Center for Digital Literacy

The E*LIT project is organized and managed entirely by S.U. students. E*LIT is intended to help children (K-12) in Central New York (and beyond) understand the synergy between technology and literacy. This event has been highly successful in motivating children to read, to work collaboratively, and to use technology in productive ways. With the help of their librarians and classroom teachers, groups of students develop technology-based projects related to a specific author's life and/or work. Each author we select has devoted his/her work to showcasing a minority’s perspective.

The students submit their technology projects electronically to our panel of judges (made up of local public and school librarians, teachers, and grad students) who select the top three projects, based on predetermined criteria. We bring the author and the three winning groups to campus where they attend a presentation by the author and receive prizes for their school libraries, after which they have lunch and a book signing with the author. The top winner presents the winning project to everyone at the event and all projects are viewable on the Center’s Web site.

Every school that enters the competition receives an autographed book for their library. The event is either Webcast to our PLUS schools throughout New York State and beyond or videotaped and made available to any school who would like a copy.

This year's E*LIT event will take place on May 16, 2008 on the Syracuse University campus. For more information on this event, contact us at cdl@syr.edu.