January 16, 2016. Providence, RI. Media Smart Libraries participated in EdCamp RI’s 4th Annual Unconference held at Rhode Island College. This education unconference attracted teachers, administrators, and school librarians from across Southern New England. Media Smart Libraries’ Mary Moen, Allison Barker, and Alyssa Taft attended, along with Media Smart Librarians Cohort members Suzanne Costa, David Fountaine, and Christopher Zanghi.
In true unconference style, the topics of discussion were decided upon by conference attendees and the schedule for the day included topics such as Digital Citizenship, Website Development, and Media Literacy. Educators were eager to discuss their schools’ 1:1 initiatives, resources for teaching digital citizenship, and how to create a school-wide culture that appreciates digital and media literacy. These breakout sessions generated genuine and thoughtful discussion about the role of media in children’s and teens’ lives, and how educators are integral to that role.
Mary Moen and Suzanne Costa also gave a quick presentation to conference attendees to introduce our upcoming event Navigating our Digital Lives: In School and Beyond. This March 19th event will be held at Barrington High School from 8:30am-12pm and will be similar to the unconference format of EdCamp RI. We are bringing in experts to talk about privacy, security, digital citizenship, evolving behavioral norms in a digital world, and more, and we invite open discussion between participants and experts. We hope to see you there!