My friend, fellow Lakeville media specialist Paula Hansen, and I just returned from the 2014 ITEM Conference! ITEM stands for Information & Technology Educators of Minnesota. It was a fantastic opportunity to hear other innovative library and tech specialists from all over the state of Minnesota! Because we are often isolated as the only library/tech specialists in our schools, it is so great to have the opportunity to learn from each other! We heard from the ITEM president, also affectionately called Madam President, Mary Mehsikomer. We heard from Doug Johnson, Jane Prestebak and keynote speakers Naomi Harm and Jonathan Friesen.
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We discussed eBooks, Makerspaces, Genius Hour, Collection Genrefication, Virtual Field Trips, Future Library Spaces, Digital Storytelling, Flipped Learning, Personalization, & Tech Integration! I felt like my brain was exploding with new ideas and now I can't wait to bring back those ideas to my Oak Hills Elementary students!
In addition to our own learning, Paula and I shared our own knowledge with our ITEM friends in two sessions - Digitivity, Digital Creativity With K-5 Literacy! and Breathing Life Into Your Library Program! Though we were a little tired after preparing for two sessions, we had a blast!
