The Kindle is Kewl!!!

Kindle = Kewl

     I made the beginning transition from book toter to Kindle carrier this week. I'll admit that I had a momentary bout of buyer's remorse when I started examining the Nook color, but came to my senses when reminded that my goal is to read from a portable device -not access email and play games in-between the reading. So, what are my early thoughts? The Kindle is (pardon my adolescent-ish behavior) Kewl!

     After the initial hours of playing with every feature I could find on the unit, I eventually settled into reading from it -go figure. The fact is I've been reading a great deal this week because of the Kindle. The special e-ink gives the screen a fake look (as if someone typed on a plastic overlay) but it's perfect for reading. "Page" turning happens quickly, which is good because I'd read  that this was an issue for some of the earlier Kindles. The font size is completely adjustable too, another helpful feature when reading for prolonged periods. Probably the most influential factor to my heavy use of the device has been the variety of material it can hold.

     Next to my bed is a stack of books, somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty. I'm reading from more than half of these at the moment, a habit adopted years ago that, surprisingly, hasn't confused me. (A common reaction when people hear this is, "Oh, I couldn't read more than one book. I'd be too confused." The fact is it's the same as watching 10 TV shows. It's about interest not memory. Trust me, you can do this too.) Now, twenty books makes for a nifty pile and quite the project when I want to quickly switch to something else, or try and take more than three of these with me somewhere. The Kindle solves all of this. My Kindle has over twenty reading items at this moment, and I find myself jumping from one item to the next. While it sounds like inattention at work it's had the net affect of keeping me reading longer.
     Just this morning, I read a bit from the Wall Street Journal, then switched over to a Sherlock Holmes story (free), then back to WSJ, then to a PDF document (which I converted to a book format using Calibre), and then over to a contemporary novel. I don't think I moved physically more than three inches in the process. If I had to round up these materials the-soon-to-be-old-fashioned-way, I would have had to collect my laptop, a newspaper, and two books. I have enough trouble rustling up a spoon for my cereal in the morning. Most likely I'd have just read the newspaper from front to back -even the stuff I could care little about. So, for now, the Kindle has translated to more enjoyable and purposeful reading for me because I can access anything I'm interested in reading anywhere. Yes, this is no different than when we all began converting over to MP3 players and no longer had to worry about shelves of albums to sift through and be in a range of to enjoy.

     Another additional benefit -and this is purely a theory- is that I'm reading faster. I'm not a terribly quick reader in general. I'm probably average. But, with the Kindle screen being smaller than a book page, and the size of fonts able to be increased so that only a few words per line show at a time, the outcome is reading more quickly. The reason is quite literally because less eye movement has been needed. It seems like a small point to make but moving across from left to right to follow strings of words and then zip over to start the next line is an unnecessary task. I've noticed that in recent years, I hardly look at the edges of my reading. I try to shoot down the middle and feel almost a sense of anxiety (or is it merely irritation?) at having to move my eyes side to side. When we read it's natural to try and see things in chunks, anticipating what will show up next. So, a narrower column of words seems to work better for reading and sense-making than having text spread across several inches just outside of our visible range where it becomes necessary to shift and refocus our attention. 

     I'm not completely done with books and I know it won't be long before I'm using a Kindle color (rumor is their Chinese manufactures are playing around with new color screens) but I'm satisfied owning a Kindle. Looking forward to taking is me...everywhere.

How's Yor Speling?

