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A heartfelt letter to a new principal that expresses a number of effective leadership strategies that can be employed when starting at a new school.

As well as pertinent regular blog posts there are a series of podcasts in signficant topics on technology adoption and leadership in the field. We live in a moment of unprecedented change, and our conceptions of schooling and education are being challenged in fundamental ways. Educational leaders around the globe are grappling with unfamiliar new contexts for learning which demand new ways of thinking and leading around an increasingly uncertain future. ML Publishers Will Richardson and Bruce Dixon unpack some of these new contexts, and articulate a mission that is focused on helping our readers become not just modern learners but modern leaders as well, leaders who are better informed and make better decisions for the modern students in their charge.

A new report draws on expert work to outline the ideal path for STEM education in the next 10 years. The ideal future of U.S. STEM education would emphasize problem-solving, interdisciplinary approaches and the value of discovery and play, according to a new 10-year vision from the American Institutes for Research for the U.S. Department of Education's STEM Initiatives Team. The report, STEM 2026, pulls from the work of experts in science, technology, engineering and math, and the authors point out that current conditions do not ensure equal access to STEM teaching and learning.

Laura Devaney from eSchool News talks about a new study on the future of STEM education and the 6 components that will make it shine. This post provides a summary coverage. These components easily align with a forward, future focused innovative library and could be harnessed to promote and advocate for vibrant and purposeful learning spaces.

Employers require creative and problem-solving skills and an ability to adapt to changes. Those new skills and abilities kids can't polish by solving standardized tests. That's why teachers need to foster new skills in the classroom- skills of 6 C's education: Character Education, Citizenship, Communication, Critical thinking, Collaboration, Creativity.

The Center for the Future of Libraries works to identify trends relevant to libraries and librarianship. This trend library is available to help libraries and librarians understand how trends are developing and why they matter. Each trend is updated as new reports and articles are made available. New trends will be added as they are developed. Although the focus is on libraries rather than school libraries this useful resource bank

"Current education is calling on schools to transition into a new paradigm of learning. We can see this in the challenges given through current standards (e.g., Common Core State Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and International Standards for Technology in Education), the demands of the work place, the complexity of the world, and lack of effectiveness of the "stand and deliver" method of teaching. 21st century teaching and learning is this new paradigm that is trying to create students that will be problem solvers and critical thinkers. Our society is changing at such a rapid pace; we, as educators, are preparing students for jobs that don't exist yet. This means we have to change how we teach and how we lead our schools."

Michael Fullan and Maria Longworthy explore the dimensions of learning needed to allow new pedagogies - rich learning enabled by technology and 21C skills - to develop in a school as a "positive contagion".

Digital literacy refers to the skills, knowledge and understanding required to use new technology and media to create and share meaning. This week's article is adapted from the British report Digital participation, digital literacy, and school subjects: a review of the policies, literature and evidence , published by the Futurelab organisation . The article discusses students' current levels of digital literacy; literacy as it relates to information and the media; the relevance of multiliteracies and critical literacy; issues surrounding the use of technology in schools; and professional development requirements for educators.

Director Jason LaMotte was profoundly affected by his neighbourhood library in Houston Texas - and the magical feeling it carried was the inspiration behind his new film The Library

Interesting article, around the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, about conspiracy theories and fake news, and how people get caught up in them. As TLs we are often in a role of teaching digital literacy and combating fake news is a part of that.

Interview with an English Head Teacher about becoming a new school leader.

Great advice about connecting with ALL stakeholders when leading.

Welcome the the New Technologies & 21st Century Skills website. This website is an ongoing project created and maintained by the Laboratory for Innovative Technology in Education (LITE). 21st century skills are an important consideration for every educator as we are striving to prepare today's students to become prepared for the competitive global market of tomorrow. This website seeks to provide a resource that allows educators an opportunity to easily navigate educationally relevant Web 2.0 tools, resources, and examples of standards alignment. Connecting these skills to familiar frameworks, such as Bloom's Digital Taxonomy, can assist educators who are transitioning into meaningfully integrating technology into their classrooms.

The concept of the Modern Learning Environment (MLE), now also known as Innovative Learning Environment (ILE) is an holistic one, encompassing the pedagogy of learning to the physical and virtual spaces in which it occurs. The New Zealand Ministry of Education offers information on MLEs for the modern library - requiring a learner-centred approach to time, place, access and support - and the networked connectedness of people and technologies that underpin this.

The new focus on participatory learners and more student-led learning has resulted in making the school library a destination. One hot topic hitting public and school libraries is makerspaces where students can create, problem solve, and develop thinking.

Personalized learning is steadily revolutionizing teaching and learning, both during the school day and the time students spend outside of the classroom. The proliferation of quality digital tools and platforms that facilitate exciting new ways for students to learn-such as through self-guided or blended learning-has dramatically expanded the possibilities for where and when students can access educational content and what they can do with it.

" There are many aspects to the role teacher-librarians. Teacher-librarians are curriculum development leaders as well as a collaborative teaching and planning partners for the classroom teacher. They can be leaders into integrating technology into instruction in the school. They are the information specialists who provide both physical and intellectual access to material through teaching the knowledge, skills and values required to use information and to communicate knowledge ethically and effectively. Teacher-librarians must also be involved in revising and rewriting policies and procedures that are important to meet the needs of the twenty-first century. They are resource managers and must be up to date in reviewing new materials in order to develop their collections."

Common Sense Education developed the new Digital Citizenship Implementation Guide! In this guide, you'll find everything your district needs to plan, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive program that works for your community's specific need

Today's organizations are faced with an increasing need to adapt to new realities that almost always result in some organizational change. The process of implementing change in organizations is often complex and challenging for most managers. To help managers successfully implement change, it is recommended that they use some version of a change model to increase their chances of successful implementation. While there are many models for change management, most of them originate from the work of John Kotter's eight-step change model. Specific steps in the model include: establish a sense of urgency, create the guiding coalition, develop a vision and strategy, communicate the change vision, empower broad-based action, generate short-term wins, consolidate gains to produce more change, and anchor change in the organization's culture.