3 Things from #ISTE2014

My goal is to implement at least three things from each conference I attend.  There are so many things I want to try from ISTE2014--it's difficult to choose just three!  But, any more than three would be too much at once. So, let's start here:

Goal #1:  Making / 3D printing

I saw so much information about makerspaces and 3D printing, I'm excited to bring this new technology to my students.  The first thing I did was start a DonorsChoose.org project to obtain a 3D printer for my high school library.  Watch for a future post all about this project!

Goal #2:  Coding

Over and over at ISTE2014, presenters and attendees talked about the importance of our students learning to code.  @MrYongpradit summed it up in his Ignite session, where he stated, 

"Computer science is a foundational skill in the 21st century."

My goal this year is to create opportunities for our students to learn to code via the library.  Again, watch this blog for updates on this goal.

Goal #3:  Increase student participation

Increasing student participation in the library is not a new goal for me, It is something I have strived for each year since I arrived.  However, ISTE2014 has given me new ideas for increasing student participation this year.  I was so impressed with the students from @WHS_TechBar (also see http://whstechbar.blogspot.com/) who run a tech support desk at their school.  We are not a 1:1 school, but I would love to train my student volunteers to assist teachers and students with technology.

So, those are my 3 goals from ISTE2014, though I could have chosen any of a million other things I saw and learned there.  Did you attend ISTE2014?  What goals did you bring back with you?

My final day at #ISTE2014 on Storify

At long last, I've finished Storifying my time at #ISTE2014.  I've enjoyed using Storify to collect my tweets and capture a snapshot of each day at the conference.  I know these stories will help me reflect on my learning and conference experience.

My next step will be to identify 3 things I want to implement from #ISTE2014.  I have some ideas, but that's for another post! :)

Catching up on #ISTE2014 - My Day 4 on @Storify

As a friend asked today, "When do those 'lazy days of summer' I keep hearing about start?"

So far, my summer has consisted of travel and PD, with an action-packed family vacation squeezed in the middle. I'm still processing all of the amazing things I saw and learned at ISTE, while frantically planning my first-ever district-wide workshop (with a little help from my friends). And, I'm in the process of clearing out and rearranging the office space in my library at school (on my own time).

Thank goodness for this blog, where I can put my thoughts down before they all fly out of my head. And thank goodness for Twitter, where I can use the plethora of Tweets, favorites and re-Tweets from ISTE to remember what it was I wanted to reflect on in the first place. The reflection is coming. I promise. In the meantime, I am still capturing my #ISTE2014 days via Twitter and Storify:

Day 3 at ISTE2014

Here's my day 3 wrap-up.  Again, I promise more detailed posts to come, but I shared a few links that I want to share widely.  Let me know if you find these posts helpful.

Day 2 at ISTE

Again, so much happened today! I will have to wait to blog - need time to process (and edit!)

Day 1 at #ISTE2014

So, I just finished my first day of my first ISTE conference.  I promised myself that I would blog and share everything I learned.  Turns out, that is a bit ambitious, given the amount of information and networking crammed into one day.  Instead, I offer up the following Storify of my day, with the promise of more detailed reflections to come.
Cheers!

Update: What we "library"

For School Library Month, I invited students to use "library" as a verb.  I previously posted a picture of their responses hanging on my bulletin board.  The bulletin board has since come down (see next post), but I've captured their responses in a Wordle, below (click to view it full size and HQ).

I love, love, love the words they chose to capture their library experience!

What do you library?

For School Library Month, we are turning library into a verb at my school.  From a sign in the library display case:

We "google" answers to questions, we "friend" people online, we can "text" and "message" our friends.  It's time to "library" our homework, research, reading, computers, quiet time, and study groups.  What do you library?

Student answers are being collected on catalog cards, and posted in the display case.  So far, answers range from, "chillin'" and "escape" to "research," "all of my homework," "better grades," and "the world."  I plan to collect the answers at the end of the month and post a word cloud on my library's web page.

So, what do YOU library?

Happy School Library Month!