I don’t know about you, the school year is always so full of, well, school stuff that summer is when I really try to catch up on all the children’s/YA lit that I’ve missed all year. So I’m a big fan of the SYNC download project, now in its second week, which pairs a current YA audio book with a classic title. This week’s downloads are Cory Doctorow’s LITTLE BROTHER and Franz Kafka’s THE TRIAL. You can download them through Wednesday night here — free!

Although you can only download them for one week, you can listen to them anytime, as the files do not expire. Perfect for those summer roadtrips!

Hope y’all have been learning great strategies for working with Common Core while you’ve been at ALA, ISTE, in workshops, or just thinking about it in your down time. We’d love to share what you’ve been learning with other librarians for the first “Nudging Toward Inquiry” column of the year — and the deadline for submission is today!

(Plus, think of what a great way it’d be to start the year if you could hand your principal a copy of the article with your name on it, showing that you’re on top of the whole school’s curriculum game!)

In the meantime, here’s an interesting editorial from Education Week on the need for media literacy standards to be part of Common Core. Enjoy!

This just in from Larra Smith, the ALA staffer working with the ALA Digital Literacy Task Force:

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TechSoup and Community Technology Network are facilitating a free webinar this Thursday on evaluating digital literacy projects. Whether you received BTOP funding, state library funds, local funding, or are implementing projects on your own dime, it is necessary to be able to track and communicate the effects this important work has on our communities.

WHAT: Evaluating Digital Literacy Programs

WHEN: Thursday, June 30, 2011, 11 am PST

REGISTER: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/14jcx57poov4

COST: FREE!

In this free webinar, Linda Hofschire, Research Analyst at the Colorado State Library and a BTOP grant recipient, will discuss the systems they use to track their impact, what they report, other indicators they track, and how this data will benefit their libraries beyond the grant period. We will also provide a broad overview of evaluation fundamentals and highlight some reporting tools.

This webinar is specifically developed for anyone currently managing a computer center, librarians involved in computer-related programs, those who support digital literacy programs, or BTOP grant recipients. You will leave with an understanding of how to track the impact of your public access computers and computer training programs.

Hope to see you there!

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(PS – BTOP stands for Broadband Technology and Opportunities Program, an initiative of the National Broadband Plan. Learn more about BTOP here)