On May 16th, the Center for Digital Literacy will host its 5th Annual E*LIT (Enriching Literacy through Information Technology) Event, featuring award winning children's author Uma Krishnaswami. 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.
School Media Specialists, students, and teachers in the surrounding area have created literacy projects using a variety of mediums based on the life of Ms. Krishnaswami. Each authors, and MS. Krishnaswami is no expectation, has devoted his/her work to showcasing a minority’s perspective.
Uma began writing at the ripe old age of ten and shortly thereafter began sending her writing into magazines. When she turned thirteen she became a published writer when her poem was published in "Children's World," a children's magazine begun in India by a farsighted man called Shankar who drew cartoons and believed in kids. Although she remembers very little of the poem, her love affair with writing began at the thrill of seeing her name in print.

Uma’s writing is one of perception and diversity. She says (of writing from her blog), “the impression in many circles, publishing and otherwise, that stories from a given culture are mainly, even only, of interest to those within that culture. You often hear the word "niche" in connection with such work, and it's really a cop-out in some ways. It implies that kids will only read work that reflects their worlds, and I think kids are a whole lot smarter than that - they will read compelling stories, and they'll read them over and over.”

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.

The event will be located in the Syracuse Law School in Grant Auditorium with the presentation beginning at 10:00am. This event is being sponsored by the Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professorship, Microsoft, and Apple. Please join us for an extraordinary day.