Professional Biography

Martha Bongiorno is a national speaker and presenter, school library activist, and creator of possibilities. With experience in rural and metro communities and in all grade level bands, she is currently serving as a school librarian in Metro Atlanta. Martha supports students and educators by pushing boundaries of traditional education to empower learners as thinkers and creators to make positive change in their communities. With her unique perspective from the heart of the school, she explores how the tapestry of learning is interwoven with literacy, technology, creativity, and student voice.
Beyond her work as a school librarian, she is honored to be elected as the President of the Georgia Library Media Association. A past AASL Social Media Superstar for Advocacy, Martha’s passion projects include supporting and mentoring other school librarians, embedding social-emotional literacy in the library, and utilizing project-based learning as a catalyst for real-world problem solving. Her other accolades include being named the 2018 Coastal Georgia Library Media Specialist of the Year, the 2019 Fulton County Library Media Specialist of the Year, and a 2020 Professional of the Year for Fulton County. Martha also participates in the larger educational community as an ISTE Ambassador, ISTE Certified Educator, Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert and Master Trainer, a Flipgrid Student Voice Ambassador since 2016, a Wakelet Ambassador, and an Adobe Creative Educator.
When she is not working, Martha treasures spending time with her husband and two children exploring the mountains, cosplaying at DragonCon, and reading high fantasy series.
Beyond her work as a school librarian, she is honored to be elected as the President of the Georgia Library Media Association. A past AASL Social Media Superstar for Advocacy, Martha’s passion projects include supporting and mentoring other school librarians, embedding social-emotional literacy in the library, and utilizing project-based learning as a catalyst for real-world problem solving. Her other accolades include being named the 2018 Coastal Georgia Library Media Specialist of the Year, the 2019 Fulton County Library Media Specialist of the Year, and a 2020 Professional of the Year for Fulton County. Martha also participates in the larger educational community as an ISTE Ambassador, ISTE Certified Educator, Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert and Master Trainer, a Flipgrid Student Voice Ambassador since 2016, a Wakelet Ambassador, and an Adobe Creative Educator.
When she is not working, Martha treasures spending time with her husband and two children exploring the mountains, cosplaying at DragonCon, and reading high fantasy series.
Skills & Certifications
Martha is an ISTE Ambassador, ISTE Certified Educator, Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert and Microsoft Trainer Expert, serves as a Flipgrid Student Voice Ambassador, sparks creativity as an Adobe Creative Leader and Innovator, and is a certified Nearpod Trainer. She has extensive experience with embedding literacy within STEAM and utilizing AR/VR (augmented and virtual reality) in an educational setting.
Recent Presentations and Publications
Martha has presented at state, national, and international conferences, including the Future of Education Technology Conference, Georgia Education Technology Conference, International Society for Technology in Education Conference, American Association of School Librarians Conference, and International Reading Association Conference. The following list is not inclusive and only lists the most recent presentations and speaking engagements:
- Summer 2023 - Featured Speaker at CobbInTechCon
- Spring 2023 - Keynote Speaker for NW Resa, Fostering a Sense of Belonging: Inclusive Practices for Social-Emotional Learning in School Libraries
- Spring 2023 - FETC in New Orleans
- Workshop - Socially-Responsive Innovators: Encouraging Human-Centered Design in the Library
- Workshop - Kickstart Creativity: How to Spark Inspiration
- Workshop - Socially-Responsive Innovators: Encouraging Human-Centered Design in the Library
- Spring 2023 - Presenter on Future Ready Librarians Summit Panel, Branding Your Future Ready Library
- Fall 2023 - ISTE Creative Constructor Lab, Elevate and Amplify Student Voice with Digital Storytelling
- Fall 2023 - Adobe Education Summit, Scaffolding Creative Literacy
- Summer 2022 - International Society for Technology in Education International Conference in New Orleans
- Featured Session: Empowering Student Agency With Student-Run Makerspaces
- Featured Session: Empowering Student Agency With Student-Run Makerspaces
- Summer 2022 - Featured Speaker at CobbInTechCon
- Spring 2022 - American Association of School Librarians School Library Month Panel
- Fall 2021 - Featured Speaker at the Georgia Education Technology Conference
- Summer 2021 - Galileo Conference, Transforming from Advocate to Activist: Intentional Change in the School Library
- April 2021 - Celebrate National School Library Month Webinar with AASL
- April 2021 - Adobe Creative Educator Speaker on Creativity in the Clouds Webinar
- March 2021 - Speaker at Future Ready Librarians Virtual Summit
- March 2021 - Future Ready Librarians Podcast, Supporting Student Agency during Hybrid Teaching
- January 2021 - American Association of School Librarians Knowledge Quest, Civic Engagement with the Presidential Inauguration
- November 2020 - Georgia Education Technology Conference, Remote Learning Success for All: Leading from the Library
- September 2020 - Presenter on Digital Learning App Smash for Future Ready Librarians Webinar
- August 2020 - Guest Speaker on Flipgrid's Social-Emotional Learning Panel
- Summer 2020 - Speaker on Future Ready Librarians Creating a Return to School Plan Panel
- Summer 2020 - Flipgrid Blog, The Power of Flipgrid for Social-Emotional Learning
- Summer 2020 - School Librarians United Podcast, Social-Emotional Learning: The New Literacy
- Spring 2020 - Perspectives on Reading, Two Key Ways School Libraries Can Impact Social-Emotional Learning
- January 2020 - Future of Education Technology Conference in Miami, Florida
- November 2019 - Georgia Education Technology Conference in Atlanta, Georgia
- November 2019 - American Association of School Librarians National Conference in Louisville, Kentucky
- Summer 2019 - International Society for Technology in Education International Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Summer 2019 - Georgia Library Media Association Summer Institute in Peachtree City, Georgia
- Summer 2019 - First District RESA Summer Institute in Statesboro, Georgia
- January 2019 - Future of Education Technology Conference in Orlando, Florida
Coaching, Mentoring, and Consulting
In addition to speaking engagements and workshops, I have worked with districts and organizations to tailor coaching cycles with school library professionals and educators on a variety of topics including project-based learning, Adobe Creative Cloud, social and emotional literacy, and establishing SMART goals for school librarians focused around the ISTE, Future Ready Librarians, and/or AASL standards.
Organized Events
- 2023 - Establish Innovation EdCamp, an unconference for those seeking transformative educational practices in North Georgia
- 2021 - Established the first mentorship program for Georgia Library Media Association
- 2021 - Assisted with Fulton Education Conference for a school system serving almost 100,000 students
- 2020 - First Virtual Georgia School Librarians EdCamp
- 2020 - Wrote the Crosswalk between Georgia School Library Evaluation Instrument standards, ISTE Standards for Educators, and Future Ready Librarians Framework
- 2020 - First Georgia Middle Grades EdCamp
- 2019 - First Georgia School Library EdCamp
- 2016 - Established #GaLibChat, the first Twitter chat for school librarians in Georgia