#cyberPD 2016 - DIY Literacy Part 2

As I begin writing this, I cannot help but thank our incredible community for nurturing this event and helping it grow into ways we never thought possible! Cathy, Michelle and I are so impressed with how everyone is jumping in, trying new ideas, and supporting the work of each person. Our weekly conversations and comments on our Google community have certainly brought us to new understandings as well. 

My Thoughts on Chapters 3 and 4...

Creating an educational climate that elevates the level of thinking, discussion, 

and performance is ideal when raising the next generation. (p. 54)

As I began reading chapters 3 and 4, I started thinking about how repertoire charts are the teaching tools I am probably most comfortable with. Most comfortable... and yet, I still haven't utilized them consistently with my 4th graders. While reading more, I continued to think about how those charts around the room really do support the work of my readers and writers. I'm excited to also try out the other tools as other means of scaffolding, supporting, and stretching our learning. 

On page 42, Kate and Maggie list a few ideas for keeping a chart "alive" for students. While fairly common sense, these really stuck with me. I also really appreciated their advice for narrowing the focus and assessing whether the tools worked. The bookmarks will be an incredibly powerful tool for students as far as agency, independence and "stickiness" are concerned. They tie in well with goal-setting and keeping kids accountable for their own progress, too.

The focus on what rigor really means was incredibly helpful. Not only does it link to difficulty, but it also has a lot to do with motivation and kids' desire to work harder. I love the quote I listed earlier for this reason. Isn't that our ultimate goal? It ties in so well with another fabulous professional read I'm loving, which is Upstanders by Sara Ahmed and Harvey Daniels. We want our kids to want to learn and make a difference in this world.  

The Conversation Continues...

Credit to Rachel Harder for creating this!

#cyberPD 2016 - DIY Literacy Part 1

Let's get this party started! Cathy Mere, Michelle Nero, and I are delighted to be celebrating the 6th annual #cyberPD event with all of you. As you probably already know, we'll be focusing on just a few chapters each week and culminating our event by the end of the month. While you are certainly welcome to comment on people's individual blog posts, we would also highly encourage you to hop over to join in the conversation on our Google Community and on Twitter.

If you are new to the event, Cathy has written a super helpful post about the basics of #cyberPD. We encourage imagination, too! If there is a way you're thinking about participating, feel free to give it a whirl!


My Thoughts on Chapters 1, 2, and Bonus...

DIY Literacy was a wonderful companion for a cabin in the woods and by the shores of Stockade Lake (both in Custer State Park in South Dakota.) Both places gave me plenty of time to really dig in deep and wrap my head around what Katie and Maggie were teaching us through their new book.

"We crave these results as we teach, and yet often we get trapped in the hamster wheel of breadth - of being sure we have gotten to everything - rather than centering our work on depth." (p. 3)

I will admit that I've fallen victim to the hamster wheel. Especially as I've been learning the ins and outs of 4th grade, I've felt myself spinning in circles as I try to "cover" everything that is expected of me. I took a step back last summer during our #cyberPD event around Digital Reading (and again when I read this quote) to think about how I can address this and not feel the pull of that hamster wheel. Focus on what Maggie and Kate suggest throughout the book (memory. rigor, and differentiation,) Add these to Franki Sibberson and Bill Bass's authenticity, intentionality, and connectedness... WOW! That packs quite a punch.   

Another trap I've fallen into lately is creating very few anchor charts for (or with) my students, opting for pre-made or digital versions instead. As soon as I saw page 4, I knew that would have to change. Kate and Maggie explain the four different types of teaching tools (repertoire or process charts, demonstration notebooks, micro-progressions of skills, bookmarks), and I could immediately see how these will fit into our classroom. They go on to describe how these tools both influence learning and make it stick. Makes perfect sense! I also appreciated the step-by-step descriptions in chapter 2 - I'm totally the kind of learner who is grateful for those!

Being that I am in a 1:1 Chromebook school district, my students have information at their fingertips at all times (including at home, too.) While I do want more of our co-created anchor charts visible around the classroom, I think I'd also like to continue to provide them digitally as well. We use Haiku LMS, so it would be logical to take pictures of our charts and include them online. I'm also a huge, huge fan of Padlet, which could also work beautifully for this purpose.

What really struck me in the bonus chapter is how intuitive Kate and Maggie were to their readers' needs. As I was reading chapter 2, I did start to think, "Wait - do I have enough information to come up with these charts on my own?!" I finished the chapter, and then BOOM! Our authors were right there to set my mind at ease, offer more helpful hints, and provide resources for us. I love that the book is written like a conversation between the reader and Kate & Maggie. It's the perfect blend of new knowledge, affirming what we already do, and an enjoyable conversation!!

The conversation continues...

Thanks to Rachel Harder for creating this for us!

We've all learned that the real power of our yearly event lies in the conversations and connections we make surrounding the book we're reading. Heading over to our Google Community will help you add your voice to the dialogue! I'm looking forward to hearing what you all have to say!

Share Your Summer Professional Reading Stack!

While it is a crazy hectic, exhausting time of the year, I love how my brain begins spinning with new possibilities. What has gone well this year? What do I need to rethink? What new learning needs to take place before the kids come back in August? What are my colleagues talking about, both in my school and in my Twitter PLN? As is tradition, my summer professional reading stack is already growing by leaps and bounds.

