Sunday Salon: What I Read Online January 12 - January 25

My bi-weekly Sunday Salon post is extra full this time of my favorite online readings. Let me know your favorites!

 

Technology & Innovation

Learn about next steps for Google Glass by reading Google Glass Leaving X Research Lab.

Impact International posted Top 5 Favourite TED Talks to get you thinking & they include Dan Pallotta who is coming to Kentucky in February. I first heard Dan on NPR several years ago, and was blown away about his take on how we should be raising money for charity. Makes so much sense. Listen to him & see him in person by attending Innovate: Educate in Louisville February 25th.

The Cruel Waste of America's Tech Talent is an op-ed in The New York Times that explains a sad situation of immigrant youth who have extreme talent yet are denied funding to attend college because their parents came to America illegally. Truly, a waste of talent to deny youth an opportunity to improve themselves and their situation because of decisions their parents made.

Two issues of importance to me (equity and technology) are captured in this news article titled Sheryl Sandburg Joins Global Women Leaders in Tech to Demand Gender Equality.

NASA Will Pay you $18,000 to Stay in Bed for 70 Straight Days caught my curiosity, not because I would ever do this but because it's interesting to read about how they explore what happens to the human body when muscles atrophy.

As I was preparing for teaching a class again at the University of Kentucky, this Youtube video caught my attention because it's just one more reminder for why we need to re-invent how we teach writing in our schools.

No More Worksheets--once again one of those topics all my readers know that gets me going. Seriously, we need more engaging learning opportunities for students in our schools. Most worksheets are low level thinking, wastes of paper, and busy work not suitable in our classrooms.

 

Business & Non-profit

Having worked in state government and local government (as a public school teacher) most of my professional career, I was surprised when I read this Harvard Business Review article about What Business Can Learn From Government with specific examples in the article coming from Louisville, Kentucky. More often than not, I've heard businesses complain about the ineffectiveness and inefficiency and nonsensical rules we often see in government.

Now that I work for a nonprofit, I have thrown myself full into exploring and learning more about the nonprofit world. Granted, I have previous experience as a board member on nonprofits, but now I'm seeing more from the other side as an employee. The Nonprofit Technology Network posted this article titled Engage, Inform, Recruit: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media to Recruit Donors and Volunteers. Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a huge fan of social media for learning and networking purposes, so thinking about how it best serves organizations fascinates me.

A friend shared this Harvard Business Review article with me via Twitter. We Still Don't Know the Difference Between Change and Transformation by Ron Ashkenas.

I continue to be surprised by the number of people in the education, nonprofit and business worlds who question the use of social media to connect with students and other educators, or to advance a cause, establish a brand or connect with consumers, customers, or clients. Thankfully, there are people such as Marji Sherman who dedicate their work to showing us Why Social Media Deserves Respect. 

Hiking & Climbing

For a couple of weeks, I used social media and online news access to follow two hikers, Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson, as they climbed El Captain's Dawn Wall in Yosemite National Park. Their perseverance, diligence, determination, passion, and drive inspire me. One of the articles I read quoted the hikers as they reached the summit and explained how they hope to serve as an example to Open People's Minds.

And because my closest English teacher friends know how much I love the novel Moby Dick, here's another article about the climb. My favorite part about this article are the literary references to Melville and Hemingway.

A Backpacker Magazine article shared tips about how to train for a thru-hike from Appalachian Trail thru-hike record holder, Jennifer Pharr Davis. Last year, I read her memoir about setting the record.

 

Humanity

Another New York Times article that caught my attention was an interview with Judith Butler about what's wrong with saying 'All Lives Matter'.

International humanitarian issues speak to me, and it's not uncommon for me to obsess over specific stories knowing full well for all the stories that recieve media attention there are many more that go unnoticed in our world. The story of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi sentenced to 1000 lashes and ten years in prison continues to bother me because of the violence and inhumane acts of torture against a human being. This article explores Badawi's writing and ideas.

This Map showing 16 states with more people in prisons than in college housing was disturbing to me.

Melinda Gates Wants Women at the Top of the World Aid Agenda also provides input on this topic of gender equality.

The 2015 Annual Gates Letter also highlights equal access to education and technology for women and girls. Previously, I also have written for Cake and Whiskey Magazine and blogged about education for girls and women around the world.

