I was ecstatic to get to go to the Texas Library Association Annual Convention this year! It was held in Fort Worth, and of course that was very convenient for me. I drove down to the airport every day and parked at the TRE Station, and then I rode the train into downtown Fort Worth and walked the couple of blocks to the convention.
It has been a few years since I've been able to attend a convention. Actually, the last time I went, I kept feeling strange waves of nausea during the sessions. It turned out those waves of nausea were the beginnings of Leo. It was basically impossible to attend with a child in preschool (9am-2pm), a child in elementary school, a full-time working/commuting husband, and the travel that would have been involved because the convention was not local. So when I say that I was ecstatic in my first sentence, you can picture me beaming on the train to Fort Worth and then floating down the sidewalk to the convention center. It was a very big deal to me. It was something I was doing just for my career, and a symbol that we have entered a new stage in our family's development. Same as when I went back to work in the fall.
Oh, and I saw lots of great authors! I ran into Blue Balliett in the bathroom, and I exclaimed "Oh! I've read your books!" before I could stifle myself. I could possibly be on her stalker list now. Hopefully not. :)
OK, enough introspection! Listed below are the sessions I attended. It's fun just to look back at what I learned, and I also want to have the list to refer to in the future.
WEDNESDAY
12pm - 50 Years of Librarianship: Trends from the Texas Library Journal. During this session, I realized that I was sitting in front of my supervisor from my school librarian practicum (think student teaching for librarians), and we had a lovely chat after the session.
1pm - Bytes of Technology: Fill Your Plate with 21st Century Learning tools in the School Library. I picked up so many great new apps, websites, etc. during this! Now I need to go and try each one so that I really understand them.
2pm - Connecting the Caldecott Award Books to the Science TEKS. An Irving ISD school librarian gave examples of how he uses Caldecott Books to teach the science TEKS. Great ideas and lots of inspiration here.
4pm - Guys Listen with Jon Scieszka. Jon Scieszka presented his new endeavor to get boys reading through audiobooks they will love. We are all avid audiobookers at my house, so all the research about how beneficial audiobooks are was not news to me. I'm so glad someone is focusing on the unique needs of boys. I have listened to SweetFarts twice in my car now. It's definitely NOT my favorite, but the boys love it.
THURSDAY
10:15 am - You're Not Bilingual - So What? Three practicing librarians gave tips, ideas, and many online resources for planning storytimes, ordering materials, etc. when you are a non-bilingual librarian working in a bilingual or multilingual school. Fabulous!
1pm - Free Technology for Teachers: Discovery, Discussion, and Demonstration. The famous (in teacher circles, anyway!) Richard Byrne who writes Free Technology for Teachers presented many many MANY fabulous ideas for using technology. Mind. Blown.
2pm - Best of Both: Nonfiction Picture Book Author Discussion Panel. Wow, I was so excited about this one, and it more than lived up to my expectations. I have a special interest in NF lit for kids, and this was a panel discussion among some of my favorite authors and the great author/illustrator Melissa Sweet. I have discussed several of them on my blog - Sweet, Shana Corey from Here Come the Girl Scouts and Candace Fleming who wrote The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary. The incomparable Doreen Rappaport and Tanya Lee Stone were also on the panel.
3pm - Tell It! A Storytelling Crash Course. I got to hear some great storytelling, and I heard some great tips for becoming a better storyteller.
FRIDAY
10:15am - School Library 101 or 911. This was an information session for new librarians or librarians who walk into a new job where the library needs a lot of work. There were so many GREAT and PRACTICAL tips here, and lots of real world stories. The librarians were great presenters, and they had my rapt attention. I thought maybe this would be a good session, and I spent most of the weekend telling my husband interesting things that I learned in this one.
11:30am - Lights, Camera, Libraries! Act 1: Using Windows Live Movie Maker (Hands On) - This was a ticketed event that I purchased when I registered. It was just a quick class, but it whet my appetite enough that I am going to give Movie Maker a try soon. And, I actually thought I was going to an iMovie class. I was in a conference daze by this point.
1pm - Copyright - Don't Panic!!! - Two attorneys/librarians presented on copyright. This is always a hot topic for librarians. It was a big room that was full, and most of the attendees were school librarians.
2pm - I started a session, but I found that my brain was just on OVERLOAD! I went to look at the vendors. I got Henry an Elephant and Piggie shirt. No big kid character shirts for Leo, though. I got a coffee and took a break!!!
4pm - Lights, Cameras, Libraries! Act 2: Video Strategies that Work - I attended the second half of the Movie Maker class. Got some Do's and Don't's for making good videos.
And then I caught the train home! Happy Librarian! Great conference.
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