I think so, and so does Neil Gaiman, who took the mic at NPR last month and filed a story on audio books, featuring audio book emperors David Sedaris and Martin Jarvis, no less.

Listen to it here (and, for fun, read the text transcript at the same time to see where NPR made edits).

Our students love audio.  While I initially purchased Audible.com subscriptions and iPod Shuffles with an eye on our special education students, they are wildly popular with all students.  I don’t mandate that they also check out the book; I leave it to the students to decide.  I figure that if I really want to develop passionate readers, I’ve got to make room for those who might not read if it required sitting down with the book in one’s hands but who might consider it if they could do their chores and rake the leaves while reading.

I’d love to hear from you.  How are you using audio books in your school? Can students “just listen”? Do they (or must they) follow along with the text? Do kids listen to audio books for pleasure, or merely to keep pace with classroom reading assignments?

Moodle is one of the tools that our upper elementary teachers are phasing in over the next few years.  When asked how teachers can best use Moodle to promote 21st-century learning, I suggest that they take advantage of the students’ home Internet access and use it to either awaken prior knowledge or reflect on their learning.  (Moodle also does stuff like lets you automate quizzes, but that doesn’t take the learning deeper - it just replaces paper quizzes with a screen.  NOT 21st-century!)

Those are two things that sometimes fall by the wayside during the school day to make room for standards, but we know that both are essential for learning for understanding.  And in our district, we are fortunate that (knock on wood), nearly all of the students in our elementary classrooms have home Internet connections. (Those who do not can swap out some DEAR time for computer access, as reading can be done at home!)

One of our prior knowledge strategies has been to build on the use of primary source images in the social studies curriculum.  We use the TCI social studies textbooks, and in fifth grade, each chapter begins with a primary source image and then asks some questions.  We can move those questions into Moodle and voila! Motivation and engagement rise.

The photo above isn’t what we actually used, but it helps illustrate something we learned along the way.

Let’s say the students were asked to brainstorm, like this:

What do you think the smaller child is wrapped in?

The fast answer would probably be, “A blanket.”

The “answer in complete sentences” approach would yield, “The child is wrapped in a blanket.”

Both of those answers are probably “right,” but they don’t reveal much about how the student came to that conclusion.

But what if the directions are tweaked just a bit, to:

What do you think the smaller child is wrapped in? Include because in your answer.

By adding “because,” we can, even with young kids, get them to make a hypothesis AND justify their answer (which is really tricky for elementary kids to do in their writing).  We don’t have to say, “Be sure to justify your answer with information from the past or from the photo.”  Because lets us streamline the instructions but deepen the answer.

Answers might read:

I think the child is wrapped in a wool blanket because the fabric is plaid and has fringe like the wool blanket my mom keeps in her trunk.

The child is wrapped in a blanket. I think that’s because he’s also strapped into something, and the blanket keeps those strings from digging into his skin.

I think the child is wrapped in a blanket because kids get cold easily. The girl sitting next to him doesn’t need a blanket because she’s older.

Sandy Buczynski and I talked extensively about the power of because when we worked on Story Starters and Science Notebooking: Developing Student Thinking Through Literacy and Inquiry (Teacher Ideas Press/ABC-CLIO, 2009).  That book built on the science notebooking strategies developed by Michael Klentschy, who planted the because seed in our brains.   So often in science, students are asked to predict what will happen (or to make a hypothesis), but they’re not asked to explain their thinking.  If we don’t ask them to explain why they made the prediction they did, we don’t know if they’ve tapped into their existing scientific thinking or, frankly, just guessed.

Try using because and see how it helps students justify their work (and you see their schema)!

Historical photo from the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress (PS - Can you see the hands of the mystery adult holding up the baby?)

If you know @librarybeth on Twitter, then you know the work of Beth Friese, doctoral candidate and thinker extraordinaire.  She’s been on a conference marathon, Tweeting back to those of us unable to attend, and she agreed to guest blog about the intersections between the conferences of AASL, NCTE, and ALAN.

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Imagine this scene: It’s November, 2009. There’s a slight chill in the air. The setting is a conference center in the eastern United States, filled with thousands of engaged and excited educators.

