Celebrating #ILA16

#ILA16 in Boston last weekend was an amazing compilation of #learning, meet-ups, & strong voices celebrating #literacy. It is not often that you can be in a space of learning with committed educators and literacy luminaries who share the same mindsets and vision to impact teaching and learning. I celebrate the #ILA16 experience through visuals.

My family and I arrived in Boston in time for my #edcampliteracy session where I met Twitter friends face-to-face for the first time. There were many hugs and aha moments before I presented, Discovering Wonder and Joy Through Inquiry Via Family Literacy. As Wonderopolis' Wonder Lead Ambassador, I was happy to shed light on various family literacy programs that allow students and parents to notice and wonder about new topics.

There was high energy the morning #ILA16 opened. Keynote presenters, Kwame Alexander and Adora Svitak, wowed the audience.

During the day, I met up with connected educators and authors.

My colleagues, Dr. Michele Haiken and Laura Purdie Salas, presented Transforming Writers' Lives With Digital Tools as Powerful Agents to Impact Literacy Instruction, Authenticate Voice, & Present Positive Perspectives with me to an full house, engaged audience.

After my two presentations, I felt excited to have engaged with many interested educators and ready for additional learning and meet-ups.

The short video I created expresses my interest in impacting digital literacy. You can access it here. You can read my post on a Courageous Conversation led by Cornelius Minor at #ILA16 here.

Since I missed Celebrate This Week last weekend due to my busy weekend at #ILA16, I am recounting the first part of my celebration of the International Literacy Association Conference in Boston with this post. Please visit Ruth Ayres' Celebrate This Week site to read how Ruth celebrates her family this week. 

Celebrating Commitment to Learning

Each summer, educators gather to learn, share ideas, and build their literacy toolboxes. They notice and wonder. Creative sparks ignite and acts of designing and creating follow. 

This is what happened at the graduate course, Transforming Writing Lives Through Digital Tools and Creativity, that I facilitated at Molloy College on Long Island last week. Teachers-as-learners joined me for an intensive summer institute to study ways to increase student engagement in the literacy classroom. You can access my post on the learning that occurred here.

Next weekend, a celebration of literacy learning will continue at the International Literacy 2016 Conference. I am excited to learn alongside literacy experts as well as present with my colleagues.

In addition, I will attend EdCamp Literacy next week at the International Literacy Conference in Boston to enhance my own professional learning. I will present on Discovering Joy and Wonder Through Inquiry via Family Literacy. Being one of the Wonder Lead Ambassadors, I will gladly represent Wonderopolis as one of the lead sites affecting change in children's pursuit of wonder.

I thank, Leigh Anne Eck for her idea to showcase educators' summer learning in a slide presentation that can be accessed here. Below is the slide I contributed. I am also sharing this example of #digipoetry at my #ila16 presentation with Dr. Michele Haiken and poet, Laura Purdie Salas. 

I celebrate commitment to learning by all educators who are involved in summer learning as a means to hone their craft and ultimately their practice.

Please continue to read how others celebrate their week by visiting Ruth Ayres' blogging community, Celebrate This Week, that is built on the positives of weekly life. 

Table Turned

As a co-moderator of #NYEDChat I have had the opportunity to interview various educators at the different Long Island EdCamp events but on May 24th the table was turned. I was an interviewee. 

It was a surprise to be contacted by the @ILAToday team of the International Literacy Association to speak about the upcoming conference, #ILA16, in Boston this summer. Prior to yesterday's interview, I had the opportunity to prep with April Hall and communicate with the broadcaster, Larry Jacobs. It is always a wonderful experience collaborating with those who are like-minded and enthusiastic. 

Since I am a member and have been attending International Literacy Association's conferences years before it switched over from being called the International Reading Association (IRA), I was asked to give my perspective on the upcoming conference. I was pleasantly surprised by Larry Jacob's humor that immediately brought a light-hearted touch to the interview. At the onset, Stephen Sye, ILA Associate Executive Director, was asked to describe the differences between IRA and ILA. He noted that ILA is expanding its reach to include parents and community members along with educators. It is directing its attention to literacy around the world. He added that the conference this year, titled Transforming Lives Through Literacy 2.0, will have between 6,000 to 7,000 educators and exhibitors attending from July 9-11, 2016. On July 8th, EdCamp Literacy will be held and I will not only attend but hope to participate as a presenter. 

