Literacy Now

At the International Literacy Association 2015 Conference, expect the unexpected. General Session speakers are always champions of literacy, but this year there is an extra flash of celebrity with a legendary athlete and an Academy Award winner. Both will bring entertainment and inspiration to the stage in St. Louis.

First, one of the most successful athletes of all time participates when Shaquille O’Neal takes the stage for the Opening General Session on Saturday, July 18. A professional basketball player for 19 years, O’Neal has diversified from sports to rap music to acting and more.

In 2012, he earned an EdD from Barry University in leadership and education. He’s also written several books, including Little Shaq (Bloomsbury USA Children’s), due for release in October.

He reinforces his commitment to children, community, and education through his support of the Boys and Girls Club of America.

Octavia Spencer will wrap up the conference at the Closing General Session on Monday, July 20. Spencer will share her story of overcoming learning difficulties to succeed in school, and what led to her eventually foray into children’s books with her Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective series. Spencer is best known for her Oscar-winning turn as Minny Jackson in The Help, but can be seen in theaters now co-starring with Kevin Costner in Black or White.

The March/April issue of Reading Today magazine will feature in-depth looks at the General Session speakers as well as a host of other conference-related highlights. The issue will be available online to nonmembers. To get Reading Today delivered to your home, become a member of ILA.

The ILA 2015 Conference will be July 18-20 in St. Louis, MO, with more than 6,000 educators ready to transform their practice. Key topics affecting literacy featured at the conference include content literacy, children’s literature, classroom engagement, and professional development. In addition to conference favorites, including a revamped Teaching Edge series, there will be plenty of brand new features like the Author Meetups. More than 120 exhibitors will be on hand with new tools and technologies for all manners of literacy education.

Preconference institutes, which take place on July 17, offer an all-day deep dive into topics including culturally responsive instruction and building literacy through project-based learning. You do not need to register for the full Conference & Exhibits to take part in the preconference institutes.

Learn more about the conference programs at ilaconference.org. Register today for the ILA 2015 Conference to take advantage of special Early Bird pricing.

April Hall is editor of Literacy Daily. A journalist for about 20 years, she has written and edited for newspapers, websites, and magazines. She covered a great deal of educational issues including the roll-out of both Race to the Top and Common Core State Standards.

With registration for ILA 2015 Conference underway, it is possible to get hung up on how to register online. In just a few steps, you can be all set to join us for a single day, the entire conference or the pre-conference deep-diving institutes July 18-20 in St. Louis, MO.

What you’ll need

• Computer
• Online access
• IDs (ILA member number/password, student ID, guest full name/phone number)
• Credit card

Special notes

• Check out the ILA Conference website for information including general sessions speakers, highlights of the conference, and frequently asked questions.
• The Conference iPlanner offers details on sessions and pre-Conference institutes.
• While registering, do not use your browser’s “back” or “forward” buttons. There are “previous” and “next” buttons on the registration site you can use without losing the information you’ve already entered.
• After completing each page, use the “next” button to move on.

Login

If you are a member, use your ILA username and password. If you have purchased a book from ILA, you, too, have a login you can use for registration. You cannot create a login from the same e-mail address with which you bought a book.

Registration Info

There are simple questions here. If you have a login, it will automatically fill in the required fields, except for emergency contact information. This is where you can also request special assistance at the conference, should you need it.

If you are a member, you will move on to register for the conference, first choosing how many days you will attend. 

On this page you'll also be able to sign up for the new Author Meetup where attendees will be able to spend time chatting with children's authors, in addition to walking away with an autographed book from each writer in your preferred reader age group (4-10 or 11+). Also sign up here for Institutes, a daylong deep dive into subjects including Transforming Adolescents' Lives Through Literacy and Best Practices for Children in All Areas of Early Literacy Instruction. Both add-ons have a separate fee that will be included at checkout.

If you are not a member, you will have the opportunity to join as a regular or student member. All members are eligible for a deep discount on Conference registration.

Author Luncheon

These events provide a relaxed break in the day for a nice lunch and a chance to hear accomplished authors share their stories with you. This year's speakers are Meg Cabot, William Joyce and Nick Bruell. This is the page to register for the luncheons at an additional cost. This cost, like those for the Institutes or Author Meetup, will be added at checkout.

Add a Guest

You are welcome to bring a guest to author luncheons. This is where those guests are registered.

Questionnaire

Help us get to know you a little better. Answer a few quick questions before finishing up your registration

Check Out

Your conference total can be placed on a credit card. This page has the standard online purchasing fields.