Over several days, these educators attend sessions centered around inquiry, reading, and learning. They talk of 2.0 and research writing, and of the importance of engagement and choice. They talk about meaning, relevance, and meeting the needs of today’s students.

In between sessions and informal learning with friends old and new, the educators jam an exhibit hall filled with vendors of books and technology (and the occasional literature-themed t-shirt or umbrella). Lines form down the aisles, fans waiting to have books signed by their favorite authors. Some books are destined for the educators’ own bookshelves, other books for the hands of students they just know will light up from reading them.  

After several days of learning and sharing, they headed home to pass on what they experienced, and to continue the conversation, renewed.

You may be thinking: “it’s a little late for a recap and reflection on AASL 2009. After all, it’s been weeks since AASL ended!” Yes, this is true. But the conference I’m describing happened in Philadelphia just days ago.

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending two conferences, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention and the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) Workshop, for the first time. These two conferences are held each year in the weeks just prior to Thanksgiving. (ALAN occurs the two days just after NCTE.)

As you can see from the description above , there is much we librarians have in common with English, reading, and literacy educators. Yes, we have our differences. Many literacy educators don’t think much about databases or collection development. Librarians might not dwell on content area literacy or phonemic awareness. But, as you can see from the description above, many of the major concerns of these two fields overlap. The conversations are complementary. We are working on many of the same problems: how to cultivate learning in an era of testing, how to engage and inspire students, how to develop (multi)literate young people who can succeed in and improve the world we share.

I was thrilled to meet several librarians among the many educators at NCTE/ALAN, but much of my time was spent in the company of incredible, passionate English teachers. During many conversations with English educators I would share the way librarians are their allies, working toward the same goals and ideals.  

I was excited to attend several sessions at NCTE. My favorite was a panel featuring incredible educators and inspiring authors Jeffrey Wilhelm, Alan Sitomer, and Jim Burke. I sat with several friends I had met on twitter. We live tweeted the presentations, sharing quotes and insights. Jeffrey Wilhelm gave an insightful presentation on teaching literary devices through making personal connections to students. Alan Sitomer shared poignant stories of students he had reached through his engaged and personal teaching style, as well as those he did not reach. Jim Burke’s presentation focused on the uses of the visual in teaching English, from Google Earth to graphic organizers. All three of the presenters were incredibly knowledgeable, entertaining, and passionate, using personal examples to illustrate their points. I was blown away.

ALAN was all about books and authors. This smaller conference centers around young adult authors and their work. All attendees received a box of books written by many of the authors in attendance. Some of the books were different from box to box, so we swapped and switched for favorites. After each author spoke, they (almost) silently signed their books at the back of the room while the next author or panel presented. From Jacqueline Woodson to Sarah Dessen, Lauren Myracle to Lois Lowry, Chris Crutcher to Steve Kluger, who was awarded  the first Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award for Young Adult Fiction at the conference, it was a literature lover’s dream. 

There was so much for teacher librarians to learn at NCTE and ALAN. There was also so much for teacher librarians to add to the conversations. I was honored to present with middle school English teachers and academics at both of these conferences. I discussed using graphic novels and nonfiction in visual and media literacy instruction, and as a way to help students learn to use images effectively in their own compositions. It would be wonderful to see more librarians at NCTE/ALAN next year.  Although I would love to bring an all-teacher-librarian panel to Orlando, I think Wendy Stephens is onto something with her suggestion that librarians present with other educators, in this case English teachers. Proposals for NCTE are due January 13th (by mail) or 20th (electronically). ALAN Proposals are due January 4th.

I left the conferences inspired to continue learning from and contributing to discussions with literacy educators. I was reminded once again that we are all in the field of education together, working to support the literacies and learning of all students. Disciplinary boundaries may feel insurmountable at times, so too may the classroom and library walls that seem to keep us apart. But, as this week showed me, the conversations in the different rooms are so similar. Tearing down the walls, and the listening and talking that results, is worth it. Imagine how our strength and resolve can be multiplied when we work toward the transformation of learning together. 

Beth Friese

Doctoral Student and Instructor

Department of Language and Literacy Education

University of Georgia

twitter: librarybeth

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Thanks, Beth!

By the way, Beth and I are some of the many folks convening for the upcoming holiday book club over on Teacher Librarian Ning. Check out the details and sign up here!