The Books that Change Us

Came across this article yesterday after my friend, Tiffany shared
it. It perfectly  reflects my beliefs about
literature:



Tiffany Gee Lewis: The books that change us | Deseret News



It is THE reason I do what I
what I do. It is all about instilling a sense of empathy into my learners. I feel more than anything, it is the MOST important concept I can share with them.

There is nothing like watching my students be moved and
changed for the good because of something that they have read. Despite
all the demands that lawmakers put on educators, I try to tune them out
and focus on truths like this. I have found that when
I do this, scores automatically increase.



For me, it is hands-down, without-a-doubt To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  Truths like seeing things from another's perspective, what real courage is, and how to be a good parent are just a few of the life lessons one takes from this classic.

My favorite quotes:

So, what books have changed you? What are your favorite quotes from them?

Savvy Tech

This week I have attended Project Optimize, a workshop hosted by the Schultz Center. This is my first experience in an entirely online learning environment since grad school. Except this time we interacted live with our instructors!

I was resistant to learning from a remote instructor, but have found that our humanity can be found through this medium. Our instructor, Nick Kaisharis, has been funny, engaging, and down-to-earth.

Here are some super fun and useful tools:

Padlet - an interactive bulletin board. Planning to use it for exit slips.



Brainshark - add voice to Powerpoint presentations. Here is mine.
Smore -online newsletters and fliers

Prezi - online presentations - thousands of ready made ones too!

Animoto - "Make great videos"

Voki- create your very own avatar. Here is mine, I chose this one for the anime crowd



and my favorite, Symbaloo - a customizable online desktop. The OCD organizer in me loves this easy way to organize my bookmarks. It also has ready-made ones you can add based on your interests.
Here is mine (so far!)


Memorable quotes:

"They learned because they failed and then they figured out how to succeed."

"The difference between sucess failure is one more try."

I just love these. I have a poster in my classroom that reads, "Failure is proof you are trying." Some of the most authentic learning happens when we fail.

Even though I have had to spend precious summer time away from my babies, this has actually been a productive learning experience.

What are your favorite learning quotes/philosophies? What are your favorite web tools? How do you use them?