Your confirmation will include your conference badge. Print this out at home for free.

Hotel Registration

Start with the list of hotels affiliated with the Conference.

After choosing the hotel, enter all the necessary information to reserve your room. You will not need a credit card for this page.

Now you’re ready to transform your practice in St. Louis!

Log on to our very first #ILAchat this week! With a focus on literacy coaching, our experts will answer questions on how to be an effective coach, successes of coaching and potential pitfalls to avoid.

With the rise of teacher leaders, many educators find themselves playing more than one role in the classroom. In addition to daily duties, they are working as a coach for their own classes and for colleagues. Experts weighing in on Thursday’s Twitter chat will share some tricks of the trade and guidance on what being a coach is all about.

Kathy Perret (@KathyPerret) is an educational consultant focused on enhancing learning opportunities and growth for instructional coaches, teachers and administrators. Her specialty areas include leadership team development and facilitation, literacy and technology integration.

She is the co-moderator of the weekly #educoach Twitter chat focused on Instructional Coaching.  Kathy is the author of the popular educational blog, Learning is Growing , where she shares her passion for empowering and inspiring educators so they can impact student learning. She also offers trainings and virtual coaching sessions.

Elena Aguilar has worked in public education for 20 years. She has been a classroom teacher, a site-based instructional coach, a leadership coach for principals and administrators, and the manager of a team of coaches. The majority of her work as an educator was in the Oakland Unified School District.

Aguilar (@artofcoaching1) is a consultant and works with schools, districts, and educational organizations across the country. She is also the author of The Art of Coaching: Effective Strategies for Transforming Schools (Jossey-Bass, 2013) and is working on a book on coaching teams. She writes for Edutopia and EdWeek Teacher.

Join @ILAToday in the #ILAchat at 8 p.m. ET Thursday, Feb. 12. Be sure to use the hashtag so you don’t miss a single post!

More than 6,000 literacy educators and experts from around the world will be at the 2015 Annual Conference in St. Louis, MO, in July. Registration for the conference is now open!

With the theme “Transforming Lives Through Literacy,” this will be International Literacy Association’s inaugural conference, offering a host of new experience for conference-goers while carrying on the tradition of inspiring educators and transforming practices through general session talks, hands-on learning, and community building.

Among the celebrated speakers to participate in the conference, basketball legend and author Shaquille O’Neal will speak about how his passion for learning transformed his own life and inspired him to pursue a doctorate degree and become an author. In addition, Octavia Spencer, best known for her critically acclaimed performance as Minny in the film The Help, will share the story of her struggle with dyslexia and how her passion for mystery novels encouraged her to take up reading and inspire others to do the same.

“This year’s conference marks a turning point for the International Literacy Association,” explains Marcie Craig Post, ILA Executive Director. “Now more than ever we stand behind the need to advance literacy as a whole, not just reading. Literacy educators and leaders are the foundation of this vision, and for that reason, we are honored to be able to provide the forum to advance the dialogue on literacy in our effort to make literacy accessible to all.”

The conference will feature more than 300 sessions on key topics affecting literacy educators today, including content literacy, children’s literature, classroom engagement, innovation, international literacy instruction, and professional development. In addition, the revamped Teaching Edge series will pair some of the brightest minds in the field for an engaging look at the latest literacy topics, as well as practical ideas and resources for the classroom and beyond. Attendees will also have the opportunity to test new tools and technologies from more than 120 companies in the ILA 2015 Exhibit Hall.

For more information, or to register for the conference, visit ilaconference.org.

Education is not static. There must be adaptation, adjustment, even flat out change. Literacy is no different. But how far does change reach in the classroom? What happens when there is resistance somewhere in the chain?

January’s #IRAChat will answer these questions and more with an expert on shaking things up in the classroom.

Jennie Magiera is a White House Champion of Change for her work using technology in education. She is the digital learning coordinator for the Academy for Urban School Leadership in Chicago where she oversees the tech in 32 public schools. She was also honored with Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Certified Teacher and CPS’ 2012 Tech Innovator of the Year. She is all about professional learning and embracing the need for change and the power of change everywhere in school.

“Growing and progress require change,” Magiera said. “We must be willing to take risks to move forward and become better versions of ourselves!”

The chat will be 8 p.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 8 and Magiera said she is looking forward to the #IRAChat and hopes to encourage fellow educators.

“I hope that educators can connect with new colleagues and come away with new and inspiring ideas!” she said.

Log on and share your ideas Thursday night. Don’t miss a tweet by following #IRAChat and check in on IRA’s Twitter account.