Loving Libraries at VAASL

Stacy Hammer, Dorathy Winkler, Michelle Sanders

Last weekend I spent some time in lovely Roanoke at the VAASL 2014 Annual Conference at the Hotel Roanoke. Though I enjoyed the town, the shops, the hotel, and the restaurants, it was the conference that I enjoyed most of all.  As a library student at Longwood, this conference was an excellent educational experience.  Some highlights of the conference included:

• Destination Imagination with Kimberly Johnson-  Kimberly shared activities that I was able to use in my classroom on Monday.  She is full of energy and shared activities that suit the needs of students who are full of energy.  I will be using her strategies now, as a classroom teacher, and in the future as a school librarian.
• AASL Best Websites for Teaching and Learning with Heather Moorefield-Lang – Heather is a great speaker and shared some of the best websites for teaching a learning.  I can’t wait to incorporate these websites into teaching and student projects.  From creating banners and infographics in canva.com to turning a quote into a masterpiece with recitethis.com, I think I’m going to be keeping myself and my students busy and entertained.
• Take 5 with Krista Hartenbach- Krista shared how she transformed the perception of the school librarian at her school with five minute presentations at every faculty meeting.  By providing tips, addressing misconceptions and concerns, and sharing resources, Krista changed the way her school library was viewed and utilized.  This was a beneficial session since I’ll be a new librarian at a school  in the near future.

I learned so much at the conference that I can apply to life as a librarian, but what so impression was the sense of community and sharing that the conference offered.  I’m excited for a future in School Librarianship.