Flex Your Reading Muscle!

Ahhh, spring -- The time when flowers bloom, baseball starts up, thoughts turn to getting in shape for the approaching summer, and...reading! Oh wait, were you not thinking of reading?

Well, I hope you will put it on your to-do list! Although reading isn't exactly a muscle, it is a skill that needs attention to grow. Just as you invest time to exercise to make your body fit, you need to flex your reading muscle -- by reading -- to improve your mind.

There's good news too...There are so many reading choices! If a lot of time has passed since you last flexed that reading muscle, start out easy -- Try a magazine, a graphic novel, the newspaper. What matters is that you are reading. As mentioned in previous posts, maybe you can opt to download a book to an e-reader or listen to an audiobook.

Maybe you'll decide to get back into reading a novel. Have you ever read books by James Patterson ("Maximum Ride" series), Sarah Dessen, Laurie Halse Anderson? Want something different? Try The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

What about nonfiction? You might like reading about something to do with the environment, something about politics, sports, other.

Just as with exercise, you need to change it up. If you always read the same kind of thing, you're not flexing that reading muscle as much as you might. So, go out there and exercise -- your body and your mind! Kick up your reading, and you may be surprised how much you enjoy it!

One last thing...I'll be happy to make suggestions for you, if you're not sure where to start. Just ask!

Seriously, give it a try - You might surprise yourself!

Trying Out Google Docs

Do you love using Google when you need to look up something? Most of us do. Were you aware that there is SO much more to Google than just simple searching? Next time you go to www.google.com, check out some of the other features that are on the same line as Web, Images, and Maps.

Google Docs is a suite of applications that includes documents, spreadsheets, presentation, drawing, and forms. As I learned in the webinar I participated in yesterday, the drawing format is new. Google Docs continues to evolve.

If you have not used Google Docs yet, it is (they are?) quite easy to use. You need to create a gmail (Google mail) account. You can create a document/spreadsheet/presentation/etc. and then invite others to view/edit your document. When you have a gmail account established, someone else can invite you to edit his/her document.

The best part of Google Docs is that it offers a collaborative webspace for creating and editing these various types of documents. Think of the possibilities! Whether for brainstorming ideas, planning lessons, drafting newsletters, tracking team statistics, or many other purposes, Google Docs is a great way to work together - collaborate - without being in the same physical space. Google Docs is web-based, and as such, it is available wherever you have Internet access.

I urge you to try out Google Docs!!

School Library Month

This April is the 25th annual observation of School Library Month! According to the American Library Association, "Every April school librarians are encouraged to create activities to help their school and local community celebrate the essential role that strong school library programs play in a student's educational career. The 2010 theme will be "Communities Thrive @ your library."

In keeping with this theme, I am pleased to offer a presentation to the Board of Education and the NMHS PTO to showcase some of the Web 2.0 applications that I use and that I encourage our students and teachers to use. The presentation will be this Tuesday, April 13th at 7:00 PM, and we will meet in Room 240 - across the hall from the Library. Seating is limited, but I hope all BOE and PTO members will try to join me!

I hope you will agree with the statement made by the 2010 Spokesperson for School Library Month, award-winning young adult author Laurie Halse Anderson: "School libraries are the foundation of our culture, not luxuries.”

Whether the medium is print or online, school libraries are vital to the success of our students. Numerous studies and reports point to the correlation between student achievement and the presence of a certified school library media specialist in each school's library media center.

Please click on the following links for more information:

http://www.blogger.com/www.davidvl.org/research.html

http://http://www.blogger.com/www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslarchive/resourceguides/studentachievement.cfm

During School Library Month, please make every effort to learn more about our school's valuable resource, the Library Media Center. I am always happy to fill you in on the services we offer.

Teachers: Learn More about Web 2.0

Although this post is available to all, I hope to attract the attention of teachers with it. Here is a newly-launched ebook that you can download for free. Just click on the link, http://www.terry-freedman.org.uk/web2_2010/Amazing%20Web%202%20Projects.pdf, and you will have many Web 2.0 resources and lesson plans! Did I mention it's free???

Please give this a try. I'm certain that you will find something here that you can use as is or that you can tweak enough to make it just right for your classes. If you find something of interest, please let me know!! If you need assistance, I will be happy to see if I can help.

Web 2.0 apps are new for all of us! If you haven't tried any out yet, the ideas given here might provide the motivation you need.

I look forward to hearing from you -- Please feel free to respond to this post to let the NMHS community (and beyond) know what idea(s) you will try.

Remember that I am eager to collaborate with you on lessons, especially those involving Web 2.0 technologies. Let's discuss how we can work together!

The United Message at TEDxNYED

On Saturday, March 6th, I attended my first TEDxNYED event. At the suggestion of my principal, Eric Sheninger, I applied to this full-day conference about learning in the 21st century. I am so glad that my application was accepted, as it was a terrific experience! I will provide just a few of the gems that I gleaned there.

