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

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8:15am CDT

10 Creative Ways to Engage Students

Tuesday March 11, 2025 8:15am - 9:15am CDT

Discover practical and impactful strategies to engage students in the school library. We will focus on creative ways to foster a love of reading, enhance learning experiences, and find time-effective and realistic ways to engage students at all levels. Hands-on learning, digital strategies, and more will be explored!

Speakers

Jackie Markowski

Digital Learning Specialist, Pulaski Community School District

Jackie is in her 18 year of teaching, and 8th year in her role as a Digital Learning Specialist in the Pulaski Community School District, She loves sharing her learning with others. Working in an elementary school setting, she is passionate about engaging students in critical thinking... Read More →

Tuesday March 11, 2025 8:15am - 9:15am CDT
Sheraton Wisconsin 7

Beginner, Elementary, Middle School

Company Culturally Responsive Instruction, Library Space, Literacy

8:15am CDT

Critically Analyzing Media: Empowering Students Through Media Literacy

Tuesday March 11, 2025 8:15am - 9:15am CDT

Hilton Garden Room B

Young people’s lives are increasingly filled with digital media and teaching students how to be savvy, critical consumers is more important than ever. Let’s practice our media literacy skills by analyzing how media is made. We’ll discuss ways to analyze the messages media creators send, from bias and representation to design, tone, and more. Discover how these creative choices shape our students’ perceptions and actions. We’ll share tips, tricks and resources for analyzing media and discuss how to inspire students to become critical consumers.

Speakers

Nick Ostrem

Education Engagement Specialist, PBS Wisconsin

Tuesday March 11, 2025 8:15am - 9:15am CDT
Hilton Garden Room B

Beginner, Elementary, Middle School, High School

Company Literacy, Students as Creators

8:15am CDT

Dewey Still Exists....Sort of. Genrefy Your Non-Fiction.

Tuesday March 11, 2025 8:15am - 9:15am CDT

Sheraton Wisconsin 3

I genrefied my non-fiction section, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made for my libraries. Session attendants will learn about my process throughout, how I display it, and maintain it. We will also talk about reactions pre and post genrefication.

Speakers

Jessica Graham

Library Media Technology Integrator, Menomonie School District

Embrace weirdness! I love animals! Well, not bugs and insects, or reptiles, but pretty much any mammal. So I guess I should have said, "I love mammals!"My time is divided between reading for myself and reading for students. I'm one of those weird people who read multiple books... Read More →

Tuesday March 11, 2025 8:15am - 9:15am CDT
Sheraton Wisconsin 3

Intermediate, Elementary

Company Collaborative Spaces, Library Space, Literacy

8:15am CDT

Powerful Library Instruction: Leveraging Colleagues, Resources, and Standards to Build a Cohesive Library Curriculum

Tuesday March 11, 2025 8:15am - 9:15am CDT

Sheraton Wisconsin 2

Building on frameworks from the American Association of School Librarians, the Wisconsin Information and Technology Literacy Standards, and other inquiry-based instructional strategies, the Madison Metropolitan School District has developed a library scope and sequence that supports students in five key library content areas ranging from reading engagement to digital citizenship. We’ll share MMSD’s Library Content Guide and the collaborative process the presenters took to create it. Learn about the free, high quality instructional resources from PBS for elementary, middle, and high school that MMSD mapped to standards to create recipes for effective lessons. Leave with ideas for connecting your own library instruction and programming to standards and free resources for increased student engagement, academic rigor, and library visibility.

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 →

Jen Kobylecky

Associate Director of Education Engagment, PBS Wisconsin

Jen Kobylecky is the associate director of education engagement for PBS Wisconsin, where she leads the team that connects with PreK-12 educators statewide to share free, standards-aligned, and high-quality educational resources produced locally and nationally by PBS. Jen is proud... Read More →

Tuesday March 11, 2025 8:15am - 9:15am CDT
Sheraton Wisconsin 2

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

Company Collaborative Leadership, Instructional Partnerships, Literacy

8:15am CDT

Spotting the Tricks: Helping Students Understand Social Engineering, Fake News, and Digital Folklore

