LITE UP Expo 2016

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Library Information Technology Expo: Unlimited Possibilities (LITE UP) in Dallas last week. 

I love going to different “conferences”.  I always leave them charged up and ready to try new ideas.

Angela Maiers was our keynote speaker and her presentation was titled Literacy: Reimagined.  She talked about literacy representing power and how it was a human right.  She discussed joining the literacy club and in order to be a member you had to understand a complex message, convey meaning and rally others.  She also talked about how it’s not a technology divide, but a literacy divide and that being illiterate in the 21^st century means that you can’t learn, unlearn and relearn.  I really enjoyed listening to her and her powerful message.

After hearing our keynote speaker, we had four breakout sessions throughout the remainder of the day. I chose Collabor8: Eight Catalysts to Spark Collaborative Learning, From Halo to the Hunger Games, Coding with Kids and Google Drive + TexQuest = A Match Made in Research Heaven.

In the Collabor8 session, they talked about using various technology tools when collaborating as well as the need to set necessary parameters.  Instead of using the term “norms” use essential agreements.

From Halo to the Hunger Games they stressed the need to look at the library through the eyes of a non-reader, to put reading on your radar and to be a reading ninja. They discussed how they use social media to connect with authors of books that students had read. They also talked about how essential non-tech activities were to reaching reluctant readers.  Activities such as sustained silent reading, genrefying a collection, having a book club and author visits. It all begins with ripples that turn into waves and eventually becomes a tsunami.

Coding with Kids stressed that kids need the opportunity and unique access to do coding. They want kids to be creators, not just consumers. This session entailed a detailed list of different coding websites and apps that could be used with different age levels.

My final session, Google Drive + TexQuest, demonstrated various “tricks” to be used with Google Drive and TexQuest to make researching, note taking and citation easier and more efficient.  With these “tricks”, there should be no more excuses for incorrect citation.

I really enjoyed this Expo and plan to use at least a little from each presentation to make some changes in my library.  I look forward to the next opportunity to learn from my amazing colleagues!

“In this classroom, everyone is a student and everyone is a teacher.”