Timothy Horan

Imagine children who have come into the library for their weekly visit. Instead of just sitting down for a library lesson and picking out a book, these children consider the library learning commons as making time. They have choices. They could read a book or write a book, watch a video or create a video, use a computer software program or code one among many choices. And, our author envisions that one of the “centers” in the LLC could be a writing center. But instead of opening up opportunities for kids to dream and do all kinds of writing and publishing, our author envisions a curriculum. Boring. Won’t work. No match for the creativity going on in the rest of the LLC projects of interest. This one passes up the great disruptive vision of the LLC to allow kids to be themselves as thinkers, creators, explorers…and there are plenty of computer programs and of course, Google docs that they could create, share, and find their work ending up in the ebook collection of the LLC. Pass this one up and retching the possibilities… (más)

Yes, many colleges have writing centers for personalized help for struggling students, but our author is an advocate for one in the middle and high school experience. I don’t know of many departments of English that would have some help, but it that is the case, Horan advocates that it be in the library learning commons. I have seen a number of study centers as a part of library learning commons that are staffed for help of all kinds and they operate both before and after school as well as during the school day. Horan will give you a very detailed glimpse into create at least a station where writing tutorials and assistance is available. Yes, we agree that personalized help is an asset to many students, we’d like to suggest that our tutor not only include all the mechanics but should be a part of the makerspace where lots of creative writing is happening such as the creation of alphabet books (see the review of Alphabet books : the K-12 educators' power tool) with the incredible computer tools for digital storytelling, graphic novels, and then there is always the creation of toy books as a maker activity. Can both instruction, help, and tutoring stand alongside creativity and making. We think so. Thus, if you have the opportunity of a professional or even a person who is an author and would be your author in residence, this book migh stir some ideas on the tutorial side, but don’t miss out on the side where creativity motivates the learning of good writing without the boredom.… (más)