Writing & Creativity

29 Ways to Stay Creative by Vicki Davis is a short video reminding us of specific ways we can continue to express our creative side.


Over the past couple of years I've read this particular blog post multiple times. If You Teach or Write a 5-Paragraph Essay--Stop It! gets people fired up, and rightly so. Seriously, are we training kids to write formulas or are we teaching them to be writers in an ever changing world? Who in real-life writes 5-paragraph essays anyway?

Since I enjoy writing and have made it a goal to work on my writing more and more with greater intentionality this year,  I found this article about writing as therapy also intriguing and wonder about the use of writing for therapy in our schools as well. Why is writing in our schools often relegated to formulaic, 5 paragraph essays to practice for the state assessment? That's enough to make someone blue.

The Benefits of a Lunch Hour Walk had me thinking about the benefits of keeping kids active in our schools too. Often, kids are required to sit all day and only get active after or before school. You can read my take on keeping kids active here.

As an optimist I try to keep focused on the positive, and sometimes I, too, need a little reminder about how to Turn a Negative Conversation Around. You may have previously read my blog post about dealing with naysayers and the inspiration for that post came from the children's book The Grouchy Ladybug. 

 

Teachers as leaders

Now, we're talking...a topic of great passion for me is teachers as leaders, so I was thrilled to read this article about School Districts Turning to Teachers to Lead.

Friends and family know my commitment as a parent to be involved in my sons' schools and to be an advocate for my two boys at every turn. This article suggesting teachers keep in touch with parents was a great read. I long for closer relationships with my sons' teachers because I believe together we can provide what they need. Believe me, when I believe in what's happening, I'm the biggest advocate for my sons' teachers too because I understand my children aren't perfect.

A Country Where Teachers Have a Voice by Sarah Butrymowicz explores how teachers in the Netherlands have time and increased teacher autonomy--something we need more of here in America.

I ended my week writing an article on The Fund for Transforming Education in Kentucky's blog about why our organization supports teacher leaders.  This is something to which I remain steadfastly committed.

Getting Teens Up & Moving: A Vocabulary Activity Involving Movement

In my first year of teaching an especially hyper-active sixteen year old student taught me the importance of promoting movement in my high school English classroom. Andre (not his real name) had an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that included requirements for moving, standing, and generally expending energy. Andre and I developed non-verbal cues signaling to me his need to be out of his seat and moving about the classroom. Andre also taught me that he wasn't the only one who needed to be active because a 90 minute English class + a 90 minute science class + a 90 minute history class + a 90 minute elective often meant active teenagers spent more time in a day sitting than moving unless as teachers we designed lessons involving more movement.

Now, with my own very active son consistently complaining of how little he gets to move in his academic classes, I'm once again remembering Andre and reflecting on activities I used in an academic classroom to get my students moving. Here's one of my favorites.

Let's Move: A Vocabulary Activity

1) Identify 10-20 words (approximately one word or phrase for each two students) or phrases associated with the major concept or theme in a text you are preparing to read together and write each word on a different index card.

2) Provide students the title of the text and the list of words previously identified. 

3) Organize students in pairs or small groups and ask them to predict what the text they will read is about (based on the title and list of words). This gives provides a chance to activate students' prior knowledge.

4) Have each student in the group choose one of the index cards containing a word they want to explore in more depth. Instruct them write their own idea of the word's definition on the back of the card. Then have them consult a dictionary (on their phones or a paper dictionary) to verify the accuracy of their definition. (This is an important step because they will be sharing their words/definitions with others).

5) Have students stand up and move around the room to find a person with a word different from the one on their cards. When they find their first partner, students will discuss the word, definition, and thoughts about how they think the word will be used in the text they are preparing to read. After sharing words with the first partner, ask them to move again and find a second partner.

6) Have students find a second partner with a word different from their original word and different from the word of their first partner. With the second partner, share and discuss words, definitions, and possible uses for the word in the text they will read.

7) Have students find a third partner and repeat the routine.

Note:  I was a big promoter of timers and music in the classroom. Both were signals when it was time to move to the next station or connect with the next partner.

By the time the vocabulary activity ends, students should have been exposed to four brand new words or phrases they will encounter when they read the selected text.  While some might say, "that's only four new words," I contend that it's better for students to learn and understand four new words well than to have a long list of words they memorize for a weekly vocabulary test and then forget. While reading the selected text, students can think about the different words they discussed with their partners and how the words appear in the text. They can also reflect on the conversation about the words to enhance their understanding of the text.

