Connecting with Readers Using Web 2.0

Welcome to Connecting with Readers!

2009-03-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

Two years ago, my district installed Promethean boards in every classroom and gave every teacher a laptop. At the same time, I had been personally exploring Web 2.0 because I kept hearing about it but didn’t know much about it. When the new technology came together with what I was learning about Web 2.0, I saw a perfect opportunity to change the way my library and I interact with readers, and vice-versa. The Promethean boards and Web 2.0 tools allow me to regularly interact with every student in my schoo. I can virtually be everywhere at once, whether my students and I are in school, at home, or on the road!

How to Use this Page

2009-03-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

This is a web-based "handout" to help you connect with your readers using tools such as Blogger, PowerPoint, Screencast-O-Matic, and more. Below this posting you will see a series of screencasts that will help you create bookcasts (Internet booktalks) and interactive blogs that you can use as reading discussion groups.

If you would like to view any of the screencasts, you MUST use the Firefox browser or have the latest version of Internet Explorer installed. I highly recommend that you install Firefox as your default browser. It's faster, more secure, and consistently superior to Internet Explorer.

For more great Web 2.0 resources, please visit Web 204U.

For general comments or questions, please use the "comments" link directly below this post. A pop-up window will open.

Pros and Cons of Bookcasts

2009-03-09T05:44:00.000-07:00

Pros:

Bookcasts are audiovisual--students can not only hear what you have to say about each selection, but they can see the covers and even material from inside the book
A bookcast allows you to give a booktalk to every student in your school, and beyond.
Screencast-O-Matic allows you to record instructions with screenshots that students can reference later, even at home.
Once your prep work is done, recording the bookcast and uploading it go quickly.
Your wonderful book talk is preserved for posterity . . . or at least for students who were absent or would like to go back and listen again for more reading suggestions

Cons:

Bookcasts require plenty of preparation. It takes a lot of time to select titles, write the script, gather images, and create the Powerpoint.

Granted, each bookcast is a good deal of work. However, even if it were logistically possible, how much time would it take to visit every class in your school and give the same book talk to every student?