May 10, 2016. Tiverton, RI. Media Smart Libraries was excited to host Jen Thomas, School Librarian and technology expert, at the brand new Tiverton Public Library for her workshop Making Presentations Pop with Tech. This workshop was designed to break librarians out of presentation ruts and expose them to the many technology options they have for presenting information to students, patrons, peers, and stakeholders.
The workshop began with participants collaborating on a Padlet to develop what Thomas referred to as “advocacy statements.” These statements were specific to each library and are a one line statement that expresses what the presenter wants and why it is important to the library. These statements helped the participants focus their ideas and give them a vision for their presentation.
After a brief overview of a number of different tech tools--including Haiku Deck, PowtToon, and Weebly--Thomas had participants begin crafting their presentations, circulating to provide feedback and tips. The librarians in the room used a variety of tools and each had a unique point of view, from Makerspaces to Funding to Collaboration Opportunities. The session wrapped up with showcasing what participants had done, and it was amazing to see what people accomplished in such a short period of time. The most common feedback we received from participants is that they wished the session had been even longer so they could test the tech tools with an expert nearby!
If you are interested in Thomas’ presentation, her slides can be found here.