            I don't make too many bones anymore about my spelling. At my age, it is what it is; and so, I’m honest about it when anyone asks. I’m average in this department, which is why the word processor is, for one like me, practically the single greatest achievement of Mankind.
            Spelling is one of those things about any language that seems to polarize many people. Rather than try to defend one side or even straddle the fence (sounds ridiculously dangerous) I’m going to avoid the discussion altogether and offer a recommendation for those who want to spell well and swell.
            Use the tools available to you and your children. The word processor is an amazing device –truly. The mistake made, as I often witness in classes, is that students either A: do not use it, or B: use it haphazardly. In the latter instance, they’ll select whichever spelling “looks” right. That “looks-right” approach is invariably employed, not because they cannot sift through to the proper spelling, but because it’s expedient to pick it. Still, as useful as all the built-in dictionaries have become, they don’t teach students to spell better in general.
            Enter SpellingCity.com. This website has been gaining some traction. My immediate thought about the site is that it’s far too busy with its advertisements and simply needs a much cleaner look to it. Hopefully, they’ll do something about this. I’m also left thinking there’s nothing original about how the website helps its users improve as spellers. Looks and lack of imagination aside, this is a great website to practice spelling.
            Site users can input and keep list of words or choose from a teacher produced list to practice their spelling. In the Teach Me mode, students see and hear each word spelled on the screen before them one word at a time. This is followed by the use of the word in a complete sentence. Once a student believes he is ready, he then selects the Test Me mode. The student then spells the word said on the screen. He is also able to hear the word repeated in a sentence. This is exactly the kind of practice I remember receiving as a child. The teacher read spelling words aloud, used them in a sentence, and I was asked to practice spelling them out (10 times for each word. 20 when I was naughty.) for a quiz. But, this is not all.
            SpellingCity.com also allows students to Play a Game with the words from the spelling list being practiced. Make that play many games using the spelling words.

Alphabetize- asks the students to put the spelling list into alphabetical order

Hang Mouse- basically hangman using the words –except no one is hanged. Of course, if you fail to spell the word soon enough, the cat captures the mouse. (The mouse is cute, but if you’ve ever had mice in your home, you’re kind of rooting for the cat. Same if you’ve watched enough Tom & Jerry cartoons.)

Word Search – yep, a word search containing all of the spelling words

Matching sentences – the word has to be matched to a sentence with a blank in it

Unscramble – the words are arcmblesd and need to be unscrambled

The list of games goes on. None of these games are novel but that’s not the point. The aim is to have the students seeing, thinking, and spelling the words over and over until it’s easy. This type of repetition, which no one loves, is still the best way to improve our spelling, like it or not.
            I think SpellingCity.com is a great way to improve spelling from home –even if it brings nothing new to the table.

NOW, I remember what I hated about the dictionary as a kid

     If I had to label my middle school academic development, I'd say it was fairly ordinary. I did my homework, not necessarily to the best of my abilities, but decently enough so as not to owe my parents too many explanations. I was interested in reading, mostly comics, and an occasional fantasy novel, but most of my energy was spent on sports and friends. I certainly did not possess then the type of hunger I  hold now for reading.
     This meant, among other things, that when I didn't know a word while reading about the last thing I was going to do was turn to that dusty tome, the dictionary, for help. I mean, I figured it was a big enough deal that I had cracked open a book to start -two books was asking too much.
     As an adult, I understand that my hesitation with looking to the dictionary was mainly because it took time to stop reading one book to turn to another only to go back to book one and pick up my thinking all over again. Or, so I thought. I was reminded this evening of another reason I avoided the dictionary.
     It was because the dictionary was often of no more help to me than if I had skipped over it.  It turns out that when you're 11 or 12, you  reallydon't know all that many words. And, you certainly don't know a word like abiotic (which is completely normal, but which is also going to be on the sixth grade science quiz at the end of the week). Therefore, you turn in absolute desperation to the dictionary for help.
     Hmmm...abiotic...that begins with A. So, that's gonna be in the front of the book. That'll save some time. This should be easy...Oh and it begins AB. That's even easier. Your 11-year-old elation dies upon actually finding the definitions of abiotic, because you don't expect to get this for an explanation: Not associated with or derived from living organisms. Abiotic factors in an environmentinclude such items as sunlight, temperature, wind patterns, and precipitation. Oh yeah, that's a BIIIIIIIIG help. Derived? Factors? Precipitation? Sorry, but I speak English not Scientist. 
     So where am I going with all of this? Great question. Let's see....ummm....err...oh yes. Dictionary.com has recently launched a new online tool which I had great expectations for -still do, though it may take some time. The site has launched a flashcard tool for studying at home. Even though it is in the beta stage, I gave it a whirl. I immediately set up a simple deck of social studies terms and found my enthusiasm sinking quicker than a stock portfolio in 2008. 
     When I typed the word delta, which is a social studies landform sixth graders with be quizzed on, I received a list of about 12 possible definitions. The first was in reference to the Greek letter. Makes sense. Not what I wanted, so I scanned further and got this: a nearly flat plain of alluvial deposit between diverging branches of the mouth of a river, often, though not necessarily, triangular: the Nile delta. Arrrrrgh! Seriously, alluvial? This might have been fine IF there had been a way to edit the definition. Mouth of a river, branches, and triangular all work, along with the example of the Nile delta, but, Dictionary.com doesn't allow for this.Unfriendly definitions aside, I decided to slap a deck together and see how the flashcards work.
     The site does more than just show a word and then expect you to guess what's on the other side. It begins by showing you the all the words and definitions you have chosen for study. When you feel ready, you move to studying. This involves selecting any one, or all, of three methods: a matching game, hearing the word and finding the definition,or  seeing the definition and writing the correct vocabulary word.
     When matching, a group of definition cards from your deck are displayed and only one vocabulary word. You click on the correct definition and you can move on. If not, you're show the correct card to study for a few seconds. When listening, you only hear a vocabulary word and then have to select the correct definition from a few of the definition cards. (Sometimes the choices are "All of the cards" and "None of the cards", which is a good way to reduce guessing. When asked to fill in the blank, you are given one definition and must type in the correct vocabulary word. 
      I do appreciate the variety of  approaches used. I also see the benefits that come from the score keeping the site does. When you've correctly nailed down a word and its definition it is considered mastered and doesn't come up again in your deck. This is sensible. Words you don't know, obviously come up with greater frequency. At the end of a cycle of practice, which depends on the size of the deck, you see your performance as an overall percentage. You also see how well you did with each individual word.
     Despite all the good the flashcards create, I keep coming back to the biggest detractor -no ability to either edit the definitions or chose from more age-appropriate ones. Don't  get me wrong. This site holds great promise for high school and college students, but not younger students. I do hope this changes and a more youth-friendly catalog of definitions are added. (Or, the chance to edit.) For now, there is no more than the same old, dense dictionary terminology I remember as a kid. Pass me the newest issue of Batman will you?

