Radiant Pages: The Ins & Outs of Book Selection Committee Work – Abby Moore (Interest Level: Middle, High)
Working on a book selection committee takes time, commitment, and a whole lot of shelf space. During this session, we’ll discuss how to get on a book selection committee, the responsibilities of joining a committee, and the work involved in the book selection process. Additionally we’ll talk about the lasting impact such work has, not only on the librarians involved, but also on their students and their libraries. If you’ve ever thought about volunteering for a local, regional, or national book selection committee, but are not sure what the work entails, this conversation is for you!
That’s Mine!: How to Cite, Modify, and Create OERs using Creative Commons – Heather Seibert & Delores J. Reeves (Interest Level: Elementary, Middle, High)
Open Educational Resource use is on the rise. Due to budget restraints and a general shift of sharing information, many institutions and creators are opening their creative works for other educators to freely use, modify, and share. However, will those creators be given credit and their intellectual property be protected? That is where the Creative Commons license comes into play. This interactive workshop will go over how to cite open resources, as well as how to create a Creative Common’s license for your own work. We will be creating our own works, modifying works already under the Creative Commons License, discovering other open material, and determining how to cite them. Attendees will take with them the knowledge and confidence in using Creative Commons, where to find them, cite them, and use them at their institutions. We will also briefly go over some of the problems and pitfalls with Creative Commons and some of the general assumptions and mistakes when pertaining to Creative Commons.
Read, Write, Love Poetry: Get Ready for National Poetry Month – Vicky Mahoney(Interest Level: Elementary)
April is National Poetry Month! This session will provide a wealth of resources, engaging lesson plans, and poetry center ideas to keep your media center busy throughout April.
Digital Citizenship and the DLCs – Kathy Parker (Interest Level: Elementary, Middle, High)
North Carolina’s Digital Learning Competencies (DLCs) are intended to guide teaching practice. In this session, we will review the background and context of these competencies. Participants will share how their districts and schools are interacting with the competencies and the roles of SLMCs with implementation. We will also concentrate on the digital citizenship focus area of the DLCs. We will review digital citizenship resources and learn instructional strategies from each other for modeling and teaching digital citizenship in our schools. This will be an interactive session so participants should bring a fully charged device.
Opportunities in Computer Science– Nancy Stevens (Interest Level: Elementary, Middle, High)
This session will introduce Code.org’s Computer Science materials for Kindergarten through 12th grade. The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation is the Code.org professional learning partner in North Carolina and the work of both organizations around the state will be discussed.
Building an Inclusive Library Program for LGBTQ+ Students – Emily Yates(Interest Level: Middle, High)
During this session, we will discuss the ways librarians can support LGBTQ+ students and create a more welcoming and inclusive environment. The session will cover current research on LGBTQ+ students’ school experiences, simple ways to make library programs more inclusive, and book talks of recent titles that feature LGBTQ+ characters. We will end with a group brainstorm on ways to begin incorporating these strategies into our daily work with students.
Staying Safe Online – Amanda Hartman McLellan(Interest Level: Elementary, Middle, High)
This session will focus on online safety basics and best practices, how to keep ourselves safe, and how to teach and model safe behaviors for our students.
Plan a Breakout EDU for You – Sara Levin (Interest Level: Elementary, Middle, High)
Do you love using Breakout EDU but need a game more tailored to your curricular needs? Let’s write one together! Session participants will brainstorm, collaborate, and create. Our goal, if we choose to accept it, is to leave this session with our very own, Breakout EDU session. Come prepared with a topic in mind and an internet device on which to type. Three Breakout Kits will be available for use in the session but feel free to bring your own.
Session 2: 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Supporting Social and Emotional Learning from the Library – Jen Baker (Interest Level: Elementary, Middle, High)
After a brief overview of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in education and mindfulness in schools, we will discuss ways that mindfulness and SEL can be brought into the library framework to support both students and staff. We will touch on how the new AASL standards, guided inquiry, and library programming can easily be connected to SEL.
Global Connection Projects – Julie Sloup (Interest Level: Elementary)
How are you making global connections for your students with fellow educators and their students around the world? The International School Library Association has many ideas, especially for October’s International School Library Month. The North Carolina Secretary of State has a great educational exchange between teachers and students in Moldova, which has been a rewarding experience for several schools in North Carolina. Let’s get together and share ideas and projects to help all our students become global citizens. Meeting global standards found in library media and teacher evaluations will also be discussed.
Collection Development Plans: Create a Plan to Help Advocate for Funding in the Age of Budget Cuts – Sedley Abercrombie (Interest Level: Elementary, Middle, High)
Want to get a handle on your collection? Want more support from administration but don’t know where to begin? Begin with a collection development plan! In this session, you will begin to create a concise, comprehensive plan that will help guide your decision making, inform stakeholders, and advocate for school library funding. Standard 3, Element A of the SLMC Evaluation Rubric states: “School library media coordinators develop an appropriate and high-quality library media collection that facilitates 21st Century teaching and learning. They use collection mapping and other collection analysis tools to ensure that the collection is dynamic, learner-centered, supports the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, and meets the unique needs of the school and its learners.”
Using Google Tools to Create Digital Breakouts – Kristy Sartain (Interest Level: Elementary, Middle, High)
This session will cover Digital Breakouts and how to create one from scratch for any subject. We will use Google Sites and Google Forms to create the basic digital breakout, then incorporate standard digital breakout tips and tools to make it all come together.
