It was spring 2009, and I had been teaching a contemporary literature class for high school juniors and seniors for about five years. Knowing that I’d be able to select new titles in about two years, I began thinking about ways the class could be truly contemporary. Of course this would include the incorporation of newer titles, but those titles would have to last another seven years based on our district’s timetable for book selection.
Seven years.
Imagine all the titles that come and go within seven years. I wished there were a way to keep new titles in front of my students, to help them see their “now” society through the books that grace best-seller lists, generate buzz, win awards.
E-Readers seemed to be a way. In fact, I thought, using electronic text might also save our district money. Given the cost of the e-readers and the e-text of more contemporary titles, however, I found that it would actually cost more.
Uh oh. Too much money. I let go of the idea, my helium balloon rising higher, shrinking, sailing further and further away until it was no more. Or so I thought.
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