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2016 Conference

Levar Burton Takes #heweb16 Twice as High

“I believe that literacy is the birthright of every single human being, no exceptions.”

Levar Burton Takes #heweb16 Twice as High

Levar Burton Takes #heweb16 Twice as High

The incomparable Levar Burton came to Memphis and delivered a powerful talk on the importance of reading, literacy, and lifelong learning. To say the #heweb16 crowd loved it doesn’t quite do it justice.

  1. Levar Burton has taken the stage. #heweb16

    Levar Burton has taken the stage. #heweb16
  2. .@levarburton wants us to turn #stem into #stream, adding reading & arts to create more well-rounded children. #heweb16
  3. “I believe that literacy is the birthright of every single human being, no exceptions.” – @levarburton #heweb16
  4. A lifelong learner is my definition of a dangerous individual. That’s what I want to create. Dangerous Individuals. @levarburton #heweb16
  5. Storytelling and imagination is our superpower #heweb16
  6. “There are no pockets in the future. I know, I’ve been there.” @levarburton #heweb16
  7. “Storytelling is an essential cornerstone in developing the human being.” @levarburton #heweb16
  8. Therein lies our superpower – where we focus our imagination. @levarburton Too inspired to contain my feels. #heweb16
  9. Listening to @levarburton speak at #heweb16 brings me back to my childhood, listening to Reading Rainbow
  10. That upon which we focus our imagination, we manifest in our future. @levarburton #heweb16 https://t.co/gm7WCNYJNR

    That upon which we focus our imagination, we manifest in our future. @levarburton #heweb16 pic.twitter.com/gm7WCNYJNR
  11. Every girl wearing these awful fake pocket pants can relate to the vision of the no-pocket-future. #heweb16
  12. …his hero: voracious reader worked 2 jobs to pay for room/board/books not covered by his full scholarship to #USC@levarburton #heweb16
  13. When @levarburton was growing up it was rare to find people in his chosen literature who looked like him. #heweb16
  14. It is the things that we imagine that become the things that we create in this realm. @levarburton #heweb16
  15. “Imagination connects us to our birthright as storytellers.” @levarburton #heweb16
  16. I like @levarburton even more as a person. This speech is wonderfully inspirational. #heweb16
  17. Yes, this! > Reading is as important to the survival of the human being as is breathing, says @levarburton. #heweb16
  18. This is like our own #heweb16 edition of @readingrainbow. I’m learning so much from that familiar voice of my youth. pic.twitter.com/EnGfgoZF1m
  19. Im not a science fiction fan.But I grew up watching StarTrek w/my mom.Pretended I was on the Enterprise.So cool seeing @levarburton #heweb16 https://t.co/AmDSO8GcXJ

    Im not a science fiction fan.But I grew up watching StarTrek w/my mom.Pretended I was on the Enterprise.So cool seeing @levarburton #heweb16 pic.twitter.com/AmDSO8GcXJ
  20. LeVar Burton (Reading🏳️‍🌈, ⭐️️Trek) wants to create dangerous people by arming kids with literacy. Right on! #heweb16
  21. “It may be difficult to imagine how rare it was to see Nichelle Nichols on Star Trek” @levarburton #heweb16 #RepresentationMatters
  22. He credits the determination, standards, & hope of his petite, single-parent #mother for his success. – actor @levarburton, #heweb16 keynote
  23. I get you, @levarburton. My mother is 5’2″ and 63, and she still terrifies me. #heweb16
  24. What is it with this year at #heweb16 ? The sessions and now Levar keep making me think about shifting my parenting process/tactics! :-)
  25. What if… We stopped marketing and told stories instead? @levarburton #heweb16
  26. “There are no limits to what you can accomplish in life expect those you impose on yourself.” –@levarburton #heweb16
  27. “It’s my right to define my destiny for myself.” –@levarburton #heweb16
  28. The narrative and media geek in me is preeeeeettty happy right now. #heweb16
  29. I’m pretty sure that I could just sit here happily and listen to @levarburton read the phone book. #heweb16
  30. @readingrainbow once @levarburton gets back to the office, give him a hug for me. In fact, hugs all around! You are so important! #heweb16
  31. Storytellers are only as effective as their ability to communicate ideas–also, knowing when to zip it and listen. @levarburton #heweb16
  32. Will always be grateful that I watched Roots back then. It helped me understand that my Mississippi schooling left much out. #Roots #heweb16
  33. Honored to be here and listen to Levar Burton at #heweb16 conference. Pretty powerful. Reading is key. https://t.co/MpZxjxcyzw

