Now Accepting Proposals for the Digital Literacy Conference

This summer, the Learning Technology Center (LTC) is proud to host a timely conference centered on one of today’s most relevant edtech topics – digital literacy. At the Digital Literacy Conference, educators from across Illinois will gather together to share their experiences with teaching news literacy, media literacy, digital citizenship, and so much more.

We want you to be part of this conference’s team of presenters! If you have experience working with or teaching digital literacy, then we want you to submit a presentation proposal today. Together with your peers in K-12 education, we can collectively chart a course for teaching this critical new literacy.

What is the Digital Literacy Conference?

The LTC is leading a brand-new conference which strives to make digital literacy front of mind for educators of all domains and grade levels. Today’s students need these new literacy skills to succeed in school and beyond, so we’ve created the Digital Literacy Conference to serve as a spark for innovative digital literacy education across Illinois.

Over the course of this one-day virtual event, the Digital Literacy Conference will offer an assortment of presentations focused on practical digital literacy pedagogy. These presentations will be separated into nine strands, ranging from computer literacy to digital resource ethics. Together, these strands will offer educators an opportunity to engage with the most important aspects of digital literacy in a single, content-rich gathering.

At its core, the Digital Literacy Conference is focused on reaching individuals with a stake in teaching digital literacy or guiding curricular decisions relating to digital literacy. With that in mind, we are inviting teachers, administrators, technology coaches, and library media specialists to take part in this conference, both as speakers and as participants.

What type of proposals are being accepted?

The Digital Literacy Conference is accepting proposals across its several core strands, including the following:

Computer Literacy

Presenters under this strand will offer their understanding of computer language and digital networks in general. This includes discussions on cybersecurity and privacy, as well as best practices for collecting and utilizing data at an individual or institutional level.

Digital Communication

This strand will primarily focus on the impact digital channels have on contemporary communication. This includes the influence of modern communication channels utilized both in and out of the classroom, including texts, emails, social media, and more. Sessions in this strand may also branch out to larger issues relating to digital communications, including the rights of users and societal norms for online engagement.

Digital Tattoos

Like a “digital footprint”, a “digital tattoo” describes the body of information and data left behind by someone as they interact online. These two words are not synonyms, however. Unlike a “digital footprint,” which can be scrubbed away over time, a “digital tattoo” is both permanent and personal.

As a result, today’s students must build an understanding of how their words, pictures, and actions online can follow them – for better and for worse – well into adulthood. This strand will focus on these kinds of discussions, and center around the best ways students can foster mindful curation of their own “digital tattoo.”

Other Strands

The Digital Literacy Conference is also interested in proposals on a variety of other relevant topics, including:

• Information & News Literacy
• Visual Literacy
• Media Literacy
• Ethical Uses of Digital Resources
• Digital Citizenship

You can find full descriptions for each of these strands over on the conference homepage.

When is the deadline for proposal submissions?

Proposals for the Digital Literacy Conference are due on March 26, 2021. Applicants will receive notification of their acceptance soon after the deadline.

Where can I submit a proposal?

If you are interested in submitting a proposal, visit our conference homepage and click the yellow button labeled “Submit a Proposal”.

Stay Tuned for More Updates on #DigLitCon

In the coming weeks, we’ll have more exciting updates about the Digital Literacy Conference, including an announcement about participant registration.’

To keep up with the latest on the Digital Literacy Conference, follow the LTC on social media (@ltcillinois on Twitter and Facebook) or subscribe to our monthly newsletter. More information on the conference, including descriptions of every conference strand, can also be found on the #DigLitCon homepage.