2024 R10 Library Conference

Young children are naturally curious. They’re excited to soak up ideas and information about the world and how it works and their place in it. Some students remain passionate about the quest for scientific knowledge as they grow older, while others need our support to keep their enthusiasm alive. In either case, books have an important role to play. So, too, can podcasts. Many podcasts are structured as interviews that include personal information about the interviewee as well as their professional background and a discussion of their important work. This combination makes the podcast a perfect bridge between a biography and a fact-filled book about a particular topic. This interactive presentation by acclaimed STEM writer, Jennifer Swanson,  will take a look at how book pairs can be combined with podcasts to create text trios-- a cross connection between STEM and digital literacy. It will also show how introducing how introduction to STEM career path will open the eyes of the diverse and female learners to see themselves following this path with encouragement. And it will also show how you can get funding under the new U.S. Department of Education Raise the Bar: STEM Excellence for All Students initiative.