Summer of Learning

Distance learning began for my district at the end of March. We had one week after Spring Break to get everything to together and then hit the ground running shortly after that. We had 4 hours to go up to school and get items we needed to teach from home, probably for the rest of the year. It was crazy, unprecedented, and the fear of the unknown was high. Librarians spent their time providing resources for teachers and students, sharing our ebook and audiobook collections and for me, I attended more PD from March-July than I probably ever have. The silver lining for COVID-19 was that it gave me more time and energy to attend virtual conferences and outside professional development to make me the best librarian I can be for campus and district. It’s important in this profession to stay current on trends, best practices and what ALA and TLA (Texas Library Association) are saying so we can best apply it to our libraries. I have spent the time learning about MESH (media literacy, ethics, sociology and history education), the #BLM movement, #edtech resources and badging, virtual conferences on diverse literature, graphic novels, how to open libraries safely, middle grade books and much more.

This is a great article on the importance of badging in education. I’m quoted as saying, “I love being able to show my teachers that I’m an expert in a multitude of platforms if they need help with anything.” When teachers and educators see my email signature or business card they know I am proficient in various educational apps and websites so they know they can come to me with any issues, questions, concerns. It helps me move the librarian job into the 21st century and show that we are more than books, which I also love, don’t get me wrong. My love for educational technology meshes well with the library media specialist position I’m in and I hope that together librarians can be seen as the forefront of best practices from books to technology to presenting to teaching and beyond.

If you’re interested in learning more this summer for your library position in the fall, however that looks for you in your district due to COVID-19, I suggest becoming an ALA member or a member of your state’s librarian association or in Texas we have education regions that also offer great trainings. Publishers are having amazing free webinars right now and conferences. In April I added Middle Grade Magic and learned a lot about upcoming middle grade releases. Follow educators/librarians who post on social media about trainings, webinars and conferences such as Rachelle Dene Poth, Shannon McClintock Miller, Kristina Uihlein Holzweiss, The Lispy Librarian, Cue the Librarian and more. They offer free trainings themselves or links to sign up for webinars and more. Growing your PLN can also help you grow as a learner. All the apps and websites I’m an ambassador or member of offer constant trainings so I can keep up with the changes happening. It’s always a good idea to get Google or Microsoft or Apple certified, depending on what your district uses. Now is a good time to learn, grow and brush up on skills we don’t always have time for during the school year. I’m having a blast learning more about all the ways I can use educational technology and learning sessions in the fall with my staff and students!