After reading, students can synthesize their understanding of the text as well as their learning of new words with the writing of a single summary sentence. While I never had access to individual devices and had to ask students to write on paper, I can imagine (from my GAFE Summit experience) the technology tools that would allow students to submit these summary sentences electronically.

This vocabulary activity is only one of many that I used to ensure students were active in my academic classroom, so maybe I'll share others in the coming weeks, but really, I'm curious about the activities you use to ensure students are active during the school day. Will you share your ideas below in the comments, please?

Sunday Salon: What I Read Online January 1 January 11

December brought a break in my Sunday Salon series, but I'm back now to share a sampling of what I've read online the past couple of weeks. Since starting this curated bi-weekly post, numerous individuals have contacted me to share what they like best about what I've been reading, and they've also been sharing their own reading lists with me--making this an ideal learning/sharing opportunity.

Education

Teachers Know Best: Teacher's Views on Professional Development from Impatient Optimists

Obituary for John I Goodlad, Progressive Educator


A Valerie Strauss article in the Washington Post from a blog post by Peter Green in which he writes about The Biggest Public Education Win of 2014.

Valerie Strauss also published an article that includes a piece by Pasi Sahlberg reflecting on the question--What if Finland's Great Teachers Taught in America? This article left me feeling inquisitive and wishing I could talk to Sahlberg.

Student athletes in Utah attend a public charter school designed to support their interest in competitive winter-sports. The Heroes of America's Only (free) All Winter-Sports School by Heather Hansman left me thinking about other schools we might design focused on allowing kids and teens to pursue their own interests. 


I found A New Brand of Superintendents and their Visions for 2015 encouraging since the focus was on providing more distributed leadership and opportunities for teachers. 


From School to Shining School: 52 Stories from Educators Across the U.S. in an interactive map format.


Read about a new library focus in this Kentucky Teacher Magazine article titled No More Shushing in these School Libraries.

Technology

How My Mom Got Hacked by Alina Simone in The New York Times chronicles a real story of a woman whose computer files and photos were held hostage until she paid the ransom (via her daughter's assistance) in bitcoins.

Why, and How to Teaching Computer Hacking by Rachel Williams explores a new computer science curriculum.

I enjoyed this question--What's the Impact of Overzealous Internet Filtering in Our Schools.


For two reasons, this article BCTC's Hour of Code Program Was a Hit with Students. 1) I, too, participated in Hour of Code at a different local school, and 2) some of the students highlighted in the article here are from a school across town where I used to teach.

Te@ch Thought Blog offered a post titled Start Something: 13 Digital Strategies for Teacher Collaboration.

Hiking and Adventure 

An avid reader of adventure travel for the past 20 years, I found a new type of adventure travel to read when I learned about a couple of climbers free-climbing the Dawn Wall in Yosemite National Park. This article introduces life when Hanging Out 1,200 Feet Up. 

I'm planning a vacation for my family to Colorado (and maybe a day trip to Wyoming) so I was looking at hiking trails that might allow us to day hike a tiny section of the Continental Divide Trail. This site offered useful reading about Steamboat Springs Hiking Trails.


Section Hiking is Hard by Jennifer Pharr Davis serves as a great reminder that I better be thoughtful as I plan our tiny hike.


The Continental Divide Trail: A Long Way from Nowhere by Julie and Matt Urbanski is a blog post about their hike. I read their entire book last year, but enjoyed this blog post this week.

Miscelleaneous (But very intriguing reads extremely worthy of mention here)

Wal-Mart an Economic Cancer on Our Cities is well worth a read if you care about small businesses and economics in your area.

Personally, I'm driven to continue with my work in education because I'm passionate about issues of equality. The article Inequality and the American Child speaks to many of the concerns that keep me going in my work.

The beautiful photography of dessert art drew me into this blog post. For complete fun and appreciation for art, check out Brain Pickings and an article titled Modern Art Desserts From Mondrian Cake to Matisse Parfait.

Playlist: TED Talks to Watch With Kids includes 11 different talks on a variety of topics, all with kids as the speakers.

100 Years of the Christmas Truce. Longing for a New Narrative on the Public History Weekly site.





 

My Favorite Quotes from Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird

A couple of years ago a dear friend recommended Anne Lamott's brilliant book Bird by Bird to me. I remember my friend saying she laughed and cried as she read the book, so I added it to my reading list.

