Libraries, Literacy, and LSTA

Check out the fabulous ad that Unikaradio is running on their website for Rosetta Stone access!

Fantastic, isn't it?

It is my fervent hope that many of you are expanding services to ELL patrons even as I am blogging this entry! I have heard back from some libraries that the RS is being used and that others are demonstrating TellMeMore to their literacy partners and other civic organizations. Please remember to blog these outreach efforts for all of us to read and learn from as well as serve as a recording tool for grant progress.

Today, John Erchel from the Fox Valley Literacy Council, started an ELL outreach group to inform about the RS and opportunities for additional study resources available at the library! Woot this is so cool!

A gentle reminder that the mid-year grant evaluation is due next month so please blog your progress! We all want to ooh and ah over successes and spur each other on as we reach out to new users!

I am sad to report that our plan to get out the word about our grant through the Latino radio show, La voz, on Wisconsin Public Radio has fallen through. I heard from Jairo, the host, that his show was recently canceled.

Do any of you have local radio stations that would like to help us publicize the grant through a short interview that would reach our Latino patrons?

Please post your ideas!

I have been in contact with the short wave radio station, La Unikaradio, located in Appleton. They have agreed to announce, gratis, the Rosetta Stone program availability. I am expecting it to begin shortly but since I do not own one of these cool radios I am not certain when this will begin! The announcement reads exactly the same as the bookmarks which is short and sweet!

If you would like more information about the station check out their website. Their listening audience is reported at 6,000 people.

Today the TellMeMore bookmarks were put in the delivery bins! Bradd designed a very snappy bookmark in brilliant green and black that will hopefully catch the eye of language learners everywhere! We started out with an optimistic three thousand bookmarks for OWLSnet libraries. If we begin to run low we will consider a second run later in the year.

Please remember to post the good stuff that is happening @ your library!

On Thursday, March 20th, Evan, will post the InfoSoup page for live TELLMEMORE  access. Vista is now compatible and we are full systems go. Bradd is completing the bookmarks which will soon be on their way to all libraries and I emailed the press release to OWLS and NFLS directors today.

If you have any difficulties please contact me or Evan or use the Meebo box on the TMM webpage.

Yippee! Promote, advertise and promote again, please and thank you!

After we received some feedback, Evan re-worked bits of the TMM page. The differences are subtle but please forward comments and suggestions to either me or Evan. We greatly appreciate the time and effort spent by those of you that are experimenting with downloading, testing and using the product. It is quite useful!

Carry on!

Thanks to everyone for their attendance and participation in the Hola workshop, last Thursday March, 6th here at  the Appleton Public Library. Special thanks to Marcia and Barb for presenting and also to Carlos, Myra and Marcelo for participating in the community panel.

There were lots of great ideas and suggestions for service to our Latino patrons. Let's be motivated by this workshop to promote the Rosetta Stone and TellMeMore to our patrons and agency collaborators.

I am happy to announce the laptops are ready for distribution! Thanks to Evan and Julie once again, for their expert assistance.

With the re-install we were able to implement some of your suggestions for streamlining the registration process in the Student Management System (SMS). Please check your email for the updated information which I sent this morning.

Evan set up the blog so you are now able to post terrific ideas, implementation plans and other cool things you may wish to announce. Your email user name and password will get you in. If tutors wish to post they may do so by  letting Evan know their email address and selected user name and password.

Tomorrow's ¡HOLA! workshop will be a great kick off to our grant! Thanks for all your hard work in getting this project off the ground!

Thanks to all who braved the icy and snowy roads last week to attend our training day. Even though it was frustrating to not be able to send the laptops home with you on Friday, we had a good day of discussion and sharing.

We are still working out the kinks for the SMS system. This newest iteration is streamlined and should make editing and adding students easier.

Evan worked today on adding access for those of you that would like to post to the blog and Julie is still working on the laptops licensing issue. I will be sending out information shortly. More to come....

Rosetta Stone workshop attendance: 16
TellMeMore workshop attendance: 31