Future Telemarketers?

Audio enhancements seem to be a trend of late in schools and the reading field. My classroom is located in the audio enhancement section of the building, and I have witnessed the effectiveness that enhanced audio can bring to a lesson. So, it should come as no surprise that devices like Whisper Phone and Toobaloo are –ehem- making noise in the reading world these days.
                These devices are really low-tech but deliver what they promise. (They’re also wonderfully cheap, and can be cloned using PVC.) Made from simple plastics, each item is used by students when reading aloud. These audio tools help in several ways.

• students are able to sub-vocalize their reading, yet hear it themselves as if they were speaking fairly loudly
• classroom “noise” during activities like rereading a rough draft are nearly eliminated
• student focus is improved as typical background sounds lose out to the reader’s voice
• finally, and best, the chance for student understanding rises significantly as their reading is ported accurately into their ear canals. 

                I had the opportunity to test these tools this week and found myself smiling at how simple and effective they are. The Toobaloo claims to amplify a sub-vocalized voice as much as 10 times. Having no way to measure this, I’ll buy it. The Toobaloo was indeed the more effective of the two tools for enhancing my voice. The drawback is that it has to be held, like one would hold a phone. The Whisper Phone is hands free, which was great when I needed to hold a book open to read. It was, however, not as loud as the Toobaloo. This often led to me reading a little louder than I might have wished. It also seemed to have a seashell effect. It allowed a steady tone similar to when we put a seashell to our ears to occur. It wasn’t terrible, but something I did notice. Still, it’s hard to not want to have the hands-free set for longer reading.       
                I’m going to work on purchasing a few of these in the coming months to pilot them with my students during certain activities. Unable to decide which device is the best, I’m simply going to buy both. So, if you walk by the room and see kids wearing these then the answer to your likely question is “No, I am not training our youth of today to become tomorrow’s telemarketers!”

If you decide to purchase one of these for home use, I would highly recommend that you have your child place the device up to his/her right ear. Sounds entering the right ear canal access the left side of the brain, which is where much of a child’s understanding of language is developed. This does beg a question, for me at least: If a child is using these devices to review the steps of a math problem, should they wear it over the left ear? Anyone?

