Book Blogging

In my Children's Literature course at Jacksonville State University, one of the technology integrations I include is book blogging.  In the classroom, this can be a great tool to motivate children to become life-long readers.  If children do not enjoy reading, it is because they are not doing it right.  What I mean by that is:  If a child is selecting literature that appeals to the senses and interests, reading can be more than a chore....it can be an experience.  I was not a big reader when I was in school.  Then I became a teacher.  I would like to say that my first year of teaching was when it all turned around.  Sadly, I cannot.  For me, reading was something that I did for learning.  There is nothing wrong with that.  To this day, much of the reading that I do is still informational text.  I love to learn new things.  But that is a different kind of reading.  The mind and processes are completely different in informational reading than they are in pleasure reading.  
Now, it is not that I didn't enjoy reading, because I did.  I just found that in the grand scheme of things (working on various post-graduate degrees, planning lessons for classroom, being a mom and wife, and the list goes on) reading fell at the bottom of my list of priorities.  When I did find that moment to sneak in a novel, I totally escaped from reality.  My children went hungry and unbathed. My husband was treated as if he was rudely interrupting a conversation  if he tried to speak with me while I was reading a book.
So, I had to find my medium.  In the midst of my search, I began to dig deeper into all genres of literature, including children's literature.  Then I began to become increasingly interested in learning about technology.  Imagine my delight when I found that my two loves could be combined, and I could still find time to feed and clothe my family!  I had found my balance of reading for enjoyment, without allowing the book to take over my life.
Then, I acquired a position with Jacksonville State University.  The previous instructor had required the students to prepare book blogs.  I was familiar with blogging, but not book blogging.  As I began to investigate the book blogging, I found many advantages:

• It is a great way to motivate children by having peers review and recommend books.
• It is a great way to allow students to respond to the literature.  What kind of person simply reads a book and closes it after reading the last word?  Who can do that?  After all, if you are a reader, you do not merely read a book, you experience it.  Students need to bring closure to the book.  They need to respond. Get their thoughts out.  Voice their opinions and reactions.  
• With book blogs, students see others are reading.  Sometimes all a students needs is a little nudge in the right direction. 
• Students are able to explore various genres.
• Students are able to become more culturally diverse.
• Students can take ownership in creating something that can be shared with their parents, friends, administration, and even the world!
• Students begin to view the world through the eyes of others who have read the books.  By reading reviews and responses to literature, students can begin to explore various perspectives.
• Students are allowed to be creative.
• Students are allowed to practice writing, in the format to which they have become accustomed.
• Students are allowed to practice 21st Century learning with 21st Century tools.

There are many other reasons you will find for using blogs in your classroom.  Blogs do not have to be about books.  You can have students blog about what they are learning in each subject area of the classroom.  The ideas are endless!
There are several free blog sites out there, available for use in the classroom.  My favorite is powered by Google.  Blogger is easy, attractive, and most people already have a YouTube or Gmail account.  Blogger links beautifully to all the Google apps.
Here is an example of my classroom blog that I use in RDG 312, Teaching Children's Literature.
Stop by and see how I use it for my college classes.  Then, try one on for size.  Create your own blog by visiting any of the following suggested websites:

• blogger
• blog.com
• wordpress
• weebly
• wikispaces
• many, many more!

Half Empty or Half Full?

Are you a glass half empty or glass half full kind of person?  Be honest! 

As I left the last day of CORE on Thursday, headed to class, I didn't think my brain could hold any more information.  I had attended several sessions, heard two amazing keynote speakers, and presented a session myself, with my friend Amy.  I needed time to process information.  But can our brains really get full?  I think not.  Once my brain slowed down a little and I was able to process the loads of information that I learned, I was ready to find something else to learn about.  So I guess what I am really getting at is, "Is your brain half empty or half full?"  If it is half empty, that is not a bad thing.  It simply means that you have some room left to learn new things.

One of the tools I have discovered in the last week is infographic-making tools.  For example, here is a link that goes to an infographic and gives a little information about the flipped classroom (something I am becoming increasingly interested in):
 http://www.knewton.com/flipped-classroom/

Infographics can be used by students in the classroom to create responses to literature, book reviews, or even to share their learning in math.  The possibilities could be endless.  Piktochart is one of many infographic makers available.  The tool is free to educators, with a limited selection of templates and designs, of course.  And I am sure there are many others out there that I have not even begun to explore.  Piktochart seems very simple to understand with easy-to-follow instructions.  I am thinking of incorporating these into my college classes as well.

Want to try your hand at creating infographics?  Give Piktochart a try.  Click here to see the site.

As I continue to investigate the many tools available for our use in the classroom, I will pass them along here.  Come back soon!

At the CORE of learning

I am a nerd.  Self-proclaimed, so there's no need for name-calling.  I thoroughly enjoy attending workshops where I either a) learn a lot of new information that can be used in the classroom or b) receive confirmation that I am on the right track in my own classroom.  Both of those things occurred today at CORE Academy, a conference developed by innovative educators from Jacksonville State University.  The conference is designed for college faculty, local educators, and administrators.  The sessions are offered and presented by faculty, teachers, and administrators.
In today's sessions, I gained a fresh, new understand of using modern technologies such as Quick Reference (or QR) codes.  Additionally, I learned a little more about service learning and taking students out of the classroom for learning.
I am thoroughly looking forward to tomorrow's sessions.  I will be posting some of my new findings in the next few days.  Come back soon!