Tuesday March 11, 2025 8:15am - 9:15am CDT

Sheraton Wisconsin 1

Today’s students face a digital world full of clever tricks designed to influence what they think, believe, and share. This paper explores how bad actors use social engineering—like impersonating trusted sources—and disinformation—such as fake news headlines—to manipulate their audience. We’ll also examine disinformation folklore: the viral memes, rumors, and stories that feel like modern myths and are especially convincing to young people. Through real-world examples and practical tools, school librarians will learn how to help students identify these tactics, think critically about what they encounter online, and respond thoughtfully. By equipping students with these skills, librarians play a vital role in creating informed, resilient digital citizens

Speakers

Maria Haigh

Tuesday March 11, 2025 8:15am - 9:15am CDT
Sheraton Wisconsin 1

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

Company Facilitating Professional Learning, Instructional Partnerships, Literacy

9:30am CDT

Getting Started with AI Literacy: Preparing Students for an AI-Driven World

Tuesday March 11, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am CDT

Sheraton Wisconsin 2

Generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) programs like ChatGPT and Google Gemini are transforming how we access and evaluate information. This presentation will include an introduction to popular Gen AI tools, their real-world uses and limitations, and the ethical challenges they present. We will explore the concept of AI literacy and the importance of moving beyond the hype to critically evaluate AI products.

Attendees will learn how to effectively discuss Gen AI with students and colleagues, fostering critical thinking about its use and implications. Attendees will learn about practical resources for teaching about AI and staying up to date in this fast-moving field.

Speakers

Jodi Pierre

Research & Instruction Librarian, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

I am a Research & Instruction Librarian at UW-Green Bay Libraries. As a member of the technology and digital transformation team, I help manage the library website, LibGuides, and Primo VE discovery service (branded Search@UW).

Tuesday March 11, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am CDT
Sheraton Wisconsin 2

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

Company Data & Privacy, Facilitating Professional Learning, Literacy

9:30am CDT

Prioritizing Choice Reading in the High School

Tuesday March 11, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am CDT

Sheraton Wisconsin 3

Have you seen a decline in reading among secondary school students? Are you wondering how to increase opportunities for choice reading and library utilization at your high school? Brookfield Central High School Principal, Brett Grueztmacher, and High School Librarian, Colleen Fenno Ladwig, will discuss our experience over the past three years of hosting quarterly “check out weeks,” which bring students into the library to checkout choice books for regularly scheduled, cross-discipline, independent reading. We will also consider other efforts we’ve made to ignite and inspire reading, including building a school-wide reading culture, offering passive programming, and factoring in larger trends in reading that make emphasizing choice reading at the secondary level more important now than ever. Finally, we will welcome suggestions from other secondary school librarians who have successful strategies for the high school library: how are you igniting and inspiring reading in your schools?

Speakers

Colleen Fenno Ladwig

Brett Gruetzmacher

Tuesday March 11, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am CDT
Sheraton Wisconsin 3

Beginner, Middle School, High School, Higher Education

Company Instructional Partnerships, Library Space, Literacy

9:30am CDT

Wisconsin Adventures - Roll for Initiative!

Tuesday March 11, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am CDT

Hilton Garden Room A

Proven education foundations and dragon-slaying go hand in hand! Wisconsin Adventures combines the myths and legends of Wisconsin’s past with the deep learning opportunities of fantasy roleplaying games (RPGs). Engage your students with this unique place-based learning opportunity.
Wisconsin Adventures presents a Wisconsin filled with the legends of our past. A werewolf on the prowl; a lizard-like creature that feasts on livestock; a knight errant on a quest; and more.
This dynamic, play-based learning resource opens new strategies for educational engagement. Interactive storytelling lets anyone become the hero of their own narrative. Empowerment builds self-confidence, and the cooperative nature of RPGs develops the interpersonal skills that students need to succeed.
In our session you'll learn how Wisconsin Adventures came to be, why this model can work for your school, go through the history behind the game, and get started creating your very own Wisconsin Adventures.

Speakers

Kurt Griesemer

Manager of PK12 Education Initiatives, Wisconsin Historical Society

Kurt Griesemer has been involved in education for over 20 years, teaching in public and private schools, creating classroom media for television and the web, and currently as the Coordinator of Primary Education at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Kurt has produced several video... Read More →

Tuesday March 11, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am CDT
Hilton Garden Room A

Beginner, Elementary, Middle School, High School

Company Collaborative Spaces, Literacy, Students as Creators

9:30am CDT

¡A Leer y Competir! Organizando una Batalla de Libros!

