I have an ambitious book stack for #bookaday purposes. There are several professional books I want to read this summer, picture books, chapter books for middle grades, YA books, and some personal reads for my book club and just for fun. Even still, I am finding it hard to complete a book each day and blog about it. Now that July is here, I need to get serious if I want to accomplish all my summer reading goals.
I am excited to participate in #cyberPD starting July 6th to discuss Frank Sibberson and William Bass' book, Digital Reading: What's Essential in Grades 3-8. I did complete this book and found it very valuable with many ideas to come back to and explore further. I'm eager to see what the other teachers participating in #cyberPD share about their insights, too.
One of my biggest take-aways from reading this book was how being part of an online community makes reading and writing, something I already enjoyed, even more motivating. Surrounding myself with other professionals who love books and love to write makes me feel part of a community of like-minded friends. It helps solidify my identity as a person who loves teaching, reading and writing. Digital reading and writing experiences have strengthened this identity for me quite profoundly.
I think of some of my students who still said in June that they "hated" to read (like a knife to the heart!) How might it be different if they were part of a community that enjoyed reading and writing? If it was cool to like books and swap them with friends? While I did my best to create that type of classroom, there is more work for me to do to help students feel they belong to this "literacy club" as Frank Smith would say. I think a big part of the answer lies in connecting traditional reading and writing with the opportunities that come from digital reading and writing. I recommend this book for teachers looking to seamlessly integrate the opportunities technology creates with traditional reading and writing workshops.
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