Learning & Leading Through Technology - September_October

in the modern classic Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Dr. Seuss shares the perfect message with children (or people of all ages, really): “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” His words of inspiration, encouragement, and fun leave us with a sense that we can do anything we set out to do.

As I read this book to my second graders in the library a few weeks ago, I realized it was a good way to describe to students, teachers, and parents what it’s like to connect with authors and illustrators through social networks and Skype.

With so many different ways to get to these places, it can be daunting to get started. So I am going to tell you about a few of my favorites and give you a map to lead you to all the places you want to go.

As Dr. Seuss says, “You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So … get on your way!”

Connecting to the Community

As a teacher librarian, I love connecting my students and school community to authors, illustrators, publishers, and others in the book industry. Our guests tell their stories about becoming an author or illustrator, read their books, and answer student questions.

We might do a fun activity together, such as create poetry or finish the ending to a story started in class.

Peter Reynolds, author and illustrator of The Dot and other books, even gave us a tour of his studio where he created all of the wonderful illustrations we just love.

Last year, Michael Buckley, author of The Sisters Grimm series, Skyped with our fourth and fifth graders after they read his books in literature circles. Students led the conversation, and Buckley deepened the learning experience and made it one they won’t forget.

Finding People Is Easier Than You Think

You might ask how I found these connections along the way. I have made dozens of contacts through Twitter, Facebook, conferences, websites, and friends. Social media gives us the opportunity to reach out to people in a unique way and use the connections we have to make even more. Here’s how I did it:

Twitter. You can search for authors and illustrators and even follow hashtags, such as #kidlit, #yalit, and #childrens-books, to make connections through conversations around these topics. I also follow publishers and educational companies to see what they tweet and who they follow. I have found some neat people who’ve come to my schools by using these sources.

Facebook. You can follow authors and illustrators on Facebook and share their pages with your students.

I always find lots of interesting things on their Facebook pages, such as new book trailers, illustrations they are working on, announcements that readers love, and much more.

Facebook also offers a way to contact authors directly, which is how our kindergarteners met Mercer Mayer, who writes and illustrates the popular Little Critter books.

Last year, my cousin Christa Mc-
Clintock, who teaches kindergarten at
a school in my district, suggested we
try to connect with Mayer because the
kindergarteners focus on his work in
September. We created our very own
Just Little Critter collaborative story
( bit.ly/PqyBAP) using Little Bird Tales
( littlebirdtales.com) with an illustration
and spoken story from each student.

We then put our story on Mayer’s Facebook page, along with a note asking him if he would like to connect with our students in Van Meter, Iowa, USA.

He agreed, and in February our kindergarten through third graders Skyped with Mayer. It was so special for all of us, and based on the image on Mayer’s Facebook page, he had fun with us too (see page 28)! He even drew us our very own Little Critter, who now lives in our library. You can read all about it on my blog ( bit.ly/ Z7gIvM).

I tell you this story to inspire you to invite authors and illustrators to your school too. Buckley once told me, “We are active on Facebook and Twitter to connect with our readers. We love making these connections just as much as all of you.”

Websites. There are two websites that are also wonderful and extremely helpful in finding authors to Skype with.

Author and teacher Kate Messner has a page on her blog listing authors who Skype ( bit.ly/fadL6j). I love looking through the list of all the authors who are eager to connect with readers.

Messner states on her blog that she compiled the information to help cash-strapped schools connect with authors. “I realize that many schools facing budget troubles don’t have the