Literacy Now

Whooo went the wind and out went the lights and the season of scare and dare is just around the corner, so beware, of all these fun, spooky, and ghoulish books to share.

For those who celebrate Halloween there are plenty of books with monsters, skeletons, witches, mummies, ghosts, devils, and even Bogles that eat children (to learn more about Bogles, you’ll need to read the book review). For those who don’t celebrate Halloween, there are books that don’t mention the holiday, but are scary. For the young reader, there is a scary book about a “Snatchabook” who steals books—“oh no!”—and a not so scary book about romping monsters. For the older reader, there is a scary book about a teenage boy who keeps seeing his dead brother, and there is another book that is mystery and packed-filled with romance and gore.

For those who want to incorporate the Common Core State Standards, there are books about the scientific method, historical fiction, and folklore. And for those who believe in common sense, there is even a book about safety. For more information about safety you can check out the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention website.

Whether you are trick-or-treating or just reading, enjoy the spooks and the books this Halloween season!

GRADES K – 2

Biedrzycki, David. (2013). Me and my dragon: Scared of Halloween. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.

What more can you ask for than book that has a dragon and Halloween? This story is about a boy who loves Halloween. Unfortunately, his pet dragon does not like trick-or-treating. How can it be that Dragon is afraid of Halloween creatures, such as zombies and mummies? Not to be deterred by Dragon’s angst, the boy explains that the creatures aren’t real, but to no avail. Next, they try to find a costume, such as a robot, but all of the costumes end in disaster. To comfort Dragon, the boy reads Dragon’s favorite book to comfort him, which prompts an idea for the perfect costume. This engaging story is enhanced by colorful and detailed illustrations that will captivate readers of all ages.

– Jane Kelley, Washington State University Pullman

Docherty, Helen. (2013). The Snatchabook. Illus. by Thomas Docherty. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, Inc.

There is nothing scarier for a child, an adult, and especially a bibliophile than not having a book to read at bedtime, but that is exactly what happens in the little animal village of Burrow Down. On a dark and windy night, while the forest animals are reading their bedtime stories, the storybooks disappear, and Eliza Brown decides to solve the mystery. One night she leaves a stack of books in her bedroom to lure the thief. Despite being scared, she waits and waits. Finally, a mysterious creature called a “Snatchabook” tries to snatch-a-book. While Eliza reprimands him, he explains that he has no one to read to him. Understanding his plight, Eliza helps him make amends, by returning the books and apologizing for his actions. Now the Snatchabook doesn’t need to steal books anymore; each night when stories are being read, the Snatchabook is always nearby.

– Jane Kelley, Washington State University Pullman

Noble, Trinka Hakes.  (2013). The legend of the Jersey Devil. Illus. by Gerald Kelley. Ann Arbor, MI: Sleeping Bear Press.

A dark, mysterious pine grove, with black swamps and murky bogs, close to the briny ocean in New Jersey has kept an ancient secret—the Jersey Devil! During a thunderstorm in 1735, Mother Leeds goes into labor to birth her thirteenth child. In pain, the frustrated mother screams for the devil to help her and an enormous creature emerges from her and flies up the chimney. Strange events– crops failed, chickens stopped laying eggs, horses got spooked – were all blamed on the devil. A traveling preacher, promising to get rid of the devil, held a prayer meeting. As his hat filled with coins, he felt hot breath on the back of his neck. Yikes! The devil was on his tail! People have avoided the forest since. The storyline and the pictures compliment each other perfectly. This book can be used in several content areas.

– Rani Iyer, Washington State University Pullman

Paquette, Ammi-Joan. (2013). Ghost in the house. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

A not so scary story about a ghost, a mummy, a monster, a skeleton, and a witch written in a lyrical rhyme, is fun to read aloud as the words feel magical on the tongue. The story begins with a timid ghost in a creepy haunted house who “goes slip-slide with a swoop and a glide….” Next, the two creatures meet a mummy and a monster “… on the dark, spooky night, midnight black.” The creatures gather one by one until the innocent little boy who lives in the house unintentionally spooks the creatures. This book will become a favorite read aloud all year long.

