I couldn't say it better: Retire the "21st Century" in "21st Century Learning"

IF ONLY EVERY CHILD HAD ACCESS...

Hank Thiele has blogged about a concept many teacher-librarians mutter about. Effective learning is neither restricted to some future time, nor to a specific technology. To Learn Twice: Retire the "21st Century" in "21st Century Learning"


For some related perspective, he recommends Lisa Nielsen's summary of John T. Spencer's Adventures in Pencil Integration blog: http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2011/08/pencil-integration-blog-historical.html

Last Minute News: I'm Presenting!

I'm presenting on QR codes at the ALA 2011 conference Sunday morning. Look for "Pecha Kucha: Teens and Technology" @ 10:30 in rm 394! Please come for a YALSA panel on various ways to use technology to serve teens in your libraries. Check the conference scheduler for all the presenters, topics, and presentations.

If you're interested in more information on using QR codes, there's also a link to my four handouts: QR Code Generators/Readers, Ideas for QR Codes in Libraries, Ideas for QR Codes in School, and Thanks to My PLN (a list of early adopters who have already been exploring creative use of QR's in their libraries).

Fanfic

Liz B. of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy has started an interesting discussion related to her SLJ article about writing fan fiction, When Harry met Bella: Fanfiction is all the rage. But is it plagiarism? Or the perfect thing to encourage young writers?

Isn't this the ideal way to get students involved in reading, and thinking about WHAT they're reading? I have read some Harry Potter fanfic online (examples: 1, 2), and the creativity is astounding. There are ongoing comics, adults-only versions, and all kinds of extensions of existing or imagined storylines. The writers/illustrators have read and re-read all the books, and incorporate their own ideas and interpretations and imaginings. True reading should always be so interactive.

Perhaps the Harry Potter and Twilight books should have been on our students' summer reading lists...