Graduate Travel
Professional Travel Grants for Graduate Students
SHAV Conference
10 years
As a second year graduate student, and with graduation quickly approaching, I found the SHAV conference very rewarding and beneficial for my future career as a speech-language pathologist. Attending this conference allowed me to connect with potential employers as well as network with current SLPs. I also attended numerous engaging and informative presentations by professionals in the field regarding specific assessments and intervention techniques related to particular disorders and populations. I am excited about the additional knowledge that I gained pertaining to speech and language therapy and cannot wait to apply what I have learned to my current externship experience and future patients. Thanks, Longwood for this wonderful opportunity two years in a row.
SHAV Conference, 2015
10 years
This weekend, I was fortunate to attend the 2015 Speech Hearing Association of Virginia conference in Richmond. I talked to many venders and sat in some of the sessions. During one of the most informative sessions I attended, I learned about using structured teaching to build communication in students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. It was wonderful to talk to and learn from so many different people who are passionate about such a rewarding field. I look forward to using all of the new information I learned this weekend with my future clients.
2015 SHAV Conference
10 years
This year I had the privilege of attending the 2015 Speech-Language Hearing Association of Virginia’s annual conference. The conference was held in Richmond, VA at the Double Tree by Hilton. I was in attendance on Thursday March 26th from 8:00am to 4:30pm and was able to sit in on 4 different seminar sessions.
Each of the sessions were very informative and full of new information to learn. I chose to attend a session on Augmentative and Alternative Communication, The Use of Interpreters, Infant Feeding, and Autism. I enjoyed each session, but especially the last one on Autism. The presenter was very knowledgeable and gave us several real-life scenarios in which we could use the techniques she was discussing.
They also had a separate room in the hotel with numerous vendors from all over the state. A handful of them were selling products and the others were advertising for their respective businesses. I think this is a great feature for students who will be seeking employment in just a few years. Although I will not be graduating until May of 2017, I am glad to have already had this type of experience. I look forward to returning to SHAV next year and for many years to come!
Kelley Chaney
2015 VSRA Conference Presentation
10 years
This year, I had the privilege of not only attending, but also presenting at, the 2015 Virginia State Reading Association (VSRA) conference held in downtown Richmond, Va. The VSRA is the preeminent literacy education institution within the commonwealth and this was my first time attending the conference. This year’s conference theme was “Reading is Magical,” which was truly fitting. I was immediately impressed by the diverse professionals I met, from classroom teachers to reading specialists to school administers, who were all passionate about improving reading (and all literacy) instruction in their schools. It was also a great pleasure to support and learn from many of my Reading, Literacy, and Learning program classmates and professors who also presented at the conference.
My partner, Carol Pippen, and I delivered a presentation entitled “Reading Between the Pixels: Media Literacy Instruction in the Digital Age.” Our presentation discussed the growing importance of media literacy as advancements in technology permits constant exposure to media messages. We make the case that media literacy, or the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media messages, is vital for full societal participation in the digital/information age. In addition, we also provided several examples of how media literacy can be taught in the classroom
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International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts in Orlando, Florida. Described by a friend as “ComicCon for scholars,” ICFA is an academic conference for the study of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. The conference offers a wide range of panels, author talks, and book signings. At this conference, I presented a paper with the Children’s and Young Adult Division titled “The Problematics of Magical Girl Feminism.” My paper discussed magical girl manga such as Sailor Moon, and explored the ways that these texts attempt to portray empowered female characters while really just reinforcing traditional ideology about women. The paper was a real joy to present, and appeared well received by those in attendance.
During the rest of the conference, I attended a wide range of panels, from “Buffy, Star Trek, and Pedagogy” to “Science Fiction Fan Worlds.” I saw friends and colleagues present on Disney and body image, tomboys in Anne Radcliffe’s Gothic novels, and video games and urban legends. Perhaps one of the most meaningful panels, “Teaching Science Fiction and Fantasy in Community College,” brought together three scholars to discuss their experiences incorporating genre fiction into their community college classrooms. As I prepare to go on the job market with the hopes of securing a teaching position at a small university or community college, their insight was invaluable. Besides the scholarly panels, I attended a lovely reading by Peter Straub, had a copy of Steven Erikson’s Willful Child signed, reunited with some friends from Longwood and Hollins University, and spent far too much money in the book room.
