Inquiring Minds want to Know: Taking our GID Journey on the Road

Last month, I did something completely out of my comfort zone: I presented GID at a state conference. Let me just mention that presenting to a group of like-minded peers on a large stage has been one of my greatest fears. What if I mess up? What if people do not like what they hear? What if I forget what to say? Yes, I know- these fears are all highly illogical, but nevertheless, these questions are what prevented me from stepping up in the past.

But now, I feel a responsibility, and as a type A overachiever, I never shy away from fulfilling my duties. After attending the Rutgers institute and spending the year working as hard as we have on redesigning our units using GID, I feel that it is now my duty to share with others in the state more about this model.

The Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association (WEMTA) is a state organization comprised of Wisconsin’s leading library media and technology specialists. Each spring, the state conference attracts leaders who volunteer to share the latest and greatest innovations in education. This year, I felt that it was my time to step up and share what I have learned. In my opinion, what we are doing with GID in De Pere is special, and I want the rest of the educators in Wisconsin to know more about how GID can change the culture of learning.  Besides, there isn’t a better model out there that supports the role of the library media specialist as the expert on information literacy.

After applying to present and receiving acceptance, my team- Peggy Rohan, Literacy Coach, Cara Krebsbach, Science/Social Studies Teacher, and Betty Hartman, Principal- and I shared our story on an early Sunday afternoon. Our goal was to not only expose others to each step in the GID model, but to also share our unique examples and strategies. In essence, our presentation was about our journey and what we have learned through engaging our students and teachers in the GID process. As a result, our session attendees left with practical, ready-to-use tools that they could immediately incorporate into their own classrooms. Isn’t this what all educators are looking for when they attend professional development sessions?

While I still consider myself an introvert, this experience opened me up to the importance of sharing with others in the profession as much as possible. While I am by no means a GID expert, I realize that I am helping others simply by sharing my experience. Education is a hard profession, and the only way to survive is by supporting and sharing professionally with one another. I constantly rely on others who share. It is only fair that I give back as well.

With that, here is our WEMTA presentation.  You will find examples of our units, student products, and our handouts. We welcome your thoughts and feedback and hope that you will share your examples with us as well.

Finally, Twitter is a great way to share all of the good and exciting work that we continue to do with GID. I vow to share frequently and widely. In this day and age, it is especially important that we positively promote the good happening in public education. Please follow me on Twitter @donnalynnyoung to see the good happening at De Pere Middle School. I would love to follow you back and see GID in action at your school as well!

I look forward to continuing to learn more about GID and how to best meet our students’ needs from you. Thank you for the opportunity to share our story.

Donna Young
Library Media Specialist
De Pere Middle School

2 Comments

  1. It was a pleasure to work with you all on this presentation. I so agree with you that it’s our responsibility to share the great things we are learning and doing as it only improves the greater conversation in the educational landscape. Thank you for all you are doing, your commitment and for sharing your work at your state level and with us here! Bravo! I’m so happy to have you in the GId community!
    Leslie Maniotes, PhD

  2. Great post, Donna! Like you, I have always been nervous about presenting…what if they don’t like me or what I have to say? However, over the years I have discovered that my sessions on GID have been easy and very successful. I think it is because the work speaks for itself.
    Thank you for sharing this wonderful session. A lot of wonderful ideas.
    Patty Lambusta
    Passage Middle School

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