UCET / UELMA have decided to host a book club leading up to our conference next March. The expected launch date is the first week in December, so keep your eye out on our socials for the start of the book club. You can choose one (or more books) to join the discussion(s). There will also be an optional course approved for SUU/USBE credit.
We will have three books on offer to read and discuss:
– The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child by Donalyn Miller
– Digital for Good: Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World by Richard Culatta
– Learning Evolution: The New Era of AI in the Classroom by Carl Hooker
Participants can choose one or all three of the books to read and discuss. We have an interest form at the link below that you can share with your educator communities: https://forms.gle/e2pbnMh66g2bLsFx5
From BookWhisperer.com: Donalyn Miller says she has yet to meet a child she couldn’t turn into a reader. No matter how far behind Miller’s students might be when they reach her 6th grade classroom, they end up reading an average of 40 to 50 books a year. Miller’s unconventional approach dispenses with drills and worksheets that make reading a chore. Instead, she helps students navigate the world of literature and gives them time to read books they pick out themselves. Her love of books and teaching is both infectious and inspiring. The book includes a dynamite list of recommended “kid lit” that helps parents and teachers find the books that students really like to read.
From Goodreads.com: Kids deserve a better digital future. Help them create it.
When it comes to raising children in a digital world, every parent feels underprepared and overwhelmed. We worry that our children will become addicted to online games, be victims of cyberbullying, or get lost down the rabbit hole of social media. We warn them about all the things they shouldn’t do online, but we don’t do nearly enough to teach them the skills of digital well-being.
It’s time to start a new conversation. In Digital for Good, EdTech expert Richard Culatta argues that technology can be a powerful tool for learning, solving humanity’s toughest problems, and bringing us closer together. He offers a refreshingly positive framework for preparing kids to be successful in a digital world—one that encourages them to use technology proactively and productively—by outlining five qualities every young person should develop in order to become a thriving, contributing digital citizen.
From Goodreads.com: As artificial intelligence transforms how we live, work, and learn, this book guides educators on navigating the AI revolution in a thoughtful and ethical way. It explores how generative AI tools are disrupting classrooms while also unlocking new opportunities to enhance teaching and learning.
Through a blend of storytelling, practical strategies, and over 50 expert interviews, the book lays the groundwork on AI’s capabilities, limitations, and potential biases. It delves into the challenges AI poses for academic integrity while offering solutions for AI-enhanced assessment in the future.
This book is more than just theory, it is also jam-packed with the latest generative AI tools as well as strategies for implementing its usage at a variety of levels. It provides educators with a clear framework for the responsible and ethical integration of AI tools aligned to instructional goals. Filled with thought-provoking call-to-action exercises, this timely resource charts a path for education’s evolution in the age of artificial intelligence.