Tech Teach: Shelfari Safari

I want to share a site called “Shelfari.”  It’s a social media site for reading!

I always strive to stay up to date on current research in art education, creativity, motivation, leadership and passion. It’s important for art teachers to stay current with research. The education field is changing so quickly, and by educating yourself on topics, you are more powerful when you teach, talk or write about the profession. Reading  is also inspirational.  It makes me want to become a better teacher and lifelong learner!

I also found myself wanting to keep track of the books I read for myself and to share with others: namely all of you!

Shelfari is a great resource for anyone. It lets you search for, categorize,  and keep track of the status of books you have read, are reading and want to read. It creates (my favorite part because I am a visual learner) a “Shelf” for you, chronicling the books on you have put on the site. Others can view your public profile and see what you are reading, and you can see others to get ideas for books you want to read.

Now, I know some of you will say “Well I just don’t have time to read!”  This may be true, but I have found a solution to this problem, too. If you find a particular author or book you are interested in reading, but feel crunched for time, you can always type the author or book into YouTube. Many times YouTube or TED talks will have speeches, keynotes and information that summarizes the book in about 10 minutes. I have found this to be a great supplement or substitute for getting all of my current research from books.  There is something, however, about opening up the pages of crisp book and reading it firsthand. You decide!

Check out my “Shelf” on my Shelfari profile. Do you have any other recommendations for me? What are you reading right now? Happy reading!