Do you love AV? Circle YES or NO
Donovan Monday
Classroom Technology and Distance Education at West Virginia University
I can say there are a lot of things I love in this world. My wife, my son, Walt Disney World, a good bacon cheeseburger, but AV? Can I really say that? What would make someone love AV? If I do any networking am I cheating on AV? Well, I was told a long time ago if you truly love something, you want to see it grow, be happy, prosper. I feel like maybe I should explain my love of AV, and then maybe you too will see it. My love comes from three things: people, places, and things. Simple right?
Let’s start with the things. I have always loved tech and gadgets. In my prior life as a musician, I loved the gear, the guitars, basses, drums, pedals, all the things that made noise. In making the change from music to AV/IT (see James King for explanation), it was the technology that drew me in. Starting as an installer I really enjoyed the way technology changed over the years to improve the AV experience. Walking away from an install knowing that the customer was happy and getting to use the latest, greatest gear was awesome. Watching the progression from VGA to HDMI, HDMI to AV over IP has been fun. If you have been around in the AV world for a while you know what I mean. It’s easy to love running CAT6 and not having to pull massive composite cable, and control cables, and audio lines, and…(fades of into mumbling). Anyway, getting to play with new tech has always been an enjoyable thing for me and I think most AV/IT people would agree.
Moving on now to places. This doesn’t sound like it should fit here but stay with me. Because of being in the AV world, I have been able to go places and see things I would have never been able to before. My first real AV job after being an installer was in support of one of those three-letter government agencies. Working with video conferencing and streaming media, I was sent to a lot of places I would have never expected. I even got to be behind the scenes at the 2010 US Open in Pebble Beach, a bucket list place to go. Now that I am working in higher ed, my go-to destinations are now Vegas and Orlando. I love going to Infocomm. The first time I went was such an eye-opener. It wasn’t just the tech that made it memorable, the best part was the people.
People in AV have been amazing. It’s such an inclusive, caring group. Being in West Virginia, there are not many people that do what we do here, and being able to connect through trade shows and social media has opened up a bigger world to me. To find the love of this community, look no further than the higher ed #Slack channel, where we have asked each other for help, vented about our days, and supported each other through the last year. Look at the HETMA.org conferences and #Slack channel, where we have connected with people just like us from all over the world. Look no further than #AVinTheAM every Sunday, discussing things that matter to us, looking to the future, and learning. Look no further than the #AVTweeps community coming together in this crazy time, when we all are struggling, and when one of our own had tragedy strike. We stick together. We work together. We love this together.
That’s why I love AV. I circle yes.
Spring ’21 Virtual Conference
“The Hybrid Life” – February 9-11, 2021
This year we focus on the challenges and solutions needed for successfully navigating hybrid teaching & learning.
Donovan Monday
Classroom Technology and Distance Education
West Virginia University
Donovan Monday is a Network Engineer and Classroom Technology and Distance Education Professional at West Virginia University. His diverse background has taken him to a variety of places and provided him with the experience needed to serve his campus community. Connect with Donovan on Twitter @DMondayWV and on Linkedin.
ABOUT HETMA
HETMA is an advocacy organization focused on the higher education AV industry. The goal of HETMA is to raise awareness of technology issues unique to the higher education community by communicating with manufacturers, vendors, and higher education administrators on the needs and challenges that technology managers face. HETMA is also dedicated to providing educational and networking opportunities to our members so that we can empower and grow our influence as an industry.
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