"Sunflower" Courtesy of Clayre Shaffer,
Photo Fanatics 4-H Club

NOTES FROM THE CHAIR

Dear Volunteers and Friends,

"BOO HOO!" cried the ghost.  And with that we are off to another fall season.  Already, summer is last summer.  How time flies.  With summer over, so are vacations.  The number of hours our students were served has dropped significantly.  Also, a number of our students are back to work at seasonal jobs, courtesy of Bear Creek Industries (Harry and David).  We shall see if things pick up this season.

We had a nice meal at India Palace last August for our annual Volunteer Appreciation Lunch.  Dear volunteers, thank you so much for giving your time to our cause.  Before you know it, it will be time for our annual Thanksgiving dinner.  I can taste the gravy already.

I plan to work more diligently with Jackson County Library Services to recruit more tutors by placing our brochures on library display boards.  Reaching out to students requires direct contact and is much more difficult.  Agencies, such as Easter Seals and Living Opportunities, have sent applicants to us, but mostly with serious learning disabilities.  Those students require professionally trained instructors which we simply don't have at this time.  If you know of such instructors, let them know of our program.  Also, keep an eye out for potential students who might need to improve their English skills or prepare for citizenship.

Have a great autumn.  Remember to set your clocks back an hour on November 4th.

Bob Burger
Chairman

COUNCIL INFORMATION

LITERACY COUNCIL OF JACKSON COUNTY
BOARD MEMBERS

    Chair --------------------------------------------- Bob Burger
    Placement --------------------------------------- Liz Koester
    Treasurer --------------------------------- Nancy Calcagno
    Librarian ----------------------------------- Marilyn Wilbur
   Newsletter Editor -----------------------Nancy Calcagno

BOARD MEETING DATES

October ........................................................ 16
November................................................ TBA
December.....................................No Meeting
(These dates are subject to change)

GAMES FOR LEARNING

Learning can be fun! A new trend that is impacting learning and teaching through technology is the world of social networking.  Outside of the classroom, students use a wide range of devices to stay connected, such as Facebook and Twitter.

Creating emotional and personalized experiences using technology is a key to helping your student engage and connect with learning materials.  One excellent method is gaming.  Gaming will not only motivate your student and capture their interest, but it also builds bonding and trust in social relationships.

Games offer many benefits suited for education.  They challenge a student, and offer a powerful platform for learning.  Some games, such as Scrabble and Words With Friends are excellent resources to improve grammar and spelling, while at the same time connecting with their peers on Facebook.

Social media also dominates as a real-time feed for news, stories, and world sentiment.  The impact on education and learning is huge.  Many students will spend more time on gaming than they will in the classroom; therefore, making it a powerful tool for the teacher.

Social networking is also an amazing vehicle to help students with social anxiety disorders to become involved by posting comments and facilitating discussions with other students or with the teacher.  It can be a means to help students overcome some of the barriers that have held them back.

By Nancy Calcagno
Editor

FROM THE LIBRARIAN

L-iberators of the mind,
I-maginations released,
B-athed in knowledge, a
R-aft with which to navigate our lives,
A-bandoning old useless thoughts,
R-allying our powers of reason, and
I-nsight, for
E-nlightening our awareness, and
S-ensitivity to life around us.

The Librarian is in the office from 10:00 a.m. through 12:00 p.m on Thursdays if you would like to check out our books, cassettes, DVD's, flashcards, games, tutoring aids, and more.

INDIVIDUALIZED TUTORING

We offer individualized tutoring for Basic Reading, GED, ESL, Workforce Development Classes, and Citizenship.  Our Workforce Development class offers training in Microsoft Office and Resume Building.  Donations are greatly appreciated to help sustain our program, as we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

We would also like to welcome aboard two new volunteers, Barbara and Debbie.  We're always looking for volunteers from all communities of Jackson County, so if you are interested please call us for an application or visit our website.

If you know of anyone that might benefit from our program, please let them know about our services.  The Literacy Council serves all of Jackson County.

FOR THE RECORD

Numbers for July - September 2012:

Volunteer Hours ------------------- 114.0
Student Hours ---------------------- 30.5

Literacy Council of Jackson County
P.O. Box 615
Medford, OR 97501
(541) 531-0166

Website: http://roguelrc.org/litjack
E-mail: literacy@juno.com