Parent and community involvement in and support for educational and community initiatives are critical for long-term impact and effectiveness, and technology is no exception. This presentation provides how and why of program information and showcases lessons learned via Live Online!, a multi-faceted, award winning, PTA initiative to encourage appropriate technology usage, improve communication, and increase parent and community involvement. 
 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 
The School Librarian and HyperStudio
Laura Younkin, Library/Media Specialist, Ballard High School, Louisville, KY
Pat MacNamara, Library/Media Specialist, Fern Creek Elementary School, Louisville, KY
Cathy Watson-Pittman, Library/Media Specialist, Meyzeek Middle School, Louisville, KY

This hands-on workshop will be presented by three school librarians, representing elementary, middle and high school. Each will show how she has used HyperStudio as an interactive learning presentation tool in her library. Attendees will then learn how to do a simple presentation of their own. While the programs created will not be comprehensive, the attendees will learn the basics of how to use HyperStudio and then can use that information as a springboard for creating their own library-
related program. 
 

1:30 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. 
The Research Process: Teachers, Students, Librarians, and the Internet
Carolyn Foote and Elaine Leggett, Westlake High School, Austin, TX

Teachers frequently assign Internet research topics with little guidance for their students, for a variety of reasons. This presentation focuses on analyzing the skills students really need to search the Internet effectively and then discusses methods librarians can use to share information about those skills with teachers. The array of critical thinking skills needed by students, including Web site selection, evaluation, Web site literacy, etc., are discussed. Barriers that prevent teachers from recognizing these needs are also analyzed. The presentation concludes with a discussion of ways that librarians can collaborate with teachers to improve their understanding of Internet research. 
 

2:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Kids’ Black History on the Net
Janet Sims-Wood, Assistant Chief Librarian for Reference/Reader Services, Howard University, Hillcrest Heights, MD
Robin VanFleet, Assistant Curator of Manuscripts, Moorland-Spingarn Research Center (MSRC), Howard University, Hillcrest Heights, MD
Irene Owens, Doctoral candidate in the School of Communications, Information Studies and Library Science at Rutgers University 

This session emphasizes ways in which the Internet can be used to help children learn African American history. It focuses on strategies for incorporating the use of media technologies such as Internet lesson plans, and online encyclopedias. See examples of such people as Harriet Tubman and travel the Underground Railroad to freedom, using the Internet to search for lesson plans, puzzles, games, songs, etc. Owens then discusses “Internet Activities for Authentic African American Children’s Literature.” She examines African American Web sites developed by such authors as Irene Smalls, Virginia Hamilton, Eloise Greenfield, and others who write on the African American experience for children.

9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. 
Everyone on the Same Page: Using the Web to Tame an Interdisciplinary Research Project
Susan Geiger, Librarian, Moreau Catholic High School, Hayward, CA

Take one librarian, two departments, 10 teachers, nine sections of sophomores and one assignment and you might have a recipe for disaster. This session focuses on using a library Web site to enhance communication and accountability between students, faculty and parents.
 

10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. 
Achieving 100% Literacy: We Guarantee It!
Lynell Burmark, Associate, David Thornburg Center for Professional Development, Sunnyvale, CA 

Society today demands that all children learn to read — no excuses. But with increasing numbers of children coming to school not knowing how to hold a book, never having been read to, or not speaking English, the old techniques and programs just can’t do the job. Come hear how one brave school decided to meet the challenge by issuing Warranties to entering kindergartners that they’d be reading at or above grade level by the end of second grade. Discover what it has taken to make the program work, from the critical role of staff, parents, and technology, to the infamous “Intervention Cocktail.”
 

11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. 
Teaching the Florida Virtual High School Way 
Phyllis Lentx, Orange County Public Schools, Orlando, FL

The Florida High School’s motto supports its belief that education in the future can be delivered “any time, any place, any path and any pace.” The online environment offers a choice for all learners. FHS students consist of public schoolers, home schoolers, private schoolers, athletes, performers, and students with scheduling conflicts or medical problems. The courses are acces-sible via the Web, so students can log on from a library, school, hotel, home, or wherever Internet connectivity is available. Giving students a choice in how, when, and where they learn is the primary reason for the development of FHS. We believe that we help students achieve by providing them flexibility in time. According to the SCANS Report, “In our current system, time is the constant and achievement the variable. We have it backwards. Achievement should be the constant and time the variable.” 
 

1:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. 
COPPA: Security & Privacy for Kids
Parry Aftab, Executive Director, Cyberangels, & President, North American Action Committee for UNESCO’s Innocence in Danger program, West Springfield, NJ
Art Wolinsky, Technical Director, Online Internet Institute, Manahawkin, NJ
Laurie Maak, Information Renaissance, Berkeley, CA
Ferdi Serim, Editor, MultiMedia Schools, Santa Fe, NM

The Internet creates unique possibilities as well as perils for schools, public libraries, and parents. What practical steps allow each of these groups to strengthen opportunities for learning while avoiding online dangers? The Child Online Privacy and Protection Act (in force since April 21, 2000) is intended to address these issues, but is neither well known or understood. Our panelists are active both nationally and globally, working to ensure that all students have the access, skills and support needed to harness the potentials the Internet offers for learning. 
 

3:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. 
Next Generation Tools
Lee Wilson, Chancery Software
Lynn Mitchell, Education Specialist, bigchalk.com, Ann Arbor, MI 

The Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) is an initiative driven by K-12 education technology providers and educators to revolutionize the management and accessibility of data within the K-12 environment. It will enable diverse applications to interact and share data efficiently, reliably and securely, regardless of the platform hosting the applications. It will do so by defining a common format for data, such as student demographics, attendance information, library information and grades. Our panelists will lead an interactive discussion to prepare you to take advantage of these new opportunities to improve learning through more effective uses of information.