Want to create stations or centers in your school library but don’t know where to start or what to use? My friend Leigh Hopkins, instructional technology facilitator for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, and I tackled that topic in a recent workshop. Read more . . .

Have you heard the old proverb about the moth being drawn to a flame? That’s me, but I’m drawn to disorder. Crazy, right! Having a deep need to reorganize the messy things in life is both a blessing and a curse, but it makes for a natural pairing with the library. Libraries, by their very character, are prone to gather items that clutter the landscape. Technology, discards, cords, posters, and many mystery items can accumulate astronomically in no time. Read more . . .

Not surprisingly, I spend a lot of time thinking and talking about school libraries. New friends can tell within a few minutes that I am passionate about my job, school libraries, and the librarians that keep them running. I'm also passionate about our NC professional organization, NCSLMA, and the support it provides us. So it was with interest that I read this AASL Connect gem of a post from Dr. Maria Cahill (UKY). I'm reposting here with her permission: Hello all,     I just came across this quote and thought some of you might see the wisdom of it:   "Your professional organizational dues are the rent you pay for taking up space in the profession. Harsh? Perhaps, but think of the backstory. We all need support and cannot succeed on our own. Organizations… seek our participation, ask our opinions, and develop policy statements and practice guidelines that we depend on and use to promote our practice ideals..." (Kienle, 2019, p. 222). If you aren’t currently ...

Get Your Sketchnote On  is a 3-hour afternoon workshop offered at #NCSLMA19 preconference.  Presenter: Lorraine Kasyan, ITF, Buncombe County Schools Audience: ES, MS, HS, PD Description:  W ant to make learning stick for you and your students? Come explore the world of intentional doodling. This hands-on workshop will explore the why, when, and how of Sketchnoting before embarking on a few hours of creative practice. Join the Sketchnote tribe and leave with resources to fall back on. Sign up here !

Getting Started w/Google's Applied Dig. Skills  is a 3-hour afternoon workshop offered at #NCSLMA19 preconference.  Presenter: Sue Tranchina, Kiker Learning Audience: ES, MS, HS, PD Description:  Join Kiker Learning for an immersive, hands on session to learn how you can use the free Applied Digital Skills G Suite curriculum from Google to help your students develop critical, job-ready digital skills that meet state standards. Sign up here ! Learn more about Kiker Learning .

Crowd Sourcing Your Collection Management Plan  is a 3-hour afternoon workshop offered at #NCSLMA19 preconference.  Presenter: Lori Munroe, School Librarian, Wake Forest MS Audience: ES, MS, HS Description:  Collection management plans are an important part of the job of a school media specialist, but it’s often a document created and filed away never to be looked at until it is time to create a new one. My presentation and active work time provides the steps and documents necessary to use the stakeholders in the building to develop and manage a collection thats meets the academic needs of the students in the building. The focus is on the non-fiction print and digital resources not on building literacy with the fiction collection. Participants will walk away with the documents for each step along the way. Sign up here !

Design Thinking & Standards Based Instruction  is a 3-hour morning workshop offered at #NCSLMA19 preconference.  Presenter: Jerry Yale, ITF, WSFCS Audience: ES, MS, HS, PD Description:  This hands-on, inquiry-based learning session will give participants the opportunity to see how content standards can be infused into a Learning Commons Makerspace using simple technology (duct tape, cardboard, etc). Participants will also be given an editable copy of a Virtual Makerspace to use in their own district. A question and answer period will conclude the session to give learners the opportunity to see how this style of learning has been facilitated in WSFCS Learning Commons. Sign up here!