LYN HOWLIN is a teacher librarian in a Public School in country New South Wales, Australia. She has 40 years experience teaching in Kindergarten to Year 6 Schools, the last 17 of which have been in the library. Recently Lyn has discovered blogging and has created a Library Blog called
Cosy Corner. It is a great tool for displaying students' work, communicating to the school community and connecting with others around the world. However, her passion is still reading quality literature to kids.
KATHRYN TRASK is a booklover, lifelong learner and educator from the Kapiti Coast, New Zealand. She teaches at a small Catholic school, which she attended when she was a student. She enjoys teaching and her favourite time of the day is the Literacy block. Nothing makes her happier than to see her students deeply engaged with a book. Since the advent of blogging and social networks such as Twitter, Kathryn has discovered the joy of learning and sharing with other teachers around the globe. Kathryn blogs at
Miss T’s Reflections and her students blog at
Miss T’s Classroom. Follow her on Twitter
@KathrynTrask
JULIE SWENSON is a mother, a wife, and an educator. She helped with building a Pre-K program at a public school district in Iowa. She had the privilege of working with early childhood special education children last year. Much was learned! She loves to read, walk, spend time with her family, draw, and go boating. She currently attends a local university working towards her teaching degree. She absolutely loves her Children’s Literature class! Follow her on Twitter
@SwensonJulie
NATASHA IWEN is a para-educator for the Sioux City Community Schools. Working as a Para has helped her recognize how much she truly loves teaching and helping children. These experiences helped her decide to go back to school to become a teacher. Currently she is enrolled at Buena Vista University and plans to graduate fall of 2012. This summer she is taking a children’s literature class and discovering new and useful books and strategizing ways to implement them in her classroom. As a child she struggled with reading, and still does at times, so she can share, relate, and understand what children may go through and can recognize when help is needed. With her past experiences and personal connection with kids who struggle with reading, Natasha strives to become the best that she can be so that she is able to help her students with the stress that can be associated with reading. Follow her on Twitter
@tatashawa
SHERI EDWARDS is Technology Director and full-time middle school Language Arts teacher in a public school in rural Washington State, having also taught primary students. She participated early in the Teacher Leadership Project of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, adding to her passion for 21st Century teaching and learning. Her classroom encourages readers and writers to blossom as they connect with other students globally, considering others’ ideas. Digital citizenship, media literacy, and equity in tech access are her passions. Read more at her class blog
What Else, teaching reflections
Ask What Else, and personal blog
Pause2Play. Follow her on Twitter
@grammasheri
GREGORY WALTERS is an avid writer and a passionate advocate of authentic reading and writing experiences in school. He lives a ferry ride away from Vancouver, British Columbia, with his miniature schnauzer, Hoover, being his chief current distraction. His middle grade novel,
Fouling Out, was released by Orca Book Publishers in 2008. He maintains a blog entitled
Boyz Read, devoted to highlighting worthy reads to keep boys (and girls) engaged in reading. Comments and followers are always welcome. As well, follow him on Twitter
@gregorywalters.
All through school NANCY CARROLL was what Donalyn Miller would call, a 'dormant reader'. She had the skills and did very well in her classes, but she was just not engaged or motivated with reading. It wasn’t until she discovered Nathaniel Hawthorne's
The Scarlet Letter &
House of Seven Gables, that she truly became interested in reading and literature. Although she enjoys most genres, her heart lies with historical fiction selections. When she's not reading, she is a wife, mother of two teenagers, a teacher of twenty years and a self-professed, techie and blogger. Visit her blog at
Teaching is Elementary. Follow her on Twitter
@ncarroll24.
Moderator
DENISE KREBS is a lifelong learner and educator from Iowa. She teaches junior highers in a small rural Catholic school. Her classes include English, literature, science, American history, and some exploratories like videography. She loves learning with her junior highers and connecting with others around the world. In the summer she enjoys hanging out with adult learners as she teaches a pre-service children's literature class at a local university. Denise blogs at
Dare to Care and her students blog at
Krebs' Class Blogs or KCB. Follow her on Twitter
@mrsdkrebs.