Tuesday March 11, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am CDT

Sheraton Wisconsin 7

Investing in students' home languages is a powerful tool for equity. Librarians can create rigorous opportunities for an often neglected reading population. Learn how MMSD hosts an annual Batalla de Libros in grades 4-8. Advanced Learning Coach Katie Hayden and LMTS Hollis Rudiger will guide you through the process: creating teams, selecting books, writing questions, and running the tournament. They'll share book lists and selection processes. Spanish knowledge isn't necessary, and can help monolingual librarians support biliteracy goals, even in smaller settings. This model can be adapted for other languages and grades. Join us for a lively, multilingual discussion!

Speakers

Hollis Rudiger

Hollis became an old school librarian in 1997, but recently drove back to the future, and is settling nicely into 2024. She is also, reluctantly, a Media and Technology Specialist. She has been an ed tech trainer, an ESL teacher, a librarian at the CCBC, a tutor and coach for neurodivergent... Read More →

Katie Hayden

Tuesday March 11, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am CDT
Sheraton Wisconsin 7

Beginner, Elementary, Middle School

Company Culturally Responsive Instruction, Instructional Partnerships, Literacy

9:30am CDT

CCBC: Great New Books for Middle and High School Libraries

Tuesday March 11, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am CDT

BCC Connect AB West A1 & A2

This session will highlight recently published trade books recommended in "CCBC Choices 2025," the most recent best-of-the-year list created by librarians at the Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The books recommended in the annual "Choices" list offer myriad opportunities for supporting middle and high school students as they seek books for their reading pleasure and to support literacy and learning. All of the books in CCBC Choices 2025, and the 2025 American Library Association (ALA) youth literature award books, will be available for hands-on book examination.

Speakers

Merri Lindgren

Librarian, Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Tessa Michaelson Schmidt

Director, Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Tessa Michaelson Schmidt is the Director of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Tessa previously served as the Assistant State Superintendent of the Division for Libraries and Technology at the Wisconsin... Read More →

Tuesday March 11, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am CDT
BCC Connect AB West A1 & A2

Intermediate, Middle School, High School

Company Literacy

10:45am CDT

Beyond the Bookshelf: Exploring Author Encounters

Tuesday March 11, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am CDT

Sheraton Wisconsin 2

This session will lead educators through the process of selecting, preparing for, affording, and maximizing the impact of author visits in your school. Learn strategies for choosing authors that resonate with your students and curriculum, discover effective preparations to ensure a seamless visit, explore budget-friendly options, and uncover creative ways to engage both students and authors during their time at your school.

Speakers

Joe Diefenthaler

Library Media Specialist, Pulaski School District

I have taught in the Pulaski School District since 2000 before taking the role of the Library Media Specialist at Pulaski Community Middle School (PCMS) and Pulaski High School for the past 14 years. While keeping students in the forefront, I have helped to bring programs to PCMS... Read More →

Jackie Markowski

Digital Learning Specialist, Pulaski Community School District

Jen Wathke

LMS, West De Pere School District

Jen is a Library Media/Instructional Technology Specialist for the School District of West De Pere. She has presented at local, state, and national conferences on a variety of topics including Google Apps for Education, YouTube in the Classroom, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence... Read More →

Tuesday March 11, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am CDT
Sheraton Wisconsin 2

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

Company Advocacy, Community Partnerships, Literacy

10:45am CDT

Engaging Teens: Inspiring a Love for the Library in the High School

Tuesday March 11, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am CDT

Sheraton Wisconsin 3

Getting teenagers excited can be a challenge. Now getting them excited about reading and using the library- even a bigger challenge. So how do we spark their interest in the library? This session will explore innovative ideas for both passive and active programming, strategies to engage students and inspire a love for reading, and effective ways to promote the library.

