Session #1 - We Begin - May 1st

You may want to begin by listening to this welcome and "shape of things to come" chat/message from the authors...

Session #1:
Welcome to our book study of Teaching with Author Web Sites!
Tapping Author Websites for Teaching and Learning is a powerful approach; one that’s full of promise, value, and exciting surprises. We’ll be reading, reflecting, and sharing ideas, for sure. But we’ll also be experimenting, investigating, and making inspiring discoveries as we go through these 3 sessions together, I promise!

Please check back to this blog periodically, post your thoughts, reactions, and discoveries as blog “comments”. And, bringing the process full circle, please respond to the posts of others.  And by all means, include links to things you find or want the rest of the group to know about, too!

By the way, I reconnected with Dr. Rose Reissman, my co-author in creating this book, recently. And Rose has agreed to participate alongside us. She’ll be posting comments and, I think, coming up with some surprises to share with us all. I visited her the other day at Ditmas Middles School in Brooklyn, where I saw her in usual form, captivating kids and pushing the Literacy Learning envelope! Welcome to the party, Dr. Rose!  NOTE: A couple of the focus questions below were emailed to me by Rose just a few minutes ago….
So, here’s the plan for participation in this, our first of 3 book study sessions (do as much of any of the below as you are moved to):
Read – The book was conceived to present the use of Author Websites in a comprehensive way to teachers who aren’t currently using Author Websites, or who are unaware of their value and applicability. This includes teachers who are sophisticated in technology use (but who haven’t hit on authors sites yet), newbie tech users, and non tech using teachers, alike.

The book is conveniently divided into 6 chapters. There are some other items, too; an introduction and a resource list, for instance. Although you may want to read my 5 page introduction before delving into this session’s chapters, I will be targeting that as part of session 3’s reading. I wrote the introduction to bring non-technology using generalist teachers into our fold. However, I believe it is of high relevance to us from the perspective of our role as technology using teacher models/leaders. And so, I will list it later on to be read with chapter 6 in session 3, a chapter that outlines how and why teachers can and should create their own Author Websites and variations.
For this session, please read Chapters 1) “Welcome to the World of Authors and Readers Online”, and 2) “Getting Started: Beginning to Explore and Use Digital Author Resources with Eric Carle.”

As you go through these chapters please reflect on and share with the group:  any ideas that resonate that may be new to you, reactions or responses to the ideas presented, and any enhancements that you feel may be added to what’s in the chapter. If you have an anecdote to share about one of the practices or resources covered (or a similar one) please share that as well as any websites or other resources you discover!

Reflect (and share your reflections) –
1)      If you were able to get an author your students study into your classroom, what kinds of questions or activities would you plan for the author or prompt the students to request from the author?
2)      Select an author of fiction or non-fiction who lived and died prior to the Internet. Think of how you and your student readers might want to present that person's work and persona on an author site- i.e. Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Langston Hughes, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Franz Kafka, and Jonathan Swift.

3)      The chapters explain how Author Websites prove useful in teaching traditional Literacy practices, like Procedural Narrative writing, eliciting student created questions to focus author study, (author) Read Aloud, etc. Do you see connections to other established Literacy Practices that you feel can similarly be facilitated by the use of Author Websites?

Investigate and Report – 1) Go to one of the websites covered in the chapters. What did you find there that surprised you, or at least captured your attention? What’s provided on these sites that you feel is of particular value in fostering student Literacy understandings and the love of books? 

2) List a few or your own favorite authors, especially any you feel may have something to offer students.  Next, go online and search for websites for them: a) Do they have their own website? b) Are there other websites for them of value (e.g. Site set up by their publisher? Set up by fans or others?)

3)  While authors are keen to make use of today’s digital media resources to connect with and provide value for their readers, they are not necessarily technology sophisticates.  Are there approaches, resources, items that you’d recommend to one of the authors whose sites you reviewed?

I’ll be checking this blog periodically and hope to see your thinking and discoveries posted here!

Collegially,

Mark Gura

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