic Landscapes 2.0: Synergy at Work.” This exciting 2-day conference will be held at Champlain College May 13^th and 14^th, building upon the successful Dynamic Landscapes Conferences of the past by blending in workshops of special interest to library media specialists and their extended communities.  In addition, a special dinner with guest speaker will be offered for Thursday evening, May 13^th.  The entire 2-day program will create an unprecedented gathering of educators with different job titles who share the same media literacy goals.

The call for proposals goes out to the technology, library, and education communities January 11^th, with a February 19^th deadline for receipt of proposals.  All proposals should be emailed to Sue Furry-Irish at suzanne.irish@cesu.k12.vt.us by February 19^th or before.  Proposals should be 75 words or less (with a catchy title!) on a topic related to technology in K-12 education. Presenters will receive free registration for one day of the conference (one registration per one-hour workshop).

VSLA aims to bring 24 presentations to the conference mix.  While we will be looking for proposals that relate to the library media center, we must remember that conference participants will be a mix of librarians, teachers, and technology integration specialists. Collaborative projects or library uses that could be duplicated in classrooms will reach a broader audience.  At the same time, we are mindful that the spring conference needs to meet the special interests of our library community.  If you have an important idea to propose or would like to help the conference committee, please contact Sue Furry-Irish at the above email address.

This collaborative conference is a new venture for both parties, so librarians, let’s shine! Share your expertise with others, encourage synergy, and benefit from others’ creativity. Are you using Skype, blogs, wikis, podcasts, Flip videos, or wish you were?  Do you need clarification on 21^st Century Learning Skills? Are you dying to discuss Fair Use questions or policies on publishing, Web 2.0, and more? Come learn, share, meet, and teach at the Dynamic Landscapes 2.0 Conference this May 13^th and 14^th!