- Jane Kelley, Washington State University Pullman

Peterson, Megan Cooley. (2014). Trick-or-treat safety. North Mankato, MN: Capstone Press.

Trick-or-treating door-to-door is a highlight on Halloween, but with this fun activity comes many dangers. Using simple text and informative photographs, this book teaches children how to be safe while walking around the neighborhood. Easy to follow recommended trick-or-treating tips include: costumes with reflective tape, face paint instead of masks so as not to obstruct one’s vision, trick-or-treating with adults, and asking an adult to check the treats before eating them. Young children will enjoy this informational text because it tells about a favorite holiday, and parents will enjoy the lessons about safety.

- Jane Kelley, Washington State University Pullman

Reynolds, Aaron. (2012). Creepy carrots! Illus. by Peter Brown. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Jasper Rabbit is a carrot fanatic. Every day he eats carrots, especially the ones from Crackenhopper Field. One day, he senses the carrots stalking him, because he sees carrots everywhere – carrots in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in his bedroom, and even on his way to school. Frightened, he decides to build a wall around Crackenhopper Field, so the carrots can’t escape from the field. As Jasper is proud of what he did, carrots, peeping from the field, are ecstatic for not being eaten anymore. This book is presented as a scary movie that creates a mysterious and suspenseful atmosphere, which is accentuated by the orange and black colors. The vivid facial expressions of Jasper Rabbit will make readers understand Jasper’s fear, and they will enjoy this creepy, spooky, yet humorous book.

– Ying-Hsuan Lee, Washington State University Pullman

Yolen, Jane. (2013). Romping monsters, stomping monsters. Illus. by Kelly Murphy. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Colorful, cute, and multi-eyed monsters play in a park that resembles an almost typical city park, with monster children doing typical park activities such as: playing with balls, riding bikes, jumping rope, and playing hopscotch. The rhyming text and simple illustrations with muted bright colors will enchant the emergent reader. At first it seems this is just a magical place for monsters to run and play; however, there is a lesson about manners in the book. One little monster pokes another monster’s eye at the water fountain and laughs, but even little monsters are reprimanded for being naughty and must say “sorry.”

– Jane Kelley, Washington State University Pullman

GRADES 2 – 5

Celenza, Anna Harwell. (2013). Saint-Saëns’s Danse Macabre. Illus. by JoAnn E. Kitchel. Watertown: Charlesbridge.

At midnight on January 24, 1875 over two thousand people gathered in the Châtelet Theater for the debut of Danse Macabre presented by the composer, Camille Saint-Saën. Once Danse Macabre was played, the theater was filled with a gloomy and spooky atmosphere. Saint-Saën’s creation of such a spooky piece of music was inspired by his visit to the underground cemetery in Paris. Saint-Saën used various instruments with a mix of waltzes and funeral tunes to compose the eerie Danse Macabre. The watercolor illustrations give this book a vintage look, and readers will notice the joyful skeletons as they jump and dance jubilantly with Saint-Saën’s music. It is recommended to read this story while listening to Danse Macabre, and a CD recording conveniently accompanies the book. Teachers could use this book for social studies and music appreciation to let students know that great music comes with a great story!

– Ying-Hsuan Lee, Washington State University Pullman

Dahl, Michael. (2013). Laff-O-Tronic monster jokes! Illus. by Daryll Colins and Michael Frederick Laughead. North Mankato, MN: Stone Arch Books.

What brings monsters, zombies, vampires, and aliens together in a book? Jokes! In this funny book, the author takes children on a journey with jokes, cartoons, brain twisters, quick comics, and stand-up comedies. In one section, the book offers a way for readers to animate the pictures. For example, if readers flip one page really quickly, it will give the illusion that a vampire is popping out of a coffin. Although the majority of characters in the book are monsters, zombies, vampires, and aliens, their scary looks along with their hilarious acts make this book attractive to children. Moreover, when the book is read aloud, children will be surprised and amused by the lyric and rhythmic texts. This is a book that will make children laugh and giggle during the Halloween season!

