Publishing Solutions Group

During my senior year of high school, I took a one-semester required class on United States government. I knew from the first day that it was going to be an easy class; after all, I had spent most of the last 11 years of my education learning how the U.S. government worked. After the first week, I determined that my… Read More

Recess for Everyone!

By Tracy Brickman

I may no longer be able to recite the Gettysburg Address from memory and I doubt I still remember the finer details of Lewis and Clark’s great expedition, but one important lesson I do remember from my elementary school days is the proper strategy for picking team members for a game of Red Rover. And I bet I’m not the… Read More

Bestselling, Brand-Name Authors

My mother loves to read Nora Roberts and Danielle Steel novels. They’re all pretty much the same in terms of plot and I’m not entirely sure how she keeps track of which ones she’s read as opposed to which ones she hasn’t. But every time I’m with her in a bookstore, she always picks up the latest one and scans… Read More

Writing From Beyond the Grave

Have you ever wondered if you continued to read Harry Potter because it was a novel written by J.K. Rowling or because it was a Harry Potter novel? What if she had been forced to stop writing while the series was still ongoing and gave her blessing to another author to continue her work? Would you still read it? While… Read More

A Music School Education - For Free!

By Tracy Brickman

Although I admit it’s currently gathering dust in the corner of my closet, my cello really was a huge part of my grade school experience. Once a day, I headed to the orchestra room and learned to read and play music that sometimes felt like a foreign language. Playing the cello was fun but I also had to have the… Read More

The New Burrito

By Rachel Amico

I don’t think a single person I’ve ever met has loved school cafeteria lunches. In middle school, I saw classmates bounce meatballs off the table, and in high school I stuck to bag lunches - avoiding at all costs the ever-present grease-soaked hamburgers made in the cafeteria - A.K.A. the basement. I had hoped that my college “DH” (dining hall)… Read More

Books with Bells and Whistles

Mark Cameron was traveling in Hong Kong when he noticed many commuters, like himself, simultaneously reading e-books and listening to music. He also noticed the obvious disconnect between the two activities, as the music had nothing to do with what people were reading. It was then that Mark wondered if there was a way to combine the experience: to read… Read More

Improving “Number Sense” to Make More Sense of Numbers

By Tracy Brickman

As a Writing, Literature and Publishing major, the joke among my friends and family is how lacking my math skills are and, unfortunately, it’s somewhat true. I say, “Thank goodness for cell phone calculators!” A new study, reported in the journal Developmental Science, may partly explain why my math skills are deficient and what I could have done years ago… Read More

Concussion Education

As a sports enthusiast - and especially as a professional football fan - concussion is one of those words that always gets my attention. There are about 300,000 sports-related concussions nationwide each year, and it’s believed that about 85% of concussions go undiagnosed. Concussions are dangerous even when diagnosed and treated with proper medical care. But if a concussion goes… Read More

The Handwriting on the Wall

I recently watched a piece on the CBS Sunday Morning show that featured a report on the current state of handwriting instruction. (Watch the piece here.) The reasons this story of a seemingly antiquated skill caught my eye were: I used to work for Zaner-Bloser, one of the leading providers of handwriting instruction. Teachers today say they barely have time… Read More

The New Bachelor’s Degree

As a senior expecting to graduate in December, there’s been one question that most people have been asking me: What are you going to do after you graduate? A few years ago, the answer would have been to look for a good job. Not many people continued school after their bachelors, the notable exceptions those going on to medical or… Read More

Linking Cultures with Digital Library

By Rachel Amico

Moving is almost always more difficult than predicted. Faced with the slightly-too-rough moving guys, the unpredictable extra expenses and the rearrangement of your entire life in a new location, moving can be hectic, to say the least. But as adults we can make lists, budgets and schedules to wrap our heads around the change. Children, on the other hand, have… Read More

Water on Mars

Part of me is a very rational, level-headed human being. The other part of me really wants to believe in extra-terrestrial life. Apparently, this is also tempting for NASA scientists, who are searching for any evidence of life-giving elements on Mars. And it seems that they may have caught a break. Photos taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show dark… Read More

Piecing Humpty Dumpty Together

By Mike Mishkin

Ever stop and think about how odd some of the phrases we use are? Take ‘happy as a clam’ for example. Are clams actually that happy? The phrase most likely derives from an older, now mostly unheard New England idiom, “happy as a clam at high water.” It could also be simply because an open clamshell resembles a smile. But,… Read More

Secrets From the Far Side of the Moon

As a child, I enjoyed Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out, most especially because the moon was constructed as a ball of cheese. My understanding of lunar matters has thankfully grown, but the moon still holds many mysteries, including the asymmetrical pattern of its terrain. The surface of the moon has two distinct planar shapes: lowlands and high mountains.… Read More

