This year at the MELS Library Symposium we want to try a new and exciting way to share great ideas and knowledge within our community.
We all come up with new or modified ways to do things to make our libraries more efficient, exciting, and engaging. Some of these things involve technology like a great new website, tool, or app, and some don’t. The point, however, is that you found or created something that you want to share with your school library colleagues. An EduSlam is just that opportunity. EduSlams are often geared towards teachers who want to share their cool ideas, but at the Library Symposium we want to use the same format to share great library ideas in a fast-paced and entertaining fashion. In keeping with the theme of “Dream, Plan, Create“, there are lots of dreams that can inspire plans to create new excitement in our school libraries.
In an EduSlam, each participant has 5 minutes to explain / demonstrate their “need to share thing” in a non-threatening friendly competition. After all the participants have presented, the audience gets involved and votes to see which presentation was the crowd favourite. The presenter who receives the most votes wins a unique digital badge and a gift certificate to a bookstore.
It can involve technology, but doesn’t have to. Many great library ideas don’t even require electricity!
Here’s some interesting ideas:
- Making book trailers
- Powerful ways to build collaboration within your school
- Making library websites
- Cool library marketing ideas
- Reaching out to other school libraries for shared book clubs
- Or, like in this 2 min video, how to get Google to give you all the info you need right from the main search page:
There are still spaces available on both the elementary and secondary EduSlams.
Contact us if you want to have the opportunity to have a little fun and get involved.
