Technology Tuesday: Skyping with Maryland

So last week, I wrote about how one of my students skyped with a few students from Maine. (read here).  Today, after rescheduling from a Maryland snow day yesterday, a whole class was able to skype with another class in Maryland for World Read Aloud Day.

I first heard about World Read Aloud day on twitter.  I asked a few questions and a very nice librarian in Maryland named Mr. Winner answered my questions and volunteered to show me the ropes if I signed up on his schedule.

He sent me the link to the google doc and you notice he is on p. 65.  Yes, it goes on and on, teachers and librarians everywhere looking for schools to connect with for World Read Aloud Day (or Week). 

Mr. Winner and I  discussed via twitter which book we would like to read and  thought we were all set, until Mother Nature got in the way and cause a snow day in Maryland yesterday.  

Lucky for me, Mr. Winner had a cancellation for today and we were able to connect anyway.  He had a 2nd grade class and I had a 1st grade class.  After walking me though a camera glitch, we were finally connected!  One of his sweet 2nd graders introduced themselves and told us a little about their school and then we did the same.  We had decided that we would partner read Shh, We Have a Plan by Chris Haughton.  He read a page and then I read a page.  

    

Then his 2nd graders took turns each reading a page of Hug Machine  by Scott Campbell.  We still had a few minutes so one of his students asked us a question and then we asked them a question. 

We said our "good-byes" and "thank-yous" and disconnected.  

Afterwards, the kids were full of questions about Maryland.  I pulled a map up on the computer and showed them how far it was from Texas.  Earlier in the year, we had talked about communication in the Colonial Times.  That was a great thing to bring up again to talk about how that connecting like we did would not have been possible back then and that people had to wait weeks or months to exchange letters and news and here we did it instantly.  

I am so excited to connect some more and see how my teachers might take an interest in this.  I know I am late to the skyping bandwagon, but I love the possibilities of connecting kids to other kids to talk about geography, parts of the world, books, research... the list is endless.   

WRAD Blogging Challenge: Week 1

In preparation for World Read Aloud Day, I am taking part in the World Read Aloud Blogging Challenge.  Here is my post for week one.  I hope you will consider joining in the fun too.  

Week 1: February 9 - 15
What is your favorite book to read aloud or to hear read aloud and why?

How can a librarian answer a question like this?  There are way too many to choose.  When I was in the classroom teaching 3rd grade, I loved reading Island of the Blue Dolphins aloud to my class.  I think because when I was in 4th grade that was one of the books my favorite teacher, Mrs. Patterson, read out loud to us.  At the time, that is not a book that I would have ever chosen to read myself.  I was much more into Little House on the Prairie or Ramona books.  But there was something about how Karana made a life for herself alone with only the animals, friends or foes, to keep her company. Mrs. Patterson always read to us after recess and I would sit there, head on my desk, listening to her voice and trying to imagine what made Karana strong enough to continue each day.  When I had my own classroom, I think I chose that book to read to my students as a way to introduce them to a genre they might not choose on their own.  Every day, after reading, they would beg me not to stop (and sometimes I wouldn't ;)) 

As a librarian, I love to read aloud fun books.  Books that the students can join in with me.  Books that have great language patterns.  Books that have surprise endings.  

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This is going to be my first year to celebrate World Read Aloud Day.  I found out about it through twitter this year.  During the week, I am going to be connecting one of my 1st grade classes and 4th grade classes with Matthew Winner's class and a 3rd grade class with Shawna Ford's classes. My whole school will be celebrating Dr. Seuss that week as well so many activities are being planned for that celebration as well.