We are what we read...or so it seems

     March is Reading Month!  In preparation for it, I've had reading on my mind for quite some time, especially since my 4 year old (who will be 5 in mid-March) is an emerging reader who is now reading Bob books books on her own.  Because of her recent transition into the literate world, (yes, this momma is so proud) Reading Month at our house has got to be BIG!  As a kickoff I've been planning what to do for Dr. Seuss's Birthday, which is Wednesday, March 2nd, and I have decided that I will make Green Eggs and Ham for dinner and we will model our new Seuss hats that we will make as an afternoon craft project.  So excited!     
     As an educator, I know that one of the basic tenets of literacy development is that we need to model it for our children, so my own reading habits have come to the forefront of my mind as of late.  Or should I say my lack of reading habits?  Due to my ongoing illness for the past two years, it has been very difficult for me to read for various reasons...lack of oxygen to the brain, fatigue, and dizziness to name of few.  In fact, up until last week, I hadn't read more than various magazine articles in two years.  This has been hard to swallow for someone with two Master's Degrees.  However, I am proud to say that I have now completed my first book since the onset of my illness:  When God Winks:  How the Power of Coincidence Guides Your Life by Squire Rushnell.
     This accomplishment goes to the credit of my own ambition to be a positive role model for my daughter, the completion of two courses of cognitive retraining therapy with a speech pathologist, and my friend Kim S. who is an inspiration to me by her love and knowledge of books and who introduced me to the website Goodreads.com.
     Goodreads is a wonderful website and community that allows you to track books that you own, have read, are currently reading, wish to read, and any other label you wish to give them.  Some of my labels are bibliotherapy (of course, I am a counselor), professional, favorite from my own childhood, shared with my students, and shared with my daughter--just to name a few.  Additionally, the site allows you to rate and review books, connect with friends, follow people, join online book clubs, swap books, download ebooks (many of which are FREE---wahoo!), enter contests to win books (I won Miles from Ordinary) interact with authors, get advice on reading and writing, post writings, and ask general questions about any book related topic you can possibly fathom.  I have not seen a more comprehensive book website out there.
     One of my most favorite features of the website is the ability to track the progress of books that you are currently reading and make notes to yourself (or to your status should you choose to post to it).  These are two very important tools for someone like me who needs all the help she can get to get the book read.  On the progress tracker, you enter the page you are currently on and it transforms that to a percentage of the book completed and displays it as a bar graph.  For example, I am on page 34 of the book I am currently reading out of 168, so it displays a bar graph that is 20% complete.  This is MOTIVATION for me when I see this everyday on my profile page.  Twenty percent is one-fifth of the book...it's not just 34 pages...it's ONE-FIFTH.  Only four-fifths to go.  Sounds so much better that way, doesn't it?  Not only is it motivation, it's a REMINDER...it screams out to me...hey, don't put me down for long...remember, you're reading me!!!   DON'T ABANDON ME!  Additionally, I use the notes section to record little reminders like "remember to look up the website that was referenced" or to simply summarize the last thing I read so I can easily pick up where I left off (this was an important cognitive strategy presented to me in therapy). 
     I have only been using Goodreads.com for a little over two weeks, but I have loaded and sorted 228 books on my virtual shelves...and I'm still loading.  As I reflect on my books that are there, I've come to the realization that just like we are what we eat, we are what we read, too...or so it seems.  Remember, I am a parent, counselor, and educator by profession.  On my shelves I have 67 books I've shared with my daughter, 44 books I've shared with my students, 19 in the bibliotherapy category, 15 professional books, 14 spiritual books, and 9 parenting books.  The rest fit into miscellaneous categories not really worthy of mention here, but I think my point is clear...the majority of books I have read define me as a parent, counselor, and educator...which is exactly what I am!  I don't know why, but this revelation brought me a great sense of peace...to realize that I'm still on track.  Yeah, there was a two-year layover, or derailment perhaps, but the wheels are turning and the train is once again on the move!
     Wherever you are on your literacy journey, I encourage you to check out Goodreads.com and start using it, whether you use it to track your own reading progress or to track your children's reading progress.  Try it as a March is Reading Month project and then decide for yourself whether it's useful.  Chances are that you will find that it is.
     Recall that I said that my first recent book that I finished was about the power of coincidence working in your life.  My friend Kim S., my book-lover friend whom I also mentioned above, let me borrow that book.  God has winked!  I don't think it was a coincidence at all.  And perhaps its more than coincidence that you're reading this blog!

