Tag Archives: Scholarship

Guest Blogger, School Media Specialist

CMLE Scholarship Report: What’s New in Children’s Literature Workshop

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This is a guest post from Gara Goldenstein, Media Specialist at Jacobson Elementary in Rush City, MN. Read more CMLE scholarship reports here.

 I attended the What’s New in Children’s Literature workshop through BER. This workshop highlighted books published in 2019.

Jonathon Hunt was the presenter and he did a fantastic job!  It was a little different as we attended through Zoom.  I was worried about how effective it would be attending using Zoom.  I was pleasantly surprised at how well it went!

A website I was introduced to is the ALA Best Websites for Teaching & Learning.  There is also the Best Apps for Teaching & Learning website.  These are great resources to find technology to enhance your teaching.

One app I highly recommend is Novel Effect. It is free and it will play sound effects as you read a picture book.  The really cool thing for students is the app listens for key words so it will work no matter what speed the book is read. 

One discussion that I found interesting was the benefits of having large print books.  They especially recommend this for struggling readers.  It is easier for them to physically track the words and leads to large gains in comprehension.  I haven’t seen many children’s books offered in large print, but it’s something I will be looking for!

Here’s my list of top 10 book recommendations.  It was super hard to narrow this down!!

  1. Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks by Jason Reynolds (gr 4-7) Short stories of students walking home from school.
  2. Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary D. Schmidt (gr 4-7) His family inherits a snooty British butler!  Humorous!
  3. Fly by Mark Teague (K-3) A baby bird wants to use a variety of methods of transportation, except it’s wings!
  4. Beneath the Bed and Other Scary Stories by Max Brailler (K-3) Acorn Scholastic book – beginning chapter book
  5. Monstrous: The Lore, The Gore, And Science Behind Your Favorite Monsters (Gr 5-8) Great infographics!
  6. Monkey and Cake series by Drew Daywalt (K-3) Great for those beginning readers! Very humorous!
  7. Five Minutes by Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick ( K-3) How 5 minutes sometimes seems long, sometimes short.
  8. Torpedoed by Deborah Heiligman ( Gr 5-8) WWII setting. A ship leaves London bringing children to Canada.  It is torpedoed by a German submarine.
  9. How to Two by David Soman (K-3) Focuses on how to play on a playground.  Also a counting book.
  10. Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy (Gr 4-7) A girl’s parents get divorced but her dad moves in just down the street!

Thank you so much for the scholarship that provided me the opportunity to attend this workshop!  This workshop is offered every year and I highly recommend it!

Conference, Guest Blogger

Impact Education 2019 Conference Scholarship: Jenny McNew


This is a guest post written by Jenny McNew, Media Specialist at Talahi Community School. Do you need a scholarship to attend a conference or participate in professional development?  Apply today!

This year I attended the Impact Education (formerly TIES) in Minneapolis using a scholarship from CMLE.

My 2 days of sessions came with an added bonus of being able to attend for 3 days. On Sunday we could choose extended learning opportunities with keynote Justice Alan Page. Justice Page spoke of his passion for truth and justice. The principal that introduced him told of the journey of a school committed to his legacy and the renaming of a middle school in Minneapolis as his namesake.

On Monday keynote Angela Maiers founder of Choose2 Matter reminds us all to “Be Brave” and find our “Brave” as we empower students and ourselves.

Jimmy Casas was dynamic and brought a wealth of experiences and kept it real as he spoke to us about remembering the “why” of the reasons we became educators in the first place because we are passionate about kids. The message was clear. Relax and recharge and take care of yourself so you can be the best you for students.  

This conference which has evolved from a Tech conference to a learning conference did not disappoint.