– Ying-Hsuan Lee, Washington State University Pullman

Green, D. L. (2013). Zeke Meeks vs the horrendous Halloween. Illus. by Josh Alves. North Mankato, MN: Picture Window Books.

A cool costume, plus lots of candies, plus trick-or-treating with best friends equals a fun and fabulous Halloween; however, Halloween did not start that way for Zeke. First, he has to dress up as a pirate to avoid wearing an uncool beach ball costume and Cursed Mongrel costume. Then, he feels horrible for getting pencils instead of candies as he trick-or-treats with his younger sister, Mia. To turn the lousy Halloween around, Zeke persuades his older sister, Alexa, to take him to Hector’s neighborhood and enjoy trick-or-treating with his best friend. Many children can relate to Zeke’s desire for a wonderful Halloween. Sometimes it doesn’t matter whether you have the coolest costume in the world; what does matter is having fun with your best friends on Halloween night! A vocabulary list included in the book can satisfy children who want to use big words like Zeke!

– Ying-Hsuan Lee, Washington State University Pullman

Krohn, Katherine. (2014). The unsolved mystery of haunted houses. North Mankato, MN: Capstone Press.

This nonfiction book is a gentle introduction to the phenomenon of haunted homes. Squeaky doors, strange noises, seeing something…are these real or imaginary? The logical explanations in the book include true or false statements with explanations. The book also introduces ghost hunters, the equipment they use, and paranormal phenomena. This book has many vocabulary words and website links and a great spooky read for young readers!

– Rani Iyer, Washington State University Pullman

GRADES 6 – 7

Brimingham, Maria.  (2013). Weird zone: Sports – The strangest, funniest, and most daringest events from the world of athletics and beyond! Ills. by Jamie Bennett. Toronto, Ontario: Owlkids Books Inc.

This Halloween kids can indulge in real dare games—ride a round bottom pan, play underwater golf, or participate in the underwater bicycle race! Races from all over the world are described in this book. The pages are filled with quirky, weird sports and games and with facts, humor, and “gazillion” records. Not all sports are exotic, however. Consider the entry on Stone Skipping which records that Russell Byars skipped a stone across a river in Pennsylvania an astonishing 51 times! Some sports are dangerous, such as the North Pole Marathon and some are extreme, such as Downhill Ice Cross. Others are modifications of existing games, such as hangboarding (that combines snowboarding and hang gliding). This amazing book entertains, informs, and boosts the imagination of kids. It can be used across several content areas. So, which games will the kids dare to play?

– Rani Iyer, Washington State University Pullman

Harbo, Christopher. (2014). Frankenstein's monster and scientific methods. Illustrated by Carlos Aon. Minnesota, MN: Capstone Press.

The scientific method involves asking a question, gathering information, making a prediction, designing an experiment to test the question, collecting data, analyzing data, drawing conclusions, and communicating results and that is exactly what Frankenstein and Igor do in this book. Graphic pictures enliven the narrative with humor sprinkled in the context. Each chapter follows the typical steps in the scientific method as well as warning the reader that the scientific method does not always work. Sidebars provide useful information regarding the use of graphs and type of graphs, the way to organize a well-written lab report, and how to create presentations. The busy teacher will appreciate that the book is aligned to the Common Core Science Standards. Overall, students interested in knowing more about science or the scientific method will find this book interesting and it is a good addition to a science classroom or laboratory collection.

– Rani Iyer, Washington State University Pullman

Jinks, Catherine. (2013). How to catch a Bogle. Illustrated by Sarah Watts. New York, New York: Harcourt Children’s Books.