Breakfast of (Intellectual) Champions

Growing up, my parents enforced the idea that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. One reason for that is that it is difficult to perform tasks, both physical and mental, without sufficient energy - which can come in the form of food. Even now, I have difficulty being productive if I have not had enough breakfast. But… Read More

The New World of Magazines

When was the last time you bought a magazine? For me, it was probably a few years ago, back when I could afford to drop $5 to read what was most likely one single article that I could find in some form on the Internet for free. I haven’t had a subscription to a magazine since I was in high… Read More

Like Father Like Daughter

By Lori Becker

My dad is an English teacher. He’s been teaching since the day I was born. When my dad started his career, things were different for both teachers and students. After nearly 30 years as the Andover High School English Department Head (yes, the very high school I attended), a move across the country and a short-lived “retirement phase,” my dad… Read More

University Press Launches Facebook Serials

Serializing novels is an age-old method of reaching an extended readership, but University of Michigan Press is bringing the concept into the twenty-first century through the use of Facebook. Between July 18 and Labor Day 2011, the press will serialize chapters of two newly-published novels set in Michigan: A Spell on the Water (May) by Marjorie Kowalski Cole, a coming-of-age… Read More

Is the “Glee Effect” Saving Music Programs in School?

A recent phenomenon known as the “Glee Effect” is taking this country’s school music programs by storm. Show choirs - song-and-dance troupes that saw their beginnings in the Midwest years ago - are quickly becoming the new groups in schools that everyone (or almost everyone) wants to join. These music groups have been gaining in popularity at many high schools… Read More

Summer Reading

I can still remember the packets elementary teachers handed out to us on the last day of school. Along with our report card, we were each given a long list of books, separated by grade level with a cover page: “Suggested Summer Reading.” Although other kids usually threw theirs into the garbage, or onto the floor of the bus, or… Read More

Studying Abroad in an Uncertain World

Natural disasters, terrorism, political upheaval: all things that continue to populate our newspapers and telecasts each day. Areas where these situations are most prevalent are often referred to as “hot spots,” and are often avoided by tourists, who take their cameras and guidebooks to tamer nations. But for the thousands of American students studying abroad in hot spot countries when… Read More

Social Media Enters the Classroom

I only graduated high school two years ago, but my learning experience has already become outdated. In a classroom at Emerson College this past year, I was asked to use social media, much to my bewilderment. My professor set up a crowdsourcing website - a form of media I had never even heard of - for us to compile each… Read More

College Students Push for Congressional Reform

The American Student Association of Community Colleges (ASACC) seeks to enhance student leadership by helping student governments at member schools address issues that affect students. Founded in 1984 by nine community colleges in the Great Lakes area, ASACC has been steadily growing and making a tangible impact on education legislation. On its website, ASACC credits itself with the passing of… Read More

The Limits of Educational Gaming

By Courtney Landi

An extremely popular topic among the education community at present concerns new developments in technology and their implementation in American classrooms. Most media coverage on such topics cites computerized textbooks, electronic homework platforms and instructional video games as the teaching methods of the future. To this end, many public schools are beginning to embrace these new methods as their sole… Read More

Literary Non-Fiction

What is literary nonfiction? You may have seen it under different names; in addition to literary nonfiction, it has been called narrative nonfiction, creative nonfiction, narrative journalism, factual fiction, documentary narrative and “the literature of actuality,” according to the University of Oregon’s definition. While we tend to equate “literary” with “fiction” and not truth, this genre of writing is all… Read More

Life in the Publishing 3.0 World

It’s not news that advancements in technology have rapidly changed the way we read. Riding Boston’s subway during rush hour on a Monday morning is the only evidence I need. I see a wide variety of media: Kindles, iPads, Nooks, Androids. Oh, and the occasional hardcover and newspaper. Sometimes I feel terribly outdated balancing my coffee in the crook of… Read More

AP Test Revamp

For over 50 years, Advanced Placement (AP) testing has been a way for students to earn college credit while still in high school. The tests have been geared mainly toward the memorization of facts, and with thousands of pages of content that is all fair game on the exam, teachers rarely have time to cover any one topic in depth… Read More

Teacher Coaching

By Mike Mishkin

We’ve all had a class where we ask ourselves, “Why did this person become a teacher?” And as much as we’d like to believe every educator is another Jaime Escalante, the fact of the matter is that most aren’t. So what does it take to be a great educator? Are teaching skills innate, or can they be learned? Alas, the… Read More

Non-traditional Superintendents

A new trend in school leadership is emerging. School districts are beginning to hire nontraditional candidates - from leaders at non-profit organizations to top corporate executives to former government officials - to be their new superintendents. States such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania are taking measures to create a process whereby nontraditional candidates may be hired as school administrators. So… Read More