My Absolute Favorite Book Evaluator...for the Moment

     Well, it's official. Scholastic Books has finally broken through with a quality application. The Book Wizard is an extremely friendly and, I'm finding, reliable tool for determining some of the vitals about books. For too many years I felt frustrated by the density and improper categorization of the Scholastic website. It was always a fine place to buy books and then not much more useful beyond that. Finally, it's changed.
     Want to know the reading and interest level of Gary Paulsen's book Lawn Boy? Plug in the title and up pops a succinct window of information. (Lawn Boy comes out with an interest level of grades 3-5 and a reading level of 4.5.) Or, maybe you're curious about all of Gary Paulsen's written works. Place his name in the Book Wizard window and presto! All 100 of his works arise. By scanning the page anyone can see that he writes within a fair range of reading levels from grades 3-8. Yes, other sites do this in a similar manner, but what they don't have are some of the additional, useful, bells and whistles that follow:
     Along with interest and reading levels, each book is categorized by genre and topic. This is a very relevant item which many other book sites either do not offer or do not do particularly well. Again, examining Lawn Boy we learn that it falls under the genre of realistic fiction as well as comedy and humor. The latter description is a pleasant bonus many sites won't bother to give. The topics associated with Lawn Boy are jobs, careers, work resourcefulness, and sports. Now, that is a feature I can truly appreciate when I do not have a familiarity with a book.
     Scholastic Books also adds a if-you-like-this-book-then-you'll-enjoy-this-book search window common to movies and music sites. Amazon rose to power with its ability to cross-compare books and make decent suggestions of other titles that could interest its customers. Now Scholastic has done the same also allowing its users to adjust the grade level difficulty at the same time. Was Lawn Boy fun but too easy? Push that meter up a grade or two and new suggestions arise. Nice!
     So, if you're not quite clear about the nature, difficulty, or how well a book might match with your child, run it through the Book Wizard and enjoy the magic. This site can easily be used by your child independently, which is another great approach to satisfying the customer.
     This is without a doubt my favorite tool for checking out the appropriateness of books for particular students by age and interest...until the next best thing comes along.

Hello Parents

     A new school year awaits us, and it promises to be an exciting few weeks for everyone at Gideon Welles School. I'm looking forward to meeting you and your child next week. 

     My colleagues and I have been diligently working to implement many new ideas and books within our curriculum. The Language Arts department is particularly excited about introducing  a slew of contemporary books to your child as part of our theme-based approach to instruction. The books span a range of genres and reading levels, which is critical to providing all our students the opportunity to connect with the written word and engage in the classroom community. It is also a tried and true method for promoting a love of reading.

     What follows is an image that will take you to our books after you've clicked it. Enjoy and hopefully I'll see you next week. 

What Glastonbury Teachers are Reading the Summer of 2010

     Most of the Language Arts and Reading Teachers in Glastonbury are reading Donalyn Miller’s work The Book Whisperer. The book is intended for educators, and while not entirely accessible to those outside of the educational field, its message is laced well enough throughout the work as to be understood by anyone. Miller’s contention is that children become excellent readers by reading, reading a lot. This comes across, in print at least, as too plain of a claim to possibly be accurate, but it is the bare bones of her argument.
Miller explains that reading in her classroom occurs daily for as many hours as she can squeeze in. Students are surrounded literally by thousands of books and have the goal of reading 40 books before the school year is complete. They are given freedom to make book selections within specified genres, and Miller works to see that the student study each genre to learn about which ones speak to them best. Miller holds herself to similar standards during the process. She reads with the children, takes their recommendations, and shares her development as a reader.
     It was difficult to not nod in agreement regarding much of what she holds true about inspiring students to become phenomenal readers. Choice is very important. She points out that many adults can point to several books they had to read in school and disliked immensely. A teacher that reads with his or her students unequivocally demonstrates the importance of the act. It’s not do as a say, it’s do as I do.

Here are some other key points, without the details, which she makes:

· reading should be uninterrupted for longer durations of time

· adult and peers recommendations are critical to finding books that speak to us

· classroom libraries are important and should be as large as possible

· quitting a book is okay as it reflects adult practices

· whole class novels are well-meaning but often counterproductive

· time taken from reading is to be careful considered for its comparative value

· students rarely read at home despite appearances

     I love to read. I read every single day for at least an hour. I find myself making connections between books, the news, movies, and personal experiences often and easily because of my continual reading. There’s no doubt in my mind that heavy readers succeed far more than fail in school or out of school. Miller’s book was therefore pretty much up my alley.
     I do hold a few reservations about her book. A few. I did not feel Miller did enough to explain the instructional activities that occur in her classroom over the course of a school year. She touched on a great deal without providing specific examples. Explanations about writing instruction and practice seemed to be lacking too. I also didn’t see much in the way of how she might work with her lowest students. Again, she merely touched on this.
     Despite these small qualms, Miller’s book is testament to what it means to be a reader. Reading goes well beyond standardized tests and letter grades. And, by the way, Miller points out repeatedly that her students “ace the standardized test” given to all Texas 6th grade students. Read and be rewarded.