Besides the usual academic influence at the conference, there will be social events to keep the energy level high. Lit Night at Fenway Ball Park and the Inaugural Steps to Literacy 5K are highlights of the festivities. Other bonus features are free conference registration for pre-service teachers and the first timers to the conference session on how to make the most of the conference experience. 

Beyond attending amazing sessions with literacy experts, I will be presenting a workshop with my team, colleague Dr. Michele Haiken and poet Laura Purdie Salas. In our hands-on session, Transforming Writer's Lives with Digital Tools as Powerful Agents to Impact Literacy Instruction, Authenticate Voice, & Present Positive Perspectives, we will present a series of creative and collaborative activities to explore the power of digital tools to affect change in literacy instruction, engage learners as writers, and create agency in classrooms. In addition to presenting and attending sessions, I will be pleased to network with colleagues across the country and meet up with long-time conference friends, literacy experts, and poets, make face-to-face contact with Twitter friends, and be passionately caught up in the learning experience.

As a Wonder Lead Ambassador for Wonderopolis, I will highlight the inquiry/noticing and wondering process in my presentations and hope to connect many educators with the wonders of the Wonderopolis free site. You can find me tweeting from the conference floor and blogging about #ILA16 when I return home. 

Am I excited for this experience? I certainly am and hope that my passion for learning and being an ILA member was heard throughout the interview. You can access the archive of the interview here. 

With the table turned, I was able to experience what it takes to be a good listener and responder during an interview. I also found out just what a small world this is. During the interview, Larry Jacobs asked me if I knew a Twitter colleague, Tom Whitby, here on Long Island. It just so happens that I not only know Tom, a fellow connected educator and author, but I have interviewed him. Larry has known Tom for years so after the interview both Larry and I notified Tom of our meeting on air.

I thank both April Hall and Larry Jacobs for partnering to highlight the International Literacy Association's 2016 Conference and including me as an interviewee and spokesperson.

This post is also visible on my Wonder Ground blog site and can be accessed here.  

The Power of Poetry

On Sunday night, all poets, writters, bloggers, educators, and connected colleagues are invited to participate in #ISTELitChat on Twitter at 9:00 pm EST. Dr. Michele Haiken, moderator, will discuss the topic, The Power of Poetry, with guest moderator Carol Varsalona and guest author and poet, Laura Purdie Salas.

This will be a unique opportunity to bring the voice of poets to the Twittersphere for a professional exchange online. Join the chat that honors voice and the power of the poetic word.

Words, bold or silent, are magical connectors

linking human thoughts into tapestries. 

They can be positive and inspiring-

filled with deep-seated emotions.

They can be bold spoken words 

or silent written ones-

life forces in a world

that has selective 

hearing.

©Carol Varsalona, 2016 

*********************

Give your words life. Engage in the experience of exchanging thoughts on the power of poetry with colleagues from near and far.

Here is the #ISTELitChat question document for your perusal.

My call to action is to continue to weave words into digital inspirations

that will take flight and hopefully impact some receptive hearts.

(Note: The above image was a photo of the heavily-laden trees during the past storm that I digitalized into a rich visual background for my words.)

Please visit Poetry Friday being hosted by my writing colleague, Donna Smith, who opened the Round-up early for business. Donna and I have exchanged blog posts and poems this week at both Laura Shovan's 2016 Found Object Poem Project and Holly Mueller's Spiritual Journey Thursday. You can access the voices of the Poetry Friday writers here. 

My offerings to these sites this week have been varied, proving to me that writing is a daily exercise in creation and can become the seeds of a collection of thoughts.

From my Valentine's Day post

to my Spiritual Journey Thursday post on Irene Latham's one word, delight