Day 4 ISTE 2014

WOW what a final day, for some reason each time I attend I have a day where I put my library hat on, I think it must be that each year the Annual Librarians Breakfast and keynote is always on the final day. This morning the keynote was Jennifer LaGarde (@librarygirl www.librarygirlnet.com) and it was brilliant!

Firstly we we discussed the stereotypes, as an aside check out what it says about 'librarians in popular culture' on wikipedia. Thoughts?
These are the librarians Jennifer calls 'Zombies'. Her presentation was a recruitment drive for Zombie Fighters and basically these are my notes, many quotes and the list of what makes a zombie fighter, i.e. a good librarian

• "I don't want a librarian that likes books more than children!"
• Librarians should ask essential questions,meaningful questions...not how does the Dewey system works? Who cares! 
• They let the children ask the questions.
• "Circulate ideas not just books"
• In their library you can see student work and not just the big projects that don't fit anywhere else! 
• Biggest compliment to a librarian is when People are surprised to hear you are a librarian! Because you don't fit the stereotype!
• Don't build barriers, build knowledge!
• Dewey is not a life skill!
• Base every decision in your library around the kids needs, finding resources shouldn't require a secret code
• YOU embrace change and YOU Should be an action research guru
• One example of publishing student work was in a library that had a separate code for published student work. Let students publish and catalogue their work! 
• Know that library skills are only as valuable as the life skills they support!
• Advocate for students NOT for libraries
• Be the voice of reason
• Fight for the kids, be solution oriented- not whiney which is the stereotype. Never go to someone with a problem unless you have at least one possible solution in mind.
• Your library should be a place of possibility, not punishment.
• Whilst you have to hold kids accountable, they also need access to the resources they need.
• One idea was 'Food for Fines!' Kids pay fines by bringing in canned food. 
• Librarians need to collect, react and create data and its pointless unless it's connected to student data! Compare student growth to the reading stats and measure your impact.
• YOU must continue to learn.
• They use social networks to build PLN's (Personalized Learning Networks) to help impact their students and teachers. Your role is to curate on behalf of the teachers, prepare toolkits etc for them
• Always schedule time for P.L.
• Connect! Do it now! Use technology and prepare students for their world not yours!
• Use technology to solve meaningful and authentic questions.
• Librarians are still essential even if students do have a library in their pocket, of course they don't need you if all you do is check books in and out.
• Zombie librarians are killing the profession!

Growing up Jennifer moved schools so many times she said,  "We were like a military family except we weren't noble or good! Her life changing moment was when she first came across VC.Andrews books, and at that point she realised her life wasn't so bad. She broke the poverty cycle in her family.

I loved this session and in fact tweeted her during the session offering to bribe her,

her husband and two dogs to move to Australia. I spoke to her afterwards and said she would only consider it if I gave her the Elk Accessories necklace I was wearing! See photo. She was the first speaker, at the three ISTE conferences I have been too,  that has received a standing ovation from everyone in the room. She was engaging, funny and clearly knowledgeable. You can watch it all on video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FlapfzevoY&sns=em

Next up was a BYOD session and the best thing about it was the research links provided:

Jenkins, H. P. (2009). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century. Cambridge, MA: MIT.
Lenhart, A., Ling, R., Campbell, S., & Purcell, K. (2010, August 20). Teens and mobile phones. Retrieved from pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Teens-and-Mobile-Phones/Summary-of-Findings.aspx
Mills, M. (2013). “Fostering collaboration and digital literacy with mobile technology.” In H. Yang, Z. Yang, D. Wu, and S. Liu (eds.), Transforming K-12 Classrooms with Digital Technology. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
Mills, M. (2013). Tablets: The great equalizer. Amplify: Viewpoints. Retrieved from http://www.amplify.com/viewpoints/tablets-the-great-equalizer
Mills, M. (November/December, 2013). Learning connections: Backchanneling with middle schoolers. Learning and Leading with Technology, ISTE, 28-29.

I then visited the poster area to locate and chat to a library/I.T. team who reinvented themselves and the serviceas they provide by becoming "LibTech in the Learning Commons" using communication, collaboration, unity and advocacy. Each member of the library team offers e learning/tech support, their library has been transformed into a busy hub within the school where teachers also come to get support, advise and direction.

Finally the last session of the conference was from Jeff Charbonneau, the 63rd National Teacher of the Year, has taught high school chemistry, physics and engineering at Zillah High School in Zillah, Wash., for the past 12 years.

"I greet my students in class every day by saying, 'Welcome back to another day in paradise,'" he said. "The reality is that paradise must be built, maintained and improved each day. It removes the words 'can't,' 'too hard' and 'impossible' from our vocabulary. This concept has become my philosophy of teaching as I foster self-confidence, academic success, collaboration and dedication within my classroom, school and greater community."

• Technology is just the way to reach kids, technology is not the goal!
• We must continually all ask ourselves  "What if?"
• STEM means to use all of our tools and resources to solve problems
• Teachers need to embrace c3hange and model for our students
• Teachers need courage and to abandon comfort.
• What about a new 4 letter acronym- Next big push, next big change, next big policy; KIDS! The should always be the focus.
• Believe and share your belief, share your voice. Engage in the debate.
• Raise your voice, talk positively about your school. Don't just teach students, teach your admins, parents and policy makers.
• To fail is teachers obligation. Show kids what its like to fail and get back up, model it. 
• Own your failures so your kids learn from it.
• We have to teach every kid as though one day they could be part of your family. 

Content is the method not the goal.

1. Positive relationships must be first.
2. Good quality content second.
3. Third is educational technology to enable it all to happen.

He urged every teacher to have hope and to remember we are all teaching the teachers of the future.

So that is, another exhausting, noisy, bustling week full of learning, wonder, knowlege gathering and networking over.