Skype an Author: FREE TL Virtual Cafe Webinar



This month at the TL Virtual Cafe:
Skype an Author
June 7th 8pm EST
Guests: Dr. Mona Kerby & Sarah Chauncey

Ramona N. Kerby and Sarah Chauncey will talk about their groundbreaking project and site, Skype an Author! Join the TL Virtual Cafe to learn about Skype an Author: "The mission of the Skype an Author Network is to provide K-12 teachers and librarians with a way to connect authors, books, and young readers through virtual visits."

I am so thrilled to be hosting this webinar - these ladies through the goodness of their hearts and through their creative minds have built a ground breaking project and website that brings authors virtually into schools to talk to kids...FOR FREE!

Archive, Transcript, & Resources
Skype an Author Webinar for TL Virtual Cafe


Funny thing, last year I was in talks with Newfoundland folklorist, storyteller, and author Dale Jarvis and wanted to arrange a Skype or Second Life visit with my kids...sadly my county blocked both sites and wouldn't clear them for a day....being stubborn and redheaded we worked around it by Dale recording his stories and uploading them to both TeacherTube and YouTube for our Many Voices, Many Stories, & Many Lands: a 6th Grade English Folklore Unit




The ever cutting edge Unquiet Librarian Ms. Buffy J. Hamilton experienced this unique style of author visit at her high school library. Quoting from her blog:


Our First Virtual Author Visit via Skype with Sara Zarr
"The Unquiet Library Celebrated the National Day of Writing and Teen Read Week with our first ever virtual author visit via Skype! Our special guest was the amazing Sara Zarr, National Book Award finalist and author of Story of a Girl, Sweethearts, and her latest book, Once Was Lost.

We arranged a two hour visit with Sara to accomodate two groups of students. Students gathered in our presentation area of the library commons so that they could see her on our large projection screen. In each talk, Sara kicked off conversations about writing and reading by telling students about herself and her journey of becoming a writer. Students then came up to the webcam to speak to Sara personally and to ask a question they had. Questions our students had included:
  • How do you balance your social life with work?
  • Do you reread your books?
  • With what character do you identify most?
  • Which book did you enjoy writing most?
  • How do you use social media?
  • How do you get over writer’s block?
  • Who are your role models and/or who inspired you to write?
  • How do you get ideas for writing?

Zarr answered with honesty and passion in a conversational manner that kept us on the edge of our seats! We gained helpful and fascinating insights into the aspects of book publishing, how book covers are designed (and how most authors have limited input), different strategies for writing, realistic advice and what you might expect if you want to embark on a career as a writer, and what influences an author’s ideas for writing.

What was most striking to me was how conversational and intimate the visit seemed—one might think that a visitation via Skype might not equal a face to face presence, but Sara was so engaging that you felt as though she were in the room with you.

I highly recommend Sara for your next author visit! If you are interested in scheduling a Skype visit with her, please visit this link for more information. Thank you, Sara Zarr, for such a memorable and fun visit!"


Photo Credit: Buffy J. Hamilton - The Unquiet Library

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Makerspace for Little or Nothing

Image
Makerspace for Little or Nothing You don't have to spend thousands of dollars to start a Makerspace area. You don't have to have a designated room or rip out bookcases. You can even have a Makerspace on a cart! When we have testing in our Library, I put all our Makerspace stuff on an AV cart and roll it into our server room.  This post evolved from a previous post called Makerspace Starter Kit Updated where I had some of these idea, but I felt that it deserved it's own expanded post. You can take baby steps into the Maker Movement.  I've been saying that for 7 years or so....long before I blogged about it, I tried it out. Yeah, sometimes I try things on the sly to see if they are blogworthy for you! Now....having said that..... WARNING: Controversial Opinion Ahead.  I'm not 100% sold, even after 7 years of talking about the Maker Movement, that it's something that's here to stay and not just a fad. Even though I've (without knowing it!)
Keep reading

Makerspace Starter Kit Updated

Image
Three years ago I shared my Makerspace Starter Kit with you or what I was buying to boost our Makerspace area using four empty Library study carrels that no longer held desktop Macs.  That post has consistently been one of the most viewed posts every week for years and years - with more than 83 THOUSAND views, gee whiz! (Crazy, right?) So, I thought maybe it was time to update it!*  Since then, I've had some major Makerspace successes and a couple dismal (and expensive) Makerspace failures!  So, here's the latest for ya'll with the good, the bad, and the bloody awful! Our MHMS Makerspace How it works: Kids can come in before the 1st period late bell rings, during lunch, or when they've finished their work in class to explore, craft, and create in the Library Media Center. It's not a "class" or an organized offering. It's a free form optional offering of constructivist learning and creativity! It's not as big as some and it hasn't tak
Keep reading

Curating the Happy for Your Future Self

Image
Teacher Tip #112 Teacher Self-Care:  Create a Happy Folder In my School Library Media office desk I had a manilla folder where I carefully tucked all the hand written notes from kiddos & parents to read on a rainy day. I also SHAMELESSLY would first tape them to my office door (let the other teachers internally writhe with envy!)  Nah, really just to keep me motivated and also show the kiddos I appreciated their heartfelt little notes!  But.....before I tucked it away tenderly or taped it to my door, I took a picture of it and uploaded it to Flickr. A digital Happy Folder that pays back dividends of warm fuzzies and motivations for your future self.  Because, let's not kid ourselves, being an educator right now is HARD.  Start this habit NOW.  Don't be like me and wait 10 or 15 years. OK, some of that was because cell phones and digital cameras weren't as handy and as ubiquitous back then. But do your future self a favor, there will be days when you will need it.  Make
Keep reading