WOW! I could probably sum up my feelings of AASL’s 15th National Conference and Exhibition conference with just one word. But, as my English teachers in high school reminded me often, short and succinct were not always my strong suit. I’ll have to say it was such an honor and a thrill to be President of AASL during the National Conference. The real work of planning, organizing, and running the conference was done by the AASL Conference Committee led by Cheryl Steele and Ty Burns as well as our amazing AASL Staff. It was so great to see all of that hard work paid off.
As we’re only two weeks since the conference, I’m just catching up at home and work. The bad thing about that is I’m way behind in writing this post. The good thing is I’ve had a little more time to reflect and think about the experience in Minneapolis, MN. I’m sure I won’t be able to truly convey the conference experience in just a few words, but certainly there were many highlights.
The biggest observation I had was the positive tone! We’ve heard the horror stories as the economy has impacted education funding and in turn effected school library programs. But, instead of dwelling on that at the conference, everyone I talked with and interacted with was more focused on the future. How do we move forward? How do we prepare for the future of our field? How can I go back to the situation I have and apply what I learned this week? Sure, we all have stumbling blocks in the way of creating the program we know our students deserve and need. But, instead of wallowing in what we couldn’t do, the feeling in the conference for me was more about what we can do. I believe that is a critical path for us to follow.
One of the signs of a good conference is there are so many sessions you want to attend, that you can’t make it to all of them. This was very true for this conference. I really had to plot and think about which session was going to benefit me most in my position. I also used some of the symbols in the book to know that some of the sessions would be available in the virtual conference (more about that in a minute), so I could use that to factor in some of my decisions as well. I saw amazing sessions from Buffy Hamilton, Steven Baule, Violet Harada, and Annette Lamb just to name a few.
My “big” job during the conference was to kick the conference off with the opening general session. I’ll have to say I think that will end up being one of the highlights of my presidency. To walk out on the stage and see a room filled with school librarians eager and ready to spend the next few days learning and sharing with each other was inspiring. I got through all my talking points without too many fumbles.
The two main speakers brought different perspectives. I was more familiar with Nicholas Carr as I read his book as part of the online discussion we held on the AASL conference ning. His concepts about how the Internet is effecting our ability to think are interesting. It certainly brought some great questions and discussion as I think many of those in attendance. Certainly, the attendees connected with Dr. Mimi Ito. Her research about kids and technology and how they are using it was fascinating. We offered two showings of the movie: Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century. I wasn’t able to get to the showings of the movie, but after listening to her speak I am looking forward to watching the DVD. This was certainly an interesting combination of opening and closing speakers. I think both created a great atmosphere for discussion and debate and it provided a rich conversation experience.
The Exploratorium, Author Banquets, Learning Commons, Storytelling Event, and more filled out the rest of the conference. Unfortunately I couldn’t get to as many of them as I had hoped. But, those things I couldn’t attend in person, I heard wonderful comments from other attendees.
I did get to spend some time in the exhibit hall. It was great to catch-up with some of my vendor friends and check out some of the great new products coming down the pike, too. Of course, there were a few receptions and fun events as well which was also a lot of fun.
One thing AASL is trying is how to bring the conference to some that couldn’t make it to Minneapolis. The virtual conference provides access to the keynotes, concurrent sessions, and slidecasts of other sessions. An amazing wealth of professional development you can enjoy while sitting in the comfort of your own home or library. Using some of the latest technology and tools it does require AASL to charge for access, but it is well worth the dollars spend and a bargain compared to coming to MN.
The conference ended with our traditional closing party at Nicolette Island. It was a great evening to kick back and have some fun. We ate, we talked, and we danced (yeah, they even managed to drag me out there a bit!). It was a great way to end a wonderful few days of learning.
I’ve said it before and likely will say it again, the part I loved best was being able to talk and share and learning from all my friends, colleagues, and attendees. As I left Minneapolis to come home (at least for a few days), I came away with new friends, new ideas, and at the same time got to connect with some of my dear friends I’ve met over the last 10 years since I attended my first AASL in 2001.
Below are some links to more photos and video clips from the conference posted by friends and colleagues.
Twitter hashtag – #aasl11
Pictures:
AASL 11 Photo Group – http://www.flickr.com/groups/aasl2011/
Capstone Photos – http://connect.capstonepub.com/2011/11/an-aasl-2011-pictorial.html
My Photos -
School Tube Video
Video from School Library Monthly
Tags: AASL · AASL11 · American Association of School LibrariansNo Comments