Set in Victorian England, Birdie, like other orphans, is inducted into unsavory jobs for survival. Birdie’s life is better since she has become the apprentice for Alfred the Bogler, the man who traps the monsters. Alfred sets up Birdie as live bait and asks her to sing. When the Bogle comes to grab her, Birdie races away and Alfred spears the Bogle. The team has been successful for a while, when Miss Eames with interest in spirits and Bogles joins them as a bystander to watch them on field. Miss Eames faints! She makes an offer to Birdie—in exchange for stopping the dangerous act, she would provide Birdie with housing, voice lessons, and to learn how to read and write. This book is a part of trilogy and has excellent use of the Victorian language. The prolific author’s website provides more reads for those interested in spooky reads .

–Rani Iyer, Washington State University Pullman

Klise, Kate. (2013). 43 Old Cemetery Road: Hollywood dead ahead. Illustrated by M. Sarah Klise. New York, NY: Harcourt Children's Books.

43 Old Cemetery Road is the story of Olive C. Spence (owner of the house), Mr. Ignatius Grumply (an author with a huge writer's block) and Seymour Hope (10-year old boy living alone). In their first book, Mr. Grumply is faced with a deadline by his publisher and does not have a word on the page, Seymour needs a home, and Olive needs company. Four books later, Olive and Ignatius have adopted Seymour. However, they are an odd family, for, Olive is a ghost! Their story is now world famous and has caught the attention of Hollywood director Moe Block Busters who wants to make a movie based on the book. Thus, the family temporarily moves to Hollywood and nothing is the same. The book will engage readers and provide opportunities to study different types of writing. This is a great everyday book and it is not just the season of spook.

– Rani Iyer, Washington State University Pullman

Rhatigan, Joe. (2013). Ouch! The weird & wild ways your body  deals with agonizing aches, ferocious fevers, lousy lumps, crummy colds,  bothersome bites, breaks, bruises & burns & makes them feel better. Ills. by Anthony Owsley. Waterton, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing.

Does the sight of blood, even fake, make some students quiver? Well, then here is a book for you! This Halloween the students can use the book to learn about the human body. The book is divided into two parts. The first part concerns the basic body function that introduces the readers to the human body in a very friendly and conversational tone. The pain scale is introduced with a series of smiley faces and the captions introduce the degree of pain, such as “Well, this is slightly annoying” and  “Ow, that really, really, hurts.” The second part of the book introduces the readers to the injuries, infections, and other things that can go wrong including fevers, chills, and aches. For all such conditions, the smiley face and the pain level is introduced. This engaging book will enrich biology lessons on pain levels and the human body.

– Rani Iyer, Washington State University Pullman

GRADES 8 – 12

Rodman, Sean. (2013). Night terrors. Custer: Orca Book Publisher.

Dylan has been haunted by the witness of his brother’s drowning accident, which gives him nightmares all the time. To escape from such night terrors, Dylan decides to work in a five-star resort, Ravenslake Lodge, during the summer. As the resort closes for the winter, Dylan and his colleagues stay longer to help. However, what troubles Dylan is that he sees visions of his brother at times! Dylan wonders: Is he dreaming? Is that a ghost or a real person? Is this all caused by his illusion or does he miss his brother too much? This is a short chapter book that is easy to read and grabs readers’ attention from the very beginning. Readers will enjoy the mysterious and suspicious atmosphere within the story!

– Ying-Hsuan Lee, Washington State University Pullman

Tucholke, April Genevieve. (2013). Between the devil and the deep blue sea. New York, NY: Dial Books.

Violet White and her twin brother live in the luxurious mansion, Citizen, in a small town on the East Coast. Born rich, but currently poor, they have run out of money. Her parents, who are famous artists, are in Europe. Violet advertises their guesthouse as a rental. River, an attractive youth, answers the call. From the beginning Violet bonds deeply with him. Soon, Violet realizes he has a ‘spark’ that makes him both attractive and wicked. As summer unfolds, Violet learns more family secrets than she cares for. She also begins to hate River for the extraordinary power he carries and the manner in which he easily hurts people. River’s brother Neely and his half-brother Brodie appear on the scene, changing Violet’s life forever. The dramatic ending leaves open room for a sequel. The book has elements of romance, suspense, a perfect read for the Halloween week.