In just a few short weeks, Cathy Mere, Michelle Nero, and I plan to unveil the title for our 6th annual #cyberPD event. But we need your help! What is on your summer professional reading stack? We always hope to choose a book that emerges on lots of stacks! Our plan is to announce this year's #cyberPD title right at the beginning of June to give people time to purchase a copy of the book and begin reading before our event officially kicks off in July (exact dates to be announced in June.)

Sometime during the month of May, please tweet your stack (using the hashtag) and/or post to our CyberPD Google community. Inquiring minds want to know what you plan to read!

#cyberPD - Digital Reading Part 3

My, how these three weeks have flown! Thanks to the smart, smart #cyberPD community, my thinking has grown, stretched, and has been challenged. Remember, next week will be our final (live) wrap-up Twitter chat.

Reflecting...
As I read chapter six, the voices of Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan (authors of Assessment in Perspective and #cyberPD participants) were also whispering in my ear. I learn so much from their work, not the least of which is the idea that if we're going to assess kids, we need to make it useful in our day-to-day work. In my district, we have a required weekly reading test connected to our basal reading series (Reading Street.) I don't have a choice in whether or not I give the assessment, but I do have a choice as to what I do with the information collected. If I use it as a formative assessment to help drive the lesson planning decisions I make, it makes me feel slightly better about having to subject them to the test each week.

Reading chapter six made me think more about this and what other kinds of assessment I'm using. I thought long and hard about the list on page 90. I'm sad to admit that in the past two years that I've taught fourth grade, my conferring with students has taken a back seat to small group instruction. A lot of that has to do with expectations from my district, but a small part of it also has to do with getting to know what fourth grade is all about. I've come to the conclusion that it is still absolutely critical for me to meet with my students one-on-one to meet their individual learning needs. I appreciated all of the resources and ideas Franki and Bill shared in chapter six that will help me accomplish this.

It's funny how so much of this book has tied directly to goals I have for myself and for my students! Chapter 7 was no exception. As fortunate as we are to have 1:1 devices, we are still faced with educating parents so they can become a member of our digital community. I plan to begin this process at our Curriculum Night (held a few weeks into the school year.) Part of my presentation will include introducing our Haiku page (the learning management system my district uses) and our class Twitter account. I set out with the best intentions after our "Who Owns the Learning" #cyberPD conversation to have my kids gradually take over the responsibility of sharing our learning with parents and the community at large, but it didn't quite happen. I have a renewed sense of motivation and purpose for this after reading chapter 7 as well as my earlier read of the absolutely fabulous book by Paul Solarz titled Learn Like a Pirate.

Lastly, I simply loved the last paragraph of chapter 7 (page 108.) I believe these sentiments to be true not only for communicating with parents but also for our work with children. There is no magic list or a "one-size fits all" approach to making learning authentic, intentional and connected. We can pick a few tools and plan to stick with them, while keeping flexibility and student needs in mind. And of course, new possibilities will always be opened up though our PLNs... and those new ideas deserve our time and careful consideration as well.

Reflection Perfection up here in the woods of northern Wisconsin!

As I write this, I am spending time in the woods and on the lakes up in northern Wisconsin. I'm thoroughly enjoying the fishing and snuggles with my nieces, but I also find myself thinking a lot about the #cyberPD conversation and the upcoming school year. But it sure is a beautiful place to take a deep breath of fresh, pine-scented air and cast a line as my mind wanders...

#cyberPD - Digital Reading Part 2

I've already learned so much more by reading and commenting on all of the incredible thinking people shared last week from the first two chapters! If you haven't already visited our Google Community, you will definitely want to head over there and take some time to drink it all in!

And don't miss out on...

Week of 7/20 - Reflecting on chapters 6 & 7

Week of 7/27 - Wrap-up Twitter chat

Reflecting...

"Authenticity is evident when I look around the room and see kids using various tools that meet their needs at the moment." (p. 26)

I appreciated Franki's story about creating a book trailer and how it is so very easy for us to become wrapped up in the tools. So often, we hear, "It's not about the technology." While I wholeheartedly agree, I also wholeheartedly disagree. It's not about the technology, but it is about the technology. It's not about using technology in a lesson just for the sake of using it, but it is about using the technology in authentic, purposeful ways. So much of what I read in chapter three supports this idea; we are charged with introducing kids to new tools and how those tools might support/enhance their learning, thinking, and understanding. The questions on page 30 are ones I've pondered heavily. This concept of authenticity married with choice is absolutely crucial for learners today.

During a very eye-opening, honest conversation with my 4th graders back in May, they were sharing with me the apps and tools they use to interact with friends outside of school. 

My 4th graders are definitely connecting digitally!

During our discussion, students reported Facetime, Oovoo, and Snapchat as favorite ways to connect with friends. Instagram also appeared to be pretty popular and used by many. Going back to Angela Maiers' post mentioned in the book, how am I supporting kids who are tech comfy but not necessarily tech savvy?