For the Love of e-Reading…

By Julia Hardy

Since the launch of the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes and Noble Nook readers, more people are reading and millions of these gadgets have been sold. But as one writer for BusinessWeek has claimed, they may be on their way out with the rise of tablet computers. The writer of the article stated that he once owned a Kindle reader,… Read More

Keeping Teachers Accountable

In 2009, legislatures in New York and California, among other states, enacted laws that limit, to one degree or another, the use of student achievement data in teacher performance evaluations. New York’s legislature prohibited the use of student test scores in teacher tenure decisions. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was publicly opposed to these laws, saying, “Believe it or not,… Read More

3 Million Take AP Exams in 2010

The number of students taking Advanced Placement exams has been rising from year to year. In 2010, just under two million students took over three million AP exams, up about 10% from 2009. The College Board, which sponsors the AP exam, offers thirty-four courses that, if a student scores high enough on the exam, can transfer over to college credit.… Read More

How Language Shapes our Thoughts

We all know that language is important. It is the means of communication between humans. But did you know that language plays a much bigger role in our daily lives than we are aware of? It’s true; our language shapes the way our thoughts are formed, and the way that we perceive our world. A Newsweek article from 2009 referred… Read More

The Preservation of the Ever-Dwindling Research Paper

Back in tenth grade US history class, I was indoctrinated into the wonder of National History Day. This event was a celebration of world and American history, designed to encourage students to pursue what might not be taught in the textbooks. The two main components of this contest were a research paper and some sort of visual project. Prior to… Read More

The Undeclared Major

For incoming college freshmen, it’s the number one most frequently asked question: “What’s your major?” Choosing a major can be a Big Deal. It outlines what courses you’ll be taking, what professors you’ll have, what internships you’ll apply for and how you approach your college experience as a whole. But making a decision like that can often be overwhelming. What… Read More

Global Reality and Common Core Standards

We are, in so many ways, citizens of the world. Shifts in ownership of local companies emphasize the reality of global corporations and, with it, the reality that employees of those corporations will have to compete with international colleagues, colleagues trained in rigorous educational systems. Educators preparing students of today to participate in an economy of tomorrow need to be… Read More

Customer Service and Personal Shopping Collide

By Lori Becker

“I need a Personal Shopper! When can you start?” said the woman in the store that I was shopping in. It happens to me all the time. It doesn’t matter where I am, if I’m wearing a winter jacket and boots, carrying multiple shopping bags or even if I’m in the ladies room, I am always mistaken for the store’s… Read More

Book Apps: ‘Electric Literature’ Takes eBooks to a New Level

An innovative new feature is coming along in the e-publishing world: specific book apps for Apple’s iPad. This new technology personalizes the eBook experience. “Electric Literature”, a short story publication, is combining new technologies to create a unique literary experience. Originally, “Electric Literature” was simply a print magazine, but the company has expanded to all manner of eBooks. EL does… Read More

Digital College Recruitment

Today, the word college is almost synonymous with the word “online.” You can apply to college online, register for classes online, read textbooks online and even take classes online. So it’s not really that surprising that many colleges are beginning to recruit students online. Gone are the days of college fairs in high school gyms, where recruiters speak to a… Read More

Updated Chicago Manual of Style

By Annette Cinelli Trossello

Since 2003, a bright orange book has had center stage on my desk, the 15th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS). I reach for it whenever I need to verify a decision or check on a rule. In August 2010, the newest version of CMS was published. This 16th edition is a robin’s-egg blue and, according to their… Read More

Digital Youth

To ground the description of my learning process about information technology, I often begin by stating that, up until a few years ago, I thought the Internet was a hairspray. While my comment is obviously tongue in cheek, it might resonate with some who, like me, began a reading and writing life exclusively in print media. The explosion of electronic… Read More

Literary Classics in the Modern Age

By Annette Cinelli Trossello

My summer reading lists and the books I was assigned to read in class in high school were mostly classic novels or plays by white males. I read (and enjoyed!) Romeo and Juliet, The Scarlet Letter, Lord of the Flies, Of Mice and Men, Catch-22 and Macbeth , to name a few. High school students today are reading a wider… Read More

iPads: iPerfect for Classrooms?

It should be no surprise that many new technologies are making inroads into schools and classrooms. Most every school has computers and SMART Boards, and many teachers receive answers to tests from students via hand-held wireless devices. Apple’s iPad has been making its way into schools since it was released, but there seems to be a recent surge of these… Read More

In the Studio with Lori

By Lori Becker

It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a recording studio. Boy, did it bring back memories, like creating playlists and listening to demos during my early days at WSKB (my college radio station), when I sat in the booth for the first time. The first minute on the air felt like an hour but I quickly adapted. My… Read More

Write On

At the start of every term, I used to ask myself two questions about the intellectual location of my students: Where are they? and Where do you want them to be? These questions had a particular relevance with regard to writing classes. Many of them began with a kind of bifurcated writing life, in which they wrote one way for… Read More

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