Technology Balance

"Students today ..."

Is there anything that kids today like more than gaming?  Maybe gaming together?
Maybe designing a game?

For those skeptical about where we are going in the future, there are some funny historical quotes in this book
 Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology

Can I dare hope for "a good book"?

Our last class of the year we talked about "reading for fun" over the summer.  I made sure that all of my sixth graders have their OverDrive passwords and I announced our summer reading events.  Some students had lots of book recommendations and others said "I don't read during the summer".  Well I did what any good librarian will do ... I tried to entice them with three of what I think are exciting books.  The good news - they are all the first in a series.

• The Face on the milk carton / by Caroline B. Cooney  A photograph of a missing girl on a milk carton leads Janie on a search for her real identity.
• Among the hidden / by Margaret Peterson Haddix. In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong.
• Uglies / by Scott Westerfeld. Just before their sixteenth birthdays, when they will will be transformed into beauties whose only job is to have a great time, Tally's best friend runs away and Tally must find her and turn her in, or never become pretty at all.

Bonus Book  --- Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne
Read in June,  2012:  This "Fierce Read" left me wanting the sequel ASAP.  But I had to wait a year.  Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne is an apocalyptic / post-apocalyptic novel.  Most of the characters are children or teens, who survive a disaster and are taking refuge in a shopping mall.  Fortunately, this series is complete, and a good trilogy to read over the Summer. 

Another thing that kids really STILL like  ---- 

Students today like WHITEBOARDS 

This is a great reward for students, just make sure they help you clean the board afterwards.
We have a Whiteboard Wall in our MakerSpace.