Reading about intentionality in chapter four gave me so much to ponder. It also made me go back to the wise words of my friend Kristin Ziemke who advocates for learning a couple of really good tech tools and and using them well. This also helps to put the emphasis back on the learning rather than the novelty of the tools we're using. When introducing new concepts, tools, or ways of learning digitally, I have to remain vigilant about the WHY.

The descriptions of intentionality on page 48 really stood out to me. Isn't it so important for us, as teachers, to open the doors to the possible for kids and then step out of the doorway so they can make choices and figure things out for themselves?

Reading chapter five, I was contemplating how I've connected my kids in the past. How was I breaking down our classroom walls? Both in first and fourth grade, I created opportunities (mostly through my Twitter connections) for kids to interact on a more global level. We've blogged, interacted through our class Twitter account, have participated in Mystery Skypes, used a backchannel chat on Todays Meet to discuss a book, and made video calls to authors. But the more I pondered, the more I realized it's always been very "episodic" (as Franki and Bill called it!) Part of my goal this year is going to be to continue to find ways to weave these experiences more authentically into our learning and into our daily school lives. Again, I think if I keep my own connected life in mind, it will help me be even better at making sure I'm providing the same opportunities for my kids. I'm positive my Twitter friends will be an enormous help and inspiration for this goal!

Authenticity, intentionality, and connectedness will definitely be at the forefront of my mind as I continue to plan and ponder learning opportunities for my fourth graders!

"We believe strongly that if we create classrooms where reading is authentic, where students are connected to one another and to the world, and where students make intentional decisions as readers, we have created environments in which readers in the digital age can thrive." (p.86)

#cyberPD - Digital Reading Part 1

Our #cyberPD event has become an integral part of summer professional development for so many outstanding educators! I am delighted to be co-hosting again this year, alongside Cathy Mere and Michelle Nero. This year, we're reading Digital Reading: What's Essential in Grades 3-8 by Bill Bass and Franki Sibberson. Our schedule is as follows:

Week of 7/6 - Chapters 1-2
Week of 7/13 - Chapters 3-5
Week of 7/20 - Chapters 6-7
Week of 7/27 - Wrap-up (live) Twitter Chat

We've moved our #cyberPD home to a Google Community this year! We still extend the invitation for people to visit individual blogs and comment there, but the Google Community will allow for yet another place to keep the conversation rolling. You can visit it by clicking here.


Reflecting...

My thoughts this week are also influenced by the time I spent at NerdCamp in Franki's session on Digital Reading. She shared her slides publicly via Twitter, so I'm hoping it's okay that I provide the link HERE! You can peruse the slides to see more about the key points she made. My favorite quote from her session was from slide 17...

"Choice invites intentionality and purpose."

Can't stop thinking about this! I'm a huge fan of choice in the classroom, and I know we have to make sure we are providing supports as students navigate their learning journeys. These supports will allow them to be intentional, purposeful users of technology in their reading and writing lives.

In chapter 1, I kept going back to the idea of how and when I've been using digital texts/resources in our classroom and in my own learning. I teach in a school where every child has a device; for the past two years, that device was an Android tablet (Kuno.) In the fall, we'll be switching to Chromebooks. We have been fortunate to have connections at our fingertips, but the more I think, the more I realize I may not have been as intentional as I could've been about the choices I made regarding digital literacy.

Moving forward, the three anchors that Franki and Bill focus on will be absolutely essential! Authenticity, intentionality, and connectedness will definitely help me plan for future lessons and experiences for my fourth graders.

To that end, I also attended a session led by Pernille Ripp at NerdCamp and one thing in particular has really stuck with me. She said,

"We're not teaching digital natives. We're teaching kids who use technology."

That quote really supports what Bill and Franki were saying in the first chapter. Just because students are online doesn't necessarily mean they truly understand how to navigate successfully, how to make intentional choices, and how to truly "learn" digitally.

In chapter 2, I forced myself to think about the decisions I've made in my classroom in the past two years that I've been teaching fourth grade. Was I staying true to what I believe about reading and writing instruction, grounded in the workshop approach? Sadly, I feel like I lost sight of some of my beliefs as I've made the transition from first grade to fourth grade. This chapter in particular has really helped me be honest with myself! The questions Franki and Bill pose will be essential for me as I bring myself back to my roots. 

I especially love on page 22 how they included the structural components of reading workshop and how those don't change just because we may be doing things digitally. The questions posed on page 23 will also help me as I meet with my readers next year!

I'm excited to now go over to our Google Community and read what others took away from the first two chapters!

Reading in the Wild - #cyberPD Part 3

Wow! This event has simply flown by! It's hard to believe that today is our final day for posting reflections. Be sure to head over to Michelle Nero's blog Literacy Learning Zone to link up your post! And we hope you'll join us next week as Donalyn joins in the conversation for a live Twitter chat at 7 p.m. CST. We'll use the #cyberPD hashtag for the chat.

My Thoughts

"Sometimes, you read a book so special that you want to carry it around for months after you've finished just to stay near it." ~Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

Wild Readers Show Preferences
My reading tastes are constantly changing. Yes - I do have my favorite genres and authors. But I've found that as my life changes, so do my reading preferences. There was a time when I wasn't able to travel much, so I lived my adventures through travel narratives. Lots of them. I was in a reading funk for a while... and then I discovered paranormal romances. Quality literature? Some of it. Did it pull me in as a reader? Absolutely. I read just about every vampire, werewolf, werecat, and draki book I could get my hands on! Nowadays, I find myself reading as many middle grade novels as I can so that I am a better member of my 4th graders' reading community.