Speakers

Deidre Olson

Library Media Teacher, Mary D. Bradford High School

Hello, I am Deidre Olson and I am a dedicated library media teacher with over 23 years of experience in education and libraries. I am passionate about literacy and technology, As a mother of two teenagers, I understand the challenges and joys of teenagers and wouldn't want to spend... Read More →

Tuesday March 11, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am CDT
Sheraton Wisconsin 3

Beginner, High School

Company Library Space, Literacy, Students as Creators

10:45am CDT

Let's Get Students Hooked on Books!

Tuesday March 11, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am CDT

Sheraton Wisconsin 4

In this session, we'll explore programming options for your library to help students explore books and hopefully even fall in love with a few. I'll present activities I've hosted in the past, including READ Dating, Virtual READ Dating, Book Buffets, etc. I'll provide information on multiple ways to set these activities up and share a template for Virtual READ Dating. We will also talk about data collection so you can prove these activities work to help get students excited about reading! Have you hosted this type of activity in your library? If so, please join us to share other ideas. New to the idea? We'll cover everything you need to know to host one of these activities when you get back to school! Bring a device and start to build a Virtual READ dating experience during this session! Let's get students hooked on books!

Speakers

Mande Shecterle

Library Technology Specialist, Stoughton Area School District

I have been a library media specialist at River Bluff Middle School for the past twenty years. I love getting students excited about books and reading! Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, travelling, reading, attending Badger sporting events, and... Read More →

Tuesday March 11, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am CDT
Sheraton Wisconsin 4

Beginner, Elementary, Middle School, High School

Company Literacy, Library Programming

10:45am CDT

My Genrfying Journey: Genrefying an entire elementary library

Tuesday March 11, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am CDT

Sheraton Wisconsin 7

This session will focus on the organization of the elementary library. The idea behind genrefying a school library will be discussed as well as how I have genrefied our fiction and nonfiction books and have started out the picture book reorganization. I will discuss the physical changes that were made to the books, the space, the supplies I purchased to reorganize (labels, covers, and face out bins), the changes made in Follett Destiny as well as the impact these changes had to our circulation numbers. I believe strongly in this type of organization and am excited to share the benefits of this with other librarians.

Speakers

Keri Johnson

K-5 Learning Center Director, Copeland Manor

My road to the library began in a classroom in 2000. I taught fourth grade for thirteen years before I made the transition to the library. This is my seventh year in that position. I earned my bachelors degree in human development and family studies from the University of Illinois... Read More →

Tuesday March 11, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am CDT
Sheraton Wisconsin 7

Beginner, Elementary

Company Budget & Resources, Library Space, Literacy

10:45am CDT

Story Stuffy Kits: Introducing 4K to new friends

Tuesday March 11, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am CDT

Hilton Garden Room A

For the past 3 years, the 300 4K students in Kimberly School District have been borrowing an unconventional item from their school library: stuffed animals. While the thought of this might strike fear in some, these unconventional library items are cleaned after every single use, affordably acquired, well-maintained in backpack kits, and the most popular library item among students and parents alike. If you're working with younger library students, especially those in preschool, and looking for a unique collaboration option within your district, check out this session!

Speakers

Erin Wedemeier

Library Media Specialist, Kimberly Area School District

Erin Wedemeier is currently the 4K-8 Library Media Specialist at Kimberly Area School District. After teaching middle school language arts for 6 years, she earned her Masters degree in library science and her role switched to middle school library and reading intervention. Her role... Read More →

Tuesday March 11, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am CDT
Hilton Garden Room A

Beginner, Early childhood, Elementary

Company Instructional Partnerships, Literacy

10:45am CDT

CCBC: Great New Books for K-5 Libraries

Tuesday March 11, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am CDT

BCC Connect AB West A1 & A2

This session will highlight recently published trade books recommended in "CCBC Choices 2025," the most recent best-of-the-year list created by librarians at the Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The books recommended in the annual "Choices" list offer myriad opportunities for supporting K-Grade 5 students as they seek books for their reading pleasure and to support literacy and learning. All of the books in CCBC Choices 2025, and the 2025 American Library Association (ALA) youth literature award books, will be available for hands-on book examination.

Speakers

Merri Lindgren

Librarian, Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Tessa Michaelson Schmidt

Director, Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Tuesday March 11, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am CDT
BCC Connect AB West A1 & A2

Intermediate, Early childhood, Elementary

Company Literacy