Reading 2.0: Where is the Love?

My cousin Laura Nadler Scott just published her first book, Where is the Love?

As described by award-winning journalist and writer Mikey Rox, the "story of little Leni Lovebird reminds us that it's all too easy to take what we have for granted and that often it's what's in front of our eyes that we fail to see. In the end though, we always end up back where we belong: Home. Fitting, too: that is where the heart is, after all."

As I went to the publisher site to check out the book preview, what struck me was that the entire book is available in a beautiful digital format using ISSUU. Which you can view here.



I continued through the publisher site and saw that there were several other books available like this one:



Then I went to the ISSUU site and there are so many free digital publications available there that will become a powerful resource for any innovative educator and their students. What is even most powerful is that with a site like this every student and teacher has the ability to become a published author for free by publishing works such as this one from nine-year-old Dylan Matthew Winger a student who has moved from 20th century "Hand-it-in Writing" to 21st century "Publish-it Writing."



However, just like with Tweeting, perhaps the most powerful transformation in 21st century reading, writing, and publishing is the power of the conversation which is not possible with paper books and rarely occurs with hand-it-in writing. You see books published on ISSUU provide book and magazine authors and their readers the unique ability to have a conversation by providing commenting and rating functionality.

Additionally, the site also provides analytics which give writers insight into their popularity by number of views and also indicates any sites that link to them. This is truly authentic publication that connects students to their audience in a real way. You can see what this looks like in this publication of The Paw Print, a student newspaper from Lonoke, Arkansas.


Here are the comments and analytics showing number of views and who links to the newspaper.


















What a terrific way for innovative educators to provide their students with authentic opportunities to engage with a book author and other readers around the world. You can try it yourself by visiting this book on the ISSUU site at this link. After logging on to ISSUU you will be able to rate and comment on any book.

Innovative educators can easily reach out to their personal learning network and find other teachers who might want to share the book with their students. Classes reading the book can contribute to the rating of the book and they can comment and converse with each other, and ideally with the author as well! Innovative educators interested in conversing with this author can friend Laura Nadler Scott on Facebook with a "personal message" indicating that your class is reading the book, will be commenting, and that you'd love for her to respond to some of their questions and comments. I'm sure she'll be happy to do so.

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Teaching Kids to Manage their Digital Footprint - 140 Character Conference Panel Discussion

I am presenting at The 140 Characters Conference in New York City which is taking place April 20-21, 2010 at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan. This event is the largest worldwide gathering of people interested in the effects of the real-time Internet on business, education, and “we” the people. Some of the other speakers include Ann Curry, NBC News (@AnnCurry), Chris Lehmann, Principal of the Science Leadership Academy, (@chrislehmann), Donny Deustch (@Donny_Deutsch), Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump), and MC Hammer (@MCHammer).

I will be a part of the Twitter and Education panel. Specifically I'll be discussing:

1) Teaching Kids how to manage their Digital Footprint
2) Why Social Media Curriculum is critical in schools
3) Technology usage to enhance collaboration and development

In anticipation of the conference I'm writing a post about each topic starting with this one.

Teaching Kids how to manage their Digital Footprint

Teaching kids to manage their Digital Footprint really starts with the adults. Teachers can't teach this effectively if they, themselves have not managed their own digital footprint. It is also important not to confuse managing a digital footprint with being hidden or private. Branding our identities has become more and more important in the digital age and if students and teachers aren't actively managing their digital footprint, then who is? Managing your digital footprint starts with asking questions like: Who are you? What do you stand for? What are your passions and beliefs? The important lesson with managing your digital footprint is that everything we do online should represent who we are and what we stand for and we must have the knowledge that this representation will stick with us potentially forever.

How can we teach students and teachers to celebrate themselves and their beliefs so that their digital footprint represents a picture of someone they are proud to be? I've written about some fun ways to get these conversations going by helping students reflect upon what their digital message says about them. An interesting way to start such a conversation might be with this video which really can get students and their teachers thinking about who they are and what they stand for.

Two questions that can change your life from Daniel Pink on Vimeo.

After watching and discussing the video, for homework teachers can assign a number of fun and engaging activities that students can do at, or away from, school depending on what sites are blocked in their particular school. I like to call these applications "Recap Apps" because they allow students to take a look at a recap of who they have been in their online life. Students using Facebook or Twitter can generate status clouds that recap what their message has been over a specified period of time i.e. 1, 3, 6, or 12 months. The clouds provide the function of a Wordle and allows students to easily visual the dominant messages they have been conveying. After review their clouds students can reflect upon whether or not this message is in alignment with what they want their digital footprint to be and how they may modify their online behavior to ensure they are promoting themselves as the person they want to be. There is also an app that allows Facebook users to recap their year in pictures. The same reflective exercise can be put in place. Do these pictures represent the way I see myself and want others to see me? Another fun app is one that provides a recap of your status updates in a sort of poem card format. This gives another perspective on the digital footprint that students and teachers are developing. Finally, inspired by the show Flashforward, an app has been designed that provides a glimpse into each members possible future. This could be a great follow up activity inspiring conversations about what their future digital footprint might look like.