On page 166, Donalyn reveals the preferences that students in her classroom identified. My 4th graders definitely echoed those preferences as well! By far, the most popular genre for my readers this year was fantasy. I found myself searching (and buying) more new fantasy books more than anything else, except possibly graphic novels. Pages 171-175 were particularly of interest to me! Graphic novels are often discounted as "fluff reading," but they are oftentimes more difficult to truly understand and grasp. Readers must really pay attention to every detail included in the pictures, as well as understand the importance of dialogue. I've found myself turning to graphic novels (both with first graders and now fourth graders) when I'm trying to hook a reader. Because kids see the comic-type format, graphic novels appear to be less intimidating. This past year, my kids devoured the Amulet series!

Another target area for me this year will be nonfiction. I am positive that many of my readers would echo Ashley's feelings about nonfiction being all about dead presidents and whales! Looking back, I can count only a small handful of times I book-talked a nonfiction book or expressed my excitement over an informational text I'd read. I'm consciously aware that I need to fix this! The same goes for poetry.

I wrote a little about the 40 Book Challenge in a post last summer, but I've really been rethinking a lot about the freedom I gave my kids this year. I didn't have any genre requirements for them, but I did give some suggestions. After rereading Donalyn's thoughts about the 40 book challenge in this chapter, I'm almost positive I need to stick with the 40 books but give some genre requirements. I keep going back to this sentence, "The main reason Susie and I expect students to try a little bit of everything is so that they can find what they like to read." Makes so much sense!!

Appendices
So, I started making a list of all of the forms I loved from the appendices... and then I realized I was pretty much writing every form down. I think the genre graph, reading list, and reading itineraries will be especially helpful in teaching readers about their reading habits and preferences. I'm very curious to see how my new readers would answer the Wild Reader survey!! And then I started reading Appendix E and forced myself to stop when I realized I had already added more than 10 books to my online shopping cart. Spectacular lists of books!!

One more thing...
When I first got my copy of the book back in November, I expressed my excitement on Twitter. Donalyn quickly replied and told me I might want to look at page 255. I was absolutely stunned and honored to see my name listed. Donalyn has impacted my teaching in so many ways! I consider myself very blessed to be able to spend time with her a few times a year in real life, as well as connecting on Twitter. Our conversations always inspire me and are filled with laughter!

Nerdy Book Club fun at MRA, 2014

The Conversation Continues...
Today - Be sure to add your own link on Michelle's Literacy Learning Zone blog!
July 30 - 7 p.m. Live Twitter chat with Donalyn (co-hosted my Cathy, Michelle, and me!)

Reading in the Wild - #cyberPD Part 2

Welcome back to week two of this year's #cyberPD event! My mind is still on fire from the amazing insights and reflections everyone linked last week on Cathy Mere's blog. If you are participating this week, be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post and insert your post using the InLinkz link. You'll be adding your own link instead of leaving it in the comments section. Comments really help to affirm ideas and push thinking in new directions, so please be sure to leave feedback on at least 3 posts from this week.

My Thoughts
Wild Readers Share Books and Reading with Other Readers
Sharing our books and our reading is one of the best parts of being wild readers, right? Even if our reading tribe doesn't share our exact book tastes, it's still so much fun to share titles and push each other to read titles we might otherwise skip.

As I was reading the beginning of the chapter, I realized that I still have work to do when it comes to fostering a home-school reading community with the families in my classroom. Yes, my parents know I love books, and their children certainly share tidbits with them. But as I continued rereading, I think I need to provide more information to parents about the kinds of reading we do in our classroom and how all reading is valued. Providing more insight to parents will help them understand and support the idea of "reading in the edges" as well.

We have a huge responsibility as the lead readers in our classrooms! In a recent conversation with Donalyn, she was saying that we'd never send our children to piano lessons from a teacher who didn't play piano. We wouldn't trust our children to learn from a coach who didn't practice and play the sport being taught. So how is it possible for non-readers to teach reading well? I feel the responsibility for knowing the books my kids are reading. I realize it might be impossible to read each and every book that becomes a part of my classroom library, but I make it my mission to read as many as I can. This helps me with conferring, building relationships, and becoming a member of the reading community in my classroom.

On page 107, Donalyn speaks about preserving the dust jackets from hardcover books. As silly as it may seem, I was concerned about this as I began curating my 4th grade library last year. I ended up with a great many hardcover books whose actual covers didn't provide a blurb about the book, so I wanted to make sure to keep those dust jackets. I took Donalyn's suggestion (actually, Katherine Sokolowski first brought it to me after she heard it from Donalyn) to have kids remove the jacket and store it in a basket while they had the book. Very simple, yet it worked beautifully!


After Donalyn tweeted about her "Reading Life" door last summer, I ran with it and used the idea on my classroom door. My plan is to share my summer reading again to kick off the school year. I'm looking forward to extending this idea and turning the door over to my kids, like Donalyn talks about on pages 116-119. I can't wait to see what they come up with!

