NJASL Conference and Villy Gandhi Award

I just attended the NJASL (New Jersey School Librarian's Association) conference in Atlantic City, NJ.  I have been involved with this organization for many years now and it is always a wonderful time.  This year was extra special for me, because I was selected to win the Villy Gandhi Award.  The Villy Gandhi award was named after a previous NJASL librarian by the name of Villy Gandhi who was very involved with NJASL as well as AECT.  The award is a joint scholarship through both AECT and NJASL and is given to a NJASL librarian who has taken an interest in technology in their career.  In order to be considered for this award/scholarship I had to write an essay about myself, include my resume, and submit 3 letters of recommendation from my principal, supervisor and a colleague.  Once I was selected for this award, I was able to attend the AECT Conference in Orlando, Florida in October.  AECT (Association for Educational Communications and Technology) is a technology organization that focuses on the research behind technology.  Although many of the individuals who participate in the conference are from higher education, there is a significant amount of people in the K-12 field.  The conference lasted a Sunday-Thursday afternoon and had some of my favorite topics including technology tools, technology trends, and STEM.  I was able to meet people from all over the world.  I specifically found it so exciting to connect with so many people in different walks of life - all in careers related to technology.  This award/scholarship allows me to work as a non-voting board member on NJASL and a board member on the TIL (Technology Integrated Learning) AECT sub-group.  It's a great way for winners to dip their toe in the water and see if a future board position is right for them.  I was formally recognized at both AECT's conference and NJASL's conference.

As usual, this NJASL conference included exciting sessions on library advocacy, technology trends and tools, literature recommendations, and important topics such as diversity.  This year's theme was A World of Stories and included keynotes Ellen Oh, Derrick Barnes, and Vera Ahiyya.  Their messages were all inspiring and have encouraged me that we really do need more diverse. books.  We do need to do better in this area.  Of course, this conference is a time to see friends, many of whom I have not seen since last year's conference.  Monday morning I was asked by my friend and colleague, Leslie Blatt to come on stage. Leslie introduced me with such kind and complimentary words.  I was so honored and humbled to receive this award.  I have always loved literature and technology, so it has been a vital part of my instruction to include both.  I hope that my future includes many more years of incorporating library skills, literature, and technology with children.