We Give Books’ Read for My School: The Pearson Foundation Shares 150,000 Books Nationwide

Here’s some great news: On Tuesday, we launched the 2012 Read for My School campaign at We Give Books. The aim was to raise awareness about the importance of schools and school libraries while also giving readers the chance to give books to their local public elementary schools. If you go to the Read for My School campaign page, you’ll see that we’re off to a blistering start! We Give Books readers across the country have read more 89,000 books in just two days!

This first nationwide Read for My School campaign extends last year’s introduction of this program in the state of Florida. We aim to give 150,0000 books through Read for My School, though it looks like this may happen in less than a single week.

What the excitement around this campaign shows, again, is how energized people are about supporting their local communities. It also shows how well school communities organize to get things done. More than 20 schools across the country have already reached the maximum allotment of 500 books donated to their libraries. In all, we’ve seen readers from all 50 states visit We Give Books, and traffic to the site seems to be picking up rather than slowing down.

There’s still time to read for your school! Log on to We Give Books today to get started, and be sure to visit the Read for My School campaign page to learn more. And please spread the word. We’d like as many local schools and school libraries to benefit as possible.

The Pearson Prize 2012 Application - Now Live!

Again this year, the Pearson Foundation will offer the Pearson Prize to recognize 20 college and university students for their work in supporting local communities. As Pearson Prize National Fellows, these outstanding students will receive financial and other resources, including guidance to support their ongoing service to their communities, as well as opportunities to get to know one another and share ideas – which may be the best thing of all.

The application for the 2012 Pearson Prize for Higher Education went live today and will be available through March 16.

Just a word on why the Pearson Foundation created the Pearson Prize: We noticed that most college award programs and scholarships focus on graduating high school students and their academic merits. But there’s a different, special kind of student who often emerges while in college – one dedicated to service and to the community.

By identifying emerging leaders who are already underway in their college careers, the Pearson Prize for Higher Education addresses the needs of students who have been doing great things under the radar. Every year, a number of the National Fellows say that they’ve never received any kind of award before, which is really amazing when you hear their stories.

To learn more about the Pearson Prize and see videos made by current Fellows, visit the Pearson Prize website.

To apply today, please visit the application page. Be sure to check out the eligibility requirements and FAQ for detailed application information.

Digital Learning Day Roundup

All the details aren’t yet in, but it’s clear that yesterday’s first Digital Learning Day was an important, in many ways remarkable, coming together to draw attention to all that’s already changing in classrooms across the country.

“It is time we stop asking students to ‘power down’ when they go to school and instead to ‘power up’ and use their interest in technology as a new way to learn,” said Bob Wise, former governor of West Virginia and president of the Alliance for Excellent Education, which organized the event.

Digital Learning Day

A quick note in advance of tomorrow’s first ever Digital Learning Day, an important nationwide celebration of innovative teaching and learning that makes thoughtful use of digital media and technology.

All day tomorrow, February 1st, a majority of states, hundreds of school districts, thousands of teachers, and nearly 2 million students will encourage the innovative use of technology by trying something new, showcasing success, kicking off project-based learning, and focusing on the ways that digital tools can help improve student outcomes.

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind comes to We Give Books

On Tuesday this week, Penguin’s Dial press published an inspiring new children’s book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba.

Already this beautifully illustrated story has been read more than 7,000 times at wegivebooks.org.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind shares with young readers William’s remarkable story and desire to learn—a desire that empowered him to harness the power of the wind to produce electricity and bring lifesaving water to his drought-ravaged village in Malawi.