While the NCCE conference provides an excellent experience for individual attendees, schools from across the region send groups of teachers, teacher-librarians, administrators, instructional coaches, and IT personnel NCCE to help drive new thinking and innovation. Dr. Mike Nelson, the Director of Assessment and System Performance for the Coeur d’Alene Public Schools, discusses their decision a team of library managers to NCCE in Seattle:
“Throughout Coeur d’Alene Public Schools, our library managers play a critical role as the center of literacy and educational extension throughout the district. Our school media centers and libraries are no longer places where students go only to check out a book, hear a story, or do a little research. Through professional learning, we are focusing on the school media center as the heart of the school, the hub of learning and the center of new and emerging technologies. We have a desire that we still provide engaging books and resources in addition to a wide variety of tools, resources, information which supports students and educators alike. Additionally, our librarians provide professional development for teachers by providing support/training on digital resources, instructional technology, and research.