– Rani Iyer, Washington State University Pullman

These reviews are submitted by members of the International Reading Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) and are published weekly on Reading Today Online. The International Reading Association partners with the National Council of Teachers of English and Verizon Thinkfinity to produce ReadWriteThink.org, a website devoted to providing literacy instruction and interactive resources for grades K–12.

In my article "Six Recommendations for Implemeting State- or District-Created CCSS Curriculum Units" in the October/November 2013 issue of Reading Today, I discussed that many state departments of education have devoted resources to providing curriculum units for educators to use. Here are some examples:

• New York State, on its comprehensive EngageNY.org website (www.engageny.org/common-core-curriculum), offers curriculum that local districts may adopt or adapt.  These curriculum modules are designed PreK-12 and offer curriculum maps, unit plans, lesson plans, materials, and professional development guidance.

• Massachusetts (http://www.doe.mass.edu/candi/model/) provides model curriculum units that include an overview, standards, curriculum-embedded performance assessment, and lesson plans, written in an Understanding By Design (UBD) template (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998).

• Colorado has created a template and curriculum process for translating standards into curriculum, (http://www.cde.state.co.us/standardsandinstruction/SampleCurriculum-Resources.asp) based on the work of Dr. Lynn Erickson and her book, “Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom” (2007).

These selections are just illustrative of the work that has been done across the country. Many other states have also produced model curriculum and curriculum maps and curriculum guides.

References

Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Erickson, H. L. (2007). Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Lori DiGisi is Director of Curriculum and professional Development for the Farmingham Public Schools, Farmingham, MA. She was formerly on staff at the Massachusetts Department of Education, ldigisi@gmail.com.

This article is an addendum to an article from the October/November 2013 issue of Reading Today. IRA members can read the interactive digital version of the magazine here. Nonmembers: join today!

Back in April I wrote a Teaching Tip in which I described what I consider to be the three most effective types of “brain-friendly” strategies that we teachers have at our disposal in our effort to improve student learning and energize the overall classroom environment—those involving movement, songs, and stories. I refer to this collection of strategies as the “3 Game Changers.”

p: Bread for the World via photopin cc

Ever since I started incorporating elements of movement, music, and storytelling into my instructional practice several years ago, I have been fascinated by how well students respond to these strategies. The classroom simply becomes a different place whenever we begin one of these activities because the lessons are so engaging and the results so powerful. Specifically, the 3 Game Changers offer unparalleled novelty, interest, stimulation, excitement, and joy. As a result, students become emotionally involved in these activities, pay more attention, remember better, and, in short, learn better. Strategies that incorporate movement, music, and storytelling also improve class morale, build self-esteem and enthusiasm for learning, and increase feelings of student “connectedness” to the class and to one another.

Approximately six years ago my belief in the effectiveness of music, movement, and storytelling became so absolute that I dedicated myself to gathering, adapting, and creating as many strategies and activities as I could that feature these elements. I put over 100 of these ideas into my new teacher resource book ROCK IT! TRANSFORM CLASSROOM LEARNING WITH MOVEMENT, SONGS, AND STORIES. In this article I am excited to share two of my favorite ideas for improving student learning in the area of the English Language Arts.

The first activity, “The Jumping Game,” features a specific type of movement that I call “concept-embedded” movement, in which the activity itself features a type of movement that represents, matches, or embodies the meaning of the content students are expected to learn. Thus, when students move around and participate in the activity, they are actually bringing the content to life.

The next, “The Book Parts Song,” capitalizes on the finding shared by Jerry Evanski in his book CLASSROOM ACTIVATORS that “music can...be used to ‘entrain’ information into the brain.” By entrain, Evanski means that teachers can set academic content to music to help students learn and memorize it. The best way to do this is through the use of familiar tunes that Amy Schwed and Janice Melichar-Utter, authors of BRAIN-FRIENDLY STUDY STRATEGIES, GRADES 2-8, refer to as “piggyback songs.”

