The recent EdTech 2009 conference, held in Myrtle Beach on October 14-16, went “Beyond the Limits” to showcase the latest in educational technology and professional development.

As in the past, staff at the South Carolina State Library exhibit promoted several programs that are coordinated by the library: DISCUS, Talking Books Services, and the new StudySC website. Those who stopped at the library’s exhibit were eligible to win insulated DISCUS beverage mugs. The names of two lucky winners have been drawn from the completed entries: Robin Shuler of Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5 and Jed Dearybury of Spartanburg County School District 6.

Congratulations to Robin and Jed as they sip their favorite beverage in their DISCUS mugs and thanks to all who stopped at the State Library’s exhibit!

October will be a busy conference month for librarians, media specialists and other educators. It will be a busy time for DISCUS, as well, with staff planning the following presentations for these upcoming conferences. For complete session details, check out the conference program at each site.

South Carolina Council for the Social Studies
Session Title: Literacy, Leading Issues and DISCUS - South Carolina’s Virtual Library.
Date and Time: 10/9/09, 3:20 p.m. to 4:05 p.m.

EdTech
Session Title: Around the World with DISCUS and Google Earth.
Date and Time: 10/14/09, 8:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
(Co –presented with Ms. Donna Teuber. Attendees must register for this workshop.)

South Carolina Library Association (SCLA)
Session Title: Exceptional Reference Services with Effective DISCUS Links
Date and Time: 10/29/09, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Session Title: Basic DISCUS Business Reference-Without Being a Business Librarian
Date and Time: 10/29/09, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Session Title: Fun with Google Earth and DISCUS
Date and Time: 10/30/09 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

DISCUS – South Carolina's Virtual Library has been featured on this week's (9/21) Speaking of Schools podcast hosted by Doug Keel. Speaking of Schools is supported by the South Carolina Department of Education and broadcast as a podcast over the Web each Monday afternoon. Each week, this half-hour show highlights news from pre-school, K - 12, and higher education programs in the Palmetto State. During the interview with Mr. Keel, Amy Duernberger acquaints listeners with the newest resources available within DISCUS and gives directions for online access.

Listen to the DISCUS segment (Mp3 format; approx. 6 minutes)

Visit SC ETV's web site to listen to the entire podcast from Monday, Sept. 21.

The podcast is titled: Tips for parents and online resources for students and teachers

As part of the South Carolina State Library's Business & Workforce Development Initiative, DISCUS is pleased to announce two additions to its lineup of resources: LearningExpress Library and Ferguson's Career Guidance Center.

LearningExpress Library is an interactive tool that provides practice tests and tutorials designed for both students and adult learners to succeed on academic and licensing exams. Feedback includes immediate scoring, complete answer explanations, and individualized analysis of the user's results.

Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center is a career research database that includes overview articles and video on nearly 3,400 jobs and 94 industries, broken down into 16 Career Clusters created by the U.S. Department of Education. The product also includes searchable entries on scholarships, internships, and more.

These two complementary resources have been licensed for statewide use to help meet the needs of South Carolina citizens during these difficult economic times. Try them out soon!