Learning Together at MACUL: First Time Presenter, Long-time Learner

Even those of us who have been to MACUL several times, each conference brings with it new learning and new experiences. This was the case for Amy Cote, media specialist at North Middle School. Here is her blog post about her experience at the MACUL 2015 conference.

While I have attended MACUL many times before, MACUL 2015 in Detroit provided a new opportunity for me. A couple of my colleagues from the 'East Side' invited me to present a "Listen and Learn" session with them all about school libraries and librarians. It was both nerve-racking and fun as none of us had ever presented at such a large conference before. All went well in the end, with only one technology glitch and a full room! Many people stopped us after the presentation and thanked us for sharing our information.

After that was over (thank-goodness it was Thursday morning) we could focus on all the great learning opportunities MACUL has to offer. Among other things, I attended the annual meeting for the Special Interest Group for school libraries, SIGLIB and laughed along with Rushton Hurley who is always able to explain technology in a way that is understandable and fun. But the session that I was able to take back with me and apply to my teaching this very week was all about Digital Reading. As we prepare our students for the M-Step, I came back with some useful ideas that I can implement and hopefully help my students become more confident when reading for information on a screen rather than in print.

Amy Cote (left) and her co-presenters at MACUL 2015

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