The Jumping Game

The Jumping Game helps reinforce the definition of synonyms and antonyms. Prepare a list of words for which your students can think of synonyms or antonyms. Pair students and have them face their partners. They should stand a few feet away from their partners, with adequate space between each pair. Announce the first word. The kids jump up and down on two feet twice, and then stick out one leg. It’s like playing rock-paper-scissors with feet.

To keep the kids jumping at the same speed as their partners, call out, “Jump, jump, show.” If the partners show opposite legs, they think of as many antonyms as possible for the word and say them quietly to each other. If they show legs from the same side of their bodies, they brainstorm synonyms. For example: The word is mean. The kids jump once, jump twice, and show their feet. The pairs who show either two right feet or two left feet brainstorm synonyms, such as cruel, rotten, and unkind. The pairs that show one left and one right foot brainstorm antonyms, such as friendly, kind, and nice. Give the groups about 30 seconds to brainstorm their synonyms and antonyms, and then bring everyone together for a quick whole class share. Check for accuracy, reinforce the meaning of the two terms, and compliment students who demonstrate excellent word choice.

Have your students do two to four words per session of the Jumping Game.

 
The Book Parts Song

Elementary students are frequently expected to learn four specific parts of a book: the title page, table of contents, index, and glossary. This song helps make that task an enjoyable event that kids will remember. As the kids are singing the song, hold up a book and display each of these parts. Repeat the song twice so the kids receive more practice with these ideas.

“The Book Parts Song”
(Sung to the tune of the theme from the ’60’s TV show, “The Addams Family”)

Turn to the front (snap, snap)
Turn to the front (snap, snap)
Turn to the front, Turn to the front, Turn to the front (snap, snap)

The title page contains / the author and the title
Plus some other info / about how the book was made

The table of contents / shows the chapter names
And the page numbers / on which the chapters start

Turn to the back (snap, snap)
Turn to the back (snap, snap)
Turn to the back, Turn to the back, Turn to the back (snap, snap)

The glossary is a / little dictionary
with key words from the book / a-n-d what they mean

The ind - ex shows you / key terms from the book
And the page numbers / where they can be found

As teachers, once we unleash the power of movement, songs, and stories in the classroom, we turn potentially dry academic lessons into engaging, multi-modal experiences that students will enjoy and remember.

Access a free ROCK IT! “Mini-Pack” here.

Steve Reifman is a National Board Certified elementary school teacher, author, and speaker in Santa Monica, CA. He has written several resource books for educators and parents, including CHANGING KIDS’ LIVES ONE QUOTE AT A TIME, EIGHT ESSENTIALS FOR EMPOWERED TEACHING AND LEARNING, K-8, and ROCK IT! In addition, Steve has created a series of shorter, e-book resources for educators, including THE FIRST 10 MINUTES: A CLASSROOM MORNING ROUTINE THAT REACHES AND TEACHES THE WHOLE CHILD, THE FIRST 30 DAYS: START YOUR SCHOOL YEAR WITH 4 PRIORITIES IN MIND, and 2-MINUTE BIOGRAPHIES FOR KIDS: INSPIRATIONAL SUCCESS STORIES ABOUT 19 FAMOUS PEOPLE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION. He is also the creator of the CHASE MANNING MYSTERY SERIESfor children 8-12 years of age. For teaching tips, articles, and other valuable resources and strategies on teaching the whole child, visit and subscribe at www.stevereifman.com. Follow Steve on Twitter(@stevereifman), “Like” his “Teaching the Whole Child” Facebook page, subscribe to his“Teaching Kids” YouTube channel, check out his two professional development courses for educators on Udemy.com, and visit his TeachersPayTeachers page.

Did you know that October is “Connected Educator Month?” In an effort to raise awareness of social learning and collaboration through technology, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology in partnership with other organizations encourage you to connect with educators within online communities of practice. Being a connected educator can help you learn more about the craft of teaching as well as the diverse tools available to support that process.

Complementing traditional professional development, online communities can break down the walls of the classroom, school, or district and encourage the sharing of ideas with educators from around the world. Whether it is responding to a blog entry, replying to a social network post, or discussions during a videoconference, the interaction of multiple perspectives can lead to new thinking and new ideas. Engaging in professional dialogue with other educators has the potential to strengthen professional relationships and build upon existing thinking and good practice.