If you are thinking about attending #140conf NYC, now would be a great time to secure your seat. With the “early bird” ticket costing only US$ 100 for the two day event or $60 for one day. You can register NOW to guarantee youself access to the event. “Early Bird” registration ends on March 6th. The format at the #140conf events is unique. Individual talks are 5 and 10 minutes, keynotes are 15 and 20 minutes and panel discussions are no more than 20 minutes. During the course of the two days more than 140 people will share the stage at the 92nd Street Y in about 70 sessions. To get a feel of the energy you may experience in April, click here to review the videos from the 2009 #140conf NYC. The take aways from this event will provide the attending delegates knowledge, perspectives and insights to the next wave of effects twitter and the real-time internet will have on business and education in 2010 and beyond.

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Read more about digital footprints from Cybraryman at http://cybraryman.com/digitalfootprints.html

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A Parents' Search for Inspiration to Reach Children with Autism

By Jacob Gutnicki

First Inspiration – First Child

As parents of 2 autistic children, my wife and I have set a few goals for our children. One goal is to assure that they both read proficiently. In trying to achieve this goal, it is incumbent upon us to have our children get excited about reading. With this in mind, we have used a number of methodologies, tactics, and materials to achieve this valiant goal.

In the beginning, we tried teaching our older son his letters. We used picture books that display the word along with pictures and have words sequenced in alphabetical order. It is believed that the picture to word association will strengthen their concepts of letters and words. We also used a variety of phonics-based software, which mimic this approach. Additionally, we employed the use of Leapfrog Books, which allowed him to touch the objects and/or words and hear the words read to him. These combined approaches were yielding limited successes. Naturally, we were eager to crack the code and figure out how to help our older son become more communicative.

One day, I was sitting with my son at the computer. He was introducing me to Thomas and his friends. You know, Gordon, Edward, Percy, Henry, Toby, Mavis, and so on. I started thinking about this little incident and said to myself, “How can he differentiate the subtle differences between Gordon, Thomas, and Edward. After all, these 3 engines are blue and are the same length.” In fact, the only unique differences between these characters were the expressions on their faceplate.

As I thought about this incident further, I realized 2 things.

1- If he could distinguish the subtle differences between Thomas, Gordon, and Edward, he was certainly capable of noting the different features in the ABC.

2- In teaching him the ABC or other content area, it will be extremely important that the medium used are high interest materials.

Epilogue… Approximately, 4 years have passed since the “Thomas incident.” Since this time, our son has mastered his ABC’s, reads books, writes sentences, and is extremely verbal. Through it all, the computer along with engaging applications and web sites has motivated him to read and write. When he installs software, he will attempt to read the directions and ask for help when he gets stuck. He has watched numerous video tutorials to learn how to use programs like Garage Band, iMovie, and other applications. When our son watches a video featuring Sponge Bob or other popular characters he will pause the program and attempt to read the signs being displayed. He will also ask me what keyboard shortcuts I employ to eject CDs or close programs. In short, through the use of technology, being literate has become relevant in his life. After all, you cannot find your favorite train model unless you know how to spell Santa Fe El Capitan.

As his educational journey continues, my wife and I reminisce about this and other early learning moments as it reminds us to not underestimate the importance of finding materials that get him excited about learning. This is why when he tells us about a software program he is using in his school; we always keep an open mind. After all, if Thomas the Tank Engine can teach our son his ABC’s, anything is possible.

First Inspiration – Second Child

Our second child is beginning his journey. Currently, his use of words has vastly improved over the past few months. However, he has many miles to go. With this in mind, we were hoping that lightning would strike twice and that he would also become more literate through technology. Over the past year, I have made various attempts to engage him through the use of technology. For the most part it has been a dismal failure. About two months ago, we started using the Wii with him. This seems to have caught his attention. Our little one often says, “bowling, bowling, bowling.” A few weeks later, I installed a touch screen on his computer hoping that would get him excited. At first, this tactic had limited success. My little one would play with the computer for 15 minutes and would then walk away to do something else. Naturally, I tried putting him on the computer a few more times and achieved similar results.

Then on the morning of February 7^th, everything changed. He said, “computer, computer, computer, I want computer.” We rush down to the basement and my older boy started teaching the little one how to use Kid Pix.

Seven days later... The little one continues to ask for the computer. He loves to use his fingers and draw pictures on the touch screen. Occasionally, with a smirk on his face he will lift the mouse and press it against the touch screen. He has also begun to ask for Thomas and Elmo. More importantly, he watches their escapades with great interest, identifies objects they are teaching about, and laughs when the characters do something silly. In the end, the smile on the little one says it all. So… the journey begins again as little digital boy begins to enter the world of technology.

Resources to try with your children

Want to try Thomas the Tank Engine activities with your children? Visit the following web site;
Build an Engine- This activity is a great way to introduce your children to puzzles and basic problem solving in mathematics. When you visit this website you will notice a number of other activities. Many of them are fun, educational, and will certainly delight young children.

Want to spend the day with Thomas? Visit the following web site;
Day Out with Thomas - If your child loves Thomas this will no doubt delight your child. In short, Thomas and crew take over a train station for the weekend and the family has an opportunity to ride Thomas the Tank Engine. There are many other activities at these events and your child will have a great time.

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