The Battle of the Books: Question Writing Workshop is a workshop that will help participants craft questions specifically for the 2025-2026 competition season. For each book completed the participants will receive 1 CTLE credit.

Artificial intelligence is often presented as an inevitable force that will transform education and society. But what if much of what we hear about AI is more marketing than reality? In this asynchronous book study, educators will engage with The AI Con by Alex Hanna and Emily M. Bender to critically examine the narratives, assumptions, and power structures shaping today's AI landscape.

Through guided reading, reflection activities, and discussion prompts, participants will explore issues related to AI hype, corporate power, data privacy, surveillance, labor, equity, and media literacy. Educators will consider how AI technologies impact schools, students, and society while developing tools to question claims and evaluate emerging technologies more critically.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Identify common misconceptions and exaggerated claims about AI technologies.
• Examine connections among AI, corporate power, data collection, surveillance, and labor.
• Apply media literacy and critical thinking skills to evaluate AI-related messaging and products.
• Reflect on the implications of AI adoption in educational settings and broader society.
• Develop strategies for fostering informed and responsible conversations about AI with students and colleagues.

This course is ideal for educators interested in exploring AI from a critical perspective. No prior experience with AI is required. Participates will need to purchase the book.

From the authors of the bestselling Fact vs. Fiction, this book offers easy-to-implement lessons to engage students in becoming media literacy "digital detectives,” looking for clues, questioning motives, uncovering patterns, developing theories and, ultimately, delivering a verdict. The current news landscape is driven by clicks, with every social media influencer, trained and citizen journalists chasing the same goal: a viral story. In this environment, where the race to be first on the scene with the most sensational story often overshadows the need for accuracy, traditional strategies for determining information credibility are no longer enough. Rather than simply helping students become savvy information consumers, today's educators must provide learners with the skills to be digital detectives - information interrogators who are armed with a variety of tools for dissecting news stories and determining what's real and what isn't in our "post-truth world.”

Join this book study to take a look at resources, protocols, and techniques to help learners navigate a world in which information can be both a force for good and a tool used to influence and manipulate. We will look at resources and examples to support the work of facilitating engaging, relevant, and fun opportunities in both face-to-face and digital learning environments. Connect the social emotional learning and information literacy.

Note: You will receive digital access to this book throughout the Book Study. This course is completely asynchronous with weekly assignments due. Frontline requires times.

Take your booktalking to the next level! In this online professional development you will learn how you to select books, present them, and increase circulation. We will go over several techniques from stand and deliver, collaboration with students, choose your own booktalk, edtech to increase interactivity, and so much more.

NOTE: There are no in-person workdays. Frontline requires times and dates. All coursework is due on July 31st.

Going Deeper in AI: The Intersection of Media Literacy & AI

Artificial intelligence is transforming how information is created, shared, and consumed. In this asynchronous professional learning experience, educators will explore the critical connection between AI and media literacy, developing the skills needed to help students navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape.

Participants will examine how AI-generated content impacts information credibility, bias, misinformation, and digital citizenship. Through self-paced learning activities, real-world examples, and reflective practice, educators will deepen their understanding of AI tools while strengthening strategies for teaching students to critically evaluate media in all its forms.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the relationship between AI, media literacy, and digital citizenship.
• Identify potential biases, inaccuracies, and ethical concerns in AI-generated content.
• Evaluate the credibility and reliability of information created or influenced by AI.
• Apply media literacy frameworks to AI-powered tools and resources.
• Design learning experiences that help students become critical consumers and responsible creators in an AI-driven world.

This course is ideal for educators seeking to move beyond basic AI tool use and develop a deeper understanding of how AI is shaping information, communication, and learning.

Overview: Maximize the School Library Systems resources available to the O²CM region. This webinar will explore a variety of digital tools and provide strategies for effectively using them in educational environments.

Featured Resources:

• Digital Theatre+: Live and recorded theatre performances.
• Feature Films: Cinematic works for educational use.
• Legends of Learning & Basecamp: Game-based educational tools.
• LitCharts+: Literature guides and analysis.
• Newsbank Collections: Extensive news archives and specialized resources covering diverse perspectives.
• Teaching Books, Teen Health & Wellness, Noodletools: Enhance learning with multimedia, health education, and research tools.
• Sooth.fyi

Learning Outcomes: Integrate these resources into your curriculum, optimize usage, and improve educational outcomes with digital tools.

Who Should Attend: Educators, librarians, and administrators in the O²CM region looking to expand their digital resource toolkit.

Join Us: Gain insights into effectively utilizing these tools to benefit your educational setting. Discover tips and tricks for enhancing resource engagement and impact.