Internet pioneer Vint Cerf, called one of the “Father’s of the Internet” and most recently listed by PCWorld as one of the web’s 50 most influential people, believes that the internet and the web are still young yet “poised to become the greatest communication platform humanity has ever known.” Hear the founder, curator, and voice of “LIVE from the NYPL,” Paul Holdengraber, interview Vint Cerf about digital publishing, preservation, and practices.

This session will provide you with strategies and real examples of how to incorporate Web 2.0 tools and resources into your library program and instruction. You’ll explore ways for promoting library resources and activities through social networks and media and also learn how to tap into the power of social and new media to create conversations about information literacy.

In a project to raise student awareness of and knowledge about the Middle East peace process, two librarians, a teacher, and an IT director designed a simulation using Web 2.0 social networking tools to create a dynamic social learning environment. The session will cover the use of Web 2.0 tools including threaded discussions, blogs, video streaming, back-channel chat rooms, and Moodle, demonstrating how to choose and customize those tools for an educational setting. Team members will also discuss their individual roles in this collaboration to design a powerful learning experience.

Videoconferencing can and should be more than “talking heads.” Discover in this session how it can really open the world to your students. You’ll learn where to find lesson plans incorporating videoconferencing that are aligned with core subject standards, as well as with the NET-S and McRel standards. You’ll see how to use related teaching tools such as Skype and iChat. Some equipment might be needed, but no, it needn’t be expensive. Resource specialist Richard Mellott will demonstrate how you can use a standard computer lab or laptops to bring experts who are waiting to talk to your kids into your classroom, offer you tips on obtaining free tech support, and share contacts within the entertainment and high-tech industries.

Billie King has been negotiating pricing for electronic sources for Bay Area Independent School Librarians for the past eight years. In this session, she will discuss the value of belonging to a consortium, how to join one and how to start one as well as the ins and outs of talking to database vendors. She will share some strategies you can use to get the best possible pricing.  Gillian Harrison will also share some of her tips and insights related to negotiating discounted pricing with vendors. BCR, as a library network cooperative, represents over 8,000 members and negotiates with vendors on their behalf for database and e-content products.

Learn about some Web 2.0 tools that can be used successfully with kindergarten through sixth grade students. There are tools you can use each day for teaching, writing, and presenting. Web 2.0 allows you and your students to quickly and easily share information online. The presentation will include issues of safety relating to using Web 2.0 tools with younger students.

Learn the basic steps to constructing a digital story applicable to all learning disciplines and content areas. Pedagogical background, a multitude of resources, and practical tips are included in this presentation. Various software programs for the Mac and PC will also be presented.

In his position as founder, curator and voice of “LIVE from the NYPL,” Holdengraber thinks up “programs that will stimulate intellectual fervor, inspire discussion and dissent, and create forums to bring books and people together–cognitive theater.” Following his interview of Vint Cerf, Holdengraber is himself interviewed about why he believes public conversations are a fundamental way to make libraries irresistible, ensuring their everlasting importance; how to take advantage of the “afterlife of the conversation”; how to create moments of magic; and tips for oxygenating and transforming libraries for the future. Join this funny, knowledgeable, and insightful speaker; he'll make your day!

The Open Educational Resources movement is gaining steam. Organizations such as speaker Peter Levy’s Curriki and others continue to build both a critical mass of members and high-quality electronic educational resources, prompting districts to ask: “Why spend $30 million on new textbooks that will be obsolete in 6 years when we can spend less than $2 million hiring additional union teachers to create a high-quality open source curriculum correlated to state standards that can be realigned each year to address the results of NCLB tests?” In his session, Levy will detail a vision for the future of open educational resources and describe a number of ways that school leaders can best take advantage of this new opportunity.

What has changed in the world of internet filtering in libraries in the last decade? Are filters any more effective now than they were then? How do filters work with new media like audio and video content, embedded files, RSS, and more? What companies have made the most strides? What should libraries think about when evaluating filters and planning for implementation? How can libraries best balance the need and right to access constitutionally protected information with the requirement to install filters? A public librarian who managed a project to evaluate the filtering market and test various filters for possible implementation shares her experiences and results, not only with the software but with the political process, and pitfalls.

Two presenters share their insights in this hour-long session. First, Beth Gallaway offers a presentation of best practices in literacy-based gaming of all types from in U.S. libraries, including a guide to launching gaming at your library, no matter what your size, space, staff, or budget. Then school librarian Karen Egger describes her journey from doubter to believer in the use of video games in the school library once she realized that multiple studies show gaming supports not only learning, but also literacy. Problem-solving, collaboration, critical thinking, decision-making, cooperation, conflict resolution, hand-eye coordination, teamwork, and even physical activity are all byproducts of video game playing. If this self-described 50-something, nongeek can implement a successful gaming program, so can you. Karen explains how and why to get started.

One of the coolest and most exciting things going on with Web 2.0 is the proliferation of ways to portray and share information. Presenter Mary Ann Bell’s interest in data representation has led her to unearth a rich vein of sites whose creators have devised dynamic ways to visually present information. This information is useful with students in two ways: First, sharing the great sites with them can help them understand concepts that might otherwise be difficult. Second, data representation opens up a world of activities where the students can create their own products to represent data they are using in projects and presentations.

How have libraries responded to the enormous change of the last 15 years? Join the conversation as Kathleen Johnson embarks on an exploration of this question, examining innovative and interesting ideas including the Library of Things, the Learning Commons, the evolving library role in learning, the socially networked library, and more.

Join our evening of fun and music featuring our first-ever “Battle Decks Spectacular!” Also known as “PowerPoint Karaoke,” our willing participants make a coherent presentation based on hand-selected, seemingly unrelated slides that they see for the first time live on stage. After a fantastic musical interlude, the participants face judgment, with the winner to be determined based on overall awesomeness. Hilarity, along with some learning, is guaranteed for all!