Transforming Blog Posts for Easier Reading?--Blurb.com as Publisher?

I listened to an interview with an author at the end of a series of ten audiobooks.  He mentioned that he writes his books in outline form first, then they evolve somewhat in the writing.

This blog was created day-by-day, post-by-post, based on what was going on in my life and awareness.  As I prepare the blog for publishing as a book, I need to think about what edits I may need to capture to make a book readable.

Still exploring publishing options, I did a Google search on "publishing blogs."   When I first did the search, Blurb.com was the first link. 

This looks like a great first step for publishing my blog--and, perhaps, getting feedback for improvement.

(Reading) Resources for Parents

In a conversation with a parent today in the therapy pool at the Delnor Wellness Center, we spoke about ways to provide enriching experiences for her two children in terms of reading and building skills useful both in school and beyond.  I have written about many of these ideas in earlier posts to this blog and wanted to revisit the topic--and to provide some new posts.

A very good way for students to build reading and writing skills is to listen to unabridged audiobooks of interest to them and to read along with an unabridged companion (printed) book.  The best source of these books is the local public library--in my area the St. Charles Public Library probably has the best collection.  If you do not have access to a public library (which I heartily encourage for everyone), you can go online to the World Public Library and access many downloadable digital books (for visual reading) and digital audio books.  An individual annual membership to the World Public Library is only $8.95 per year.

Downloadable books can be saved on iPods and MP3 players.   This gives the students access to books where they keep their music and gives them that much more opportunity to read or to listen to the books.

Amazon has the Kindle digital book readerKindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, U.S. Wireless)--that also supports audio.  Sony has a book reader and a European company makes a third reader (at, perhaps, a more affordable price).  While downloaded books can be read on computers--I read several textbooks that way while taking online courses from the University of Phoenix--portable book readers seem to be a much preferred way to go for digital books.  (You may want to explore "tablet PCs"--including a new one that may be coming out from Apple soon--to see if that will give you the most value from your investment.)  Follow this link for a review of the book readers.

I have been working with an extension of the audiobook and companion book concept to review my Spanish language skills.  I listen to an unabridged audiobook in English while reading its unabridged companion book in Spanish, then I listen to the unabridged audiobook in Spanish after I have read the companion book.  A modification that would also work is to do what I just said, then listen to the unabridged audiobook in Spanish and read the unabridged companion book in Spanish again.  This would reinforce Spanish pronunciation of the words in the book.

To improve writing skills, adults and children need to read more.  Research indicates that the best writers were first very good readers. (Visit the "Using Audiobooks" link on the page.).  An easy and mostly painless way to start is to find a series of books by a favorite author.  (For example, the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.  Visit http://drm-booklists.wikispaces.com/ and look at the tabs on the left for some suggestions.)  Once the adults or children have listened to and read a few of the books in the series, they should be encouraged to create a sequel or another story using the same characters and language of their favorite author of the series.  This way they have good role models for their writing and a good way to measure the quality of their writing against the work of they author they were inspired by.

These approaches can improve reading and comprehension by both children and adults and are especially valuable for second language learners.  By involving multiple senses, these approaches can also help people overcome minor learning challenges that impact how they read or listen.

For those who are physically or visually challenged, the Library of Congress offers the National Library Service free for those who qualify.  Qualification is a matter of certification by a doctor and then patrons receive free digital audiobooks and braile books in the mail.  Visit my blog post about BARD for more details.

If you would like to see a presentation about using audiobooks to improve reading and academic performance, please follow this link to my website. (Go to the 2009 Presentation on "Using Audiobooks," then click on the link you want to use.)

If you are interested in working with me to help your children (or adults) to learn to read more, please visit my website contact page at http://www.joelmonty.net/contact/contact.htm.

Reviewing Spanish--Some New Twists with Favorite Authors

For the last few days I have been reviewing my Spanish and preparing to do some translation from English to Spanish as part of a battery of tests I will be taking.  I visited the St Charles Public Library and picked-up a lot of good material to use in my review.

What I have experienced very good results with are two novels,  The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and Zorro, a Novel by Isabel Allende.  I have been listening to the unabridged audiobook on CD in English and reading the unabridged companion book in Spanish as I listen to English.  In addition, for The Da Vinci Code, I have been listening to the unabridged audiobook on CD in Spanish in my car.

The combination is easy to follow though I'm not sure if my approach by listening to the English and reading the Spanish may be to passive.  I know that the key to working any language is to use it--a lot.  I also know that the best writers in English read--a lot.  By reading Spanish I hope to improve my Spanish writing.  By listening to English and reading the translation into Spanish (or, in the case of Isabel Allende, the original was in Spanish and it has been translated into English), I am becoming more familiar with how to use phrases and idioms in Spanish to replace those in English.

This is certainly a challenging way to review.  I am also watching DVD movies in Spanish (often with Spanish subtitles).  This, too, keeps me involved and engaged in my participation in my review of Spanish.  I am delighted I have had several days to prepare before I have to face any Spanish-language tests.

