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The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) encourages participants to sign up for Winter 2014 ALSC online courses. Registration is open for all courses. Classes begin Monday, Jan. 6, 2014. Three of the courses being offered this semester are eligible for continuing education units (CEUs). The American Library Association (ALA) has been certified to provide CEUs by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET). ALSC online courses are designed to fit the needs of working professionals. Courses are taught by experienced librarians and academics. As participants frequently noted in post-course surveys, ALSC stresses quality and caring in its online education options. For more information on ALSC online learning, please visit: http://www.ala.org/alsced Information Literacy - From Preschool to High School (six weeks, Jan. 6 - Feb. 17, 2013, CEU Certified Course, three CEUs). Learn how to conduct information literacy instruction for all ages from preschool to elementary school to middle school and beyond. Participants will be encouraged to examine their local schools' and state's requirements pertaining to library skills, as well as to develop methods of using the library to complement those requirements. Participants will learn about examples of successful programs, appropriate skills for appropriate ages, creation and presentation of programs, as well as marketing of those programs; also, participants will discuss ways that information literacy instruction can be a useful "outreach" tool to increase library and database usage and develop their own information literacy instruction program. Taught by Maryann Mori, director, Waukee Public Library. Integrating New Technologies into your Collection (four weeks, Jan. 6 - Feb. 3, 2014). Are you looking for practical ways to integrate new technologies into your collections? Are you wondering how to balance your physical and digital holdings to maximize your offerings to your users, successfully engage them and meet their needs? We will examine: Collection development and management - How to successfully blend physical and digital collections; Digital devices: selection, management and providing access; Staff Training and development. All course participants will complete a course project focusing on a specific aspect of collection development of interest to them. Course participants will leave this course with a wealth of practical knowledge and will be able to confidently, easily and successfully integrate a wide variety of new technologies and digital tools into their collections. Taught by Bonnie Roalsen, head of children's services, Dover Town (Mass.) Public Library. Reading Instruction and Children's Books (six weeks, Jan. 6 - Feb. 17, 2014, CEU Certified Course, two CEUs). Although children's librarians think learning to read is about books, teachers use buzz-words such as lexile, phonics and word walls. Parents and students are often seeking grade-appropriate reading materials. Several methods are used to determine grade level. In order for children's librarians to effectively assist patrons, they need to understand how to interpret grade levels assigned to books by publishers and educators. This course will provide children's librarians with an understanding of different methodologies for reading instruction and ways that the grade level of reading materials are determined. Books, periodicals, websites and other materials that children need to read will be evaluated from these perspectives. Librarians will be encouraged to develop strategies for explaining these grading formulae to parents and to communicate more effectively with teachers as a result of their understanding. Taught by Katherine (Kate) Todd, adjunct instructor, Manhattanville College. Children with Disabilities in the Library (six weeks, Jan. 6 - Feb. 17, 2014, CEU Certified Course, three CEUs). Imagine that Joey Pigza came into your library. Would he feel welcome? How would you provide library service for him? A child with a disability may need an individual service plan. But many books or articles provide generalizations and all-encompassing descriptions. This course will take another approach. By reading juvenile novels about children with disabilities, we will discover their individual needs. First, we will examine how schools handle students with disabilities. Then we will explore ways that the library might be able to assist each child. We will look at inclusive programming, assistive technologies, staff attitudes and legal considerations. This course is not intended to be a comprehensive course. Rather, we will collaboratively develop strategies for determining needs and identify resources that can be consulted when an actual child requires our help. Taught by Katherine (Kate) Todd, adjunct instructor, Manhattanville College. Getting to the Core: Librarians and Common Core State Standards (six weeks, Jan. 6 - Feb. 17, 2014). The common core state standards (CCSS) bring three key shifts to English language arts/literacy (ELA) curricula: regular practice with complex text and its academic language; reading, writing and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational; building knowledge through content rich nonfiction. CCSS calls for 50 percent of reading in elementary and middle grades to be nonfiction. Librarians will be essential in the shift to common core as teachers look for the best content-rich, grade level-appropriate literature to support learning across the curriculum. ELA and other content-area teachers will especially need help from librarians finding appropriate resources and a wider selection of materials. This course will help prepare participants to meet those needs of teachers in the elementary and middle grades. Taught by Edward Sullivan, librarian, writer and educator. Detailed descriptions and registration information is available on the ALSC website at http://www.ala.org/alsced. Fees are $115 for personal ALSC members; $165 for personal ALA members; and $185 for non-members. Questions? Please contact ALSC Membership, Marketing Manager Dan Bostrom at [log in to unmask] or 1 (800) 545-2433 ext 2164. ALSC is the world's largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children's and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC, visit their website at www.ala.org/alsc. Dan Bostrom Membership/Marketing Manager Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) [log in to unmask] 312.280.2164 This e-mail and any files transmitted with it may contain confidential information and is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify me immediately by reply e-mail and delete this message; please do not copy it or use it for any purposes, or disclose its contents to any other person. Thank you for your cooperation.