Library Media Tech Talk

Each time I attend professional conferences, I come home overwhelmed with ideas. Hearing keynote speakers share their best practices while also issuing growth challenges is always thought provoking. This year, the Arkansas Association of Instructional Media (AAIM) Conference was held in Springdale, Arkansas. I want to share some of my most important takeaways from the conference. Dr. Joyce Valenza Dr. Valenza was the first keynote speaker of the conference. I have been following her on Twitter for many years; and it was great to hear her speak and meet her in person! Her first general session had many points that resonated with me. Her thoughts about our online presence being our "business card" was big! Here are some questions and thoughts that I'm still considering after her talk nearly a week ago: What footprint (business card) are we creating on social media? Our Twitter account/ feed is our new business card. What are we teaching students about this?...

Recently, the PARCC test has been a strain on our school in both personnel requirements and technology resources. I have been serving as a test administrator for the past two weeks. This will continue with few breaks from March 9-May 22nd! All of our teachers and students feel the stress of the end of the year. Testing always adds to this! Since we aren't one to one with devices at our school, we have had to use all available computer labs to test our large population of grades 8-10. If you feel similar stresses in your school role, I would like to offer some ideas to stay positive while testing during the last part of the school year. A recent infrastructure test  & training session in the library 1. Remember you are important to the function of the school even when testing. There is a reason you have been selected to help administer exams. It's because you make a difference! It's also due to the fact that school leadership knows you do a good job. 2. If you ha...