Reviewing Second Languages--Audio and Visual Method

This week I am reviewing my Spanish, bringing myself more "up to speed."  Today I started a new approach in my review.  Working with the DaVinci Code by Dan Brown, I started listening to the unabridged audio in English and reading along in an  unabridged Spanish companion book.  This way I hear the English and see how it has been translated into Spanish.

I have suggested that audiobooks and companion books are a great way for English language learners (ELLs) to build their English skills.  This was by listening to unabridged audiobooks in English and reading the unabridged companion book in English.

Now I am exploring a different arrangement.  Listen to an unabridged audiobook in one language and read the unabridged companion book in a second language.  Currently I am practicing by listening to the audiobook in English and reading it in Spanish.  In the car I am listening to the same audiobook in Spanish.  For another book, I will listen to the audiobook in Spanish and read it in English simultaneously.

This is a challenging way to advance in second languages and to put practice into practical use.

Keeping Current with Technology Changes--Challenges to Communication

Creating web sites to share information becomes a challenge when the software used to post the information changes without notice.  For example, I used Adobe Presenter to share a presentation on my website in May and the software has changed (improved).  The old presentation no longer worked and I needed to recreate it and to post a revised copy on the website--done today (http://www.joelmonty.net/information_links/information_links.htm).

We need to keep revisiting what we have created to make sure that it is still accessible, especially as people are using a variety of web browsers.  As I begin to build more and more presentations, webinars, podcasts, and teleconferences, I will be using all sorts of new technology to make these accessible to as many people as possible.

It is always a challenge to keep things current and active, both in terms of content and in terms of the technology used to access the content.  Books were recorded and became audiobooks.  Audiobooks have been digitized and become eAudiobooks available for download.  Along the way the players and the software keep changing--much more rapidly that the transition of home-based audio from vinyl record to  cassette tape and CD to digital fines available on MP3 players, iPods, computers, etc.

Another dimension is to keep the content interesting with interesting graphics.  "Black and white" are boring.  Oops, I'll have to change the format of this blog pretty soon.

Reading Challenge--Step "Outside the Box" and Make a Difference with Me in K-12 Education

"The Economy in 2009"‐‐at a time when students are graduating from high school reading at a third or fourth grade level, when employees need symbols on keys to enter sales at fast‐food restaurants, when beginning employees and students entering community colleges cannot read the textbooks, manuals, or follow written instructions well enough to be successful at their jobs, teachers are laid off in droves.

Many teachers who are not yet tenured and who chose to come to teaching as a second (or later career) to make a difference for students often command higher salaries due to education and, in districts already operating "in the red" are let go by some school districts and not hired by other school districts.

Beyond that challenge, many interventions designed to help struggling readers improve reading skills are not proving successful enough to produce a quality change in students' abilities to read. Research indicates that many students who have problems reading often engage in off‐task behavior and bring others off‐task with them so not to have to compete in academics. Schools invest money in "positive behavior intervention and support" (variations of discipline and rewards) rather than in helping students build solid social‐emotional skills appropriate to their grade levels and use "off the shelf" interventions to build reading scores (not necessarily skills or habits). (See http://joelmonty.wikispaces.com/research
for several research articles which support these claims.)

For the last six years I have been one of those multiple‐career teachers, working with English language learners (ELLs) in K‐12 school districts in Kane County Illinois. I have gone back to school to meet state requirements for teaching and completed a post‐doctoral Master of Arts in Teaching in May, 2008, then
took 15 graduate hours during the summer of 2008 to obtain state approval as a bilingual (Spanish) teacher and as a Teacher of English as a Second Language. I earned my doctorate degree in 1992 in adult education and human resources development. Before stepping into the K‐12 classroom, I had been a teacher of adults since 1968 (starting as a volunteer with the American Red Cross). I had designed innovative programs provided to employees of businesses and corporations in North and South America, Asia, Europe, and Australia. I had also been an organizational change consultant for organizations around the world for more than 40 years.

Most recently I have been focusing on the ongoing problem of below‐grade –level reading among middle school students and beyond. While prevalent among ELLs and students whose families are in the lower economic categories (receiving free or reduced lunches), it is more widespread than that. My research and practice have led me to explore a technology‐enhanced approach which had established a good track record in the 1990s and has even greater application today, leveraging the new technology. I am referring to the use of audiobooks and eAudiobooks (which can be downloaded to iPods and MP3 players) to encourage reading and improved academic performance. (See http://joelmonty.wikispaces.com/research for an article and a presentation on this subject.)


Today, at the beginning of the 2009‐2010 school year, I am looking for school districts who would like to partner with me to introduce this approach with small groups of students, teachers, and librarians at the middle school level and above.

This is a time to step “outside the box” and to find a way to support something new that has the potential to make a real difference for K‐12 students and employers and future families in this country.

If you are ready "step outside of the box" to work with me to meet this challenge, please let me know. The website linked to the title of this blog entry takes you to the project page for DrM‐Resources and this is the “Providing Access to eAudiobooks and Audiobooks to Improve Reading and Academic Performance” project.