All posts tagged: luddite

Write on, Wednesday: The Benefit of Book Trailers

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By Leslie Lindsay No doubt you’ve heard of a movie trailer, right?  The commericial-style blurb about an upcoming or already-showing movie–a sneak-peak of the funniest/most romantic/endearing/action-packed segments that leave you eager for more.  But a book trailer?!?  What the heck is that?! Simply put, a book trailer is another means of bringing attention to a book and/or the author.  We live in a media age–from iPhones to streaming videos and music from our laptops, reading is now becoming a little well–mainstream.  Not that I agree with the novelty of it, but I do agree that there is something to say for the efficiency of electronic devices.  Again, it’s still a concept I struggle with.  If you’re into book trailers, then great!  It’s yet another avenue to reach potential readers.  Here’s a list of “fantastic book trailers and why they are so fantastic:” http://therumpus.net/2013/06/fantastic-book-trailers-and-the-reasons-theyre-so-good/  One of my favorites is from Deb Caletti’s HE’S GONE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sz-n4-TSDGA)  Wow–this one starts out almost exactly like the book (see Deb’s interview from last week’s post).  Yet, it’s different–I “saw” Dani differently in my mind’s eye and …

The Teacher is Talking: Are your Children Cyber Savvy?!

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By Leslie Lindsay Recently, at Curriculum Night for my 2nd grader, her teacher whipped out a pink-clad iPad and said, “You know, this isn’t required [yet], but sometimes I will pull out my personal iPad and use it with the class.”  She went on to say that she is very “digitally-aware,” and plans to use multi-modal technology in the classroom.  Humm…what happened to chalk and blackboard?  (on a sidenote, when I was in school–in the Stoneages, apparently–we had brown boards and yellow chalk, which at the time was seen as ‘progressive,’ as it was softer on the eyes.  We had Encyclopedia Brittanica, too).  Even the fact that whiteboards are now the norm in most classroom settings still seems “new” to me.  But, you see this digital thing isn’t going away.  In fact, it’s just getting started.  And for a luddite like me, I am well, baffled.  I like actual things–like books I can hold and periodicals I can flip through.  But, alas I must keep up with the times.  Another thought for antiquated learning:  many schools …