Author Archives

Diana Rendina, MLIS, is the media specialist at Tampa Preparatory, an independent 6-12 school. She was previously the media specialist at Stewart Middle Magnet School for seven years, where she founded their library makerspace. She is the creator of the blog RenovatedLearning.com & is also a monthly contributor to AASL Knowledge Quest. Diana is the winner of the 2016 ISTE Outstanding Young Educator Award, the 2015 ISTE Librarians Network Award, the 2015 AASL Frances Henne Award & the 2015 SLJ Build Something Bold Award. She is an international speaker on the Maker Movement and learning space design and has presented at conferences including AASL, FETC & ISTE. Diana co-authored Challenge-Based Learning in the School Library Makerspace and is the author of Reimagining Library Spaces: Transform Your Space on Any Budget.

• 5 Makerspace Books You Need to Read

  By Diana Rendina on 12/22/2015 • ( 2 )

  

  There’s so many amazing books coming out now related to starting a school makerspace, and many of them are fantastic.  But for this post, I want to take a look back and focus on the five books that had the biggest… Read More ›

• Bringing the World into Your Library

  By Diana Rendina on 11/07/2015 • ( 1 )

  

  In this fantastic session at AASL 2015, Matthew Winner and Eileen Gardner shared their secrets for utilizing Skype and other video conferencing tools to connect your students with the world.  They collectively drew on their experience with many successful author visits,… Read More ›

• How to transform your library space on a budget

  By Diana Rendina on 10/27/2015 • ( 15 )

  

  Recently, I’ve been looking back through photos of my media center at Stewart Middle Magnet from the past five years. I’m working on a conference presentation for the Florida Association for Media in Education about transforming library spaces. As I… Read More ›

• 5 Easy Ways to Make Space for Innovation

  By Diana Rendina on 09/23/2015 • ( 1 )

  

    “Make it new – look at your space with 21st century eyes: Does it work for what we know about learning today, or just for what we knew about learning in the past?” – The Third Teacher, p 57… Read More ›

• Valuable Lessons from My First Makerspace Year

  By Diana Rendina on 08/25/2015 • ( 9 )

  

  When I first started my makerspace at Stewart Middle Magnet School back in January of 2014, I was figuring everything out as I went along.  The term was still brand new, I couldn’t find any maker sessions at conferences, and there… Read More ›

• Advocating for Makerspaces in Libraries

  By Diana Rendina on 07/29/2015 • ( 3 )

  

  Since I first started my Makerspace at Stewart Middle Magnet School in January 2014, I have received a lot of positive feedback. I’ve given talks, presented at conferences, and shared about our experiences through my blog and through social media…. Read More ›