Growing Your PLN - A GaETC '18 Recap

Hi friends! I usually jump on here after a conference to give you my top 5 or so takeaways I learned from the conference...This year, however, I just don't feel the pull to do that.  If I am being honest, I felt this year's GaETC Conference included much of the same ideas and content I have seen the past few years with just a little more focus on making and creating with purpose (which was super exciting!).  This conference did, however, inspire me to take on new goals in the library, which I will write about soon.

What continues to be amazing about these conferences, though, is the networking with other media specialists and educators from Georgia.  Establishing a Personal Learning Network that inspires and challenges you to keep doing better is more important than learning the newest and coolest Google Chrome Extension (not that those are not important...).  I went to an awesome session on PLN's by Ge-Anne - So being inspired by people rather than ideas, I thought I would share the top 5 people who I look to for inspiration, ideas, and support in our awesome state of Georgia!

(Side note-besides my partner in crime, the one and only Robin Thompson!)

Kathy Schmidt, Library Media Specialist at Coleman Middle School in Gwinnett County

Kathy is an amazing source for all things STEM related! She works with hydroponics in her library and is someone I look to when working on MakerSpace challenges.  She has a keen eye for awesome projects that are meaningful and always makes me question the why I am starting a project. 

You can follow Kathy on Twitter and on Instagram.

---

Kate Arthur, 8th Grade ELA Teacher

Kate is a new friend of mine who is doing amazing things in her ELA classroom.  She is pursuing her Instructional Technology degree and I am trying to talk her into becoming an awesome media specialist.  Her perseverance in including Genius Hour/Passion Projects and exposing our students to diverse reads makes her one of my favorite go-to people for interdisciplinary literacy projects and feedback on new books for the library. 

​You can follow Kate on Twitter.

---

Jennifer Lewis, Elementary Media Specialist & Georgia Library Media Specialist of the Year

Jennifer is just an amazing person to get to know. She is literally one of the sweetest people I have ever met and continues to go outside the box in making her library breathe with life, love, and laughter.  We are kindred spirits in using Skype in the Classroom to expose our students to the world around them.  She makes me miss being with littles!

You can follow Jennifer on Twitter and Instagram.

---

Cristi Johnson, High School Media Specialist & Exemplary Library Media Program of the Year

Cristi is hilarious. If you're having a slump, Cristi is just the person you want around to pull you out of it. I love her use of Google Cardboard in her library, but more importantly-how student voice drives her program. She's an excellent source of information for high school media specialists.

You can follow Cristi on Twitter.

---

Holly Frilot, Library Supervisor for Cobb County Schools & President-Elect of Georgia Library Media Association

Holly's passion for school libraries, community involvement (ask her about how Cobb County Schools has partnered with their local libraries!), and consistent support of her school media specialists makes her a necessary and appreciated voice in our state and organization.  She has worked tirelessly on the School Librarian Evaluation Instrument and continues to offer fresh insight in how we can reflect and improve on our current practices.  She is a super woman! (Holly, if you're reading this...how have we not taken a selfie together?)

You can follow Holly on Twitter.

---

I hope you have the ability to connect with amazing educators in your life. If not, join Twitter or Instagram to grow your personal learning network!