Summertime
Summertime. It's finally here! I have plans to relax at home, travel, spend time at the ballpark, take long walks with the puppy, spend time with friends and family, and knit. With that said, the nerd in me will want to read, think and create for school. I can't turn it off completely. Authors John Spencer and A.J. Juliani state in their book, Launch: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring out the Marker in Every Student that "We are natural makers. And when we create, we come alive." That quote resonates with me. I am happiest when I am creating. Most of my creating this summer will be for myself but the teacher in me will want to create for school as well. So, here are my PD plans. I have plans to read and meet with others to motivate, inspire and challenge me.
Reading:
1. Finish reading Launch: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring out the Marker in Every Student by John Spencer and A. J. Juliani.
2. Tackle THE stack of books on my coffee table. One book is an ebook that I plan to listen to while I clean out closets and scrub floors. (My house and garage needs some attention this summer.) I also plan to blog about my thinking.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck. (George Couros mentioned this book was a game changer when it comes to to teaching and learning.)
Renegade Leadership: Creating Innovative Schools for Digital-Age Students by Brad Gustafson (I listened to the Innovator's Mindset Podcast and Brad was a guest on one episode. He talked about his new book and it sounds very interesting.)
Redesigning Learning Spaces by Robert Dillon, Ben Gilpin, A.J. Juliani and Erin Klein (I don't know enough about this topic.)
Inquiry and innovation in the Classroom: Using 20% Time, Genius Hour, and PBL to Drive Student Success by A. J. Juliani (I'm currently reading Launch and want to read more about how 20% time , Genius Hour and the Launch Cycle fit together.)
Learning by Choice: 10 ways Choice and Differentiation Create An Engaged Learning Experience for Every Student by A.J. Juliani (Sounds interesting...)
As for creating, I plan to meet with others to inspire, motivate and challenge me.
1. The Blair Finch project website needs an update. I plan to update the site, add blog posts and add tutorials to the site.
2. I also plan to go to Barnes and Noble and buy a handful of picture books. Picture books can be a great inspiration for a music lesson or activity. I have time in the summer to type up a formal lesson for future use as well.
3. Coffee Tech Time- I have a weekly date and time set to meet with a co-worker to talk tech and create some projects. I'm hopeful our weekly meeting gives me a reason to push myself to get work done in between meetings.
What are you doing? Please share.
