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SLANSW Professional Learning Summit - Change the Narrative
Workshop Presenter – Saturday 22nd March 2025
Louise Mashiah – Baulkham Hills North Public School
Fun ways to engage students in library lessons using Technology
Technology is a great way to engage students in Library skills and lessons. In this session you will learn some fun and engaging ways to help students engage in the library using Technology and AI.
Presenter Bio
Louise is a dedicated Teacher Librarian at Baulkham Hills North Public School and a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert (MIEE). She seamlessly integrates technology with library resources to engage and inspire students. Louise has received numerous awards for her innovative approach to incorporating technology into learning. Under her leadership, the library has become a vibrant learning hub for the entire school community. She believes that a good book is never far away; you just need to know how to find it.
Registrations open at https://www.slansw.net.au/events
Jan Abrams – Grok Academy (KIK Innovation)
PRIMM – an evidence informed strategy for teaching programming
This workshop will introduce PRIMM (Predict, Read, Investigate, Modify, Make), a model for teaching programming with a focus on guiding students through exposure to new, unfamiliar technology. Jane will guide teachers through an activity where they will play the student and learn about Python loops using a PRIMM framework. No programming experience required.
Jane Abrams is Chief Product Officer at KIK Innovation, and manages the Grok Academy learning platform, where she has overseen the development of new platform features and online activities to support digital technologies education for students from early primary through to senior high school and beyond. Jane holds a Masters of Teaching from the University of Sydney, and has over a decade of experience in the educational technology sector, with a specific interest in exploring the use of digital platforms to promote understanding of STEM concepts.
Dan Bowen – Microsoft
Reading progress, copilot, Minecraft and more!
We will look at tools you already have but may not know about from Minercraftto Reading progress and the latest safe AI tools. Dan will show you how to use and where to find these awesome tools to make your library programmes stand out!
Dan is a Technology Strategist for K12 education. He was a teacher and school inspector for 15 years and has been working in Microsoft Education team in ANZ for 10 years.
Chris Betcher – Google Education Specialist
From Search to AI: Google's Tools for Literacy and Learning in the School Library
Google's tools have always been about transforming the way we access and interact with information, and with the rise of generative AI, a whole new wave of possibilities are here. This session will explore how Teacher Librarians can harness Google's latest AI-powered tools, including Gemini, to enhance learning experiences and promote literacy in the school library.
For the past decade Chris has been deeply involved in providing professional learning to educators, specialising in the use of Google for Education tools. He spent four years working with EdTEchTeam, a Google professional development partner, and the past six years at Google, working as a Program Manager with the Google for Education team based in Sydney. Currently he works on select projects through his own business, Crux Learning. Chris is a Google Certified Innovator, Google Certified Trainer, and an Adobe Education Leader. Over the years he has produced podcasts and written books and articles about education. He still sometimes blogs at chrisbetcher.com. Chris has a curious mind, asks way too many questions, and likes making things out of zeroes and ones (although lately he has also been enjoying making things out of wood too)
Workshop Presenter – Friday 21stMarch 2025
Elisabeth Porreca-Dubois – Newcastle High School
A SMART-ER Reading Program: harnessing student voice and choice in reading
Elisabeth will discuss the SMART-ER Reading Program with an added focus on reading for understanding through contemporary reading response strategies (through multiple intelligence theory).The session will allow participants an opportunity to create a digital artefact of their own.
Elisabeth Porreca-Dubois is the teacher librarian at Newcastle High School. Over the past 19 years Elisabeth has been dedicated towards diversifying her teaching craft through her experience as a teacher in the NSW Education System, and in California (where she worked as a Curriculum Development Coordinator). Since obtaining her master’s in education (teacher librarianship), Elisabeth has been working collaboratively to successfully make the school library a hub of learning.
Janet Galimi – SORA
Foster a love of reading & learning using concurrent use lending models
Struggle to run a book club as you can't purchase all of the physical copies? Do your students ask to read the same books? How can students access the same book for a research assignment at home? Digital reading platforms can meet these needs to foster a love of reading and learning using the appropriate lending model. Literacy tools also encourage interaction with texts and comprehension to enhance discussions.
Janet joined OverDrive in 2023, after working as a teacher librarian at a K-12 school in Sydney. She developed a passion for digital books as she studied the Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) at Charles Sturt University, appreciating the educational benefits to be gained from using digital books as a tool for teaching and learning. Janet is now partnering with school libraries in Australia and New Zealand using Sora.
Gina Krohn – Glenfield Public School
Ideas for Engaging Readers with Author Backpacks
Gina will discuss the project's goals and how the backpacks have been used to engage primary readers, providing examples from a range of different backpacks and highlighting how these cater to a range of reading ages, interests and abilities.
Gina is the teacher librarian at Glenfield Public School, dedicated to inspiring a love of reading, curiosity and learning in her students and fostering literacy in her school community. She is a committee member of the South Western Sydney School Library Network, and outreach officer for the Students Need School Libraries campaign where she advocates for the critical role libraries play in education. In her spare time, she supports the growing PLCC community, demonstrating her ongoing commitment to fostering professional collaboration and innovation.
Jenny Ryan and Darby Jones – Copyright Agency
Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in school libraries with Reading Australia resources
This session will explain how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander literature can be used in school libraries, supported by Reading Australia’s units of work, and how librarians and teacher librarians can identify other appropriate resources for students and staff.
Presenter Bios
Jenny Ryan is the Editor and Digital Publisher for Copyright Agency’s Reading Australia initiative. She has co-chaired sessions on the importance of reading diverse Australian literature at national and state conferences. She has also interviewed educators as part of the Foundation for Learning and Literacy’s annual symposium. Darby Jones is a freelance writer and editor of Kamilaroi, Scottish, and English heritage. As an advocate for diverse representation in literature, he has dedicated his career to amplifying the voices of marginalised peoples.
Anne Tsang – Parramatta Library Heritage Centre
Tour of Heritage displays and cultural collections in Parramatta Libraries
The City of Parramatta cultural collection contains approximately 100,000 objects including artefacts, culturally significant objects, civic and ceremonial gifts and artworks. Join Parramatta Library staff for a tour of current displays and collections within the archives. Beneficial as a potential learning activity for students or simply for those with an interest in local history.
Gail Erskine – CBCA
The SUN Project - CBCA Shadow Judging - illuminating children's literature
CBCA knows the importance of reading; it grows empathy, emotional intelligence, connections to others, critical and creative thinking, and knowledge acquisition. To build a strong reading culture we must provide young Australians with opportunities to be engaged, critical and creative readers. Participants will engage with quality texts using the CBCA Book of the Year Awards judging criteria.
Gail is a former primary school teacher, teacher-librarian, mentor to practising teachers and a university tutor in Children’s Literature. She is passionate about the rights of all children to access quality literature, be inspired by authors and illustrators and be informed by qualified teacher-librarians. She is convinced of the transformative power of children’s books and the importance of connecting kids and books. Building lifelong readers is her passion. Gail has been a member of the CBCA NSW Branch since 1991 and is the 2022-23 Lady Cutler Award recipient.
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