"The anticipation of another great reading experience drives our continued enthusiasm and interest in reading." (p.136)

Wild Readers Have Reading Plans
After rereading The Book Whisperer last summer, I knew I wanted the 40 Book Challenge to become a central part of my 4th grade classroom. I structured it in a very open-ended way this year, but I was still able to use the challenge to have conversations with kids about their reading plans. Donalyn gives some outstanding suggestions in this chapter for ways to nudge students to read more widely! I plan to come back to these ideas as I'm meeting with my readers next year.

I first started really thinking about the power of series books when I read Beyond Leveled Books by Franki Sibberson, Karen Szymusiak, and Lisa Koch. At that time, I was teaching first grade but found that even my young readers loved reading books in a series. They felt a sense of accomplishment when they finished all of the Cork & Fuzz books or felt a sense of urgency when waiting for the next Heidi Heckelbeck book to be released. I found the same to be true with my 4th graders this year! Series books and favorite authors often have the power of hooking our reluctant readers. I shared many of the same experiences with series books that Donalyn mentions on page 151 - Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, V.C. Andrews. On page 152, I love how Donalyn suggests that kids who read an entire series of books then become epicenter readers for that series. Brilliant - and so true!

I'm still pondering the part of chapter 4 that deals with building our own personal reading canon. I have so many books that influenced (and changed) me. I hesitate to make a list for fear of leaving out an important one! One that I know without a doubt will be on my list is Harry Potter. Never in a million years did I think that would be true, but after reading the whole series for the first time this year, I know it belongs on my list.

The Conversation Continues
July 23 - chapter 5 & appendices at Michelle's Literacy Learning Zone
July 30 - 7 p.m. CST live Twitter chat with author Donalyn Miller

Instead of leaving it in the comments, please be sure to add your link using the blue button below so we can read your thoughts from this week's reading!

Reading in the Wild - #cyberPD Part 1

And We're Off!!

Today marks the beginning of our 4th annual #cyberPD event. Be sure to head over to Cathy Mere's post to link your post/reflection today. You can participate in the discussion by...
*sharing your blog post
*tweeting your ideas using #cyberPD
*comment on the weekly host blog
*being creative and finding a new way to share your thoughts

It will help grow the conversation and our learning if you'll check out other participants' posts and attempt to comment on a minimum of three.

"We are the lead readers in our classrooms 

and model a reading life for students."

~Donalyn Miller (page xxvii)

My Thoughts...

Wild Readers Dedicate Time to Read
I promised my fourth graders this year that no matter what, I would give them time to read at school each and every day. I made it my number one priority and kept that promise, even on the last day of school. If we want our students to make time for reading in their lives outside of school, we have to show them we value that time enough to keep it in our schedules regardless of what else is going on. No excuses - we will read every day. At the bottom of page 9, Donalyn talks about why reading time at school really matters. "They practice living like readers." Our kids deserve to know what it feels like to live "a readerly life" (love this phrase/idea from Tony Keefer!)

At the Nerd Camp keynote on Monday, Donalyn spoke about the idea of reading in the "edges." Readers carve out a few minutes here and there throughout their day, even if they can't set aside a chunk of time. We make time while we wait at the doctor's office, at our sister's soccer game, in the bathroom. In the book, I love how she talks to her students about finding reading these snippets of reading time and avoiding "book emergencies." We need to have these conversations with our kids! If the only time our students read is the time we give them in class, are we really creating wild readers?

"Reading a book in one sitting is a rare indulgence..." But how exciting to find those books that cause us to do it!! Just last weekend, I decided I'd read a few chapters of Hound Dog True before I got out of bed for my morning coffee. Two and a half hours later, I crawled out of bed after finishing the book! We know we've got wild readers in our classrooms when they find the books they just can't put down.

Being new to 4th grade, I'm consciously aware of the fact that I have a lot of learning to do. The ideas Donalyn shares about reading itineraries, response letters, and status of the class gave me a lot to ponder. Responding to reading and reflecting on reading are two areas I know I want to work on with my 4th grade readers in the upcoming school year. To add to the ideas I gained from Donalyn, I'm also reading a book Donalyn told me about, Janet Angelilli's Writing About Reading. I'm excited to see how it will grow my thinking even further!

I love, love, love the last paragraph on page 41. Core beliefs. Grounded in best practices. Reflective practice. Especially now with adding more and more technology into our classrooms, I feel we need to know ourselves as educators and ground ourselves in what we believe in. This was a big conversation at this week's Nerd Camp - one that we need to continue to ponder and discuss.

I spotted this Wild Reader on a beach in Maine!

Wild Readers Self-Select Reading Material
Choice is absolutely key. I cannot imagine only being able to read what someone else tells me to read. A couple weeks ago, Leah Whitford tweeted this during a #satchat conversation: "If choice weren't so important to us,  we wouldn't have menus in restaurants." Donalyn makes some powerful points on the bottom of page 46 that support the importance of self-selected reading material. Yes, our readers need to have strategies and reasons for picking their books, just like we do. Teaching students about "good fit" books will help in their decision making process, but ultimately, I believe that each reader has to be able to make the choice.

