The worlds of transmedia and personal learning networks examined in AASL webinar archives

CHICAGO — Archives of two recent webinars, “Worlds of Learning with Inanimate Alice” and “Making the Most of Professional Learning Communities,” are now available online as a part of the American Association of School Librarian’s (AASL) professional development repository, eCOLLAB. AASL members and eCOLLAB subscribers can view the archives at www.ala.org/aasl/ecollab.

In “Worlds of Learning with Inanimate Alice,” presenter Laura Fleming uses the Inanimate Alice website to lead attendees through issues key to understanding the importance of transmedia literacy in education. Issues include the eternal power of storytelling, the nature of knowledge and literacy, the shift in focus from teacher to learner, the need to teach students multiple literacies and the merging of storytelling with the current crop of digital and networking technologies. Named an AASL Best Website for Teaching and Learning in 2012, Inanimate Alice is a an interactive digital graphic novel set in the early years of the 21st century and uses text, images, music, sound effects, puzzles and games to illustrate and enhance the story of Alice.

Presented by Sandra Hughes-Hassell, Amanda Brasfield and Debbie Dupree and based on their November/December 2012 Knowledge Quest feature of the same name, “Making the Most of Professional Learning Communities” takes an in depth look at the eight roles school librarians can assume while participating in PLCs. The roles, defined in AASL’s Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs include that of information specialist, staff developer, teacher and collaborator, critical friend, leader, researcher, learner and student advocate.

AASL members can access the webinars via eCOLLAB by logging into the AASL website using their ALA-provided website login. Nonmembers who wish to view the webinars and other archived professional development can receive access to eCOLLAB resources with an annual subscription of $199 per year.

eCOLLAB –Your eLearning Laboratory: Content Collaboration Community, a repository of AASL professional development, provides members and subscribers with a central location to find and manage their e-learning as well as to connect with others in the learning community. eCOLLAB contains webcasts, podcasts and resources from various AASL professional development events, as well as the latest issue Knowledge Quest in an interactive PDF format. To begin utilizing eCOLLAB or to subscribe, visit www.ala.org/aasl/ecollab.

The American Association of School Librarians, www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), promotes the improvement and extension of library services in elementary and secondary schools as a means of strengthening the total education program. Its mission is to advocate excellence, facilitate change and develop leaders in the school library field.