There are truly so many educators out there with a wealth of expertise that are making learning fun for kids. This year with a change in student population at my school to a preK-2 focus I was looking for very specific things. Can I just say Kindergarten teachers are AMAZING! There are some great people out there to follow. A couple of SeeSaw experts I enjoyed are people I would encourage you to follow on Twitter @MrsGadKey and @KSzajiner. SeeSaw is such a great tool to connect home to school and help kids be accountable for their learning. This kindergarten teacher was so enthusiastic! @KinderNuggets_1 uses coding, VR and AR in Kindergarten in ways I never dreamed of. I’ve already purchased my Curiscope tee-shirt and can’t wait to try it out on my students.

Our second grade is piloting a 2 to 1 Chromebook setting and I attended a session on all the great accessibility tips and tricks available. The knowledge gained will help me coach these two classrooms and will benefit both teachers and students.

An after-hours tour of Flipgrid in downtown Minneapolis completed my second day of the conference. It has been amazing to watch this company grow in the last couple years. They currently host 3 ½ years of video! I was sent home with a Flipgrid recording pod for my students to use. This conference is such an amazing opportunity especially for those of us who live in Minnesota. A big THANK YOU to CMLE for making it possible for me to attend.

CMLE, Conference

Thinking about attending a conference? Apply for a CMLE Scholarship!

Opportunities for professional development and continuing education are everywhere! Earlier this month was the Minnesota Library Association annual conference, later this week is the ITEM conference, and coming up in December is the TIES conference! Not to mention webinars and other online and in-person training opportunities!

We know it can often be difficult to come up with the time or money to attend conferences or training events. That’s why we offer scholarships! If you need financial assistance to cover the cost of registration, parking, cost of a substitute or child care expenses, we want to help you!

We’ve already awarded several scholarships for this year so join your colleagues and apply today!

You can read more about CMLE Scholarships here, or fill out an application today: CMLE-member-scholarship-application

Send us an email at admin@cmle.org with any questions!

Conference

CMLE Scholarship: ISTE Conference

From CMLE member Angie Kaltoff!

With the help of the CMLE professional development scholarship, I was able to attend ISTE 2018.

My two main goals of attending ISTE 18 were to connect with others (companies and educators) and find innovative ways to teach with the support of technology.

 

Connecting.

I was able to connect with a variety of people while attending ISTE 2018. As an ISTE attendee, I was able to present multiple sessions this year. On Sunday, I was a presenter in a hands on workshop that had a focus on bringing computer science into classrooms through plugged, unplugged, and lessons with robots. I was one of many presenters who led participants though a hands on station.

On Tuesday, I was one of five women who shared our experiences with encouraging girls to pursue their passions in STEM careers through a panel discussion. Our panel consisted of professional development leaders of the Innovative Educator Consulting Network. Naomi Harm, the CEO and founder, posed a few questions to the group of which we had time to prepare for and Mariah Richards, posed questions from learners in our room through a back channel.

On Wednesday, I co- presented a poster session with my friend and colleague on how we are working together to help students in the St.Cloud Area School District 742 and preservice teachers attending the CSBSJU transform their learning through the integration of technology into our classrooms.

Through these experiences, I was able to connect with educators and share my story while learning about their story too. All of my sessions have resources available by visiting bit.ly/iste18ak

 

Teaching with Technology.

I spent the majority of one day walking through the exhibitor hall. I was impressed with the amount of computer science tools that were on display at affordable prices through the integration of the Microbit.

I also took a walk through the startup pavilion. Unruly is a startup that I will follow as they have combined coding and movement.

 

Conference, Tech

Museum Computer Network Gives Scholarship

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“The Museum Computer Network (mcn.edu) was founded in 1967 with the purpose of supporting professionals who seek to transform the way their cultural organizations reach, engage, and educate their audiences using digital technologies. Every year MCN explores topics of relevance to museum practitioners working with, or affected by, digital media and technology. In 2017, MCN is focusing on how museums can use technology to innovate and emphasize transparency, individual action, and institutional bravery. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary in Pittsburgh, we welcome applications for our scholarship program.

MCN is offering scholarships for 15 qualified applicants to attend the annual conference.
Continue reading Museum Computer Network Gives Scholarship →