I  laughed, cried, learned, and loved while reading Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Lamott's book left me thinking about myself as a writer, educator, parent, and person.

My favorite quotes when thinking about being...

A parent

"Perfectionism means that you try desperately not to leave so much mess to clean up. But clutter and mess show us that life is being lived. Clutter is a wonderfully fertile ground--you can still discover new treasures under all those piles, clean things up, edit things out, fix things, get a grip. Tidiness suggests that something is as good as it's going to get (29)."

Actually, this chapter about perfectionism speaks to many areas in my life, but I'm also find as I grow older it's easier for me to set aside a quest for perfection in everything. Writing and creating are messy and allowing myself, my children, my students to muck around in it is well worth forgoing the quest for tidiness.  When it comes to housework, well, anyone who knows me well knows I long ago I gave up on the idea of keeping our house perfectly clean and tidy (there are better things to do in life).

"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write. [It] was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm on my brother's shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird'"

I just love the story from which Lamott derives the title of her book Bird by Bird. The depiction of a father comforting a child and the wisdom and reality of chunking a big assignment into smaller pieces--relevant to all of us.

 

A writer

"For me and most of the other writers I know, writing is not rapturous. In fact, the only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really, shitty first drafts (22)."

From a chapter titled Shitty First Drafts, a quote reminding us that nobody is supposed to read our first drafts anyway, so it's really important to get all our thoughts recorded. I totally agree with Lamott and would never get anything written, ever, if I didn't let myself "pour it all out and romp all over the place."

"This is our goal as writers, I think; to help others have this sense of--please forgive me--wonder, of seeing things anew, things that can catch us off guard, that break in our small boarded worlds (100)." 

Ah, wonder! I'm a big believer in the sense of wonder and if being a writer means I might helps someone else cultivate a sense of wonder, then I'm all about it. Especially, when I think about not only being a writer but being an educator.

"Still, I believe in lists and I believe in taking notes, and I believe in index cards for doing both (133)."

Practical tip, of course, and Lamott shares the use of index card. Personally, I keep a small journal and if I'm out and about, I typically use the notes app on my phone.

An educator

"On a bad day you also don't need a lot of advice. You just need a little empathy and affirmation (157)."

A good reminder in many aspects of life, but especially a good reminder for a teacher providing feedback on student writing.

"When we listened to our intuition when we were small and then told the grown-ups what we believed to be true, we were often corrected, ridiculed, or punished. God forbid you should have your own opinions or perspectives (154)."

Another good reminder as educators--we need to listen to students.

A person

Really, the whole book spoke to me as a person, so I selected several of my favorite quotes to share with you here.

"Anyone who wants to can be surprised by the beauty or pain of the natural world, of the human mind and heart, and can try to capture just that--the details, the nuance, what is (101)."

"But you have to believe in your position, or nothing will be driving your work. If you don't believe in what you are saying, there is no point in your saying it (106)."

"Tell the truth and write about freedom and fight for it, however you can, and you will be richly rewarded (109)."

"Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed our soul. When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored (237)."

Book a Week 2014

Update: You can read a reflection of my 2014 journey here and you can see the complete list of books I read below OR you can check out this Google Sheet to see book titles, format & why/how I selected each book. (Thanks to my friend Cherry for inspiring me to create this sheet)
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My book a week journey is just that--a journey--and not an obligation, so if I take a detour down a different path in a particular week--that's okay.  The overall goal will be to read 52 books in 2014.  When I see many of my Twitter PLN members reading a #bookaday, I always wonder how they have the time, but I suppose the answer is just the same as how I will have the time to read a #bookaweek.  I will prioritize reading in my life because I enjoy it, it's good for me, and it's good for my children to see me reading too.  I am also choosing this journey because I want to continue improving as a writer, and we all know better writing comes with intentionality and lots of reading.

