Book post: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Book cover from Kate DiCamillo

DiCamillo, K. (2006). The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. New York, NY: Candlewick Press. 

Edward is a rabbit doll who thinks very highly of himself. His owner, a little girl named Abilene, treats him like a part of the family or a distinguished guest, and he becomes accustomed to being valued. Abilene's grandmother bought him for her, but she disapproves of Edward's attitude. When Edward is lost and must depend on the kindness of strangers, he starts to see life and relationships a bit differently. This is a heartwarming tale, great for any kids who have ever loved a toy or want to know what love is all about.

If you love this book, check out edwardtulane.com!

Book post: Cinder

Book cover from Marissa Meyer

Meyer, M. (2012). Cinder. New York, NY: Feiwel and Friends.

Cinder is a cyborg mechanic in New Beijing. This may not sound like a Cinderella story, but it is loosely based on the old tale. I found myself comparing as I read, which was so much fun. However, Cinder is much more action-packed than you've seen this story before. Because of her reputation as the best mechanic in the city, Prince Kai brings his broken droid to Cinder to fix. She finds out secrets that she probably shouldn't know, and has to save Prince Kai (and the Earth) from imminent danger. She also discovers missing pieces from her past and has to decide what to do about her new identity. As a cyborg, she has never really fit in, but now she knows why she never can. This is a great story to read if you love alternate versions of fairy tales, science fiction, and strong but vulnerable protagonists. 

Reflection: Technology I've Learned This Summer

I consider myself to be fairly tech-savvy. I try to keep up with the technologies available to me at my school, and I use technology often in the classroom. My students submit their essays, and I comment on them, through Google Drive. I have students create presentations on the computer and do research through our school databases. Some techie assignments we have done in the classroom include creating podcasts and collaborative websites. Other teachers have come to me for advice on how to do things on their computers. However, I have learned so many online tools this summer that I feel like I knew so little before. I feel proud of what I have accomplished and how many tools I have tested this summer, and I know I will go back to school more confident in my tech skills, and equipped with many new project ideas. I now know of many more ways to share information online and to get my students doing the same. That's a great feeling to have as the end of summer approaches rapidly. I'm in the position right now that I am preparing for my long-term sub to start the school year for me, but I feel good about my abilities to communicate online and keep updated with everything I will need to do. 

Blog to Follow: Free Technology for Teachers

I've been following Free Technology for Teachers (both the blog and on Facebook) starting this summer, and I am amazed at how much its creator, Richard Byrne, knows about technology. He has such wonderful insights into how to use technology in schools, and gives tips and ideas from his own experience. How does he do it? Some times he posts multiple times per day! I have learned many things from his blog and have been inspired to do new things in my own classroom. He has given tips on how to apply (in new ways) some sites and applications I already use as well. I enjoy reading his posts and his thoughts on new tools, and I will definitely continue to follow his blog for the wealth of new ideas he shares.

Syllabus made with Piktochart

I just made my syllabus for this year's English 8 class using Piktochart! I'm pretty excited about it. I don't know yet how it will do as a printed version, but it looks great on my class website and I wanted to share it here too.

AASL Best Websites Spotlight: Canva

My website spotlight for today from the AASL Best Websites for Teaching and Learning 2014 list is Canva. Canva is a design tool for a variety of media. You can design your own posters, flyers, cards, invitations, ads, or digital designs for social media like Twitter and Facebook banners. Canva is free to join, and has many free images, but also has many images that are one dollar each, so you can spend more to get higher quality images. However, I think uploading images is the way to go. While making some designs in Canva, I could easily upload my own pictures to include. There are many background layouts available for the different types of designs, as well as patterned backgrounds and interesting text boxes. It has tutorials and a design challenge when you sign up to help you figure things out, but it is so easy to use that these are really just for fun. I think this website would be great for making flyers for different school events or clubs. There is one design choice for Kindle book covers, so it would be a great tool for making alternate book covers for display in a classroom or library.

Here's the simple Twitter header I made for my Twitter page:

AASL Best Websites Spotlight: Recite This

My website spotlight for today from the AASL Best Websites for Teaching and Learning 2014 is Recite This. It is a very simple tool for creating a nice display for quotes. All you do is type in the quote, then choose a template, and it creates the page for you. The image of the page can be downloaded, shared on social media, or emailed. It is that easy, and free. I already created a couple for displaying in my classroom. I think this could also be used in a variety of ways in the classroom. Students could write a one sentence description or summary of a concept or reading for quick assessment, which can then be displayed in the classroom. Students could keep their page in their notebook for quick review as well. Another idea would be asking students to find a quote related to a theme, or choose a favorite quote from a book they have read. These would be great for student-created bulletin boards. 

Here's one of the quotes about writing (from Stephen King) I made for my classroom: