WEMTA 2025 - Ignite and Inspire: Impacting Learning Together: Full Schedule

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12:30pm CDT

PD from A to Z-Using Choice Boards for Professional Development

Sunday March 9, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm CDT

Just like choice boards allow students to work at their own pace and drive their own learning, teachers can also reap the benefits through doing their own professional development in a similar manner. Choice Boards in Professional development boost teacher engagement and incentivize trying new things and broadening the classroom experience. By giving professional staff choice they can choose PD in areas that they see fit to aid in their professional life and the classroom. In the three years since implementation we have seen an average of 46% of professional staff choose to participate, earning an average of 13 squares a year.

Speakers

Amber Houslet

Pardeeville Area School District

Amber Houslet has been the Library Technology Specialist for the Pardeeville Area School District since 2010. She spent the first 6 years of her teaching life in the classroom before transitioning to her current role.She is a Google Certified teacher and has participated in many Technology... Read More →

Sunday March 9, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm CDT
Hilton Garden Room B

Beginner, Early childhood, Elementary, Middle School, High School

Company Collaborative Leadership, Facilitating Professional Learning

12:30pm CDT

Universal Design for Learning 101 for Administrators

Sunday March 9, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm CDT

Sheraton Wisconsin 3

Instructional leaders support learning for all students. Do you lead in a school or district with diverse students? Do you wonder how all teachers can better reach students with such a wide range of learning needs? Are you looking to “level up” your own instructional knowledge? Join this session if you want to explore Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL centers on reaching students through multiple means so that they can tap into their unique learning strengths. ELs, students with disabilities, and all learners can benefit from varied approaches to learning. UDL can be applied in all grade levels, in all content areas, and by staff with varied experience levels. Attendees will learn the basics about UDL during the first part of the session. During the second half participants will dialogue and plan for how to coach staff around UDL principles. If you are an admin looking to get a few new coaching strategies for staff growth and development, consider attending this session.

Speakers

Elizabeth Freeman

Superintendent, Rocket Academy - Cedar Grove Belgium School District

Sunday March 9, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm CDT
Sheraton Wisconsin 3

Beginner, Elementary, Middle School, High School, Higher Education

Company Collaborative Leadership, Instructional Partnerships

1:45pm CDT

Generative AI Share Out for Busy Administrators

Sunday March 9, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT

Sheraton Wisconsin 3

Administrator's calendars fill up quickly with parent meetings, observations, team meetings, and unexpected responsibilities. Do you need some dedicated time to collaborate with other admins on the topic of generative artificial intelligence? This collaborative session will help us crowdsource the best ideas in Wisconsin from one another. The session will begin by narrowing in on 2-4 topics to focus on so that the interests of the group are addressed. Then participants will engage in a protocol to share their Generative AI successes and struggles. Topics may include policy; administrative procedures; how to support staff learning; appropriate use of AI student product continuums; efficiency strategies for administrative tasks; favorite Gen AI tools; or other topics that interest the group.

Speakers

Elizabeth Freeman

Superintendent, Rocket Academy - Cedar Grove Belgium School District

Sunday March 9, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT
Sheraton Wisconsin 3

Beginner, Elementary, Middle School, High School

Company Collaborative Leadership, Collaborative Spaces, Facilitating Professional Learning

1:45pm CDT

IGNITE Your Career with AASL!

Sunday March 9, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT

Hilton Garden Room A

IGNITE your school library career with the American Association of School Librarians! Take your career to the next level by networking with professionals in your field nationally and accessing resources to inform and expand your practice. Apply national teaching and program standards to your instruction and lean on the professionalism of the only national professional membership organization focused on school librarians and the school library community. Participants will understand what the AASL is and offers. Explore member benefits. Learn how to become a member.

Speakers

Kate Olson

AASL Affiliate for Wisconsin, WEMTA

Christine O'Regan is a library media teacher consultant for Kenosha Unified School District. She has worked as a school librarian for 20+ years in elementary, high school and district levels. She is also the AASL state affiliate for WEMTA. The best part of her career are the opportunities... Read More →

Sunday March 9, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT
Hilton Garden Room A

Beginner, Early childhood, Elementary, Middle School, High School, Higher Education

Company Advocacy, Collaborative Leadership, Facilitating Professional Learning

1:45pm CDT

VR (Virtual Reality) to Boldly Go Where You May Not Have Gone Before: Creating Learning Experiences to Ignite and Inspire Learning Together in the Library and Beyond.