Online communities can also be utilized to meet diverse needs of teacher interests. Learning can be more personalized and informal as the learner can seek out the information he or she needs through their learning network. Connected educators support one another and connect each other to educators who can support the process of seeking more information related to specific inquiries. There are many examples of how this kind of learning has impacted educators within this NY Times article.

To get started with being a connected educator, many online events are taking place this month. You can learn along with educators from around the globe through the connected educator website or by joining an online literacy community like Literacy in Learning Exchange. Sites like Reading Today Online and the online home of the National Writing Project offer online resources such as blogs and podcasts for educators to learn new topics as well as participate in conversations. 

There are many social media tools that can also support your growth. The English Companion Ning, an online community for K-12 English teachers, received the 2009/2010 Edublog award for best use of social networking in education. You can also participate in many literacy communities or social groups organized within Google+ and Edmodo. Twitter can also be a great way to find new ideas by following conversations or other literacy educators.

Videoconferencing is also another way of discussing ideas with other literacy educators. Some districts are using tools like Google Hangout or Skype to connect with experts in other parts of the world or gain feedback from them as they virtually observe lessons. Google sponsors educational “hangouts” on their site while Skype also has a series of speakers in the area of reading and writing where you can participate in the conversations.

So during this month, try engaging in one of the many ways to be a connected educator. After a while, you’ll find yourself being a connected educator not just in the month of October but year round!

William Yang is an educational technology teacher and staff developer for the Scarsdale Public Schools in New York.

This article is part of a series from the International Reading Association Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group (TILE-SIG).

Over the past couple of years I have been increasingly using online technologies to allow my students to learn, create, and communicate in hybrid learning spaces. In working with pre-service and veteran teachers in graduate level classes, or in professional development workshops, I try to provide an online learning resource that individuals can use after the day is over and they are back home. 

I build these online learning resources and communities to be as device agnostic and location agnostic as possible. This means that you can learn, create, and communicate at work on a PC, on your couch on an iPad, or in line at the coffee shop on your mobile device. In my humble opinion, the best of these online technologies over the past year or two is Google+.

What is Google+ and how do I get started?

Google+ is a social network developed and run by Google. If you already use gMail, or Google Apps (Docs, Presenter, Spreadsheets), then you already have an account with Google+. There are many reasons to use Google+ in addition to Facebook or Twitter. One of the most important reasons is that it is run by Google, and if someone searches for information about you using the online search engine, Google will bump your Google+ content to the top. This is important as you create and curate your online brand. There are also many other features that make this a powerful, and worthwhile use of your time.

To create a profile in Google+ you need to navigate to https://plus.google.com/. If you already have a Google Account (e.g. gMail or Google Apps) then add this information and confirm some of the details that Google already has about you. Google likes this information to be as close to your offline identity as possible. Please consider the identity you most want to promote with this tool and include those details. If you do not have a Google Account, please click here and create one. When you first log in to Google+, it will ask you to “circle” a bunch of people. This is the equivalent of friending, or following people on Facebook or Twitter. Google+ will also ask you to join a bunch of Communities. My advice is to not circle anyone, or join any Communities just yet. Google+ will give you a warning that you’ll be “lonely and bored” if you don’t follow anyone. Ignore these warnings and follow my advice.

The next step of getting started up involves personalizing your profile on Google+ and creating connections to your other online identities. This is terribly important given my earlier indication that Google will bump up their own information about you when someone “Googles” you. Let’s face it, many of us Google ourselves. You can be sure that colleagues, potential employers, or parents and students will and do Google you. What information is online about you and how can you shape what is being said about you? Having a rich, thorough description on Google+, with tons of shared content and discussion is a great first step. So please take the time to create and review your Google+ Profile, and connect your account to other work you do online. Connect your YouTube channel, your cooking blog, and your Pinterest feed. This allows your online identity to be as exciting and robust as your offline identity. For more in-depth discussion about how to thoughtfully and effectively create and personalize your Google+ Profile, please click here.

