Connected Reading by Troy Hicks and Kristen Hawley Turner
Weekdays August 5th-16th on Twitter
In anticipation of Kristen Hawley Turner’s keynote address at the 2019 Fall Conference: Practices Designed for Success and in recognition of the importance of summer professional development for teachers, we have designed the first annual NJCTE Summer Book Club Slow Chat on Twitter. Join us and earn six professional development credits while connecting with fellow literacy educators in New Jersey.
Have you purchased your copy of Connected Reading yet? If not, there is still plenty of time! You can purchase the print version or the e-book from the NCTE Store until August 16th. NJCTE and NCTE members can use the code READ19 to receive a 15% discount. Mark your calendar, buy your copy of the book, and get ready to join our conversation on Twitter!
Read a chapter a day or read the entire book before the chat dates — whatever works for you! Below are the chat questions for those of you who like to prepare in advance. Most will appear in an abbreviated form in tweets, so reference this for more details:
Monday, August 5th: Introduction
Slow Chat Q1: Welcome! Before we begin discussing the book, please introduce yourself, and share which digital texts you most enjoy reading. If possible, share a link to the text itself or a summary of the text. #NJCTE
Tuesday, August 6th: Chapter One
Slow Chat Q2: Why might some literacy educators marginalize digital texts in their instructional choices? What actions might we take in our classrooms and schools to “move beyond these hesitancies” (14)? #NJCTE
Wednesday, August 7th: Chapter Two
Slow Chat Q3: In Chapter Two, Turner and Hicks focus on the recursive processes of connected reading: ENCOUNTERING, ENGAGING and EVALUATING texts. In what ways do you enter into this process yourself as you read digital texts? #NJCTE
Thursday, August 8th: Chapter Three
Slow Chat Q4: In Chapter Three, the authors share a number of anecdotes and experiences to illustrate what mindfulness about digital reading looks like. How are you more mindful of your digital reading practices after reading this chapter? #NJCTE
Friday, August 9th: Chapter Four
Slow Chat Q5: In Chapter Four, Turner and Hicks show how students “move fluidly between print and digital texts” (58). Nonetheless, “they may not realize that digital tools can help them to curate in a way that keeps them focused” (67). How might we help students articulate and discover their intentions and purposes as they navigate both print and digital texts? #NJCTE
Monday, August 12th: Chapter Five
Slow Chat Q6: In Chapter Five, the authors unpack a variety of approaches and rationales for creating shared digital annotations as they read print texts. What might shared annotation look like in your classroom and school? #NJCTE
Tuesday, August 13th: Chapter Six
Slow Chat Q7: Throughout Chapter Six, Turner and Hicks offer abundant examples of “intentional instruction surrounding digital texts” (124). What practices were you rethinking as you read this chapter? #NJCTE
Wednesday, August 14th: Chapter Seven
Slow Chat Q8: In Chapter Seven, the authors underscore the value of offering students “micro-bursts of short- and mid-form reading that can fuel their learning” (127). What unit of instruction or area of required curriculum might be notably improved through the introduction of digital texts — short-, mid-, and long-form? #NJCTE
Thursday, August 15th: Chapter Eight
Slow Chat Q9: In their final chapter, Turner and Hicks reference Will Richardson’s claim that “teachers must be users before they ask their students to engage with technologies” (142). Today, take some time to tinker with several of the many resources the authors have mentioned in this chapter or in previous ones. Share your learning as a user of the technology. How might it inform your future practices this year? #NJCTE
Friday, August 16th: Closing Reflections
Slow Chat Q10: Please share how you plan to implement strategies shared by the authors this coming school year. In the spirit of the book’s intent, please include screenshots and/or digitally annotated passages from this book or another one you are reading to share your learning with this network. #NJCTE
New Jersey Council of Teachers of English 