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Home  Education & Careers Professional Development ALSC Online Learning
Online course information
Winter 2010 online course offerings
The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), is pleased to offer a variety of quality online education courses. All courses will run between four and six weeks and will be taught in an online learning community using Moodle.
Registration for our 2010 winter session will open December 14, 2009. Please be aware that courses do fill quickly; course capacity is listed on each page. Should a course fill to maximum capacity, please contact the Registration Department to add your name to the course waitlist.
Connecting with Tween Readers - (4 weeks, February 1 - February 26, 2010)
What makes children who are in the "double-digit club" but not yet teens unique? This course will examine the developmental needs and abilities of children ages 10-12; why children of this age group are particularly vulnerable to illiteracy; and unique activities and programs (including the utilization of currently popular technologies) libraries can offer to keep these children on the path to becoming lifelong readers. A primary focus of the course will be surveying the large body of quality literature available that has particular appeal for this age group.
Instructor: Edward T. Sullivan, librarian/writer
Information Literacy - From Preschool to High School - (6 weeks, February 1 - March 12, 2010)
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, and 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.
Instructor: Maryann Mori, director, Waukee Public Library
The Newbery Medal: Past, Present and Future - (6 weeks, February 1 - March 12, 2010)
What does it mean when we recommend Newbery Award winners to the children in our communities? Should the ALA seal of approval stand for 100 years? Why is that gold medal often considered the “kiss of death” by kids? How can we help parents and teachers understand what the Newbery Medal is – and isn’t? This 6-week online course will give participants a solid grounding in the history of the Medal and how it’s changed over time; an opportunity to read, discuss and consider past and present Newbery winners with their colleagues from across the nation; a chance to talk to former Newbery Committee members and a Newbery author, and suggestions for programming using Newbery-winning books.
Instructor: Kathleen T. Horning, director, Cooperative Children's Book Center, University of Wisconsin- Madison
Reading Instruction and Children's Books - (5 weeks, February 1 - March 5, 2010)
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, including sight words, phonics, literate environment and pre- and post-reading activities. The course will then explore some of the ways that the grade-level of reading materials are determined. These procedures will be applied to evaluate books, periodicals, websites and other material that children need to read.
Instructor: Katherine (Kate) Todd, adjunct instructor, Manhattanville (NY) College
Series Programming for Elementary School Age - (4 weeks, February 1 - February 26, 2010)
Children love series books! Lots of libraries have one-shot series parties or events. This course would expand on the one-shot idea and add series clubs to the library in order to get children reading and using the library more. Using trivia, games, music and reading, children will come back for more each week. Series such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Magic Tree House, Spiderwick, Fancy Nancy, Froggy, Curious George, and American Girl will be discussed.
Instructor: Lisa Shaia, children's librarian, Oliver Wolcott Library
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these self-directed courses or real time? What is the time commitment involved?
All courses are offered asynchronously (self-directed). Occasionally, a course my hold several synchronous chat sessions which are scheduled and announced at the start of the course.
Participants will be expected to login to the online course and interact several times a week. This can include reading online, working on assignments, reading and responding to the discussion boards. Participants will be given weekly deadlines, but will be able to work at times that are most convenient to the student.
What is Moodle? I have never used it before.
You will not have to download any special software to use Moodle. Moodle is an effective online learning community that is Web-based.
The following Web site is mainly for those developing courses in Moodle (http://moodle.org/). However, there is a course demonstration feature that shows students the Moodle environment utilizing Moodle itself.
In the very first paragraph in the center frame (This site itself is created using Moodle, so check out the Moodle Demonstration Courses or read the latest Moodle Buzz.), click on “Moodle Demonstration Courses”. You will then go to a Web page where you are able to explore a sample Moodle course that is the template for how most courses are structured and explanations for each of the areas. Please visit this link to explore the Moodle environment and see if you think it is something you will be comfortable using.
After you have registered for an ALSC course, your instructor will send you a URL for the ALA online course environment about a week before the start of the session. If you have not used Moodle before, you will need to create a Moodle account (http://classes.ala.org). The login is not tied to your ALA user name and password. Please set your email filter to allow mail from the domain classes.ala.org. as you will receive a confirmation email that is needed to complete setting up the account. Your instructor will also provide you with an enrollment key that will allow you entry to the course. You will then be able to access your course information, interact via discussion boards, and work with the instructor and other students.
Do you offer college credit or CEU's for these courses?
College credit nor CEU's are available at this time. ALSC's online courses are the equivalent of a one day face-to-face workshop. A certificate of completion will be sent to each participant upon successful completion for each course taken.
Requirements vary by state and school district regarding certification and continuing education credits. The decision to grant CEU credits remains entirely up to your state or school district. If you are in need of credits, check with your state and/or school district before enrolling to determine eligibility. Some states will review your certificate of completion and course syllabus to determine eligibility. A PDF copy of the syllabus can be provided to you upon request.
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