Celebrating Diverse Books! – Christy Howard (Interest Level: Elementary, Middle, High)
In recent years, there has been an emphasis placed on the need for more diverse books for students (Cooperative Children’s Book Council, 2015). In our work, it is important to be aware of tools and resources for integrating diverse texts in classrooms. This session will focus on the important conversation of helping teachers and students feel confident in use diverse books as both mirrors and windows in order to embrace students’ own identities and to learn about the lived experiences of others as well.
How to Evaluate News and Resources – Beth Strecker, Kaye Dotson, & Lou Sua (Interest Level: Middle, High)
We encounter media today from a variety of sources: traditional news sources, social media, and email. How do you know what to trust? How do you know if you are being misled? Our students live in a digitally connected world and receive much of their “news” from social media sites. Students must learn how to determine if the information is an opinion, propaganda, or fake news. We will explore tools, lesson plan integration ideas, and digital resources that can be utilized to teach students how to think critically and effectively evaluate news and information.
Fostering Digital Citizenship – Colleen Pinyan & Sarah Chrisman (Interest Level: Elementary
Are your students prepared to survive in a 21st century world? Do you have the right tools to help them become productive digital citizens? Do you need fresh ideas for equipping students to safely and effectively navigate the web? Join us for a round table discussion to share resources and lesson ideas to foster social and economic responsibility in a digital learning environment. This is an updated version of the facilitators’ 2015 presentation, including new tools, and lesson plans, particularly in the area of fake news. Bring your own device so we can explore these resources together.
Makerspace Resource Center – Lisa Rose (Interest Level: Elementary)
This session will discuss how Moyock Elementary School funded and set up a Makerspace Resource Center in their Media Center. Examples of activities to be shared include: STEM Activity cards for math objectives, Marble Run, Magnet fun, origami, Legos, and K’nex.
Storybook Theatre Techniques: Stories to the Stage from Around the World – Patch Clark and Storybook Theatre (Interest Level: Elementary, Middle)
Storybook Theatre will share favorite stories and books from around the world that promote an interest in global learning and understanding through participation and literature. Travel to Poland, Russia, Japan, Kurdistan, and Peru and learn about delightful stories from abroad, plus favorites in the United States as well.
Session 3: 2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Stop-Motion Incorporated Throughout the High School Curriculum – Laura Mangum(Interest Level: Middle, High)
Interested in stop-motion but not sure how to purposefully use it with your students? Attend this session to learn all about stop-motion animation and how it has been incorporated throughout various high school subjects. Over the past three years, the media coordinator and classroom teachers at North Pitt High School have collaborated on various stop-motion projects and have seen students create some amazing projects while learning subject matter and developing 21st Century skills. Attendees will learn about available apps, various materials to use, and methods students can use for creation. The planning, preparation, and teaching of stop-motion animation with students will also be discussed. All attendees will also have hands-on time to create a simple stop-motion video.
#BookSnaps for Interactive Reader Responses – Joanna Gerakios (Interest Level: Elementary, Middle, High)
This hands-on session will give you the opportunity to try a new interactive way for students to respond to reading texts and share ideas with their peers through online platforms. You will be guided through the process of creating and sharing #booksnaps, as well as interacting with other “booksnappers.” We will also compare the features of various application choices for making and sharing #booksnaps. Bring your smartphone, tablet, or laptop with webcam and join the fun of learning with #booksnaps!
Getting Your Grant Application Started – Sara Levin (Interest Level: Elementary, Middle, High)
We will work together to find and begin the application process for your grant application. We will work together to find a grant if you have no already found one, compile a checklist, and begin writing. The focus will be on institutional, foundation, and crowd sourcing grants. Come with a few projects you would like to get funded and bring your own device on which to type.
Unpacking the New AASL National Library Standards – Ellen McNair (Interest Level: Elementary, Middle, High)
As a member of the AASL Implementation Task Force for the new AASL National Library Standards, Ellen is excited to unpack the Key Commitments of the new Shared Foundations with you. She will also facilitate an exploration of resources available. A discussion of entry points for working with administrators and teachers will be included in the resource exploration.
How Writers Create Stories for Young Readers – John Claude Bemis (Interest Level: Elementary, Middle)
Award-winning children’s book author, John Claude Bemis, will share his process for planning, outlining, writing, and revising books for young readers. Educators will learn helpful insights and activities to bring back to their classrooms regarding brainstorming, story structure, character development, and revision.
Integrating STEM into your Media Center – Judy Walker (Interest Level: Elementary)
Teaching science in the elementary grades can be intimidating to classroom teachers. They often lack confidence, but, as media coordinators, you can help alleviate some of the teacher stress, inspire students to explore science, and have a lot of fun in the process. This session will discuss how you can transform the media center into a STEM center by connecting books, media, and activities to support science across the entire curriculum. There will be a quick overview of the Science Essential Standards and how they integrate with other standards. Then, we will look at how to connect science to media center resources (print and digital). The facilitator will share her favorite resources as well as a few show stopper demos how to integrate it into information literacy (think Harry Potter). We’ll also do a bit of hands-on science and discuss how to integrate it into information literacy. Finally, we will brainstorm how to involve the entire school and even the community. Even if you aren’t a science geek, bring your thinking caps and an open mind, you may be surprised at how much fun science in the media center can be!
Creating an Education Innovation Network – Danianne Mizzy(Interest Level: Elementary, Middle, High)
Please come explore the benefits of creating a learning network and launching a coordinated effort to support educators in our region. This session is an opportunity for school librarians to provide community input about the possibility of starting a learning innovation network in the Greater Triangle region (“The Triangle Learning Network”). The network will catalyze connections and collaborations among individuals and organizations to foster STEAM, making, and digital literacy pursuits in formal and informal learning environments. This effort is supported by an LSTA planning grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
