The Texas Computer Education Association Annual Conference

San Antonio Texas – February 2019


Thank you to the Central New York Resources Council for your support in sending three of my colleagues and myself to the TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association) conference in San Antonio, Texas.  Their 2019 FULLY CHARDED week-long conference really lived up to their tag line…Advancing Teaching and Learning through Technology.  Each day of the conference was a treasure trove of great information.  I was so glad to be able to attend with my colleagues as there were so many great choices we were able to split up and take in as much as possible.

I am a Middle School Librarian in the Liverpool Central School District, and while our district is generally good in the area of offering professional development, there are only 13 librarians in the district and only 3 at the middle level. Therefore, the specific training and learning opportunities for librarians are few and far between.   Because the TCEA conference was so large, and had dedicated strand of workshops for Library Media Specialists, I found it particularly beneficial.

Some of the Workshops I was able to attend:

  • Library Tech Tools- A variety of tech tools that are specifically geared for use in the library.  Some included: Novel effect, Symbaloo EDU, Pixabay, Viewpure, and many others.
  • Bookstagram- Using “Instagram” or Instagram like posts to promote literature. 
  • Future Ready Librarians where are we now and where are we going? – My favorite take away from this was the idea that you have to have the mindset of a leaser to be a Future Ready Librarian.
  • Five Minutes of Creativity- These were some great tech tools to spark creativity.
  • Tell Your Story-  What does your library say about your school? Creating a Library Leadership Team.  How to set goals, gather and evaluate data, and reflect on what you do in your library.
  • Bite Sized Doses of Kindness: Tools to be Kind Online, Breakout for Digital Citizenship, and You Shared What?

 

All of these workshops focused on ways to integrate digital citizenship into student’s everyday classes.

It was a whirlwind week with my colleagues, we were able to spend time together in the evenings discussing what we had learned that day, and networking with other educators and librarians from around the country.  We are currently working together and independently to prepare workshops to present to other staff members at our March Superintendent’s Conference Day.

I am so grateful to the Central New York Resources Council, without your support, I would not have had this fantastic professional learning opportunity.


Kate Marie Walsh

Library Media Specialis, Liverpool Middle School


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