FAME conference

Wow, what a conference. I enjoy going to the Florida Association of Media in Education conference each year. I always learn a lot that I can use to improve the Media center and this year's conference was no exception. It was last week at the Gaylord Palms hotel in Kissimmee and the theme was Intellectual FREADom.

First up was a morning spent with Joyce Valenza, school librarian extraordinaire. She showed us how to use Web 2.0 technologies in our media centers and collaborating with teachers. I am familiar with some technologies such as blogs and wikis, but her session took things a step further and demonstrated how students can actively participate in their learning by using these applications. I also learned about iGoogle and how to tailor it to classroom and professional learning. (I hope I can access that here with our filters...). Photo and image sites, making video sites, and other open access sites were all demonstrated. Her view is "Learning is all about opening boxes" and it is our job to open boxes for our students. Very inspiring!

A high point of library conferences is the opportunity to meet authors. I was lucky enough to meet Marc Aronson, Lois Lowry, Chris Crutcher, and Susan Beth Pfeffer. Lois Lowry and Chris Crutcher have been challenged many times and they are huge proponents of the Freedom to Read. Susan Beth Pfeffer discussed how she came to write her Florida Teens Read book, Life as We Knew It. Apparently she enjoyed writing it and having the world come to an end. Excellent book, by the way.

I also went to sessions on writing in the media center, using bibliographies and book lists to hook readers and collaborate with teachers, and using blogs and wikis with Florida Teens Read books. Plus, I had my Florida Teens Read committee meeting. I also wished I had an unlimited budget when it came time to visit the exhibit hall. I am looking forward to sharing what I learned with my students and teachers.

Here's looking forward to next year!