Sarah Brady | May 8, 2018
On April 26-27, 2018, media coordinators from across North Carolina headed to the Carolina Center for Educational Excellence for a two-day World View workshop on creating a global media center. The workshop opened with an intensive interactive session on equity; Sandra Hughes-Hassell, Casey Rawson and Kimberly Hirsh, all from the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Information and Library Science, had participants parse out the components of an equitable school library and share how they could make their libraries more equitable for students, parents and community members.
Later on in the day, Colleen Pinyan from Brooks Global Studies Magnet School explored how to grow global communities within the library, sharing resources that included Citizen Kid, the ALA Notable Books Lists, World Wise Schools and Carolina Navigators. Jonathan Permar from Guilford County Schools delved into technology by defining SAMR (substitution, augmentation, modification and redefinition) and illustrating how media coordinators can use technology to transform learning, rather than just enhance it.
Day two opened with a discussion on copyright laws (and a lot of subsequent questions from participants on fair use of Netflix, Disney, Amazon and more) from Anne Gilliland of UNC-Chapel Hill. Dell’s Adam Garry shared the possibilities of personalized learning (with a rousing backchannel discussion through TodaysMeet), and Sedley Abercrombie from Davidson County Schools explored how to make school libraries “Future Ready.” After lunch, World View’s outreach specialist Carina Brossy facilitated a two-part session on culture and cultural competency in digital storytelling. The workshop closed with Kathryn Cole and Julie Stivers returning to equity, leading a discussion on how to empower youth in school libraries with resources like the Diverse Book Finder, Responsive Reads and Teaching for Change.
Overall, the media workshop emphasized the importance of creating an equitable and global library. Participants explored how to create library spaces that are welcoming and offer equitable access, how to diversity their collections of books to better represent the students in their schools and how to integrate technology that transforms learning. They also gained access to resources and speakers.
Quotes from 2018 participants:
“All sessions were very useful and engaging.”
“It is a great space to think big thoughts and make plans to execute new ideas!”
“I thought the offerings were well curated and engaging. I feel inspired!”
For media coordinators who weren’t able to attend this year’s workshop, the World View media workshop is usually offered yearly. Make sure to sign up early, as the 2018 workshop registrations were filled about three weeks prior.