The AASL National Conference is the only national conference devoted solely to the needs of school librarians. In 2019, concurrent sessions focused on AASL's National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries, giving school librarians and other educator attendees an opportunity to dig deep into the guiding document of the profession. Click the icons below to discover sessions related to the corresponding Shared Foundation.
Credits: None available.
In this panel session moderated by Deb Levitov, attendees will learn about state- and district-level advocacy efforts in Arizona (Judi Moreillon), Michigan (Kathy Lester), New Jersey (Pat Tumulty), and Washington State (Christie Kaaland). Attendees will learn about the importance of building relationships with stakeholders to successfully advocate for equitable access to effective school libraries and will leave with ideas and tools to advocate in their own states, districts, and communities.
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Do The Bot: Librarians Using Robots to Impact Learning
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Credits: None available.
You have robots in the library, now what? Within our makerspaces, robots provide opportunities for learners to tinker and make. What if they can be used to impact learning in ways that provide curricular relevance? Join three librarians as they demonstrate how various robots- Edison, Bee-bot, Dash and Sphero, can be used to enhance math, science and ELA in grades K-6. Attendees gain tips and lesson ideas and will enjoy hands-on experience in coding and uploading their own programs to the robots.
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Explore Your Professional Practice through National Board Certification
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Credits: None available.
If you've been thinking about attempting National Board Certification in Library Media, this session is for you! Not only will LeeAnna and Margaret, both NBCTs, provide an overview of the NB process, they will help you view it through the lens of the AASL National Standards. Learn how the NB process will help you EXPLORE your professional practices to become an even more effective practitioner. Through short hands-on activities, you will walk away with a plan to tackle one of four NB components.
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Get Your Self(ie) Out There: Showcasing Your School Library Program
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Credits: None available.
Let the world see how invaluable a school library can be for the school, as well as the community, and that a library involves more than just checking out books. We'll examine how to use social media, apps, and free website builders to your advantage to showcase your library, keep your students and parents informed, and advocate for community partnerships. It's important to showcase what you are doing in your library, but first you have to put your self(ie) out there!
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Level Up! Using Gamification in Your School Library
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Credits: None available.
Gamify your school library to increase student motivation through engagement. Gamification will take your library to the next level.
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Picture Books and Problem Solving: The Coding Connection
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Credits: None available.
Can picture books teach coding concepts? Absolutely! In this session, we will take a look at multiple picture books that provide a segue into coding. Participants will explore hands-on unplugged coding for beginners (students AND teachers). Sequencing, stacks and queues, conditionals and events are just a few coding concepts that can be introduced through picture books. After introducing young coders to basic coding concepts, extend their coding knowledge with CodeSpark Academy and The Foos!
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High School Librarians as Community Collaborators
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Credits: None available.
High School libraries are in a unique position to reflect on and connect services to the community: students, teachers, public libraries, religious organizations, local businesses, and more. AASL 2019 National School Library of the Year recipients will share how our six schools work to meet the needs of not only our individual communities but the district as a whole, bridging boundaries to create integrated learning. We will provide examples that are replicable -- including how we implement a variety of communication styles to share our work--and how we advocate for library budget and services at the district level, in each school, between buildings, and in the community to continue to explore areas of need and increase our support. We will share examples of collaborations across curricula from Physical Education through English and AP Seminar classes and how we curate a robust collection to meet the diverse needs of the students in our buildings and across the district--especially in the areas of College and Career Readiness.
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Teaching Media Literacy in a Post-Truth World
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Credits: None available.
Studies show that once a person believes an untruth, it can be very hard to persuade that person otherwise. Meanwhile, social media algorithms and some methods of delivering fake news (e.g. memes, "deepfakes") pose special challenges. In such a climate where news literacy is declining, and news consumers are reluctant to consider information contrary to their held beliefs, how is a librarian to counter the rise of media illiteracy? This session attempts to tackle these questions and more.
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Truth, Justice, and the School Library Way: Integrating the AASL & Social Justice Standards for the Win!
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Credits: None available.
This session will focus on integrating the AASL School Library Standards and the Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards in the school library. Participants will interact with activities designed to integrate in K-12 libraries and share best practices for working with both sets of standards. Participants will walk away with full lesson plans to utilize in the school library.
Learning Objectives:Credits: None available.
Teaching reading doesn’t just happen with in the classroom or through a reading coach. Librarians are more than the keeper of books, they are a literacy leader. This session will provide examples of building collaborative relationships with teachers and literacy coaches to support direct instruction in the classroom, how to incorporate independent reading in both print and digital resources, and being essential in building a literacy culture in your school.
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