Reading aloud to students has so many benefits that we have to make sure this is not something that we push aside in order to "cover more" during our day. Read alouds are such a great way to bring our reading community closer together! I guarantee that my 4th graders from this past year will continue to talk about the day we read Silver Packages by Cynthia Rylant. Even though I read it before I read it to my kids, I got to one point in the story... paused... and the big, nasty, sobbing, can't-catch-your-breath tears started. I tried to pull myself together but ended up handing the book over to a student to finish reading for me. We were a stronger community after that day!

One of my favorite parts of this chapter is the idea of "Five Authors My Students Should Know" (from page 51.) From my days in first grade, my list would probably include...
Mo Willems
Peter Brown
Jon Klassen
Melanie Watt
Helen Lester
Being relatively new to fourth grade, I am still building my list of authors. One that I know for sure is Liesl Shurtliff (author of Rump.) Have you thought about which authors would make your list?

Curating a classroom library is a topic that is near and dear to my heart! I spent years curating a library of over 3,000 books for my first graders. Now, I have the exciting job of curating a library for my 4th grade readers! My Nerdy friends have been very generous in donating books to me to help with this process. I'm definitely going back to this section of the book as I continue to seek out new titles. In just one year, our classroom library has over 600 titles. My kids have been really helpful in teaching me about what 4th grade girl and boy readers enjoy!

The Conversation Continues...
July 16 - chapters 3 & 4 link up here at Ruminate and Invigorate
July 23 - chapter 5 & appendices at Michelle's Literacy Learning Zone
July 30 - 7 p.m. Live Twitter chat with author Donalyn Miller!

Announcing this year's #CyberPD title...

We are thrilled to announce Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller as this year's #cyberPD title! It appeared on many summer professional reading stacks that have been tweeted out in the past week.

Each week, we'll read and post our reflections. All you'll need to do is share a link on the host blog for the week. It's also really helpful to tweet out your link using the #cyberPD hashtag. We'd also ask that you stop by and comment on at least 3 other reflections each week to help grow the conversation.

This year's dates are...
July 9th - Chapters 1 & 2, hosted by Cathy Mere at Reflect and Refine
July 16th - Chapters 3 & 4, hosted by me right here at Ruminate and Invigorate
July 23rd - Chapter 5 & Appendices, hosted by Michelle Nero at Literacy Learning Zone
July 30th - Wrap-up Twitter chat, 7 p.m. CST

Feel free to be as creative as you'd like when sharing your thoughts and reflections on the book! Having your own blog isn't necessary in order for you to participate, so don't let that stop you. Or... use this as your excuse to get your own professional blog up and running! This event is a fabulous way to get traffic flowing on your site.

Thanks to the amazing Mr. Schu for premiering this book trailer with the world back in November! It will give you a glimpse as to what we have to look forward to in July.



I'm super excited to dive back into Donalyn's latest book and to learn from each and every one of you! Happy reading!

Share Your Stack! Prepping for #CyberPD 2014

It's that time of year when we all start pulling together the professional books we'd like to read as we reflect upon the year we just finished and begin dreaming about the year to come. Cathy Mere, Michelle Nero, and I would love to see which books have made it into your stack this year!

We're asking people to post a picture (or link) to Twitter using the #cyberPD hashtag by this Saturday, June 7th. Once we see what people are planning to read, we're hoping to make a decision on which book we'll feature for this year's CyberPD event. We'd love to be able to make an announcement on Sunday, June 8th, to give people plenty of time to purchase their books before we kick off the event in July. More specific details will be shared in the coming weeks!

So, what's on your stack this summer? What books are you recommending to your colleagues? What do you think we should all read? Here is my already-ridiculous-but-sure-to-grow stack of possibilities...

We hope you'll join in the conversation! To read more about the CyberPD event and its history, please visit THIS POST by Cathy Mere.

Who Owns the Learning? #cyberPD Part 3

Our Event
I'm honored to be hosting today's installment of #cyberPD around Alan November's Who Owns the Learning? Our first week was held over at Cathy Mere's blog, Reflect and Refine, followed by week two at Jill Fisch's blog, My Primary Passion. Please be sure to leave a comment below with the link to your post. You can also tweet it out using our #cyberPD hashtag. I'll be spending some time listing everyone's links within my post later today!

My Thoughts
After reading one of Tony Keefer's recent posts (Thinking About Roads and #allwrite13,) I'm still mulling over his very important reminder about slowing down and revisiting ideas from the past. Tony says, "Eventually we will get where we are going, but we also backtrack several times along the way." While I absolutely do intend to continue to move forward, learn new things, and try out some of what Alan suggests, I want to make sure I stay true to my beliefs in all of it. If we are simply adding technology to say we have added technology, we've really missed the eye of the education reform hurricane. This book has really helped me ponder where I need to go while holding on to what I believe to be true about teaching and learning. Thanks for the reminder, Tony!

That being said, I know I still have so much to learn, but when I was reading chapter 5, I had to stop for a minute and think about what I've already been able to do with my first graders. We had our own individual blogs, a class blog, and a Twitter handle - and all of these helped us make connections with other first grade classes from the US, Canada, and New Zealand. I wrote more about what we were able to accomplish on this post from my old blogging space. Moving forward, I know this will form a great base for the work I plan to do with my future 4th grade learners.

