Thinking Outside the Book: Making Reading and Writing Connections Online

Book Links March 2008 (vol. 17, no. 4)

By Jessica Mangelson and Jill Castek

Spread the word about these Web sites that encourage reading and writing connections.

This column introduces Web sites and Web tools that promote interactive writing and idea exchanges. These easy-to-use online tools encourage collaboration among learners, and support connections between reading and writing.

Blogs and Wikis

Interacting on Blogs

Blog, short for Web log, is a shared, interactive journal organized into discussion threads. Blogs can contain resources and images, much like Web sites. Unlike Web sites, blogs are edited within a Web browser, making them much easier and simpler to use. In traditional discussions, only one student responds at a time, but on blogs, all students share opinions simultaneously. In the click of a send button, each “comment” becomes public, giving students an engaging way to voice their opinions.

Blogging about Books

The  Grandview Library Blog offers practical ideas for how to get started with blogs and implement them safely with kids. The dynamic examples housed here are sure to spark ideas for ways to promote new forms of collaborative literacy.

The  Pashley Library Blog is a place where favorite books are shared by students, staff, and the community. By including links to school projects, good reads, and a poll of the week, this site shows the innovative ways blogs can be used to share information, ideas, and opinions.

Voices from the Inglenook” archives Cold Spring Library’s weekly activities. Sharing news and content from weekly lessons keeps parents, teachers, and the community connected. Follow the link to the  Library Skills Blog and the  Research Blog to find a variety of web-based projects by grade level.

Bookwink is a blog that houses three-minute video book talks featuring the newest titles. Book talks are uploaded monthly and focus on themes such as sea adventures, museum mysteries, and sharks. Kids can browse the archives on the blog or link to the  Bookwink index to search for picture books or chapter books by subject, grade level, author, or title.
K–1 educators can learn how easy and engaging blogging can be, even in first grade. At Class Blogmeister, teachers  Mrs. CassidyMrs. SchwichtenbergMiss Gauley, and  Miss Knee demonstrate how multimedia posts enhance the blogging experience for young learners.

Building Your Own Blog

Blogs capitalize on the strengths of authentic writing, interactivity, and the engagement that comes from sharing ideas instantaneously with those both near and far.  Edublog and  Landmark’s Class Blogmeister offer educators and students free tools that are safe and easy to use.

Book Talking on Wikis

Wiki means “quick” and refers to a Web site that can be edited collectively by any number of users in real time. Wikis encourage collaborative writing and facilitate the exchange of resources and ideas.

Peak School’s Library wiki has a “Recommend a Book” section where readers tell the school community about the books they most enjoy. The librarian responds to each submission with related reading suggestions. The wiki extends friendly dialogue about reading in a public online space that teachers, students, and parents can all benefit from.

“Classroom Book Talks” is a collaborative project that celebrates books and reading through a wiki-based idea exchange with students around the world. Book recommendations are organized by genre to help match readers with their interests. Review the rules for participation, then click on the “Who’s Involved?” link to add your school library or class to the wiki dialogue. (Note that the fantasy genre has an excellent book-talking podcast that students can add on to.)

“Welcome to Room 15” is a wiki created by Mr. ­Lindsey’s class. These sixth-graders create new content, revise, or add on to the work of others. Their wiki is made up of themed pages containing book reviews, a classroom journal, a newsroom, and other student-created content. The “Creative Zone” is full of students’ stories, poetry, and other work. While outside readers can browse the site, only students can create and edit the content.

Building Your Own Wiki

PB Wiki and  Wikispaces both offer free wikis to educators that can be easily customized to meet any instructional need. Visit the education links on both of these sites to explore a multitude of ideas about how wikis encourage writing and promote collaboration.

E-mail Exchanges

ePALS

Most of us are familiar with e-mail, but many educators aren’t aware of student-friendly e-mail sites or global collaboration projects. ePALS offers free classroom e-mail accounts and features global Internet learning projects, ­student-friendly discussion boards on topics of interest, school blogs, and tools for teacher networking. ePALS includes features that allow teachers and librarians to pre-screen students’ accounts, making e-mail safe for school use.

ePALS Book Club promotes sharing ideas about books and invites students of all ages to simultaneously participate in book discussions and learn the mechanics of e-mail. Students discuss their favorite books and authors, submit short stories and poetry, and share the books they love with others.

ePALS Student Talk Forum is a ­student-centered discussion board organized by topics such as “Publishers/Creative Corner,” “Global Issues/­Current Events,” and “Looking for Information.” Kids can read e-mail threads of interest, post their own opinions, ask for advice, or present new ideas. Because ePALS registers classes from all over the world, these forums encourage readers to consider diverse opinions and think in new ways.

In2Books

In2Books is designed to foster reading and writing skills in grades 3–5. This free site matches students in your class with an adult e-mail pal. Each pair reads the same book and exchanges e-mails to prompt discussion. The online dialogue generates enthusiasm for reading and encourages conversation about literature.

New technologies such as blogs, wikis, and e-mail exchanges encourage the development of strategies for reading, writing, and communicating online. These strategies build on the foundational literacies we’ve always taught, but extend them in important ways that support participation in a digital world. By infusing opportunities for collaboration into the curriculum, students learn effective communication strategies. In addition, students gain valuable experience with new forms of literacy that are quickly defining our world. 

Jessica Mangelson has worked as an elementary-school teacher, reading specialist, and professor of reading education. Jill Castek is a literacy specialist with the Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading project at UC Berkeley. She is a doctoral candidate at the University of Connecticut.