Dear WinkWorld Readers, 

In the past month, I have been asked by 3 different groups: What is literacy?  I suspect what they are asking is: Is literacy only reading and writing?  

This is a bit tricky, as I really like to keep my WinkWorld posts relatively short. Hmmm.  In the new book, The Power of Story, a whole section (pp. 28 -33) attempts to answer the question, what is literacy?.  Here is a short clip.

Years ago I thought I understood literacy–it was reading and writing.  Remember when we thought it was that simple?Turns out that we were wrong.  Perhaps our traditional assumptions of literacy were not just simple, but maybe even simplistic. 

The world has changed. Schools have changed. Students have changed.  Technologies and media have revolutionized our understandings of literacy, and students may even wonder about old technologies and find them to be quaint and peculiar. Students of today have never lived in a “books only” world. The academic literature is alive with discussions of the breadth and depth of meanings of the new literacies (Asselin, 2004), but for the students this is not new–it’s the way it has always been….

Previously, I have written about functional literacies, academic literacies, workplace literacies, informational literacies, constructive, emergent, and cultural literacies. (Still with me? There are more.) More recently, we have learned of family literacies, community literacies, reflective literacies, library literacies, and web literacies (Wink, 2018, pp. 28-30).

Of course, critical literacies has held my interest for years.  More recently, Gorski & Swalwell (2015) have expanded this notion with equity literacy.   Road warrior literacy and junk literacy (ok, ok, I made them up) are my present favorites (Wink, 2018, p. 30).  Aliteracy (p. 31) is a disturbing new concept; it describes kids who can read, but who choose not to read in a deep and thoughtful manner; rather, they read in nanoseconds on their devices almost exclusively.

Reading the Word, and Reading the World, a notion from Paulo Freire, explains it best.  We spend a lot of time in schools to get kids to “read the word,” but we need to realize that kids also “read the world” very clearly.  Yes, literacy is reading and writing, but it is informed by the social, cultural, historical, and political world.

At least for me, literacy is much bigger and deeper that simply reading and writing. 

Hope this helps the three groups who happened to ask that question.  I am sure that I will be sharing more on the new, complex understandings of literacy. 

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

In the last WinkWorld, I wrote about Lisa, who read 2,684 picture books during the last academic year.  In this WinkWorld, I want to highlight my virtual friend and a teacher in Idaho, Tammy McMorrow; her goal is to read more professional books this summer, than she did last summer–she will need to read 41 professional books to meet her goal. This summer, Tammy is being very intentional and reads every morning.

Tammy also writes a terrific blog, Forever in First, and even if you have never taught little kids, I promise you that you will learn from her blog. At least I do.

For example, lately she has been talking about being responsible for her own professional development, so she is reading this summer.

She says that any professional book must do three things for her:

1. She wants to be validated, and thanks Donalyn Miller’s, The Book Whisperer, for helping her realize this.
2. She wants to be inspired, and she thanks Regie Routman for never failing her.  Tammy says that she likes to walk away from a book with a spring in her step.
3. And, Tammy also wants to be challenged. She shares that Mraz and Hertz do this for her.

Forever in First, June 21, 2018

I encourage you to read Tammy’s book, The Gatekeepers, which did leave me with a spring in my step.

  I will be following her blog to see what she is reading.  Maybe you will, too.

Forever in First, June 20, 2018

Dear WinkWorld Readers, 

Lisa MacKenzie-Miller of CA, a former graduate student, posted on social media that she had read 2,648 books during the academic school year, August to mid-May. Lisa has been a teacher for 23 years, and suddenly decided to challenge herself to read the entire picture book section of her school library.  In order to do this, she checked out 20 books per day.  When I read her post, I had several questions, which she generously answered for us.  Thank you, Lisa, for sharing, and I very much appreciate all you do to create avid little readers.

In what follows, I have my questions and Lisa’s responses.

What made you decide to read all of the books in the picture book section of your school library?

I have been thinking about this for several years, as my students excitedly tell me about a book they chose during library time. I wanted to challenge myself.  I found I could read 10 picture books during my lunch, and then check out 10 more to take home. I loved going home and looking forward to reading the books.

What was the best part of reading all of these books?

I loved knowing the stories when the students excitedly told me about what they had read.  I was able to ask them questions about the book and tell them what I thought of it. 

What was the most surprising part of reading all of those books?

2 things: First, I was surprised how much I didn’t like some of the books, and second, I relearned that you can never judge a book by its cover.

What was your biggest worry?

I didn’t have my 20 books to read each day during the Christmas 2-week break.  I am a reading addict.

