Tag Archives: ITEM

Spring ITEM Conference – Call for Proposals and Registration

spring ITEM confGet ready for the second annual ITEM Spring Conference. The conference will take place on April 30th at Hopkins North Junior High.

With the motto “Reimagine Learning” teachers, educational leaders, technology integrationists, and media specialists come together to talk about makerspaces, learning spaces, and the future of the media center.

Check out the website for registration.

Got something cool you’re working on? Share it! The conference has a call for proposals until March 18th. Submit your idea now.

 

Save the date: Jan.12th book lovers event!

QoR8Bv1S2SEqH6UcSJCA_TeaDo you believe you may have been born in a bookstore in a past life? Do you crave spending time with other people who love books? Do you feel unable to keep up with your voracious readers (or yourself) and all of the new possible titles?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may really enjoy an upcoming FREE “bookish event” that CMLE, ITEM, and Barnes and Noble are offering. One hour of solid gold book talks will take place over a variety of genres, Pre k-12 age groups including adult books that would be age appropriate for teens, and items for your personal growth too! Please send your email reservation, Subject line:  RSVP for January 12. All are welcome!

Location:     St. Cloud Barnes and Noble store
Date:             Tuesday, January 12, 2016

3:30 – 4:00      Social time and light refreshments
4:00 – 5:00      Book Talks
5:00 – ??           Social time and shopping

Tip: Check with your employer to see if they have already set up a B&N Institutional Account or a B&N Educator Discount Card. If so, you could have important discounts already in place just waiting for you!

Image credit: https://unsplash.com/ (Carli Jean), licensed under CC0 1.0

Questions from the field: Accelerated Reader

We need your help! Occasionally we get questions from our members and CMLE doesn’t always know the answer. That’s where you come in! Yes you! This week we have a question about Accelerated Reader and other options. Thanks in advance for your help!

An area media specialist/tech integrationist asked:  We have used Accelerated Reader for the past 16 years and are exploring other options/alternatives.What are other schools using to help create strong readers?

Another question came from the ITEM listserv:  Our school is into the AR (Accelerated Reader) program.  In the past, there has been a “store” twice a year for students to spend their points.  I want to come up with a different plan or a better plan. What do your schools do?

Solutions to this question: Help us fill in the answers! Share your thoughts below and we’ll update this blog post with the responses we receive!

 

Why Go to a Library Conference?

Apple BasketThe Information and Technology Educators of MN (ITEM) conference is thundering down the calendar toward us beginning the first week in October. Then, during the second week in October, the Minnesota Library Association (MLA) Conference crops up! Are you registered?

Ideally, you are able to attend  a library conference of some form at least once a year. If you have a job that counts on you staying up-to-date, a conference is a great way to sharpen your skill set. I understand that professional development dollars are tight, but think beyond the dollars for a moment. Faced with incredibly big jobs, high work expectations beyond what we thought possible, and a world of fast-paced change, why go to a MN library conference?

Here are  my Top 10 Reasons to Register for the ITEM or MLA Fall Conferences Now….

  1. You have an excuse to buy a cool outfit, a new pair of shoes, or gasp…a new bag (even though you have hundreds)
  2. Informal conversations: Whether it be at a lunch table, in the commons area between sessions, or over cocktails at happy hour, a conference is an excellent place to figure out what your peers are worried about, working on, and thinking about. Be brave, strike up a conversation! You can save yourself a ton of time and work by talking to others who will share.
  3. Bags: While in the exhibit area, you have the opportunity to collect yet more bags for your collection of hundreds; some that include cat portraits!
  4. Free books: many companies are handing out free advanced copies of books!
  5. Do you hate talking on the phone with sales people, but need some new products, pricing, or information? Bribe a colleague to go with you (for the free candy) to the exhibit areas, and plan ahead of time how you will exit any sales talk that has gone far enough. Tag teams rule!
  6. Authors: Library conferences always include author talks, and we do love anything an author has to say!
  7. Eyeglasses: Have I mentioned that librarians also love to show off their hip eyewear, and why is it that most of us are almost blind?
  8. Keynotes: Conference planners think long and hard to bring in big names and popular folk that have appeal, and it is rare to be thoroughly disappointed, very rare!
  9. Breakout sessions: There are usually so many to pick from, that you often have a hard time. Me, I intentionally look for the rooms bursting at the seams with people. I want to know what everyone is so geeked up about! If it is something I know very little about, I really should be there! Am hoping for a session on Cosplay.
  10. The evening social event: You will have a blast and get to know the playful side of people. The multitype library systems (CMLE is one of them) offer fun events like trivia or literary games. Prizes and bragging rights come with the territory too! Did I mention free food? Can it get better?

What have I missed? What do you love most about conferences? Add it in the comments! Ready to register now?

Go to our handy events table, and click on the appropriate event link to register! Easy…

No Money? A  CMLE scholarship  of up to $200 is yours to use for registration, hotel, mileage, meals, or to subsidize the cost of your employer hiring a substitute worker so you can be away. If you approach your boss to say you have found a way to contribute  $200, they will know you are invested and have taken initiative. The application process is easy, CMLE would love to exhaust its scholarship budget this year on these two conferences alone, so go for it!

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/o4jqtd7, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0