Sunday March 9, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT

Sheraton Wisconsin 4

Students' excitement while wearing the goggles “brings down the house”. Their voices of joy, “saying look at this”are contagious during these immersive experiences. Their oohs and ahhs tell me life is good. Learners run to show their classroom teacher showing them what they are seeing. The sheer volume has brought administrators into the LMC to see what’s going on. Come discover how virtual reality (VR) can ignite a passion for learning and inspire your students by:
Participate in a hands-on Virtual Reality field trip to space and beyond
Steps for preparing students for virtual reality experiences.
What The Robot LAB Standard VR Kit is and how easy it is to use
Exploring what VR field trips are already available
How to use a Ricoh 360-Degree Camera for making the Images to create your own VR tours
Experience some of the VR experiences successfully done with students
Brainstorming VR ideas to inspire creating VR experiences impacting learning together

Speakers

Jeff Carpenter

School Library Media Specialist, Appleton Area School District

Jeff celebrates 35 years serving the AASD as a library media specialist and is a longtime WEMTA member. He earned a Master’s in Library Science (UW-Madison), and a Bachelor’s Degree in elementary education (UW-La Crosse). One of his proudest achievements was receiving the special... Read More →

Sunday March 9, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT
Sheraton Wisconsin 4

Beginner, Early childhood, Elementary, Middle School, High School, Higher Education

Company Collaborative Leadership, Makerspace, Students as Creators

1:45pm CDT

Kindling Your Fires: Designing A Career Renaissance

Sunday March 9, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT

Sheraton Wisconsin 6

Are you tired of feeling isolated, underappreciated, and unheard? Do you feel like your work experience is fine but wish it were amazing? We have been there, too! Join us for this interactive session, where we will share experiences, victories, and defeats and rally together to move into the programs and experiences that give us personal and professional joy.
Anticipate engaging in conversations around professional learning networks, self-actualization, career growth, self and program advocacy, connecting on current topics in library and educational leadership, and taking control of your Educator Effectiveness and performance reviews guided by your unique ambitions.

Speakers

Teresa Voss

Librarian, Verona Area School District

I believe that all students should see themselves and feel like the library, be it the physical space or the virtual, is their home. I serve as the high school and district librarian for the Verona Area School District. I have taught in all grade levels and internationally. These... Read More →

Val Edwards

Sunday March 9, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT
Sheraton Wisconsin 6

Intermediate, Early childhood, Elementary, Middle School, High School, Higher Education

Company Advocacy, Collaborative Leadership, Personal-Professional Growth

3:00pm CDT

Developing your PLC Roundtable

Sunday March 9, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT

Hilton Garden Room B

Professional Learning Communities are rarely one-size-fits-all, nor should they be! Join me for a dynamic, interactive roundtable discussion designed to help you build and sustain a vibrant, effective Professional Learning Community. Let’s talk about what has worked for you, what challenges you're still navigating, and how you're staying connected with others who are in the same boat. Together, we’ll explore strategies for staying current, maintaining engagement, and supporting one another in our shared work.

Speakers

Amber Houslet

Pardeeville Area School District

Sunday March 9, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT
Hilton Garden Room B

Beginner, Early childhood, Elementary, Middle School, High School, Higher Education

Company Collaborative Leadership, Facilitating Professional Learning, Instructional Partnerships

3:00pm CDT

Leadership Lessons I Wish I'd Learned in the Library

Sunday March 9, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT

BCC Collaborate C

The school librarian should take a leadership role in their school, but many of the required leadership skills have to be learned the hard way through trial, error, and time. The presenter will share the interpersonal and intrapersonal lessons learned as a district leader--and why they are useful in a school library position. Don't wait until you've moved into a leadership role before grabbing these adaptive skills and perspectives! Join us to share your own helpful lessons learned with other attendees as well.

Speakers

Maegan Heindel

Library Services Coordinator, Madison Metropolitan School District

Maegan Heindel is a school librarian, teacher, author, and Library Services Coordinator in Madison Metropolitan School District in Madison, WI. In her 19 years as an educator, she has been an ALA Emerging Leader, Wisconsin Learning4Life Coordinator, AASL Affiliate Assembly member... Read More →

Sunday March 9, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT
BCC Collaborate C

Beginner, Early childhood, Elementary, Middle School, High School, Higher Education

Company Collaborative Leadership

3:00pm CDT

Megatrends, Accelerators, and Hurdles: The Future of Learning

Sunday March 9, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT

Sheraton Wisconsin 3

Designed for administrators and tech leaders, this session will focus on learning trends and predictions for the future. Are you stuck in the daily grind of completing tasks and attempting to cross things off of your endless “to do” list? Do you feel exhausted trying to put out fires and solve problems that others bring to you? Attend this session if you want to step away from the minutiae for a moment to focus on the biggest, global concepts for the future of learning. Explore megatrends that will influence the global community (and our staff and students) for the coming years. Discover common accelerators that can push your strategic, “big picture” work forward. Plan for common hurdles that are bound to get in the way. This session will provide an overview of megatrends, accelerators, and hurdles in order to spark thinking and to re-energize attendees. Participants will have time to share with each other so that we can elevate the success of all students.

Speakers

Elizabeth Freeman

Superintendent, Rocket Academy - Cedar Grove Belgium School District

Sunday March 9, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT
Sheraton Wisconsin 3

Beginner, Elementary, Middle School, High School, Higher Education

Company Advocacy, Collaborative Leadership