What's A Bookprint?

The Standards for 21st Century Learner include a section on Social Networking and Communication.  Standards 3.1.2 Participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners, 4.1.7 Use social networks and information tools to gather and share information, and 4.3.1 Participate in the social exchange of ideas, both electronically and in person are mirrored in the online web site, You Are What You Read.  This site is another of the top 25 chosen by the American Association of School Librarians, 2011.

You Are What You Read is a site developed and maintained by Scholastic.  In their About section for adults they state:  At Scholastic, we believe that literacy is the pathway to success and to realizing a complete life.  Books play an important role in shaping who we are and who we will become.  This site is an opportunity for people of all ages to leave their bookprints and connect with other readers around the world. A bookprint, as defined by Dr. Alfred Tatum, professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago, is our textual lineage.  Our textual lineage is a reading and writing biography which shows that who you are is in part developed through the stories and information you've experienced.

There is a separate page for adults and children.  The page for children is safe, secure and content appropriate.  The kids' page is part of THE STACKS, an online book community just for them.

When you go to the home page, you are asked to enter the month and date of your birth and then click on the Get Started tab.  You will then be taken to either the adults' or kids' pages.

Be careful when entering in the date.  I wanted to see the difference between the adults' and kids' pages.  To view the adult page I entered in the correct year.  To view the kid page I entered in another birth year.  Now my computer automatically goes to the kid page.  It will not allow me to view the adult page.  It must have something to do with cookies.

On the adult page you can sign in using Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, Google, LinkedIn, MySpace or your Scholastic account.  You only need to sign in when clicking on the My Profile tab but this is where you leave your bookprint and begin to design your contacts.  Your bookprint is five books and five books only that have special meaning; that have influenced who you are today.  To use the Books, People, What's Hot, About and Pass It On tabs you need not be signed in.

The Books tab is self-explanatory; it has a search feature for finding books.  The People tab is a search feature for finding Names You Know, Authors, Educators or Librarians.  What's Hot contains information about the latest news, blog posts, interviews and videos.  About gives information concerning the purpose of You Are What You Read.  The Pass It On feature is very unique.  If you want to give a book you have enjoyed to a friend, someone in need or just leave it out and about for someone to find, you can print out a bookplate to put inside that book.  The books that you pass on will be listed in your favorite section within your profile.  If you desire they can be tracked on a map.

For educators there is a handy guide with sample activities for separate age groups, a great long term lesson and an example of a letter to be sent home to parents.

Get started today by connecting with other readers who have similar bookprints.  For me, it is going to be hard to think of only five books that have special meaning.