Think big: as technology transforms learning, participants at SLJ's Leadership Summit seized upon the profession's greatest opportunities.(2006 SLJ LEADERSHIP SUMMIT)(School Library Journal)(Learning in the 21st Century: The Role of the Library Media Program)(Conference notes)

"WHAT IS A SUMMIT?" asked Brian Kenney, SLJ's editor-in-chief, as the magazine's second summit, "Learning in the 21st Century: The Role of the Library Media Program," got underway. "It's a time to think big, to think differently, and to be challenged in new ways." Kenney went on to say that while there were panel presentations and keynote speakers to help jumpstart people's thinking, everyone at the summit was an expert--with valuable knowledge and experience to share. "The next two days are about conversation, reflection, creation, and maybe even some chaos from time to time."

Held November 3 and 4, 2006, at the Drake Hotel in Chicago, the summit attracted 200 energetic media specialists, administrators, professors, technology leaders, publishers, vendors, and others, who gathered to explore the many ways school library programs and technology can transform learning for today's young people.

Participants were assigned to one of three groups (Technology and Literacy, The School Library in the Information-Rich World, and School Library 2.0) and charged with identifying the "critical opportunities" that technology was creating for school librarians and brainstorming ways to seize those opportunities. On the afternoon of the second day, all three groups came together for a town hall meeting to share and discuss the opportunities they had identified.

Most of the attendees arrived having already done some homework. A summit wiki (sljsummit.pbwiki.com) provided an opportunity for participants to share thoughts and readings before coming to Chicago, as well as a place to share some post-summit reflections. All presentations and working documents can be found either on the wiki or the official summit site (extras.schoollibrary journal.com/summit).

Technology and learning

What does it mean to be literate in the digital world? Is learning different in a digital environment? What are the attributes of 21st-century learners? What can we do differently? These--and other questions--were tackled by the Technology and Learning group.

After the panelists laid the groundwork, the room was divided into groups of six or seven people, utilizing the "Care Conversation" …