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

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12:30pm CDT

Elevate Student Agency Through Video

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

How can students see themselves and each other as powerful thinkers and learners? By utilizing video in the classroom, students can be empowered to share their thinking, build on prior experiences, and showcase that understanding to others. In this session, we’ll explore using video in our role as an educator, and how to model and create opportunities for students to integrate video into their learning. We’ll look at best practices and the best
compliant tools for creating video and opportunities for sharing video to authentic, global audiences.

Speakers

Beth Rihtar

Instructional Technology Coordinator, CCSD 15 Palatine

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

Beginner, Elementary, Middle School, High School

Company Culturally Responsive Instruction, Equitable Digital Access, Students as Creators

12:30pm CDT

One District‘s Journey Leveraging Library Media Specialist Expertise in Strengthening Diverse Representation in Classroom ELA Instructional Materials

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

Sheraton Wisconsin 2

Many schools are adopting ELA instructional materials recommended for their alignment to standards and/or the science of reading in hopes of improving standardized literacy outcomes. Although these materials include a comprehensive set of text passages touted as complex and diverse, scholars conducting culturally responsive audits for many of these products have found some alarming results about omissions in diverse representation and harmful depictions in numerous text passages. Learn how one Wisconsin district committed to modifying problematic passages in their current ELA materials is leveraging K-12 library media specialists' expertise to assist in selecting affirming, authentic, and accurate replacement and supplementary text passages. Hear from library media specialists and a literacy consultant participating in this district’s ongoing work and consider how you might advocate for school library media specialist involvement in a similar process in your own district.

Speakers

Tanya Arnold

Teacher/Librarian, Sun Prairie ASD - Royal Oaks Elementary

Mindy Grant

Library Media Specialist

I am the Library Media Specialist of Central Heights Middle School in Sun Prairie, WI. I started my career as an English Language Arts teacher for 10 years and now have been living it up in the library for 8. I started my library career at a middle school in Madison Metropolitan School... Read More →

Kim Stieber-White

Curriculum, Coaching & Digital Learning Consultant, CESA 2

Kim facilitates learning relating to literacy, curriculum and instruction, and digital learning, often with a focus on social justice. She also has the privilege of supporting school library media specialists through the CESA 2 LMS Network and in-district coaching for those acquiring... Read More →

Sunday March 9, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm CDT
Sheraton Wisconsin 2

Beginner, Elementary, Middle School, High School

Company Culturally Responsive Instruction, Instructional Partnerships, Literacy

12:30pm CDT

Open Books, Open Minds, Open Hearts: School Librarians' Perceptions of Inclusive Children's Literature

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

Hilton Garden Room A

In December 2023/January 2024, I researched Wisconsin school librarians' perceptions of inclusive children's literature by adapting existing validated surveys from School Library Journal. My goal was to learn school librarians’ perceptions of inclusive literature and investigate alignment among school district collection development policies, school librarians’ professional book selection philosophies, and the Multidimensional Framework for Inclusive Literature (MFIL) (Pfundheller & Liesch, 2023). Join this session to learn results and recommendations for our field.

Speakers

Jacqueline Liesch

Dr. Jacqueline D. Liesch has taught students from ages 3 to 18-years old in Wisconsin, Ecuador, South Carolina, and Japan. Teaching students from around the world has enabled me to learn from their perspectives and experiences. Furthermore, by living, studying, volunteering, teaching... Read More →

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

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

Company Advocacy, Culturally Responsive Instruction

1:45pm CDT

Teaching Culturally With the Four I's (Inform, Include, Integrate, and Infuse) - Indigenous Studies

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

Sheraton Wisconsin 1

This session will help participants understand how to incorporate Indigenous Studies into their teaching and learning. Many educators have been taught to teach about cultures; however, students will be better engaged and retain more information when educators teach culturally. In this session, not only will resources and materials about the American Indian nations' histories, treaty rights, sovereignty and cultures be shared, but participants will also be given ideas, examples, and direction regarding teaching culturally. The four I’s mark the stages of an educator’s journey to incorporate Indigenous Studies into their work: inform, include, integrate, and infuse. When considering each of the I’s, all stages are important in the process. It takes time, growth, and understanding to develop a curriculum that supports multiple narratives and perspectives of First Nations Studies into lesson plans, pedagogical practices, material selections and district curriculum. The expected outcome of the session will be that as educators incorporate teaching culturally into their teaching, their students' achievement will increase and improve.

Speakers

David J. O'Connor

American Indian Studies Consultant, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

David J. O'Connor is originally from and is a citizen of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa ( Anishinaabe or Ojibwe) in northern Wisconsin. In January 2012, he became the American Indian Studies Consultant at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). In Da... Read More →

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

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

Company Culturally Responsive Instruction

3:00pm CDT

Nearpod Unleashed: Engage, Assess, and Save Time

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

BCC Boardroom

Nearpod continues to evolve, introducing fresh features that redefine classroom dynamics. Whether you're a Nearpod newbie or a seasoned user, there's always something to discover. This session delves into the latest tools and functionalities Nearpod offers, enabling teachers to elevate engagement, streamline assessment, and optimize lessons like never before. Some of the newest topics

Speakers

Aggie Salter

ITS

Agnieszka Salter (@AggieSalterITS) is an Instructional Technology, PD Specialist, Instructional Coach Leader, and Innovation teacher at QP School in Madison, WI. Aggie is the Digital Promise Global's Coach Community Manager. She is one of the initial curriculum designers and teachers... Read More →

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

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

Company Budget & Resources, Culturally Responsive Instruction, Literacy