School Libraries: The Blockbuster of Today?

     To begin, I love libraries and book stores. Well, to be more specific, I love what's in them. When I tell my family that I'm going to stop in at Barnes & Nobles, Borders, or the library in town, they understand that this means several things at once:

• I'll be out of touch for at least two hours. (I don't own a cell phone and even if I did I wouldn't bring it with me.)
• If they want to tag along, they have to decide if they can handle the minimum two hour visit time as well as put up with my many single syllable responses to their queries. 
• I'm going to put a nifty little dent in the family bank account.
• More books will be have to be squeezed into already tightly-packed bookcases.

     The thing of it is, I'm beginning to wonder how much longer the brick and mortar homes of books can remain as they are. I'm wondering if I need to make those trips by car and foot to my mecca. Just consider the Blockbuster versus Netflix business models and you'll understand what I mean. 

     Netflix has mortally wounded Blockbuster with its mailbox DVDs and online streaming. We want what we want quicker, cheaper, and delivered directly to us. Going to a store or the library simply doesn't hit on all three of those needs. Thus is Netflix able to slay a company many thought would replace the theater business, which is actually being handled by today's home entertainment theaters. These dynamic changes have me musing about school libraries. 

     Our school libraries, if they were a business, are far closer to Blockbuster than Netflix, and this is worrisome. In a business like Blockbuster, movies are bought, delivered, repackaged, cataloged, and shelved for customers take home. You could substitute books for movies and students for customers and still be accurate about the school library model. In both instances, there is a of time and expense woven into the goal of having individuals come, peruse, and leave with products in hand. It's a centralized model, which has Blockbuster scrambling to be more like Netflix and it's push out ways.

     I wonder if the time hasn't come to work more on a push out model for our business...err...libraries. I'm not calling for an end to physical books, or even librarians, but any means. In fact, both remain indispensable to education.  No, what I am suggesting is recognizing the successful models of today, our customer wants, and mimicking them as best as we can. This means divvying library books into classroom sets and adopting eReaders as soon as possible. That's right. Don't put the books into one big room, put the books into all the little rooms where the students are. And, start transitioning to the medium most are using now, electronic delivery of information.

Consider  all of these statements:  

• Every generation, from this point on, carries more computing power in their mobile devices than NASA had when launching the first ships to the moon.
• Electronic books are cheaper than paper books.
• When given the choice between going to the library to check out a book or downloading it to a portable reading device, most will overwhelmingly chose the second option.
• Locating the right read is easier and quicker (even more enjoyable) using Amazon (or our Destiny Quest browser) than working your way through rows and stacks of books. (Okay, I'll admit. I do like the experience of discovering a book by randomly roaming up and down the aisles, but I believe I'm in the minority with this one.)
• The Kindle, Nook, and Sony eReader can hold thousands of electronic books either via purchase or free download from the thousands of books in the public domain. (Wait until Google enters the field!) A lot less physical space is necessary.
• At least one state, Utah, has adopted eReaders as the primary means by which textbooks and pleasure books will be put into student hands. Texas is also heading in the same direction. (The larger sized Kindle displays entire textbooks with perfect clarity and all the usual instant connections to links, videos, updated information, etc.)
• Items stacked next to store registers tend to sell quickly, the so-called impulse purchase. Books, when well displayed (covers showing, not spines) tend to be checked out most frequently. Put 50 books on display in every classroom and they'll start moving. 
• Most eReaders allow users to read the first chapters of new books for free. They also show users books most-like the ones being read or examined. 
• Student connections between subject matter (science, social studies, art, etc.) can be enhanced through the proper pairing of classrooms to teachers and students.

