Sunday, September 27, 2009

Blog Entry 5: Shelfari (Open)

Throughout my Master's program I have had the opportunity to learn about many Web 2.0 tools that can be utilized in the classroom. Shelfari is one of my favorite Web 2.0 tools. I love Shelfari for two main reasons, it is a social networking site and it involves Literature. As a Literature teacher one of the biggest struggles that I face is student's lack of interest in reading. There are so many alternatives to sitting down a reading a good book now that many of my students don't even know about half of the really good books that are out there. Shelfari is an online tool that allows the user to maintain an online book shelf of books read, books that he or she would like to read, and books that he or she is reading now. The user is easily able to add a review and star rating to each book. To enhance a Shelfari it is important to add followers. Followers are able to share good books with each other. In the classroom Shelfari is a great way to get students interested in reading. Some students will be more interested in reading books just so that they are able to maintain a Shelfari with their classmates. Some students will become more interested because they will be able to see what books their friends are reading and hopefully find some books that they like. Shelfari is also a great tool to encourage students to discuss novels. Students who are reluctant to read can find a reading partner. They can read the same book and discuss the book together to increase their comprehension. As a teacher it is a great way to share your love of reading with students. Anytime I am reading a book I like to purposely leave it sitting on my desk or let the students "catch" me reading it. I do this because 90% of the time the students who "catch" me reading will want to read the same book. The same principal can be applied with Shelfari. When the students see what you are reading a lot of them are more motivated to read those books as well. Once you have created your free Shelfari you can view my Shelfari by clicking here.
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2 comments:

  1. Joy RenfroOctober 5, 2009 at 2:42 PM

    I had not heard of Shelfari before reading your post. It sounds like a great tool to use in any classroom. Students are much more likely to read books that come with recommendations from others who have read them. As part of my "first day introduction" at the beginning of the year, I told my students that one of my favorite books is the BFG by Roald Dahl. It was only a few days before I noticed that some of them were reading it.

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  2. Jessica PerryOctober 5, 2009 at 4:47 PM

    So, so cool! I can not wait to introduce this to my kids! I have so many kids who want to talk to me about the books they are reading but there isn't always enough time. This would be a great way to communicated!

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