The AASL National Conference is the only national conference devoted solely to the needs of school librarians. In 2021, 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.
Virtual Library Outreach to Support Online Teaching and Learning in a Large Urban Public School District
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
Is your library or school or school system interested in partnering with an academic library to support the teaching and learning that goes on in the K-12 environments? Participants will learn the many directions that library outreach can take to support teachers and students in area school districts. Highlights will include library instruction, professional development for teachers, project-based learning, and the Real Men Read youth literacy initiative through the presenter's experiences.
Speaker(s):
How Are We Perceived?
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
“Well you aren’t very busy.” “It’s nice you get to read books all day.” “I’ll bet your job is pretty easy.” Have you ever heard phrases like these? Let’s discuss and learn some tips, tricks, and strategies to change the labels and perceptions of the role of a librarian in your workplace.
We Need (Neuro)Diverse Books
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
According to the CDC, 1 in 6 children have been diagnosed with a mental, behavioral, or developmental condition such as autism. Most of us already serve these patrons in our libraries! How can we update our collections to better represent this diverse group? How can our programming promote empathy and acceptance? An autistic librarian will share strategies and book recommendations, and you'll leave with resources that will help you keep up with this growing subsection of children's literature.
Speaker(s):
Bringing College Information Literacy to High Schools
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
In this session we outline how academic and school librarians collaborated to bring a college-level information literacy course to rural high schools, extending positive impacts on college student success and equity to high school students. Attendees will discuss how library academic support practices can be adapted to be more inclusive and equitable. We will also discuss how school librarians can collaborate more intensely with English teachers to ensure student success for all.
Speaker(s):
Teaching Students Research and Writing in the Pandemic: How Utah Librarians and Teachers use Scrible
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
50%+ of secondary students aren’t ready for college level research and writing. The pandemic exacerbates this problem by making it harder to teach and manage the research and writing process, which normally involves in-person check-ins and feedback. Come learn how Utah librarians and teachers use Scrible to teach and manage research and writing in remote and hybrid environments amid the abrupt move to online learning. We’ll keep it interesting with a live audience poll!
Speaker(s):
Create and Curate a Digital Library
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
With a glut of online information, see how to curate and organize all your online resources using several digital tools. Streamline your digital library for teachers and students, and integrate all your favorite Google and design tools to improve productivity and collaboration, while showcasing good digital citizenship.
Harnessing the Power of AR and VR to Develop Empathy
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
Empathy is an invaluable 21st century skill, which allows us to better understand others’ perspectives in order to be more respectful, compassionate individuals. This session will show you how you can harness the power of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) through a variety of consumption-based and creation-based tools that will open students’ eyes to the world around them and within them as a means for sharing the power of storytelling and promote understanding and empathy.
How Librarians are Using TikTok to Connect with Gen Z Students
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
TikTok is a new social network with viral popularity among generation z, but it’s more than just teen dance challenges. The user-generated video sharing platform is beginning to be embraced by educators as well. Come learn how to use the TikTok application as a tool to connect with your generation z students and build community in digital spaces. This session will provide a basic overview of TikTok and how librarians can use it to promote library services in a digital environment.
Empathy in the Classroom: How a Teacher-Librarian and ELA Teacher Collaborated to Create a Diverse Novel Unit
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
This session will focus on the collaborative efforts to bring authentic conversations about current issues directly relating to underrepresented student populations into the classroom. We will discuss how this evolved from discussion to actuality, opportunities and challenges we encountered, and perspectives on the learning outcomes. We will also discuss the novels chosen and works that could be utilized, and how school librarians can use this to assist ELA teachers to create similar units.
Credits: None available.
What's one way to get students to read a book? Tell them they can’t! In this program, participants will learn about intellectual freedom programming, and how it can be used to develop critical thinking and collaboration skills, reach underserved audiences, broaden perspectives, and develop empathy.