I read and reread the story Alan shared on page 71. Hearing this young lady's story made me consider the importance of authentic work. I love how she responded with, "Every day, I have to decide if I will write for my teachers or publish to the world." Such powerful thoughts! Later, on pages 82-84, Alan had me thinking more about the grading and homework debates. I wonder how I will go about giving grades in 4th grade. If we want students to do the work because it truly matters, how does that tie in to the traditional grading system?

My "homework policy" has changed so much in recent years. My expectation was nightly reading, with a few nights of word practice and the "required" math pages. Very low-key. More often than not, I also received compliments and thank-yous for my stance on homework. And more often than not, my kids were inspired to read more than expected and write on their blogs from home. Because it mattered to them. I have to believe I'll want to take the same approach with my 4th graders.

When Alan talked about respecting others' perspectives, I couldn't help but break it down to a very primary (but important) debate right here in the Chicagoland area. Even my first graders have an opinion and get into heated debates about who is right. While it's not a truly "global" issue, they are all well-versed and can defend their position when we ask... Cubs or White Sox? :) It's ok. You can giggle. But it's true! We always had fun sharing which team was our favorite and why. We also learned to respect Karen Lirenman's hockey perspective as they were Canuck fans while we all cheered on our Blackhawks. Using examples like this one helps young learners understand varying perspectives on a very basic level.

I guess you know where I stand. :)
Me and my all-time favorite Cub, Rick Sutcliffe.

Alan talked a lot about using Skype as a means of connecting students with other classes and people from around the world. I think the possibilities are truly endless with video chats and am super excited to be able to have better access to it next year.

Next Steps
We'll be announcing our final (live) Twitter wrap-up chat. Details will be shared soon!

This Week's Reflections

Erika Victor shares her international school perspective from sunny Berlin. She is looking to connect her students more this year as she writes in her post #Cyber PD Part 3 - Who Owns the Learning?

Mary Lee Hahn teaches us more about the importance of leaving a legacy while she also shares some honest feedback about how she plans to proceed in her post #CyberPD -- Who Owns the Learning? Ch 5-end.

Maria Caplin's honesty about her struggles with technology and her excitement about starting a class blog are woven into her post Who Owns the Learning? Ch. 5-6 #CyberPD.

Linda Baie investigated and created some new search engines to go along with her reflections in the post #CyberPD - WOW!

Suz reminds us of the importance of the collaborative power of learning and seeking out other viewpoints, even in places like Twitter. You can read more on her post Valuing Perspectives & Opening Networks.

As she shares her thoughts on this week's reading, Julie Balen invites us to try out collaborative content by joining in on her Popcorn Maker tool. Check it out in her post #Cyberpd 2013 ~ Collaboration for learning.

While sharing her take-aways and unanswered questions from the book, Pat Johnson also reminds us of the importance of those face-to-face conversations in her post Final Thoughts on Who Owns the Learning.

Read Tony Keefer's post #cyberPD (Who Owns the Learning (part 3) to find out about what he plans to do now that he has finished reading this book.

Cathy Mere reflects on what her students have already accomplished as digital learners and what she plans to do to help further their global connections in her post "WE" Own the Learning: #cyberPD.

Jamie Riley shares her perspective from the library media center and offers some additional resources to us in her post #cyberPD - Who Owns the Learning Ch 5-6.

You'll want to stop by Michelle Nero's blog to read her thoughts about starting small, remembering to ask questions, and a great description of our book chat! Check it out here in her post #cyberPD part 3: Who Owns the Learning? 

Katherine Sokolowski shares her plan of action for the upcoming year and her goal of balancing her classes more in her post Who Owns the Learning? - #cyberPD part 3.

Barb Keister is back from the beach and weaves together thoughts on empathy, Common Core, and more in her post #cyberPD week 3 - Who Owns the Learning by Alan November.

We are reminded to slow down and breathe as we join Jill Fisch, talking to us about her feelings of being overwhelmed. Find out how she helps herself get through these times in her post I Did It Again.

Barbara Phillips transforms her take-aways into a two-step plan of action for the next school year in her post Who Owns the Learning? #CyberPD - Part 3

Amy Rudd ponders the path she will choose as she moves forward from our book chat and shares the connections she has made in her post At the Fork on the Trail - CyberPD #3.

We get to enjoy a moment with Rose Cappelli as she connects new learning to what she already knows in her post An 'Aha' Moment.

Who Owns the Learning? #cyberPD Part 2

Our Event
Today is our second installment of our #cyberPD event around Alan November's book, Who Owns the Learning? Last week's reading and sharing was A-MAZING! If you missed out, be sure to visit Cathy Mere's Reflect and Refine blog and get caught up. Cathy has also been getting some extra workouts as she created her "Jog the Web" to collect posts related to our event. This week, you'll want to be sure to visit Jill Fisch's post at My Primary Passion to follow the conversation.


My Thoughts
Much of the beginning of chapter 3 affirms what I believe to be true about how online/digital forums are especially powerful for our quieter learners. It gives them a way to be heard, without the sweaty-palms feeling of sharing in front of the class. When he mentions the social dynamic of the classroom, he hits on the fact that offering these opportunities to kids really brings together the concept of a learning community that connects both inside and outside of the confines of classroom walls. The quote on page 43 says, "...when you blow the walls off [the classroom] then learning happens anytime, anywhere." I think that's really the key point of what we are all trying to accomplish! Ooh, and did you catch when he talked about inspiring the "learner's mind" throughout kids' lives? Love that!

