Career Tech Teacher Melanie Salas Shares Her Thoughts on Collaboration with The Unquiet Library

Here is the research pathfinder for our collaborative project on Social Media for Social Good!

Figment: Write Yourself In

 

Figment: Write yourself in. via kwout

Have you heard about the awesome new social writing network Figment?

Figment is a community where you can share your writing, connect with other readers, and discover new stories and authors. Whatever you’re into, from sonnets to mysteries, from sci-fi stories to cell phone novels, you can find it all here.

The New York Times describes Figment as:

“…an experiment in online literature, a free platform for young people to read and write fiction, both on their computers and on their cellphones. Users are invited to write novels, short stories and poems, collaborate with other writers and give and receive feedback on the work posted on the site.”

If you enjoy reading or writing, give Figment a try! Check out these sections of Figment:

• The Figment Library
• Figment Features
• Figment Contests
• Figment Forums
• The Figment Blog

 

Author Allan Stratton Visits The Unquiet Library via Skype

Last Friday, we were honored to host an hour-long virtual author visit the personable, informative, and dynamic Allan Stratton. Students who had read  Chanda’s Secrets in their literature/inquiry circles as part of our larger unit on Issues in Africa in Learning21/Media 21 enjoyed the opportunity to interact with Stratton and ask questions.  During our hour-long conversation, we learned about Stratton’s life, the influence of his mother on his writing, how he came to write Chanda’s Secrets, how he develops characters, and common themes in his books.  We also enjoyed Stratton showing and telling us about a range of international covers for Chanda’s Secrets; we even got to “meet” one of his cats (which delighted my 10th graders)!   The students were excited to talk to the author of the book they had read and to actually ask him questions and get real time responses via Skype.  For the students, this Skype experience was their first, and they were impressed at how wonderfully it worked.  After the session ended, students commented on how much they enjoyed the virtual visit, and some even shared they wished they could have had another hour to ask questions and to hear Stratton’s thoughts!

We were all charmed and delighted by Stratton, and if you are looking for a dynamic author visit, then it is without any reservation that I recommend you add Stratton to your “must hear” author list!  A heartfelt thank you to Allan Stratton for his time and for working with us to set up this wonderful Skype visit!

Privacy Alert: Tweaking and Disabling the New Facebook Places

How to Disable Facebook Places via kwout

Once again, it seems Facebook is compromising our privacy with the rollout of another new feature.  Take a look at this important Lifehacker article that will show you how to adjust and disable settings for Facebook Places so that you can make an informed decision about how much, if at all, you want to broadcast your location.  Thanks to Lifehacker for the step by step instructions and video tutorial!

Think Your Facebook Page Is Secure? Check Your Settings with ReclaimPrivacy

In the last month, Facebook has angered thousands of users with changes to privacy settings.   Facebook members have been shocked to learn that the Facebook Privacy Policy is actually longer that the United States Constitution! You can learn more about the controversy from this CBS News Video or checking out our Facebook Privacy research pathfinder.

In the meantime, check out this excellent new (and free) tool, ReclaimPrivacy, that makes it fast and easy to check your privacy settings.

ReclaimPrivacy Bookmarklet Rates Your Facebook Exposure Levels – Privacy – Lifehacker via kwout