I Did It!

I did it! I submitted my proposal to ISLMA (Illinois School Library Media Association) to be a session presenter at the Fall 2011 Conference!

Coming up with a session idea and submitting a proposal has been one of my recent goals. I talked to Anna Neilsen about using that goal as the basis for not only this blog post, but also my final project. She gave me some good feedback and now I am on my way. I tackled the first step which was to begin working on the final project so that I'd have a good sense of the structure of the session. My original description of the session for the proposal:

In today's info-rich society, school librarians need to be on the
cutting edge when it comes to teaching our students new skills for a new
age. Web 2.0 tools spark student interest and can be a dynamic means of
learning, creating, and collaborating. But does this brave new work seem a
little intimidating to you? Are you struggling to think of ways that these
kinds of tech tools can be integrated with the library lessons and books you
already use? Join me as I demonstrate how a wiki--combined with some cool
21st century tools--can be an easy way to bring your library instruction
into the 21st century for learners of all ages.

This session will focus on demonstrating the ease of using wikis,
presenting a variety of Web 2.0 tools that can be used in a library setting, and
providing plenty of examples to spark your own ideas for creating awesome
updates to lessons you already teach!

Imagine my dismay when I began to fill out the proposal and learned that I needed to describe my session "in an accurate and enticing way in 50 words or less" !!! Here is what I boiled it down to:

Web 2.0 sparks student interest and is a dynamic means of learning, creating, and collaborating. Intimidated? Struggling to integrate technology with the library lessons you already use? Learn how a wiki--combined with some cool 21st century tools--can be an easy way to energize your 21st century
library.

Meanwhile, I am planning to create a wiki to be the basis for the presentation which is entitled "Wikis and More: Using Web 2.0 Tools in Library Instruction." My goal is two-fold: 1) that I am selected to present this session at the conference, and 2) that the wiki can be the basis for that presentation and then become a place where school librarians can share ideas. The wiki is located at http://wikis4library.wikispaces.com/ but please keep in mind that it is very much a work in progress at this point in time!


I have presented once before at ISLMA, but I collaborated with a colleague that time. This is my first time submitting a proposal on my own. Wish me luck!