Not So Distant Future

 I’ve been tagged by a few people for the High School Daze to Praise meme so I thought I’d toss in my contribution! (thanks Diane, Susan, and Doug).

The name of the game started by Paul at Quoteflections is–pick a book you’d recommend for teens, include a photo, entitle it Meme: High School Daze to Praise, and tag four people.

The book I’m picking I haven’t read in awhile, but it’s one of my favorites, called The Day I became an Autodidact by Kendall Hailey.   It’s her account of how she “schools herself”, starting in her junior year of high school, reflecting on her learning, the classics, and everything in between.  Her writing really sparkles and her self-drive and motivation for learning are inspiring.  It may be out of print as it came out in ‘88, but it was inspiring to hear such a strong young voice with such a passion for her own learning.

I tag new bloggers and bloggers from outside the U.S.  If you have only been blogging for the last six months, or live outside the states, I tag you!

image credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/kmtucker/2067237433/

 Today the library held our first “virtual” author visit via Skype.   One of our sophomore English classes, accompanied by teacher Kristy Robins, interviewed children’s and ya author Cynthia Leitich Smith (author of Tantalize and Rain is Not My Indian Name), by means of the text-based chat feature of Skype.

 The engagement level of the students really illustrated the power of bringing an expert into the classroom.  Smith shared insights on how she writes, inspiration for characters in her most recent novel, clues that were embedded in her novels, and her varied career choices.

As for logistics, I set up four generic Skype accounts, and temporarily installed the software on several student stations in our computer lab (since Skype is still being piloted in our district due to chat policies).   Students brainstormed a few questions in class the day prior to the Skype chat, and then we used four scribes along with a teacher account to ask the questions.  We also projected the chat, so students could either gather around their scribe or view the chat on the “big” screen.  

Students were able to add more questions as the chat progressed, and as it went on, it became more spontaneous.   It was difficult for the author to keep up because the students were so eager to ask their questions, but she systematically responded to every student’s question, (and even continued responding after the students left so all their questions would be answered) and you could see students light up as their question was answered, even the humorous ones. (like do you eat garlic?–she does by the way.)

Hearing directly from an author(whose book is actually set in Austin) how she selected characters, how she named them, and how she got started writing was really powerful, and started conversations outside of the chat window as well.   For example, when students asked which character was her favorite character in Tantalize, for example, and she selected what they considered one of the minor characters(Clyde), there was much discussion in the room about it “offline.” 

One of the best parts of the chat was that students were so engaged.    The room was filled with students (and a group of teachers who had come to watch) talking, laughing, exploring how Skype worked, giggling when Smith answered their question, and figuring out what to ask next. 

   The chat turned her books into living things for the students(no pun intended) because by interviewing her, they could see the act of creation, the choices she made, the intentionality behind the writing.   All in all, it was a success–at the end several students asked, “When can we do that again?”      How often do we hear that about a learning activity in our libraries?

Ethan Bodnar (a blogging high school senior) has a clever request for people to share photos of what’s on their bookshelves.

He’s created a flickr group for readers to post a photograph of some of their books as a way to illustrate something about themselves.   What a great project for students as well!

To help him get started, I’m tagging a few of you to share what’s on your bookshelf.   I agree with Ethan that it’s a great way to get to know more about people.

So here’s a shout out to Clay, Kim, Margie, Joyce, Christian(who introduced me to Ethan via his blog), and Diane to share what they are reading!   And I hope others of you feel free to leap in on Ethan’s project–I think it’d be terrific to have some students participate!

(My photo above includes some of the books I’m currently reading, but I have to confess, I also have a teetering stack by my bedside of books I’m dipping in and out of. )

  Happy Earth Day!   Wangari Maathai, who instituted one of my favorite “green” projects, the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, has a new book, Unbowed, about her experiences as a tree planting project turned into a democratic movement in her country.

 I first learned about her efforts from the film, Nobelity Project, which is the inspiration of Austin author Turk Pipkin and his wife, producer Christy Pipkin, who traveled the world (with their school age daughters) interviewing Nobel Prize winners about their recommendations and hopes for the future.  The film is fascinating.

As Desmond Tutu points out in the film,

“The sea is actually made up of drops of water. What you do, where you are, is of significance.”

   The film is available to schools–teachers can either purchase one if they have funds (which also pays for another school without funds to receive one free), or request a free dvd if they do not have funds.

Pipkin is working on a followup to the film, entitled “One Peace at a Time,” inspired by what he learned from the Nobel winners.

What both of these projects remind me of is the question I highlighted in Doug Johnson’s post yesterday.  What one small thing can each of us do to make a difference?

Happy Earth Day!