Now that you’ve signed in to Google+, there are a ton of different things that you can do with this tool. I use Google+ to research, learn, and discuss new ideas with others.

Use Google+ to develop your Personal Learning Network

Once you’ve created an account for Google+, I would start looking around online for people to “circle.” A circle is the Google+ version of following or friending someone. You can also quickly add other people by adding a curated circle developed by some other people on Google+. I recommend add people from this circle by Martin Shervington and this circle by Rich Kiker if you’re interested in some great dialogue about teaching, learning, and technology.

Another quick way to use Google+ as your personal learning network is to find Communities to follow. A Google+ Community is the equivalent of a group in which the members all have a common interest. I’m an active member of a number of Communities, some of my favorites include the Connected Learning Community, Chromebook EDU Community, Rapsberry Pi Community, and the Using Google as a Free LMS Community.

By joining these Communities, the links and news shared in the group are automatically pushed to your home feed. I find these Communities to be invaluable resources to keep on top of new events in a field, or direct questions to a global panel of experts.

Use Google+ as a communication tool for personal and academic work

Because Google+ is facilitated by Google, you have access to the wealth of tools offered free in the Google Apps toolkit. This means that you can use Docs, Presenter, Forms, and Spreadsheets seamlessly within Google+. One of the most invaluable tools that is part of the Google+ ecosystem is Hangouts. Hangouts is a mix between an instant messenger and video conferencing communication tool, and it’s a powerful way to text chat, or video chat with colleagues and students globally. The tool is free and allows you to video conference with up to ten people.

The most powerful feature of Hangouts is that it is device and platform agnostic. That means that you can video conference with people using your computer, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, or Android tablet. You can now keep in touch with individuals almost instantly, no matter where they are. I use Hangouts to provide my students with an online office hour. They are given an hour two nights a week that they can use to drop in and Hangout with me to ask questions or get homework help.

Google also provides a function called Hangouts on Air. This connects to your YouTube account and allows you to live “broadcast” your video conference to your YouTube channel. After the show is complete, your broadcast is saved on your YouTube channel for peers or students that may have missed the original meeting. This is a great tool for lecture capture, help groups, and planning sessions. 

Use Google+ to build your own learning management system

In developing classes for my pre-service teachers I prefer not to use Blackboard. The rationale for this is that I don’t see the reason to teach them how to get around the learning management system (LMS) if they’ll never be able to use or create one on their own for their students. As a result I only use free online tools in my classes.

One of the best LMS environments that I create involves a mix of Google Sites and Google+. Google Sites allows you to create high quality websites for free. By integrating Google+, I can keep some of the interactivity that is lost by not using Blackboard. An example of this can be seen at a MOOC that I just built and will be launching soon.

I developed the Online Research and Media Skills (ORMS) model along with Greg McVerry as a way to effectively and authentically embed the new Mozilla Web Literacy Standards into the Common Core State Standards. We developed a MOOC to teach educators what is included in the ORMS model, and share their work with others. The MOOC is open, online, and free. We’ve already had students enroll from around the globe.

Through the use of Google Sites and Google+, I was able to develop a slick looking, professional LMS...for free. I also built up the MOOC to provide an exemplar for my students to show what could be achieved through the use of free online tools and a little time. To learn more about the ORMS model and the MOOC, check out this blog post on a Hangout on Air I recently conducted.

What can you do with Google+?

Some of the wonder, and also some of the challenge, with this environment is that you really can do everything. So, with that I urge you to check out Google+. See what it can do for you. Please come “circle” me on Google+ and share your ideas...or just say hi.

W. Ian O'Byrne is an Assistant Professor of Educational Technologies at UNH. His research examines the literacy practices of individuals as they read/write in online spaces. You can read more of his work at his blog, Digitally Literate (http://wiobyrne.com/). You can also follow him online at Google+, or Twitter...or email at wiobyrne@gmail.com.