I have been “tagged” by Christina Niven to respond to a “meme” (an online question circulated among bloggers) about what magazines I read and if and how my reading habits have changed over the past couple of years.
Before I respond to that question, I would like to highlight Christina’s exceptional website, EL Civics, which is designed to help English Language Learners study American government and history. You can find a link to her site on my English Themes for Beginners/Early Intermediate under the Citizenship category.
As to the question about what magazines I read, I’ve been a long-time subscriber to Newsweek, the New York Times Book Review (so I can sound well-read without actually having to read the books!), and The New Yorker.
I changed careers a few years ago from being a community organizer to becoming a teacher, particularly with English Language Learners. Along with that change, I also became intrigued with how to use educational technology.
With that career change, the periodicals I regularly read also changed. Ones I read regularly now include Language Magazine, Technology and Learning, and Rethinking Schools. I also read Fast Company because, even though it’s obviously business oriented, there are usually some useful “universals” in some of the articles.
A magazine that I read regularly when I was organizing, and now read irregularly because it’s so expensive, is the Harvard Business Review. Though it, too, is business-oriented, many of its thoughtful articles are applicable to other areas, including education.
I also read quite a few periodicals online. You can find links to many of them on my Teacher’s Page under Educational Technology Journals and Listservs, Listservs for ESL, Magazines, and Online Journals.
In the spirit of this online “meme,” I would also like to tag two other Californians who’s blogs I subscribe to — Alix Peshette at Ed Tech Gold Rush and Marian Thacher at Adult Education and Technology. Both of their blogs offer very helpful teacher resources.
Hi Larry–Thanks for the kind words about my site and for responding to the meme. It’s fun to see who reads what. I see that you are quite the reader, but then I’m not surprised. Once in awhile I read the Harvard Business Review, too. Rethinking Schools sounds interesting. I’ll have to follow your link and check it out. I look forward to the day when the internet becomes more mobile. I’ve got a SideKick, but the print is so small and few sites are designed for it. I haven’t tried reading your blog on it, but I’ll try it this week. Seems like it would show well. I’ve got too many pictures on my website, so it doesn’t show well on a tiny screen. I’m taking a CSS and XHTML class right now, so I’ll be better prepared to design for the mobile market.
Thanks for referring to my blog, Larry, and for sending me Christina’s meme. I, too, like to see what others are reading. I’m loving the ed tech blogging community, nascent as it is.
Hi Larry,
It’s so nice that in the big blogosphere, you and I keep connecting on the local level of Northern California Edtech et al!
I have to confess that my print copy reading has for a long time been an escapist retreat from my overwhelming addiction to all things Edtech. I am a tricotomy of technologist, mixed-media artist and wannabe farm girl. Almost everything technology-related, I read online; GLEF, Innovate, CUE, and Technology and Online Learning.
My escapist print copy reading includes Mother Earth News (for green information), More Magazine (what to wear to work when one is over 40 and nothing in the stores fits my persona), Sunset Magazine (as my farm house is in a state of constant renovation and landscaping) and the various newsletters from my Mule and Donkey associations – save a horse, ride a mule!