This past summer, I was fortunate to travel to the
Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. before heading over to the Teachers of the Future gathering in Alexandria, VA. I have always used the Folger
site as a resource, but wanted to share a couple of ways the library is trying to spread their connections online.
Last week, I was able to take part in their very first virtual office hour on Twitter. It was an awesome way to ask questions and share ideas with educators, as well as receive live feedback from a representative from the library. You can search the conversation on Twitter through
#folgerofficehours and connect with them by following
@FolgerED.
What was also great about the Twitter interactions was that the Folger actually followed up more in depth to my questions through their blog this week.
Making a Scene: Shakespeare in the Classroom Blog
An incredible part of this blog is that my second question about iambic pentameter was asked by a student in one of my classes. I love it when I can model for my students how teachers do not know all of the answers, but are willing to search for information in this very connected world. The process of searching is just as important as the answer itself, because the exercise of researching different avenues is part of a broader skill-set that is applicable beyond school.
I hope that you or English teachers at your school will find these resources useful, and perhaps we can connect at a future Folger Shakespeare office hour.
On a broader level, perhaps the Folger can also be viewed as an example of how libraries are evolving, and how education can be impacted by various forms of social media.