My journey into reading a book a week started in late November/early December when I read Jumpha Lahiri's newest novel The Lowland in five days.  After that I decided to read a book a week for the remaining 4 weeks of 2013.  When I achieved that goal, I knew it was possible, so I decided to extend it with a goal of consistently reading a book a week in 2014.  52 weeks.  52 books.  And, it is about the journey, not an obligation, so I'm exploring all my favorite genres,  authors, themes and topics on this quest.  Since nonfiction is my favorite, but I treasure fiction as well, I have no established plan for what percentage I will read of each, I'll just read what I'm in the mood for in a given week.  I won't write reviews of the books, but I will share my reflections and reasons for choosing to read them in my blog posts.  Most of the time I read paper books because I tend to prefer them to my e-reader on the iPad, but I'm also trying to branch out with more e-reading as well, especially when I'm traveling.  A somewhat odd thing I noticed is that I can't read fiction on my e-reader.  I've tried and keep trying, but so far I've only been successful with nonfiction e-reading.

December 2013 (the month that convinced me this goal is possible)
Fiction
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
Nonfiction
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
I am Malala:  The Girl Who Stood Up for Education by Malala Yousafzai
Invent to Learn by Gary Stager and Sylvia Martinez

January 2014
Fiction
The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin
Nonfiction
46 Days:  Keeping Up with Jennifer Pharr Davis on the Appalachian Trail by Brew Davis
Called Again:  A Story of Love and Triumph by Jennifer Pharr Davis
Girl Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala

February 2014
Fiction
The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine
Nonfiction
Monkey Mind:  A Memoir of Anxiety by Daniel Smith
Hatching Twitter:  A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal by Nick Bilton
Formative Assessment:  Making It Happen in the Classroom by Margaret Heritge

March 2014
Nonfiction
Thinking in Numbers:  On Life, Love, Meaning, and Math by Daniel Tammet
Quiet:  The Power of Introverts in a World That Won't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
How to Blog for Profit (Without Selling Your Soul) by Ruth Soukup
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

April 2014
Nonfiction
Perryville Under Fire:  The Aftermath of Kentucky's Largest Civil War Battle by Stuart Sanders
A Sliver of Light:  Three Americans Imprisoned in Iran by Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal, and Sarah Shourd
Poetry Collections
Ultima Thule by Davis McCombs
Fiction
We Sinners by Hanna Pylväinen

May 2014
Nonfiction
Become Your Own Great and Powerful:  A Woman's Guide to Living Your Real, Big Life Barbara Bellissimo
Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink
Things a Little Bird Told Me:  Confessions of the Creative Mind by Biz Stone
A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout
My Accidental Jihad by Krista Bremer

June 2014
Nonfiction
Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope by Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly
A Pearl in the Storm by Tori Murden McClure
Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea by Steven Callahan
Trusting Teachers with School Success: What Happens When Teachers Call the Shots by Kim Ferris-Berg and Edward J. Dirkswager
The Faraway Nearby by Rebecca Solnit

July 2014
Nonfiction
My Salinger Year by Jonanna Rakoff
Behind Rebel Lines by Seymour Reit (read aloud with my younger son)
The Interpreters by Ben Anderson and VICE News
Fiction
Lord of the Flies by William Golding  (re-read because my son was reading for summer reading)

August 2014
Fiction
Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Nonfiction
The Death of Santini by Pat Conroy
The Myth of the Garage by Dan Heath and Chip Heath
Crafting Digital Writing by Troy Hicks

September 2014
Nonfiction
The Common Core: Teaching Students in Grades 6-12 to Meet the Standards by Maureen McLaughlin and Brenda Overturf 
Fish!: A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results by Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, John Christensen, and Kenneth H. Blanchard
Escape by Carolyn Jessop
Fiction
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

October 2014
Nonfiction
In My Father's Country by Saima Wahab
Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary Confinement with the Bard by Laura Bates
The International Guide to Retiring Overseas on a Budget by Susan Haskins
Fiction
The Vacationers by Emma Straub

November 2014
Nonfiction
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness by Scott Jurek and Steve Friedman
Eaten Alive on the John Muir Trail: Section H of the Pacific Crest Trail by CJ Hernley
Fiction
Mrs. Hemingway: A Novel by Naomi Wood

December 2014
Nonfiction
The Year We Disappeared: A Father-Daughter Memoir by Cylin Busby and John Busby
A Random Act: An Inspiring True Story of Fighting to Survive and Choosing to Forgive by Cindy Broaddus
Between a Rock and a White Blaze: Searching for Significance on the Appalachian Trail by Julie Urbanski
A Long Way from Nowhere: A Couple's Journey on the Continental Divide by Julie Urbanski and Matt Urbanski
Running Away: A Memoir by Robert Andrew Powell