The push out concept is not a silver bullet. There are complications. Tracking books from classroom libraries is much more challenging and potentially onerous for teachers. Librarians must make more trips to classrooms to share books and swap new titles for older titles.  However, this is how major transitions tend to work. It's not without bumps. Netflix began with DVDs to mailboxes only, then limited streaming, and slowly is working toward complete streaming. 

     Librarians, take heed. While I'm confident, as a mere reading teacher, that I misunderstand much of how a library functions, I feel as confident that change is coming and should be embraced. So, for those working the stacks, I welcome any comments you may have.

Summer Enrichment Offerings

The Town of Glastonbury offers several enriching camps and workshops each summer. I'm happy to announce that I will be involved in two of them with my good colleague Patrick Zabroski. We will co-teach both the Reading Enrichment Camp and the Glastonbury Games Club. Specific details regarding dates, times, and price will follow very soon on the Glastonbury Schools website. A brief description of each of our workshops follows:

Reading Enrichment Camp: I know all too well how summer can slip away with children having not even started the required summer reading. (I have three boys and it's happened in each case at least once. I, of course, blame this on my wife. usually from a great distance -like a state, or two :) Thus was born the idea behind this workshop. Patrick and I want to help the procrastinator in us all get a head start on our summer reading. Using a modified Reader's Workshop model, we will present how we read books, take notes, and focus on the pleasurable aspects to reading. We'll also help participants find non-fiction materials to go along with their fiction selection. The workshop meets for one week, four hours each day, allowing us to model strategies, conference with students, discuss and write, and read for a sustained period of time. So, why not take a little of the pressure off the end of summer by joining us at Smith School at the beginning of summer.

Glastonbury Games Club: Let me get this one straight. I love video games, but I recognize that too often this idle pursuit doesn't bring people together as much as it brings player and machine together. Patrick and I decided that, as great as computers are, it wouldn't hurt to nurture the social component that comes from face-to-face meetings. We also thought it might be a good idea to side-step the ole standbys, like organized sports, and go for something new -boardgames. We've got a nice list of games that allow 2-4, or even 4-8, individuals to play together in one room. Imagine that? These are the kinds of games that have a nice blend of easy to learn rules and compelling strategy. They're not your typical games either. There's Quirkle, Rummikub, Formula De, and more, much more.  Some of these may well end up in your home after your child plays them. Game night anyone?

Or, check out some of the other fine offerings within Glastonbury this summer.

Age Banding

The United Kingdom is holding a very interesting discussion which may affect you. In short, book publishing companies are looking into the idea of rating their books the same way movies and video games are rated. This is called "age banding".

Age banding basically means they're going to rate books in a way that suggests what age should be reading them. Their plan, at least for now, works as follows: Early will stand for children 5+, Confident will stand for children ages 9+, and Fluent will stand for children 9+. I'm not sure I understand the labels they're thinking about using beyond Early. 

Word choice is VERY important and labeling books "confident" and "fluent" makes me worry that more negative attachments will come with those labels than positive ones. For example, "fluent" suggests that a child who can read all the words on the page is automatically ready for the 9 and up books. This is not always true. It also cuts another way. There may be pressure to move a child up to a book labeled fluent when he or she is not ready for it; or voices of derision for a child enjoying a book deemed "below" his/her age.

Banding opens the door for many other labels to land on books. As it is now, there are sometimes "age appropriate" labels on books, and/or reading levels given to them. These are simplistic labels and as a highly experienced reading teacher -oh and reader- I often question the validity of either form of labeling. I've come across plenty of books claiming to be one reading level but are in fact either much higher or lower than claimed. Besides, reading levels do not tell us anything about the complexity of the content inside.

I do see merits to age banding at times. Video games are a pretty solid example. But books aren't video games. Books are a different matter entirely. As you may suspect, I love the printed word. I do not withhold any materials in my home because I feel that if I do this, then they only want the books in question all the more. I'm fine with my children trying books, which the age-banding publishers might deem above their age range, on their own. What happens is that they either put it down (too confusing or boring) or find  this "difficult" book, interesting enough that they then begin to push themselves as readers. Awesome!

We live in an age where SO MUCH is available to use when it comes to learning the appropriateness and content of books that it seems completely out of touch to STEP BACK with simple, age banding, labels. Take 5 minutes, scan Amazon from home or your iPhone, and then decide if a book is a good match for your child. There you get a book's themes, reading/age levels, reviews, and a chance to sample the text yourself.

