Saving Schools: History & Politics of US Schools
Critical Issues in Urban Education
Teaching with Technology & Inquiry
Library Advocacy Unshushed
I don't remember if I looked at Udacity before. It seems mainly geared toward programming. I am interested in many of the offerings here but will have to leave them until I feel I have some time to devote to this topic.
I went to the EdWeb Webinars link and somehow stumbled upon the following archived webinar:
Edweb.net Session #60: Promoting Independent Reading
I really like some of the ideas and the sites that are suggested for logging and/or reviewing books read.
One of the things that is mentioned is getting teachers to read also. In my school, I started an "adult" lending library. I have two bookshelves in my library designated for staff. The borrowing rules are that books do not have to be checked out, nor do they have a due date. Staff is free to take a book or two and either return when they are finished or donate another book in place of the book borrowed. It is totally on the honor system. There is a separate shelf for magazines which do not have to be returned at all. The books I put on the shelves come from my personal collection and from garage sales. If I see a book that I particularly enjoyed at a garage sale, I buy it and put it in my library for lending (or keeping). The magazines are ones that I am done with or I get them by the bag from the public library.
Another interesting idea is to "genrefy" your library. I often have students ask me where the "scary" books are. Since I have about 10 minutes to scan the check-outs of all the students in each class, my usual response to this question is to point to the shelf with the Goosebumps books on it. If all of the "scary" or "suspenseful" or "horror" books were shelved together it would be easier for me to point them out without limiting the student to the R.L. Stine books. The webinar host also talked about the different labels we put on these types of books. "Horror" might work better than "scary" in some libraries, while "suspense" might work better in others. We each know our populations and we know which label will work the best. In this webinar, 5 librarians were interviewed on how to promote independent reading. The librarian that brought up Genrefied Libraries is named Sherry Gick. Sherry also stated that arranging books in sections by genre does not require creating new call numbers for all of the books when adding a genre sticker will be sufficient. I am starting to really consider doing this in my library. It seems like it might be a lot of work but if it gets kids to be more successful in finding books that they will read then I am willing to put in the time. When I look for books to read in the virtual library that I use most often (NYPL.org) I browse by genre.
I could write 10 more paragraphs on the information in this webinar. It was just over an hour long and had a huge range of ideas to promote reading. I think I'm going to include this in my Resource Guide that I am creating for my collegial circle and for Thing 23.
I just opened an email from Audible.com that I have had for a while. It said the following:
Your membership now includes unlimited listening to premium shorter programs, featuring ad-free podcasts, news, comedy, and exclusive shows.
- Curated. New content daily, selected by our editors.
- Convenient. Listen when you have a few minutes or are in-between books.
- Cost free. Unlimited listening is included with your membership.
I decided to browse the channels that they are offering and found some really exciting topics that I can now listen to for free. I use audible for audio books that I want to own or can't get from the public library. It costs 14.95 a month but for that fee you get one credit which purchases any book that they have available. Most of my listening comes from the NYPL but I purchase books by authors that I know I love or books I have read and want to have in my collection to listen to over and over again. Some of the more than 70 channels they have available for free podcasts are:
60 minutes of Fear
7 Days with Edgar Allen Poe
Healthy in 10 Minutes
History
Horror
Learn Something Amazing
The Onion: Audio News
Throwback Thursday
True Crime
These are just a few of the ones that I'm interested in! I regret not paying attention to that email sooner.
After looking at your Listly list of projects from past DIYer's, I decided to explore Khan Academy. The first course that caught my attention was the one on Art and Art History. As a hobby I explore many different kinds of art but have never taken a course on the subject. I like to draw and I make mosaic art of varying kinds. I will attach some pictures of the things I've done. I am very interested in pursuing some of the topics offered here.
I started listening to Crash Course: World History. It is 42 lessons and the lecturer, John Green is very entertaining. I could see this being useful with older students. I am currently up to the 6th lesson and am enjoying it very much. The speaker talks very fast but last night I found an interactive transcript option that shows what he is saying in print. That helps a lot, especially with some of the ancient city names.
The content of the website is arranged by topic and the Math section is further broken down by grade level. I wish the other subjects were broken down by grade level. I would love to be able to use some of the shorter lessons in the library however, math is one thing that I don't teach much of. I can see this being of use to classroom teachers. I also can see introducing it to students in grades 3 and up, showing them how to sign up, and having them complete some of the math lessons. I am going to listen to some of them and see if this might be something that I include in my resource guide Libguide.
After looking at some of the Math lessons I think I am going to include a lesson in my Libguide about signing up for Khan Academy. I can see some of my intermediate students being interested in the math lessons. I like that they are a mixture of lessons and practice modules. I also like the way it keeps track of what you were last learning so you can pick up where you left off. I think being able to jump around to different lessons and topics will appeal to some students. I wish I had known about this site when I was a classroom teacher. The videos are great and would have been a great supplement to the lessons I did. I am going to send the link to the teachers in my building, although I am not sure if they will have time to use them in the classroom since much of what is taught now is mapped out for them (unfortunately).
My learning goal for summer is to work on some of the topics I missed in High School. You would think having two master's degrees that I would have the basic knowledge that is taught in grades 10-12 but I don't. I do not know much about history.....oops! Perfect opportunity to break into song! Seriously, it is surprising how much basic knowledge is missed out on by not attending high school. I had to take some of the subjects in college, like biology and math but things like World History and Literature are not required. I was never forced to read The Scarlet Letter and believe me, unless forced, it doesn't happen. I have tried to read some of the classic literature that is required reading...or used to be required reading in high school but have not completed much of it. I love to read but I am not a fan of older classic literature. I like Shakespeare but again, without some incentive and direction, I lose focus. One way I have made up for some of my missing knowledge is by reading the Cliff Notes of some of the classics. When I go to garage sales I pick up the Cliff Notes when I see them. It isn't the same as getting to discuss the book and hear how it is "supposed" to be interpreted. Granted, I'm not sad that I don't have to write comparison papers or guess at an author's hidden meaning but I would love to be told what the hidden meanings are!
One last thing before I end this "thing". I'm sure you are sick of reading. It's just that learning is my "thing" and I get excited to discover all these free classes! I just looked at your link to Empowering Yourself as a Digital Citizen. I started the course and am excited to see that the majority of the professors teaching the class are from Empire State University. That is where I earned my undergraduate degree in Business Administration. So independent learning is not new to me. I happen to love it! I'm sure I mentioned this before, so I won't go into it too much. One of my master's degrees, the one in Library and Information Management was completed in an on-line format. How exciting Empire State must be now that on-line learning is possible. At the time I attended, all my work had to be taken in or mailed. How things have changed.
So to summarize, I plan on completing the World History Crash Course and the Digital Citizen course. Next I would like to take the Art History course. Then over the summer I plan on completing the courses that I mentioned earlier on EdX. It's going to be an exciting nerdy summer! Thank you for this "thing". It is one of my favorites!