The first time I presented at ICFA as an undergrad, I came home with thoughts of building a career in academia. This trip has reminded me why I felt that way. While science fiction, fantasy, and horror are becoming more prevalent in popular culture, there is still a stigma associated with studying those fields from a critical perspective. ICFA is an opportunity to not only enjoy time with other scholars who share my interests, but to see their success stories. All of the people I met have built careers pursing a field of study that I am passionate about, and being immersed in their work reminds me just what a meaningful pursuit genre studies really is. Science fiction, fantasy, and horror explore humanity’s wildest dreams and darkest fears. They reflect who we are and imagine who we could be. On days when I feel unsure about the field of study I’ve chosen, opportunities like ICFA remind me why I do what I do, and why I never want to stop.
-Jessica StanleyVSRA Conference 2015
10 years
Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending and presenting at the Virginia State Reading Association Conference held in Richmond, VA. I presented with two classmates from the Reading, Literacy, & Learning program, Erica Shelley and Leighan Worden. Our presentation was titled “Bring Reading to Life: How to Integrate Non-fiction” and took attendees through research supporting students’ needs to get up and move while learning as well as some activities to be used in conjunction with non-fiction texts in the classroom. Although we were the ones presenting, I walked away with many new ideas of how to incorporate movement into my daily lessons as a soon-to-be teacher. I found the experience of attending the conference very beneficial and learned about many new and different teaching techniques and ideas that I cannot wait to try out in my future classroom. I will definitely be attending VSRA Conference 2016 in Norfolk next year!
VSRA 2015
10 years
I was able to attend the VSRA 2015 Conference on March 13th, 2015. I am very thankful for the opportunity to attend a conference like the VSRA. I had no idea how large this conference was going to be but I was blown away by it! I was able to hear several speakers including Dr. Snow and Nicole WIngo, both from Longwood University. Dr. Snow presented a presentation on PALS testing and Nicole presented a presentation on engaging students in the classroom. Both presentations were very informative and I took away a lot of new information. It was so exciting being surrounded by so many educators and meeting several of them (and seeing some “old” friends there as well was exciting!). It was also exciting to walk around and look at the different vendors. Several passed out samples of their new products which was neat to see and many gave free books (which you can never have too many books for your classroom!).
Virginia State Reading Association Conference 2015
10 years
Last week, I took the wonderful opportunity to attend and present at the Virginia State Reading Association conference in Richmond, Virginia. The theme of the conference was “Reading is Magical”. While attending the conference, I learned many different strategies from experienced reading specialists and literacy coaches that I can use as a reading specialist/coach. I was able to see and hear about how an experienced reading specialist worked with another reading specialist as a team to successfully and effectively meet the needs of the entire student and teacher population in the school. I also collected great resources that will be useful for me as a classroom teacher and/or reading specialist/coach.
The topic of my presentation was “Let’s Get Engaged!”. It was a 50 minute research-based presentation about motivation and engagement. Teachers, reading specialists/coaches, graduate students, professors, and administrators attended my session. I had the attendees participate in different activities they could use as educators and facilitators. The examples could be manipulated and implemented in their field based on the content focus and need of the students. Overall, being able to attend and present at this conference has given me more experience and confidence with presenting and networking with other educators and facilitators that will help me with my career.
VSRA 2015 Conference
10 years
This past weekend, I was lucky enough to attend the 2015 VSRA Conference. This occurred in Richmond, Virginia and was packed with beneficial information within the field of literacy. One of my favorite parts of the conference was being able to see Dr. Jean present on “No More Worksheets!”. Dr. Jean’s session was packed with at least ten different activities that engaged students more then worksheets. Dr. Jean also used song and dance to give us brain breaks. These songs and dances are geared toward PK-1 students and all are centered on different aspects of literacy. I was also fortunate to see Kimberly Johnson present on best research based practices for enhancing students writing. In addition to all of the great sessions I saw, my group and I were very proud to present our session on English Language Learner Students and Literacy. It was such a great and informational weekend, I can’t wait to use everything I have learned in the future!
Bringing Reading to Life: VSRA Annual Conference 2015
10 years
This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend and present at the Virginia State Reading Association’s Annual Conference. I presented with two of my Reading, Literacy, and Learning classmates. Our presentation was called “Bringing Reading to Life: How to Integrate Non-Fiction.” Our presentation focused on combining kinesthetic learning with the use of non-fiction texts in the classroom. We had a blast sharing our ideas and activities with our session’s attendees, and even learned some new ideas from them during group discussion. Presenting at the conference was such a great learning experience. I had never presented at a state conference before, and now I know what to expect. Another great part of the conference was visiting the vendors. I liked being able to talk to the vendors and learn about new products to use with students. My favorite part was learning about “Words Their Way With English Learners.” Words Their Way has been a staple resource of our program and I cannot wait to check out the their book for working with English Language Learners. I look forward to attending many more VSRA conferences!