sigms - home

What is SIGMS?

SIGMS provides a support network to school library media specialists and others in leadership positions who are working to promote the use of instructional technologies to enhance student learning. It provides a forum where we can consider and explore ways in which we can best use existing and emerging technologies to improve and enhance teaching and instruction, student learning and management, helping students and teachers become competent, critical and ethical users of information.
The school library media specialist assists in planning, implementing, and evaluating technology-infused instructional and media programs; maintains a balanced collection of resources in all formats to meet information and curricular needs of students and teachers; and provides physical and intellectual access to information in the school library media center, in the school, and beyond; implements programs to ensure information and technology literacy skills for all students.

SIGMS "Technology Innovation Award" Now Open

The SIGMS "Technology Innovation Award" is now open and accepting applications. This premier award honors school librarians for their innovative work in integrating technology into teaching and learning in their schools. Learn more about this award and apply at the ISTE website. The deadline to apply is March 31.

February 2010 SIGMS Activities

Second Life: AASL-SIGMS Virtual Learning Community
Guest facilitator: Bernajean Porter
Feb 8: 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5pm PT
Book Trailers: Seen Any Good Books Lately?
Book trailers are NOT book reports. Similar to movie trailers, video book trailers are short, minute and a half to two-minute videos that introduce the basic storyline in ways that arouse your audience interest to read THAT book. Engage students in the artful video advertisement or PSA of a book with techniques and creative decisions being made by the director that tells enough to interest but not to spoil the plot. Merging the technology of books with digital tools is an engaging adventure for students – explore resources, ideas, tools, and processes for starting your own book club theater! Join us February 8tth, 5:00 PM SLT @ Atlantis Underwater Paideia Colluseum. SLURL Location: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eduisland%206/61/156/7

If you are new to Second Life, set up an account to join us:
1. Go to the Second Life website at http://secondlifegrid.net/programs/education several days in advance to set up your free basic account.
2. Verify that your computer and connectivity meets the systems requirements at http://secondlife.com/support/sysreqs.php.
3. Click on the orange "Get Started!" button. Go through the subsequent screens to create your avatar account.
4. Download and install the Second Life viewer software at http://secondlife.com/support/downloads.php.
5. Open the software and log into Second Life using your avatar first name, last name, and password. Watch your avatar "be born". Complete the orientation activities to learn about how to communicate, move, search, and edit your appearance.
6. When finished, search "Places" for locations such as Chicago Public Schools, ISTE, or the American Library Association. Teleport to a favorite location, explore, and become acquainted with Second Life. (When searching, make sure the "search mature places" square is checked.)
7. Fifteen minutes prior to scheduled meetings, log on and IM Elaine Tulip for a teleport to the meeting location or use provided SLURL.

Webinar: Learning & Leading through Peer Coaching Coast to Coast
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at 8PM ET/7 PM CT/6 PM MT/5 PM PT
Presenters: Shelee King George, Lynne Oakvik, Michelle Rivera, Ann Lumm
Description: Keeping up with the rapidly changing digital landscape that shapes how our students learn is no simple task. Districts seek to align professional development with 21st century teaching and learning practices, ensuring that all teachers are adequately trained in new instructional strategies and technologies.
Discover how educators from coast to coast are using peer coaching to engage in professional growth and leadership while transforming classrooms into cultures that value learning, inspire student creativity, and model digital age learning. Hear how Florida's Broward County Schools empower district media specialists to create dynamic and vibrant 21st century media programs that engage learners as producers of information and creators of innovation. Discover how teachers from Arizona's Isaac School District collaborate to promote best practices for lesson improvement and technology infusion. Find available resources to build your own Peer Coaching Program that develops coaching skills, builds teacher leaders, and adds value to existing district and/or school initiatives. (presentation wiki: http://peercoach-coast2coast.wikispaces.com/)

Directions to join the SIGMS webinar event
1. Check that your computer is set up for Adobe Connect by visiting Adobe Connect Pro Connection Test
2. Use this URL to enter the webinar room 10 - 15 minutes before starting time: http://Montgomery.na4.acrobat.com/SIGMS
3. Enter as a guest and type your first and last name.
4. Here is a link to a Visual Quick Start guide (pdf) to help you if this is your first webinar event.

Tapped In Event - "Using E-Books in Your Library Program: An International Perspective"
Thursday, Feb 18 at 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5pm PT
Facilitator: Lesley Farmer
Description: In this day, we must be mindful of preparing our students to function as global citizens. Attend this live chat event to discuss opportunities for developing international project-based learning in your school or district.

Directions to join the SIGMS Tapped In event:
1. In advance, go to www.tappedin.org and click on the link at the top left to sign up for free membership. Complete the short online form to join.
2. Receive your email confirmation to complete the registration.
3. Next, log in as a member at the welcome screen.
4. Scroll down on the top frame and click on the "Tapped In After School Online Event Calendar" link
5. Click on today's event "NEW!! ISTE International Media Specialists - eBook Collections" link
6. On the next page, click on the "Cybrarians" chat room. We will meet in this room.

Article Discussion for February
Join in an thoughtful discussion on the 2010 Horizon Report (http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2010/) put out by the New Media Consortium and EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative. Visit the ISTE Ning and join the SIGMS group to be part of the talk. http://www.iste-community.org/group/sigms

Bob Sprank writes in the 1-28-10 eNews edition of Tech & Learning Tech Blog (http://www.techlearning.com/blogs/27164):
The report also identifies "Critical Challenges" that will affect education, and it is this passage that I've been meditating on all week:
"Digital media literacy continues its rise in importance as a key skill in every discipline and profession... As faculty and instructors begin to realize that they are limiting their students by not helping them to develop and use digital media literacy skills across the curriculum, the lack of formal training is being offset through professional development or informal learning, but we are far from seeing digital media literacy as a norm. This challenge is exacerbated by the fact that digital literacy is less about tools and more about thinking [my emphasis], and thus skills and standards based on tools and platforms have proven to be somewhat ephemeral."
Let's start by taking a look at the six "Technologies to Watch" at
(http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2010/chapters/technologies). Which technologieis do you think will impact the work that we do as library media specialists the most, the least and why? Let's also take a look at the section on Electronic Books http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2010/chapters/electronic-books/. How are you developing your collection to include eletronic books? Share your thoughts and practices on e-books.

SIGMS Connections

Our ISTE SIGMS ning is located at:
http://iste-members.ning.com/group/sigms
We recommend that you participate in the SIGMS ning by signing up. We will be posting all SIGMS activities and discussions in this area - and are hoping for your response. This is the place to collaborate, discuss and share. Please note that you must be logged in to participate in ning discussions.

Please join our SIGMS groups on:
Facebook - www.facebook.com
Twitter - www.twitter.com/sigms
Linked In - www.linkedin.com

and check out SIGMS in:
Second Life

Get Geared Up for ISTE 2010

Join the ISTE community, and other SIGMS members, as we gear up for ISTE 2010 in Denver, CO! You can now begin the ISTE conversations by joining the new ISTE 2010 Conference ning at http://www.iste2010.org. Join this social networking site and share the excitement!