    Honored to be here and listen to Levar Burton at #heweb16 conference. Pretty powerful. Reading is key. pic.twitter.com/MpZxjxcyzw
  34. Powerful. @levarburton shows ‘what’s your name’ scene from Roots (his first professional acting job.) World changed by that *story* #heweb16
  35. Addressing the elephant in the room: real, physical books vs. e-books. Physical the way we do now is unsustainable. @levarburton #heweb16
  36. Is it possible not to cry (every time) during the whipping scene in Roots? Nope. The answer is nope. Nope. #heweb16 #heweb #alexhaley #
  37. Was thinking the same thing RT @cuevisse: One thing I’ll definitely take away from #heweb16 – I need to watch Roots. @levarburton
  38. “All media is education. The question is, what are we teaching?” @levarburton #heweb16
  39. Reading is more important than the medium. Meet the reader where they are now. @levarburton #heweb16
  40. Paper vs. ebooks? “I don’t care. I simply want our children to read.” – @levarburton @readingrainbow #heweb16
  41. As web profs, we connect students with storytellers (and tell stories ourselves). That’s a huge responsibility. #heweb16 with @levarburton
  42. Reading skills are the foundation of critical thinking. Make it happen. #heweb16 @readingrainbow
  43. This reading rainbow skybrary video is fantastic! I’m just shocked that @levarburton ever wears a red shirt #heweb16
  44. Good question from a #heweb16 audience member about braille and other accessibility approaches to reading, making @levarburton think.
  45. “Learning no longer solely takes place within the walls of the classroom.” – @levarburton #heweb16
  46. Old fear: TV will rot brains. Oh wait, kind of true. All media is educational. The Q: What are we teaching? –@levarburton #heweb16 #literacy
  47. Hearing the @readingrainbow theme song just brought genuine tears to my eyes! Thank you @levarburton! #heweb16
  48. Why am I bawling through @levarburton‘s talk? I think it’s the mom in me. Knowing how important it is to teach my children. #heweb16
  49. “We did 179 episodes of Star Trek—” “And she’s seen all of them!” “The thing is, I haven’t!” @levarburton #heweb16
  50. Did @levarburton really get teary there? Me too. It’s rare you meet somebody so inspiring. 😢 #heweb16
  51. 700 people closed their eyes and were still for 30 seconds just now and it gave me chills. @levarburton #heweb16
  52. His daughter is an example of the girls @6Gems was describing #heweb16
  53. “You have to be expeditiously creative” – @levarburton – Kind of the #heweb16 mantra
  54. I’m so glad I got to hear @levarburton speak. He’s just as engaging as I imagined. Great wrap to #heweb16 !
  55. So many laughs, smiles and tears in the @levarburton keynote for #heweb16. Beautiful.
  56. “Be still. Stand in love. Pay attention.” So much Yes, so much inspiration. Thank you @levarburton #heweb16
  57. “I don’t care what they’re reading. If your kid likes superheroes then damnit buy them comic books.” @levarburton #heweb16
  58. @karamat You said a lot of what I was thinking, but I’m really just too choked up over here. @LavarBurton #heweb16
  59. I love seeing that this group of passionate, creative people holds reading and stories so dear. So many emotions in this room. #heweb16
  60. Oh #heweb16. I love this honest, emotional, SMART Q&A with @levarburton. Thank you for being thoughtful humans & representing so well.
  61. Grateful to hear @levarburton basically say that we writers are important, just like engineers and doctors. Thank you. #heweb16
  62. Virtual hugs to the @readingrainbow social media crew, you’ve been here for us and it means a lot. #heweb16 pic.twitter.com/TKwVRCAK0e
  63. You know a speaker like @levarburton loves and cares about his topic and audience when he stops a question to get someone’s name. #heweb16
  64. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden (@RooseveltU alum) gets a shoutout from @levarburton at #heweb16
  65. Libraries are untapped resources, community repositories. Need a better PR job for value of public libraries. #heweb16 with @levarburton
  66. #heweb16 “We Live in a technological age where no one can stop you from telling your story.”
  67. Stand in love. Because it’s the only sane response to the world we live in. @levarburton #heweb16
  68. “I want so badly to be beamed, I can’t even tell you.” @levarburton #heweb16
  69. “It is courage that is required in the telling of our stories.” @levarburton #heweb16
  70. As far as we’ve come, we haven’t come far enough. We need more voices, more stories, esp in children’s lit. #heweb16 with @levarburton
  71. Power of sound design gets a shoutout from @levarburton – wish I could have used that in last year’s presentation on web sound #heweb16
  72. There is a lack of diversity in children’s literature still. New ideas and mindsets have to emerge to change that. #heweb16 @readingrainbow
  73. @levarburton Thank you so much for including the clip of Roots at #heweb16 and everything else you do.
  74. Thank you @levarburton for making this future librarian excited, but excited for my current profession in higher ed #heweb16 😊
  75. If you are exposed to enough of the variety that this world has to offer, eventually you will find yourself. #heweb16 w @levarburton
  76. Man I am tearing up simply reading the tweets about @levarburton ‘s keynote. Thank you all for re-focusing me #heweb16
  77. “We would like to thank @levarburton so, so much. I can’t even… I can’t even!” @LoriPA #heweb16

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