How often did you use ReadAlouds? 

Every day. 

How did you use ReadAlouds?

I always have a book with me during the day.  For example, I did a ReadAloud as the whole class walked for bathroom breaks, or when we had to wait for anything in the classroom, as kids can get restless. I noticed that when I start reading aloud, the students immediately gather around and and quiet down.  I read during transition time, as we changed from one concept/content of the curriculum to a new topic. Basically, I do a ReadAloud anytime there is an unfilled moment during the school day.

How did the students respond to your many ReadAlouds?

This year I noticed that the students were constantly reading independently when they finish with an assignment. They even asked for more DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) time. One child usually had a book in one hand, even while doing math with the other hand.  I also noticed that the students, who were in the process of acquiring English as a new language,  learned English faster. I even heard them discussing the stories with their classmates. 

In fact all of the student read more this year than I have ever seen in my 23 years teaching 2nd grade.

Did you have a favorite author?

Patricia Polacco: I loved her Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair.  

Oh, Lisa, this is the perfect place for me to end this WinkWorld, but just wait until you read the last story in The Power of Story.  I just mailed you a copy, and I am sure you will turn to p. 225 first.  Happy reading.

Here we were last year reading Patricia Polacco’s magical book, Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair.  This experience inspired the final story in The Power of Story.  Lisa did not know any of this when she answered my questions on reading her 2,648 picture books during the past school year.

Thank you, Jim Trelease, for your 7 editions of the fabulous book, The ReadAloud Handbook.

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

Russ Walsh (Russ on Reading) and Rosie Ray, 4th grade student, tell us how to encourage reading and why it is so important.  Thank you Russ and Rosie Rae for sharing with us.

Russ on Reading, June 17, 2018

Fostering a Love for Reading in Children

Rose Rae fell in love with reading this year in her fourth grade class.   Her mama, Amy, is a teacher and does a lot with MakerSpace teaching & learning. An automata is a moving sculpture, which moves when you turn the handle.  I think Rosie Rae has been watching her mama.

Rosie Rae tells us why reading is important. 

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

For years, my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Pam Sharpe, has told me to join TAA, and for years I have resisted joining any more professional organizations.  Now,  I am actively not paying all of the annual membership dues to various professional organizations, as I try to do less.  However, I couldn’t resist trying TAA and their annual conference in Santa Fé, NM last week–Better Late Than Never!  FYI: Pam’s 16th addition of Pass Key to the TOEFL iBT from Barron’s will be available by TESOL 2019.

TAA is inter-disciplinarian and provides a wealth of resources for academic writers. I am particularly interested in their information on the rapid changes in the publishing industry.  I also think that I  benefitted greatly from their sharing of the new approaches to all of the digital literacies.

As I write this little summary, I am reminded of all of the one-page summaries I used to write for my CSU graduate classes, after I returned from a conference.   Interesting that now I can share more broadly in case any of this information works in your own world.

Here are a few of the new interesting colleagues and a peak into their area of expertise.  

TAA conference always begins with a GeoPrimer.  How many times have some of us been to a conference in a beautiful fascinating city, but we just never got outside of the hotel to explore? Guilty.  TAA sends one or two of their members to visit the host city to explore and learn of some of the local interesting sites.  The TAA colleagues shared their discoveries for only 15 minutes, and I learned so much more Santa Fé, NM.

I also noted that on the first day of the conference in the early a.m., TAA provided free headshots of the participants.  What a great way to get everyone out early to register for the conference together. 

I had never heard of Kent Anderson previously, but I will never forget his thought-provoking and disturbing look at the effects of algorithms on our world.  His data were complex and revealing, and I believe his bottom-line was:  Algorithms control us all now. Never trust an algorithm.  His answer to the intrusion of algorithms on the social and political context of the world: The intervention of good humans with values.

One surprising thing he told us: Of all of the social media, Snapchat is the only one which uses real humans with values to intervene and delete the fake news which comes through algorithms.

Hunks, Chunks, & Bites: Plan Writing Projects So You Actually Complete Them!
Presenter: Meggin McIntosh, Professor Emerita, University of Nevada, Reno

So where was Meggin when I needed her 30 years ago?  I walked into her presentation, assuming that she couldn’t tell me anything, which I didn’t already know.  Silly me.  And, she had such an engaging way of sharing her many resources. Check her out at Emphasis on Excellence of Reno, NV. Click on the HOME below for Meggin.

Home

Getting Started With Social Media
Presenter: Katie Linder, Director, Ecampus Research Unit, Oregon State University

Katie had a lot of information to share re: social media. I was particularly interested in her creation of podcasts. #YGT_podcast

Studies Weekly is new to me, but I had an interesting conversation with two of their lead people re: the new literacies for kids.  Le Putney, it was very affirming for our Visually Vygotsky ideas.

