Diane Chen

b There virtually - YES You CAN!

I hope to see all of you at the AASL National Conference in Charlotte, NC. (Tell me that you read this blog please because I get insecure and think I'm talking to myself). If you cannot make it for whatever reason, there is still a way to participate .... VIRTUALLY through the b There program.

b There Your Virtual Track Pass is the virtual component of the AASL 14th National Conference & Exhibition. I am just one of many geeks who will be there adding content to the b There portion for you. Because this is a virtual site, the information will remain available to you for one year afterwards. There, we eliminated your excuse about no time or being too busy this week, because you can access the material when it's convenient. 

If you are attending, register yourself now for free so you can participate. (It's an additional benefit of registration). If you cannot b There in person, register for the virtual component so you can have access to exclusive content captured prior, during and post-conference via the b there – Your Virtual Track Pass Web site. Yes, there is a fee involved for non-registrants, but look at all the benefits you will receive without having to pay for airfare, hotel rooms, etc.

Your full-access pass will feature many of the elements of the national conference to "Rev up learning @ your library," including:

• eight live webinars
• keynote address and interview with danah boyd
• discussion threads on closing speaker Marco Torres
• interviews with authors, including James Patterson
• real-time research symposium
• select session podcasts focused on key topics, such as collaboration, intellectual freedom, and the learning standards and guidelines
• concurrent session speaker updates, materials and chats
• the Born Digital One Book, One Conference discussion board
• social networking updates, blogs and discussion threads 

Boost the virtual conference experience further for yourself and others by participating in the ongoing conference blogs, discussion threads, Flickr feeds and member vodcasts available. Register now to become an active member of this vibrant, virtual community, create your profile and turbo-charge these constructive pit stops for networking!

Now, most of this information is available on thepdf press release the AASL has asked everyone to pass along and attached here. What's not on there is my personal plea for you to try it out. This is a new venture of AASL and an expanded venture for ALA, too. We school library media specialists are forerunners of technology and we have a great deal to show others about what we can accomplish. We can participate to make this virtual component absolutely fabulous. We tell people that we have difficulty getting release time, district support for conference attendances, travel, hotel costs, etc. Here is an opportunity to show your school the valuable material and collaboration that occurs nationally.

I have been reading the One Book, One Conference selection Born Digital so I can help contribute to the discussion threads. I hope you are reading, too. It's YOUR participation that makes virtual efforts successful. 

b There   You are an important part of our profession. Your voice must be heard. Your knowledge must be shared. 

Take advantage of District level pricing and engage others in your school community using the AASL-developed
“do-it-yourself” professional development activities. Using resources hosted on b there – Your Virtual Track Pass,  AASL developed aspects of the virtual conference into professional development activities that you can engage  in with other school library media specialists in your school or district, or with your teacher collaborators.
Take your virtual experience full throttle and register today!  http://www.ala.org/aasl/bthere

Posted by Diane Chen on November 2, 2009 | Comments (3)