Happy reading...and I hope to see you on Goodreads.  Look me up at www.goodreads.com/snowdensupport 


   

Anti-Bullying week Cyber Bullying video

It's More Than A Game, It's Their Life!

     They called it Snowmageddon, Snowpocalypse, Storm of the Century, and other names.  Regardless, the Blizzard of 2011 hit the history books as one of the largest on record due to its size.  It encompassed twenty-some states and affected up to one-third of the US population.  In Michigan where I am from, some five-hundred school districts and independent schools were closed and some were closed for multiple days.  That's a lot of kids cooped up at home looking for something to pass the time, and roads were so bad that it was dangerous to travel anywhere--even to go sledding or skiing, which are typical snow day activities around here.  With the inability to get out somewhere, it is likely that too many kids turned to the Internet or video games for entertainment.

     I probably could turn the other cheek if our youth engaged in an occasional online indulgence on a snow day or vacation day from school, but that is simply not the case.  In the latest tallies, Facebook reports that it has over 500 million active users, many of whom are teens and tweens, who log more than 700 billion minutes per month in their accounts.  Additionally, according to Insafe, online gamers spend an average of 8 hours per week playing online.  

      All of this time that our youth are spending "connected" is having adverse affects on them.  First, teens today sleep an average of two to three hours less than their counterparts did ten years ago.  Second,

the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) cautions that spending large amounts of time playing video games can create problems such as:

•   Poor social skills
•   Time away from family, school-work, and other hobbies
•   Lower grades and reading less
•   Lack of exercise and obesity 

Finally, the AACAP also warns that exposure to violent video games such as World of Warcraft, which is played by over 13 million registered players and up to 250,000 players simultaneously, can increase aggressive feelings and thoughts in children and adolescents.
      Playing in "virtual reality" is not a pastime that is going away anytime soon. Sales transactions in virtual worlds of virtual goods were estimated at $18 billion in 2009.  Additionally, in 2008, Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Play Games (MMORPGs) generated worldwide subscription revenues of $1.5 billion, and have been forecast to reach $2.5 billion by 2012.

      In recognition of these statistics, Safer Internet Day is celebrated around the world each year on the second day of the second week of the second month of the year – which this year is today --Tuesday, February 8, 2011. In observation of the 8th Annual Safer Internet Day, hundreds of events have been organized for today and throughout the month of February to heighten awareness around online safety issues.  The goal is to promote safe and responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially amongst children and young people across the world.  The topic for 2011 is "our virtual lives" around the slogan " It's more than a game, it's your life".

      The topic 'virtual lives' encompasses online gaming – from simple games such as those on Pogo to MMORPGs – and social networking, which are the two online activities that are most popular with youth.  Kids need to understand how their real selves live through virtual experiences. In MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft, which is the world's largest MMORPG, or Second Life, which had 18 million registered users in January 2010, players are fully immersed in a world of fantasy and are totally able to escape into the game because they hide their real selves behind avatars.  In social networks such as Facebook or MySpace there is a fine and often unclear line between virtual and real.  It is important for youth to understand that using a pseudonym does not shield them from exposure to real life behaviors such as bullying, rejection, or peer conflicts.  Additionally, they need to develop a full understanding of how actions in their virtual life can impact their real life, meaning that the real self can be and often is easily and persistently misrepresented.  When working as a middle school and high school counselor, it was a daily event for me to help at least one group of students sort out and cope with cyberbullying issues or peer conflicts that stemmed from misrepresentations and/or misinterpretations on MySpace. 
      Educators and parents can easily take part in Safer Internet Day by engaging children in conversation regarding the risks associated with having an online identity.  Additionally, parents can help their children by setting boundaries around their Internet and gaming usage including time limits and parental supervision, privilege only after all homework is done, and placing encouragement and emphasis on engaging in extracurricular activities such as sports, music, artistic endeavors, or religious or community service groups.   
     If there is continued concern about the child's preoccupation or obsession with aggressive or violent video games or spending excessive amounts of time online, a consultation with a qualified mental health professional may be helpful. Log on to the AACAP website for more tips on how parents can avoid the problems associated with excessive video gaming.

Remember, it's more than a game...Help them to win at LIFE!