Claudia Sánchez from Texas Women’s University – She is using Spanish language proverbs, poems, etc. with children so as to inform the curriculum of the Teacher Education program.  If any of you are interested, I can help connect you.  It sounds like she does not yet have anyone collecting data on the program.  It so reminds me of some of the programs at the University of Arizona throughout the years.  I first learned how to incorporate the poesía, trabalenguas, canciónes, proverbios through Beto Guerrero, a.k.a., mi maestro–one of my all-time fav teachers.

Finally, pexels.com

There are many places to obtain photos and images online–all with various levels of acknowledgement and payment.  Pexels definitely has my attention, and I have used their images in this WinkWorld.

Thank you, Pexels.

However, the following image came from my dear friend, Norma Hughes of Benson AZ.  After she read the previous WinkWorld with a mention of the Cereus night-blooming cactus, she shared photos of her plant, which looked dead last week when I was there, and then suddenly burst with gorgeous blossoms during the night.

To view the archive of previous WinkWorld, click WinkWorld News.

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

On my walk to the University of Arizona this morning, I re-learned that “synergy is synergy,” as my colleague Paul Ennis says.  As I was walking to campus, I bumped into Joan Sandin, who is a friend, colleague, and artist I admire greatly. I have written about her previously and will re-post at the bottom. 

Here is one of Joan Sandin’s creations, Coyote School News, a book honoring another heroine of mine, Sister Bourne.   In this book Joan write and illustrates the story of Sister Bourne and her students.

The photo below is of Sister Bourne, whose students in rural AZ wrote and published many years ago, The Coyote School News.

The students at Atall School in Meade County, South Dakota are now writing and publishing The Prairie School Post, which is inspired by the newsletters which Sister Bourne’s students wrote many years ago. I am posting a WinkWorld where I mentioned The Prairie School Post at the bottom.

While I was visiting with Joan Sandin, she told me about her night-blooming cereus, which had bloomed the previous night. On my early morning walks, I am always looking for that glorious night flower, before it fades in the early morning light.

Below here is a photo of Joan’s large night-blooming cactus, which is growing up a tree in their back  yard.

Here is a photo of a cereus shoot, which she gave to me–now, I must live long enough to see it bloom!

Joan also has a little library in front of her home.

While walking in Tucson, I just sort of walk from little library to little library, as there are so many.  Prairie People at home, I sure hope you are taking books from my little library.

Of course, I had to make a quick stop here.

Looks like my treasured brick needs me to bring a cleaning brush on my next trip to my dear desert.

I even found magnolia trees in bloom.

I wonder if the UofA would hire me as a dead-header?

Two re-postings below here:

Joan Sandin and night-blooming cereus were previously-mentioned in this earlier WinkWorld post.

A great trip to AZ and CA

Previously, I have mentioned The Prairie School Post; here is an earlier post.

Jack Frost or Robert Frost?

Dear WinkWorld Readers

For my non-prairie friends, the annual branding is a big day in the year. 

Branding Day

Here is a little glimpse of our branding 2018.

Family and friends come to help and have fun.

My peeps.

Cousin Love

Cousin Love Continues

The Day After

The day after branding, we like to rest and maybe even bask a bit with relief that a big, annual job is done again.  This year, I was quietly planning on starting another Isabel Allende novel.  Often, Wink is busy checking on the calves and shutting down the branding area. I am usually busy putting large serving dishes away; putting food into smaller containers; washing lots of dishes and floors; washing sheets and towels, etc. 

But, this ‘day-after’ took on special significance when the main sewer drain stopped draining, which led us to a full-rich day searching for the problem, fixing the problem, and cracking bad jokes, which I think only prairie people will understand.  For example, Wink did mutter: “After branding, the real s**t begins.”

When we first realized the problem, I needed to run and dig out a special t-shirt. This shirt has special meaning, as when I retired from CSUS, the then-president gave me this t-shirt.  And, when I asked  what the meaning of the shirt was, she said that this was what I replied when people gave me a difficult task and a short timeline. Since then I have been known to mail similar shirts to friends, when they meet a road-block in life.

You can see that Wink does not have a special -t-shirt, yet.  And, incidentally, that toilet has now been moved, so we can really get-to-work.  Turns out that Wink’s 12 ft. sewer snake was not long enough, so he ‘slipped’ into town (2 hours away) to buy a longer one. Due home soon, so my WinkWorld writing will abruptly end.

