Readers' Choice Allows More Freedom

          Finding the right balance is critical in any given situation, whether it be with activities, time commitment, work vs play, etc.  Often times teachers don't allow students to voice their opinions where they should.  Students are told day in and day out what they should do.  No changes.  A little bit of freedom can go the right way when put in the right hands.  There will always be students to take advantage of that, but it is important to allow students some freedom within the classroom.

          Readers' Choice is the perfect class for more freedom in assignments.  Being able to choose your books for at home, with teacher approval, and being able to vote on the book chosen for in class, allows us to enjoy a usually dreaded assignment - reading another book.  Readers' Choice allows for us, the students, to enjoy what we are learning, while opening up our minds to a world of genres we may not have thought to ever like or just not have even heard of at all.  A lot of the times when I read a book for school I was thinking about reading on my own, the assignments that come along with it kill the book, but not in this case.  Although some work seems like busy work, it isn't all that bad when you're enjoying what you read.  Some of the assignments allow for fun or creativity - sometimes both.

          

          My favorite part about this class is our discussions.  You get to talk about the book, hear other perspectives, and sometimes see a book in a new light.  It allows for more leisure, less structure, and more fun.  Discussion cards also add to the factor of seeing books in new lights.  You're thinking while reading, but not necessarily over-analyzing like most classes make you do.  Reading went from one of my most dreaded assignments, to a relief and completely enjoyable thanks to Readers' Choice.

Blog Comments

Gionna Marotta:
http://rockreading.blogspot.com/2013/06/books-vs-ebook.html#comment-form

Katie Aliotta:
http://littlewomanblogs.blogspot.com/2013/05/readers-choice.html#comment-form

Jackie Finnegan:
http://ireadpast-mybedtime.blogspot.com/2013/06/dont-be-afraid-to-read-out-of-your.html#comment-form

Too Much Homework Hurts Students

   

          Reading is supposed to be enjoyable, nourishing, and beneficiary for everyone.  Is it possible that school is taking that away?  Sometimes, books being assigned for classes can make the book seem like pure work, taking away any possible enjoyment.  The pushing of the analytical aspect of the understanding of the book takes away the point of understanding the book your way.  Instead of relieving stress, reading for classes is adding on stress.

          The thought of another book becomes more and more dreaded.  So many assignments for one book becomes overwhelming, let alone the total amount of assignments.  Class books, books for home, essays, projects... it all becomes too much.  More and more classes are making their class seem like the higher priority and not caring about the amount of work other classes give.  The great amount of stress this causes creates less will and ambition from the students.

          Students become so overwhelmed that they start to give up.  Those typical late-night crams and sleepless nights are slowly disappearing.  In place of those, students are just not caring anymore.  They figure they might as well do the simpler assignments, not worry about stressing themselves out and just call it a night.  Test scores are dropping making grades are slipping, Too much homework assignments are hurting the students.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/30/too-much-homework-test-scores_n_1391134.html

Books vs. Nooks

Nooks come with convenience, but are they actually better than books themselves?

http://dailycollegian.com/2010/09/19/nook-vs-book/

            Having never used a nook before, Readers' Choice opened me up a new style of reading.  Such a mixture of feelings as to whether or not I preferred a nook or a book.  Almost everything is becoming digital.  Technology is spreading faster and faster, opening up new worlds in many different aspects.  Some in positive ways, others in negatives.  The nook comes with its own positives and negatives.

            I prefer the feeling of flipping a page and actually having a book, but when it comes to assignments, I prefer the nook.  Nooks allow you to highlight and add in notes without the hassle of doing so with a book.  With books I would either have a mass amount of post-it notes on the pages or notes in notebooks because I never wanted to make actual marks in the book.  On the other hand, nooks allow you to buy books whenever you feel like reading.  No need to wait for shipping online when you don't feel like driving all the way to the store whenever you're in the mood for reading.

          Thanks to Readers' Choice I discovered a liking for something I thought I would never want to use.  I discovered a liking for the use of nooks.  It is extremely convenient and allows you to annotate and highlight as you read.  Altough books give you the feeling of flipping the page and not just reading another screen, I have found, personally, that it is much easier to read on a nook.  With our generation being so used to great technology, reading another screen is a teenager's norm.  Another great bonus to the nook is that an e-book is almost always cheaper than the actual book.  You won't always find a book because it could be out of stock or taken out at the library while with a nook, it's almost certain the book will be there.