I've got some strong feelings on this topic, but I would love to hear what you think about this idea. Maybe I'm overreacting.

I leave you with a quote from C.S. Lewis, which is also the pretext for the No-to-Age-Banding website.

... the neat sorting-out of books into age ranges, so dear to publishers, has only a very sketchy relation with the habits of any real readers. Those of us who are blamed when old for reading childish books were blamed when children for reading books too old for us. No reader worth his salt trots along in obedience to a time-table.

CS Lewis (1952 essay On three ways of writing for children, collected in Of Other Worlds (latest edition, Harvest Books 2002)

-Mr. Lagana

Hard (Copy) Decision

The question isn’t will I, it’s when will I. When will I switch from purchasing, carrying, and peering into hard copies of the written word and embrace the soothing, high-resolution, electronic delivery of the written word, because the next step in delivering the written word to each of us is in mid-stride.


Kindle is leading the way, followed by eReader, and now the Nook. Each device is portable and capable of delivering a massive number of books, articles, and blogs to your fingertips. Anyone who says this won’t replace books did not pay attention to events in the music world.

The iPod came, it saw, it conquered. Vinyl recordings are a clear marker in my life of how old I am these days, and I don’t sound all that hip and relevant when I mention music CDs either. (Hmmm… add the word hip to the list of you’re-showing-your-age items.)

I do love books. I find it incredibly relaxing to peruse books in a library, store, and even online. I like holding books and being an owner of books. My home is in many ways a small library unto itself because of how much I enjoy books. And yet, this does not mean I won’t eventually change how I receive the written word of others.

Frankly, there’s too much to like about the new age of print to stay away from it much longer. The real difficulty is going to be deciding which portable device I finally purchase. There are pros and cons to each device, which I will not bother with here as there are hundreds of sites that have done this already. Instead I’ll give my reasons to go electronic along with my worries.



The reasons to buy electronic:

It is cheaper. Yes, the machine costs money, but the savings with electronic version of books makes up for it. Hard copies of books cost far more and take longer to come down in price. Electronic books begin cheaper and move down in price quicker than those we purchase from a brick and mortar locale. There is less clutter. Books pile up quickly, and they have an eerily magnetic way about them when it comes to dust. A thousand books on shelves is messy. A thousand books in electronic form is sublime. I will make better decisions. I don’t always leave a store with the books I planned to purchase. Sometimes it’s due to cost and other times it’s spotting something else of interest. By accessing Amazon, for example, directly from Kindle, I can see reviews of books and similar types of books to assist with my decisions. There should be less guess work. I’m also often under a time constraint when I’m at a bookstore and make hasty decisions. I’m hopeful there’ll be better organization. My books are sometimes filled with ear-marked pages, highlights, odd slips of papers, or a notation along the inside covers. All of which seem like good ideas until I need to actually return to this information. Then, I’m left wondering what my grand organizational plan was at the time as I look through shelves of books. An electronic device will force me into one method, which is (I hope) much easier, reliable, and sensible.



The reasons I worry about going electronic:

Foremost in my mind is ownership. When I buy a book I can do with it what I will -not so with an electronic version. I cannot readily hand off the copy to a friend. Some electronic readers will allow you the chance to lend a book for two weeks, like a library, but that’s not good enough. Generally, when I lend a book, I don’t expect it back because I know it’ll be gone for months. I worry about instantaneous collection loss. What happens if my portable device breaks? A broken device means I’ll have nothing to read until it’s replaced or repaired. Amazon claims to backup all your purchases, but I’ve read mixed reviews on this. Example, periodicals are only backed-up for two weeks! Normally, I try to weed out piles of magazines. But, if I can have an electronic copy, I would not have to decide what to throw away. I like seeing books. Books packed into shelves simply sings to me. They don’t even have to be my books or books I’ve read.

Most likely, I'll find myself holding onto both in the end. I'm looking forward to the new experience.

Tisk, Tisk, to Both of Us.

I cannot help myself. I don't really want to note the problems with an alphabet puzzle meant to entertain toddlers but, as a well-known philosopher often said, "I y'am what I y'am."  (Hmmm...so Popeye is not a philosopher, but he is well known.)