I want to know your thoughts about the ideas included here, so please post a comment!!

Online community organizer Andy Carvin spoke about getting teens involved in online volunteering. He gave examples of how using social media has helped to save lives, including during the recent/current crisis in Haiti.


Cultural anthropologist Mike Wesch spoke about the critical need for our students to be more than "knowledgeable"; they must be "knowledge-able".


MIT Professor Henry Jenkins spoke of the effects of participatory media on young people and the fact that social networking allows for a participatory culture.


"Chief Openness Officer" David Wiley gave the important message that without sharing there is no education. He highlighted the idea that our new technologies give us an unprecedented capacity to share and educate. However, we must still overcome the challenge of policies that block valuable websites and do not encourage openness.


Associate professor Jeff Jarvis discussed the notion that our schools are stuck in an outmoded industrial-age model. He stated that our schools should become incubators to identify and grow students' interests rather than remain factories where so-called mastery is often memorization! He stressed that we need to stop the "culture" of standardized tests and emphasize authentic learning.


Chris Lehmann, creator and principal of Philadelphia's Science Leadership Institute, gave a strong conclusion to the day's presentations. He talked about the "maddening paradox" of education in 2010, where we can do amazing things, but nobody cares unless you can pass the test. He said that while technology may not help students pass the test, it will help them learn. To be successful and functional in today's world, he posited that students must be able to think for themselves. Technology provides avenues to accomplish this goal by enabling students to create, research, collaborate, present and network.

Other speakers made equally good and important presentations. Trust me that I am barely scratching the surface in this post. There was tremendous consensus on the part of all presenters about the direction that education must take in order to prepare our students for our current and future world.

While the bulk of the day showcased these presenters and more, participants also had ample opportunity to "meet and greet" and compare notes with other educators. In doing so, I made a contact that I expect will result in my learning from someone who has already used a Web 2.0 app that I would like to try.

It is always excellent to be able to have such conversations with professional colleagues. The give-and-take allows us each to move forward without having to reinvent the wheel. The sharing that occurred at TEDxNYED and that occurs regularly through online vehicles such as nings and Twitter results in new ideas and strategies that help educate our students in 2010.

Let's Hear from You!

I'd like to know what books you have enjoyed lately. Let's use this blog as a place to exchange ideas. I encourage you to write a response to my post -- It's easy, just click on the word "comments" at the end of this post.

We definitely have readers in this school -- Some of you prefer mysteries, some prefer fantasies, some prefer romance, and some prefer to read nonfiction. So, what have you read recently that you might recommend?

For those of you who believe it would be good for you to read more, but you're not sure where to start, you might find some suggestions in my blog posts. Of course, I would love to chat with you about your interests and see if I can make some book suggestions for you. Again, as I mentioned last post, please take a look at www.shelfari.com or www.goodreads.com to get some other ideas. If you scroll down my blog page, and look to the right, you will see my Shelfari bookshelf. Please click "next" to see more of the books on my shelf. If you hover your mouse over any of the books, you will see either my review or the publisher's blurb about the book.

Do any of you use a Kindle or another e-reader? Feel free to post a comment on this blog to let us know how you like using it.

As for me, I have just finished reading Sarah's Key. It is Holocaust fiction, and it is very moving. Next up? I will read BookChat!'s next book, Wintergirls. I also want to read John Grisham's short story collection - all with a legal theme -Ford County. Jodi Picoult's newest book, House Rules, is now available too.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon!!!!

Making Connections

Making Connections --- That's what it's all about!

One of the many pleasures of reading is to share what you have read with friends and other people who like books. Online, there are several social book networking websites that offer you just that. Even if you aren't sure what you'd like to read next, these services can make you aware of many books you might enjoy.

All you need to do is register with a username and password. It's free, easy, and it gives you a chance to reflect on your reading too. You will be able both to inform others (your own friends and new online "friends") about books that you have loved/disliked/other as well as learn from others about titles you have not yet encountered.

Give it a try!

The one that I use is Shelfari (www.shelfari.com). If you look to the lower right side of this blog, you will see part of my Shelfari bookshelf. Click on the next button to see additional titles I have placed there. With Shelfari, you can build a bookshelf containing books you have already read, books you are currently reading, and books you hope to read in the future. Once you read a book, you can write a review for others to see. You can join or form a group to discuss a certain genre of book. You can view the most popular and the most highly recommended titles. You can also search titles by subject or tags. If you click on the cover of one of the books, it will open a page that provides information about that book.

Another website to consider is Goodreads (www.goodreads.com). It is similar to Shelfari, and it is also easy to use. There is a feature that offers additional interactivity: book quizzes and trivia; books selected authors are reading; book quotes popular with members; and a place to submit your writing. You can also install a Goodreads app on Facebook.

Please write a comment to this post to let me know if you have tried Shelfari, Goodreads, or a different social book networking site. Happy reading!