When Alan shared Darren Kuropatwa's story in chapter 2, one thing Darren said really struck a chord with me. "I wanted the blog to be in their voices, not mine." (p. 41) This is one of my big goals for next year in 4th grade. I will probably still contribute to our class blog, but I really want my students to have ownership over what we share with the world. I know it will take some modeling and the gradual release of that responsibility, but I want my kids to be able to share what they feel is important... in whatever way they choose. In first grade, our class blog was more of a shared writing and modeled writing platform. I never took it to the point of truly being "their" space. (Although they did have their own individual blogs!)

In my new school, I know they are utilizing a "SWAT" team. I know this was crucial, especially last year when the tablets were new to both students and teachers. While these kids in each classroom specifically help with tech issues, I can see it becoming much bigger than that. I loved reading the chapter on page 46 where he talked about having kids help each other out. That is a major community/team-builder! And it also allows for different learners to shine at different times.

Ok. I'm going to put this out there, because I was stunned as I read more into chapter 4. I didn't know a lot of the information he talked about as far as validity of sites and building custom search engines. Yes, I knew about the different endings (.com, .org, etc.) but never really felt the need to teach my first graders about that, since most often, I was their tour guide to many of the sites we visited. But with 4th graders, I can see this information being absolutely essential! When faced with a question we couldn't answer, my first graders would giggle as they suggested that I just "ask my friend, Google." Now, I guess I have to learn more about customizing "my friend" so I can share that with my older students!

I digress, but...have you used the Kid Rex search engine? I stumbled upon it last year and showed it to my first graders. It's a kid-friendly search engine (that might be connected to Google somehow, I think.) We used it quite a bit to glean more information on topics we were interested in. Just thought I'd put it out there!

I have to go back to page 47 before I quit rambling. There, I found my favorite quote from the book so far, and it's from Darren again. It speaks to a sense of agency and a growth mindset (see, Peter? I didn't forget your wise words!) It also encompasses so much of how I feel about improving my teaching craft. Ready?!

"As long as you're asking what's next, you'll get there. 

But never be content with where you're at." 

Next week

I'm thrilled to be hosting next week's installment of #cyberPD, right here at Ruminate and Invigorate! We will also be having a follow-up/wrap-up live Twitter chat at some point after next week.

I wonder what you're all thinking about this week's chapters. Off to find out! 

Who Owns the Learning? #cyberPD Part 1

Our Event
Cathy, Jill, and I are thrilled to be hosting our third annual #cyberPD event this year! Each week will be hosted on one of our blogs, so be sure to add your link in the comments section. It will also help if you tweet out a link to your blog or whatever way you decided to share you thoughts! Be sure to include the #cyberPD hashtag. This week is being hosted by Cathy over at Reflect and Refine.


My Thoughts
In the new school year, I'll be walking in to a 3rd-5th grade building where every student has a Kuno tablet. Although I've already begun making changes in my first grade classroom in recent years, reading books like this one have become even more important to me now.

I found it so powerful that November refers to Daniel Pink and his Drive book.While I haven't read it myself, I've heard bits and pieces from it. I really appreciated how Alan shared Pink's most important predictors of high-quality work (autonomy, mastery, and purpose.) Wow. Do we provide opportunities for children to excel in environments where they are expected to master content but have the autonomy to learn in ways that best suit them? Do students understand the more global purpose in their learning?

Alan really got me thinking more about traditional learning spaces. Society has changed so dramatically since the years of that "one room schoolhouse." And yet, so many of our schools and classrooms look identical to the days when I was in school (just a few decades ago!) :) It always confuses me when kids are handed a device (tablet, iPad, iPod, whatever) but they're expected to work alone, quietly, at their desk. Shouldn't our learning spaces reflect the "new ways" in which we all learn? The last paragraph on page 17 illustrates some possibilities for what these new spaces might look like.

My mind is spinning after reading chapter 2. Especially with having 1:1 tablets in my classroom, I am intrigued to see how my 4th graders might be able to take on the role of Tutorial Designer. After years of teaching, I've seen how powerful it is for students to explain things to each other. Not only does it solidify their understanding of a concept, it also helps students to hear it from another person's point of view. Actually, this chapter had me thinking more about thinking. I'm wondering about ways in which my students can share their thinking and show their understanding with their classmates and with the world. I know their individual blogs will be a key part of this, but I'm curious to see what other tools emerge to help us. This chapter also reminded me that I've had the book Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, and Independence for All Learners in my TBR pile for quite some time. I might just have to move that one to the top!


Links
In this article from MindShift (Feburary 2013), Alan revisits some of the key points from his book. It was a good follow-up and refresher after reading the beginning of his book.

Modern learning spaces have been on my mind for a while now. Actually, I've created a Pinterest board to capture some ideas for what these new classrooms might look like. You can see the board HERE.


Next Week
We'll continue the discussion (July 10th) over at Jill's My Primary Passion. We'll be thinking about chapters 3 & 4.

And now, I'm off to start reading what other people have posted about the beginning of Alan's book!