Grandma Grace’s lilacs bloomed for branding this year.

And, not everything is a mess today on the ranch.

Best Quotes I overhead:

“This is the best week I could have had.”

“I have never seen it this green.”

“Those things are heaven on earth.” (said when speaking of Grandma Mary’s bean recipe)

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

Well, Homestake Mine of Lead, SD wasn’t really Grampy’s, but I did believe that he was the most important miner in the whole wide world, when I was a little girl, and he worked at the mine.  In addition, I was sad when the Homestake mine closed in the early 2000s.  However, it was soon after that we started to hear stories about the dream of changing the old mine into a new world-class research center.  Dare we hope? Yes, soon the State of South Dakota donated to get the ball rolling, and then Denny Sanford donated more, and Sanford research lab one mile down into the earth was off and running.  I was lucky enough to visit (March 17, 2018), and  I kept hearing words like, billions of dollars–a capital B and a capital S: Many groups are supporting the research now.

As soon as we had on our helmets, goggles, jumpsuits, and had signed all of the disclosures forms, we were ready to go down.

So, off we went, jammed in an old cage to the 4850′ to search for the the secrets of the universe.

Now, please remember that I am not a chemist, nor a physicist, much less an astro-physicist, but as I understand it, they are conducting the various research projects at this level because that mile of dirt protects the projects from the rays of the sun.

These various research projects take place in different caverns, ooops, I mean, on different campuses underground, and we traveled from campus to campus via their little train.

President Jim Rankin of South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and Dr. Wendy Rankin are in front of us. This little 11 sec. video gives you a sense of that train ride from one campus to another.

Here is the same 11 second video on YouTube, if you prefer.  

The research involves various universities, agencies, and countries, but of course, my 2 favorites research groups are South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and Black Hills State University.

The research seems to be searching for the missing mass of the universe? Matter and anti-matter: Where is all of the anti-matter? What is a neutrino, and why do they shoot them underground from Illinois to SD? What are the secrets of the universe?  And, if I heard correctly, one of the experiments is attempting to reproduce what is in the sun.  And, no, I did not see the sun down there. But, as the Lakota and Carl Sagan taught us: We all come from the sun.

CBS news video (6 + minutes)

The Davis Campus: Underground it is even divided into different campus.  The Davis campus is named after Ray Davis?

Who is Ray Davis? He did slow, methodical research way underground for 30 years.

This 14 minute video pretty much reflects my experience going down in that cage, which takes 12 minutes to get to the 4850′ level.  As I understand it, this little yellow cage only takes 3 minutes when it is loaded with rock on the way back up to ground-level.

Thank you to John Dagit for posting the following video.

Talk about Research Rapture–I cannot even imagine how these physicists must feel about their work.  It was absolutely thrilling just to hear them talk about their projects.   However, I did ask several of the physicists and astrophysicists IF any of them were writing stories for kids of all ages.  I think we need to capture the magic and the mystery of these research projects in order to engage children and teenagers with such important concepts.  For example, why not a book about “What is a neutrino?” or “Who is the Ray Davis?” or “What do you mean we come from the sun?”

OK, Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s book, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry has been on my stack of books by my bed far too long – time for me to read it!  He makes complex information comprehensible and intriguing for me.

Previously, I wrote about Research Rapture, and I thought of this post when I was in Sanford Mine.  Here it is again.

Research Rapture and The Din In The Head

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

A special THANK YOU to Jaime Volmer for sharing this story about blueberries with us.  It might help you understand the differences between a business and your local public school.

The Blueberry Story

Dear WinkWorld Readers,

Recently, I read several articles about tech companies searching to hire humanities graduates. I will post a few of these at the bottom of this blog post. 

Then last week, the president of Dakota State University (DSU), our South Dakota cyber security/tech-centered university, posted a brilliant short essay on the humanities. 

Turns out that thinking deeply matters.

Dr. José-Marie Griffiths, the president of DSU (a.k.a., small school/big science), shared this post in her weekly President’s DSUpdate, May 4, 2018. The essay was written by Dr. Joseph Bottum, a philosophy professor at DSU.  I hope you enjoy the one-page post, as much as I did.

The Humanities from Dr. Joseph Bottum of Dakota State University.

I encourage you all to explore the DSU webpages: Small, but mighty. Previously, I had posted the article below here.

DSU: What does a cyber attack look like?

Other articles about tech companies valuing the study of humanities are posted below.

Google

Washington Post and Google

Forbes and the “useless liberal arts” degree (with tongue firmly placed in cheek)

If you search with your browser window, you will find many more articles related to this topic. Happy reading.