Resources

During the course of my studies, I expect to gather more and more resources that will be valuable in my courses at ODU and beyond.  The following list is an ever-expanding, list of resources, whether blogs, professional organizations or learning tools, to return to now and in my future career.

Professional Organizations

American Library Association

As a member of the American Library Association, I have been privy to opportunities for education and a wealth of information regarding the profession. Whether it is information to stay current or apply for awards, grants, and scholarships, I refer to the site often. Being a member of a professional society also looks great to future employers because they know the resources that come from the ALA, as well.
https://www.ala.org/

American Association of School Librarians

The AASL is all about community. School librarians ARE a community in and of themselves as well as being a part of the larger LIS community. Their focus on school library issues is invaluable in staying current with new technology reviews and tutorials, journal publications, opportunities for collaboration with peers and a national annual conference among so many other resources.
https://www.ala.org/aasl/

Virginia Association of School Librarians

The VA Association of School Librarians (VAASL) is similar to the ALA but on a smaller scale with relevant content to School Librarians in the Commonwealth of Virginia. They hold at least two professional conferences a year and have regional chapters for an even more local approach. Their website offers advocacy tools, lists of the Virginia Readers’ Choice award winner, school library initiatives and other resources available to school librarians in Virginia and beyond. As a member of this organization, my goal is to attend and potentially present at a conference.
https://www.vaasl.org/

Journals

In the Library with the Lead Pipe

This journal is particularly interesting to me because it is an open access, open peer-reviewed, and written by librarians in different library settings. I think it is important for school librarians to shift their focus occasionally to different kinds of libraries outside of the school in order to remain current on the topics that eventually trickle down to school libraries. Their blog posts are timely, their articles are relevant and their authors are librarians who sometimes think outside the box and aren’t afraid of pushing through that stereotype of what it looks like to be a librarian.
https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/

School Library Journal

The SLJ is a monthly magazine and accompanying website with resources for school librarians. I hope to subscribe to the journal in the near future, but in the meantime, the website is filled with literature reviews, current affairs, an entire section devoted to diversity, free virtual events, and blogs galore. This is my favorite resource for learning and in the future, I hope to use it to maintain a diverse and current collection within my own library.
https://www.slj.com/

Blogs

Common Sense Education

This educator-focused resource from the people at Common Sense Media focuses on ensuring excellent digital citizenship in students as well as curriculum-based lessons for teachers and school support staff, EdTech reviews and opportunities for Professional Development.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/

Free Technology for Teachers

Richard Byrne is a genius. His videos, tutorials, and reviews for educators (not only teachers) are so helpful for learning about new technology. Not only does he talk about programs on the whole, he gives advice on how to use smaller tools within larger applications. There are simple lessons from how to cast your computer screen to a television or larger screen to using virtual backgrounds during a Zoom or other virtual presentation. Everything you need to feel confident with tech is here. This is a go-to for me.
https://www.freetech4teachers.com/

Other Stuff

Symbaloo

Symbaloo is a great resource for bookmark management and keeping all your resources readily available and in one spot. It is easy to use and really is quite useful (and colorful!) for reminding you about the sources that you might need that you could easily forget about without having it in view! There are so many things to remember; this tool helps you remember to use them!
https://www.symbaloo.com/

VDOE Standards of Learning (SOL) & Testing

You can find every Standard of Learning for every grade level for the Commonwealth of Virginia on this site. This is helpful when seeking more information on the SOLs during summer curriculum planning and even throughout the year for guidance on grade level standards for new teachers. In addition, I used this information when planning a conference presentation to be sure that my resources were relevant to the current learning ideals. The rest of the website is also full of information that is helpful and relevant to educators and parents, alike.
https://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/index.shtml

Canva

This online design studio is a one-stop-shop for creating beautiful posters, infographics, presentations, and other visual design projects. It is simple to use, and the templates offered not only comply to Creative Commons standards but also make it easy for users to create professional-looking products quickly and without the need for hours of learning.
https://www.canva.com/