Hello, folks. I am very, very behind on my blogging, but I've made a #nerdlution to get back to it once a week (on Mondays, ideally).
A #nerdlution is a nerdy resolution, as explained by Christopher Lehman in this great post. Search for that hashtag (#) on Twitter to see what other nerds are up to!
I just finished "The Circle" by Dave Eggers--amazing! It has been recommended to me for months, and I'm so glad I remembered to read it. I am fantasizing about writing a senior elective on technology--how it has both improved our lives and changed us forever. I am shocked by how different my students' minds work than my own. I'm not that old, but they are totally different in the ways they process information and the ways they execute their engagement.
I am still spinning from NCTE because I loved it so much but have barely had time to process all I got out of it. I bought great books, saw friends from the past 12 years of teaching, and embarrassed myself in front of literary celebrities (I met M.T. Anderson!).
I went to a great presentation sponsored by the National Forensics League on using classroom discussion (my Ed. Eval. focus for the year). One great piece they mentioned was a poem called "Touchscreen" by Marshall Soulful Jones (lyrics and video). My kids LOVED this poem--they literally cheered. It made for a perfect transition between our technology unit and Poetry Out Loud.
In 2014, I'm going to try swapping conferencing for professional reading (to save money and days out of the classroom). I own a ton of professional books, but I rarely make the time to read and absorb them. I have started this spreadsheet to inventory what I have. The list is about half done, but you get the idea. If you see something you want to borrow, let me know, and I can get it to you! I am hoping to convince some colleagues to read a book each and do a sharing afternoon.
Next up on the presentation schedule for me is April 10th at the MRA conference in Quincy. I'll be presenting with a friend (her blog) on close reading from the elementary (her) and secondary (me) perspective.
Happy nerdy new year, everyone!
Hi Abbey
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see you in the mix. I am so happy you shared that poem. It really capture the odd age we are in right now -- with the ability to connect and reconnect, and yet disconnect, too. So, for example, you and I reconnect because you wrote, posted, tweeted. But I am writing to you from the silence of my dining room.
:)
These lines resonated with me:
"...I can't hear the sound of mother nature speaking over all this tweeting
and along with it is our ability to feel as it's fleeting
you would think these headphone jacks inject in the flesh
the way we connect to disconnect ..."
I'd love to see what you are up to around close reading and hope your presentation goes well.
Take care,
Kevin, your old WMWP friend.
PS -- you are now part of my 50 comments/ 50 blogs / 50 days #nerdlution effort, so the connections continue ....
Thanks, Kevin! Hope you're doing well!
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