This is a guest post from Holly Nelson, Media Specialist at Kennedy Community School. Need a scholarship to attend a conference or participate in Professional Development? Apply today! 

Attending the annual TIES Conference provided me the opportunity to experience an array of multiple educational initiatives and innovations all in one event.  As a school librarian, I’m cognizant of the vastly changing role of libraries within schools and the learning I experienced was beneficial for my personal professional development but more importantly for the staff and students at my school.

I was able to learn about a new technology integration initiative we’ve now begun at my school.  The SeeSaw tool is used now with teachers, students, and parents to share student learning and build student digital learning portfolios.  Learning from other educators who are using this tool also opened a communication network between multiple professionals and collaborative opportunities.  I am now able to provide support to all users of this new tool and/or extend my support beyond the walls of our school.

The various topics available for exploration at TIES was invaluable. Sharing my knowledge of computational thinking using coding in the “Digital Playground” was a great way to network with other educators. Another great resource that I learned at TIES is how to help students using their 1:1 iPads to create book commercials for an engaging way for students to share their learning. I can’t thank CMLE enough for this chance I received to learn and help grow my school library and its vital role in education.