CCBC-Net Archives
An Open Letter to the Students at Marian College
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From: K.T. Horning <khorning>
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 1997 08:58:13 -0600 (CST)
This posting is inteneded to answer some of the questions that have been posed by Marain College students regarding CCBC-Net.
CCBC-Net is a listserv for people who wish to discuss children's literature. Every few weeks we announce a specific topic for discussion. Last month, for example, we discussed the books of Lois Lowry. This month our topic is poetry. In a week or so, we will discuss the books that won the Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King and Batchelder Awards for 1997 (which will be announced Feb 17).
Since we are trying to provide an electronic discussion in a specific area announced in advance, one of the things we do as facilitators is to try to keep the discussion focused. When we have situations as we have just had with the Marian College students with people who misunderstand our purpose, we try to remind subscribers that the focus of CCBC-Net is a specific book discussion, not a free-association, general children's literature listserv, as others are, before the discussion disintegrates.
This month, since our discussion topic is poetry, it would be appropriate for you to pose a question about children's poetry. It would also be appropriate for you to share some of your own thoughts or experiences with poetry. Next week we will invite you to join our discussion of the award winning books. At that time, you may want to ask questions about how these books were chosen, and this would be an excellent opportunity to find out because there are people on this listserv who will be directly involved in that decision-making process.
You are right that educators want to share information. So do the librarians, children's book editors, writers, illustrators, and other adults interested in children's literature who subscribe to CCBC-Net. But, as you get further along in your career as a teacher, you will find there is more than one way to do this. One of the things you will learn as you become more experienced is to assess a potential learning situation to determine the best approach. You will find that there are ways to ask questions and learn things without even raising your hand.
When your teacher made the assignment to join a listserv to find out how teachers share information, I am sure this is what he or she had in mind: to show you how colleagues (teacher to teacher, librarian to librarian, teacher to librarian, etc.) share information and learn from each other. It's different from the teacher/student model. When we share information as colleagues, we do this by providing a little information of our own and then asking for others to comment or give us some other ideas. If we have a lot of experience in a particular area, we may write a lengthy piece about it, perhaps even an article or a book. Or we contribute by reading and listening to what others are saying, if the subject is new to us. In the latter case, we may go so far as to try something new as a result.
Of course, you can learn from us! But we want to learn from YOU, as well. I hope you will join in our discussion as a colleague.
Kathleen Horning Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education University of Wisconsin-Madison khorning at facstaff.wisc.edu
Received on Mon 10 Feb 1997 08:58:13 AM CST
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 1997 08:58:13 -0600 (CST)
This posting is inteneded to answer some of the questions that have been posed by Marain College students regarding CCBC-Net.
CCBC-Net is a listserv for people who wish to discuss children's literature. Every few weeks we announce a specific topic for discussion. Last month, for example, we discussed the books of Lois Lowry. This month our topic is poetry. In a week or so, we will discuss the books that won the Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King and Batchelder Awards for 1997 (which will be announced Feb 17).
Since we are trying to provide an electronic discussion in a specific area announced in advance, one of the things we do as facilitators is to try to keep the discussion focused. When we have situations as we have just had with the Marian College students with people who misunderstand our purpose, we try to remind subscribers that the focus of CCBC-Net is a specific book discussion, not a free-association, general children's literature listserv, as others are, before the discussion disintegrates.
This month, since our discussion topic is poetry, it would be appropriate for you to pose a question about children's poetry. It would also be appropriate for you to share some of your own thoughts or experiences with poetry. Next week we will invite you to join our discussion of the award winning books. At that time, you may want to ask questions about how these books were chosen, and this would be an excellent opportunity to find out because there are people on this listserv who will be directly involved in that decision-making process.
You are right that educators want to share information. So do the librarians, children's book editors, writers, illustrators, and other adults interested in children's literature who subscribe to CCBC-Net. But, as you get further along in your career as a teacher, you will find there is more than one way to do this. One of the things you will learn as you become more experienced is to assess a potential learning situation to determine the best approach. You will find that there are ways to ask questions and learn things without even raising your hand.
When your teacher made the assignment to join a listserv to find out how teachers share information, I am sure this is what he or she had in mind: to show you how colleagues (teacher to teacher, librarian to librarian, teacher to librarian, etc.) share information and learn from each other. It's different from the teacher/student model. When we share information as colleagues, we do this by providing a little information of our own and then asking for others to comment or give us some other ideas. If we have a lot of experience in a particular area, we may write a lengthy piece about it, perhaps even an article or a book. Or we contribute by reading and listening to what others are saying, if the subject is new to us. In the latter case, we may go so far as to try something new as a result.
Of course, you can learn from us! But we want to learn from YOU, as well. I hope you will join in our discussion as a colleague.
Kathleen Horning Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education University of Wisconsin-Madison khorning at facstaff.wisc.edu
Received on Mon 10 Feb 1997 08:58:13 AM CST
