Morning Keynote Speaker: Andy Plemmons
Andy Plemmons is the school library media specialist at David C. Barrow Elementary in Athens, GA and a Google Certified Innovator. His library program is grounded in transliteracy, participatory culture, and students as creators of content shared with the global community. Andy’s students are often seen skyping with authors, guest speakers, and the developers of the tools that they use in class. He also collaborates with libraries around the world. His motto is to expect the miraculous every day.
Andy has presented at numerous conferences including the School Library Journal Leadership Summit, American Association of School Librarians, International Society for Technology in Education, Georgia Educational Technology Conference, and the Texas Library Association. Andy has articles in Teacher Librarian, Knowledge Quest, and is also a monthly columnist for Library Sparks. He has served on national conference planning committees including the School Reform Initiative Winter Meeting, where he was the social media chair.
Andy has received several honors including the Georgia Exemplary Elementary Library Media Program, finalist for School Library Journal School Librarian of the Year, 2015 National School Board Association 20 to Watch, James Patterson Pledge grant, Northeast Georgia Library Media Specialist of the Year, and the Clarke County Foundation for Excellence Kathryn H. Hug Instructional Leadership Award.
You can follow Andy’s work on Twitter @plemmonsa or on his blog Expect the Miraculous, which was nominated for a 2014 Edublogs Award.
Andy has presented at numerous conferences including the School Library Journal Leadership Summit, American Association of School Librarians, International Society for Technology in Education, Georgia Educational Technology Conference, and the Texas Library Association. Andy has articles in Teacher Librarian, Knowledge Quest, and is also a monthly columnist for Library Sparks. He has served on national conference planning committees including the School Reform Initiative Winter Meeting, where he was the social media chair.
Andy has received several honors including the Georgia Exemplary Elementary Library Media Program, finalist for School Library Journal School Librarian of the Year, 2015 National School Board Association 20 to Watch, James Patterson Pledge grant, Northeast Georgia Library Media Specialist of the Year, and the Clarke County Foundation for Excellence Kathryn H. Hug Instructional Leadership Award.
You can follow Andy’s work on Twitter @plemmonsa or on his blog Expect the Miraculous, which was nominated for a 2014 Edublogs Award.
Author Keynote Speaker: Nikki Grimes
New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her distinguished works include ALA Notable book What is Goodbye?, Coretta Scott King Award winner Bronx Masquerade, and Coretta Scott King Author Honor books Jazmin's Notebook, Talkin' About Bessie, Dark Sons, The Road to Paris, and Words with Wings. Creator of the popular Meet Danitra Brown, Ms. Grimes lives in Corona, California.
Learn more about Nikki and her books on her webpage at: http://www.nikkigrimes.com
Learn more about Nikki and her books on her webpage at: http://www.nikkigrimes.com
Afternoon Keynote Speaker: Matthew Winner
Matthew Winner is a library media specialist in Howard County, Maryland. He is a National Board Certified teacher, a 2013 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, and a guest of the White House as part of their Champions of Change program. Matthew has played an active role in MASL since entering the library profession in 2007, including serving on the executive board, on several Black-Eyed Susan Book Award committees, and in founding the BES Graphic Novel Award. Matthew is the host of Let's Get Busy, a weekly kidlit podcast where he talks with authors, illustrators, award winners, up-and-comers, and everyone in between. He's also the co-founder of All the Wonders, an online home for parents, librarians, and readers giving books a life beyond the shelf. Follow Matthew on Twitter at @MatthewWinner or online at BusyLibrarian.com.