I'm unsure how the puzzle pictured above came into our home, but I'm the first to admit that I'm disappointed I let it remain in my house all these years. The puzzle is a Melisa & Doug creation and it's quite likely you own or have owned one of their many products. To be clear, I think the company (duo?) produces many fine educational toys, but with this one, they failed.

Well, what's wrong with it, you may wonder? It looks like a rather nice alphabet puzzle all things considered. It's colorful, made of fine, solid, wood, and quite picturesque. All true, but that's not what has me thinking tisk, tisk to both myself and the designers.

To begin, the letter E rankles me. No, I have nothing against elephants. (Does anyone?) I'm bothered by the use of the word "elephant" to teach the sound of the letter E. The word "elephant" does not allow for the discrete, clear, pronunciation of the short sound for E. What we say, and what a child mostly hears, when the word "elephant" is spoken is an L sound. Most children will certainly hear and see the letter E in many other words as they learn language, but for some even one instance such as this can cause problems. Better choices are words such as "egg" and "Eskimo." Of course, drawing any of these along the shape of the letter E is not necessarily easy. Still, is it that hard to paint a dozen eggs instead? Or an Eskimo with his body making the vertical line, his sled as the bottom horizontal line, an outstretched hand as the middle horizontal line, and maybe a cloud, some wind, or a sun as the top vertical line? If they can squish a picture of a kangaroo into the letter K and have two monkeys (holding hands?) for the letter M, then they can come up with alternatives to an elephant! Okay, I need to calm down right? It's only one letter. Oh but no. That's not true at all.

Not even two spots away sits the letter G...I think. The picture for this letter is a globe. The hard G sound is most appropriate. So no real issues for me there. However, the picture itself is baffling. A ruler of some measure (longitude? latitude?) is wrapped around the globe, and it is nearly impossible to discern from the globe. The end result is a blue and green circle better representative of a football helmet in shape than the letter G. To quote the lingo of today's youth I say, "EPIC FAILURE!" (My 5-year-old generally calls it a G. He knows G follows F because he can sing the alphabet but it doesn't stop him from saying it in a questioning voice after having paused a few seconds. It's a very troubling two seconds in both our lives.)

Hey, I can hear pleas for reason among many of you. 24 out of 26 isn't all that terrible, you say. That's 92% you rightly point out. Maybe, maaaaybe I could meet you half-way on this matter because anything above 90% just seems so credible. Sigh (and tisk, tisk Melisa & Doug) even this benchmark is not met. Enter the letter I.

The letter I is a picture of ice cream on a cone. Lovely...if you're being offered it, and as far from a treat as one can imagine if it's supposed to help a little one learn the short sound of the letter I. Every time I see that "ice cream" I scream, "What were they thinking?" The long sound of any vowel is (pardon my dessert focused mind) a piece of cake (not ice cream). One simply tells a child that all long vowel sounds say their name. So, the direct instruction, from a parent or teacher, is really set to teaching children the short vowel sounds. The letter I should have been pictured by something like an impala, or an insect, or a nice igloo to go with my Eskimo. Better yet, let's roll with an iguana! An iguana is both cool looking and rhymes with Lagana. (Hmmm...I suppose the marketing department for Melisa & Doug might balk at this particular pitch. How many Laganas are in the market for a puzzle board?)

I'm not done with Melisa & Doug and their poorly designed letter I just yet. The shape is totally unacceptable. Where's the dot over the body of the letter? Oh right, we can't have a picture with a single scoop of ice cream floating over a cone because that would be bad for a child to see. Well then, if it's supposed to be a capital letter then where are the little horizontal line thingies at the top and bottom? Apparently a picture fitting to the shape of an upper case I is beyond the creative talents of this company.

So, to the optimists I now present an updated score. The correct tally is now 23 of 26 letters, which is 88%. That's a B, and in teacher parlance not quite head-of-the-class when it comes to alphabet puzzles. You'd "B" wise to avoid this Melisa & Doug product.

Before I dismiss class and hop down from my beleaguered soapbox, let me share a better wooden alphabet puzzle. The one on the bottom is far superior and far less likely to have me in fits. I love the upper and lower case letters near one another. I also like, very much, that the letters are solid colors with pictures below. And wouldn't you know, it's another Melisa & Doug puzzle. A little redemption for them, eh?

Tisk, tisk. I've really no one but myself to blame for holding onto the first puzzle to begin with.