Laura
Fleming
SESSION TITLE: Creating Spaces for Students to Make
SESSION TIME: 15 minutes
SESSION DESCRIPTION: In this session, New Jersey Library Media Specialist Laura Fleming will introduce the Maker Movement and provide tips on how you can create a makerspace in your own school. An overview of makerspaces and their importance will be presented. Attendees will learn about the Maker Movement and the role schools across the Nation are playing in it. Join her to gain practical applications and tips for establishing a makerspace at your own school.
PRESENTER BIO: Laura has been an educator in the state of New Jersey for 20 years. She has been both a classroom teacher and media specialist in grades K-8 and currently as a Library Media Specialist for grades 9-12. She has played a prominent role in education as a writer and speaker and has served as an educational consultant on next-generation teaching methods and tools. Laura co-hosts the Movers & Makers Podcast, and is the author of the best-selling, Worlds of Learning: Best Practices for Establishing a Makerspace for Your School (Corwin, 2015).
Laura is also the creator of a digital badge-based professional development platform in which educators all over the world earn badges in acknowledgement of their professional learning. Her library Makerspace has garnered national attention and has served as an inspiration for schools across the country. She is also a recipient of the National School Boards ‘20 to Watch’ in Educational Technology Leadership for 2014 and was recently nominated as a White House Champion of Change for Making.
Laura is also the creator of the ‘Worlds of Making’ Digital Academy, which provides makerspace professional development for teachers. Her goal is to create learning experiences that empower and equip students with necessary skills to effectively produce and consume content across multiple media platforms. She is also driven to enable educators and cohorts in applying these innovative methods and cutting-edge technology in their fields of expertise. Laura is an educational consultant, thought leader and speaker on education, librarianship and technology.