Tuesday, August 29, 2017

changing the world today

"When we shift from preparing students for what's next, to helping them prepare for anything, a world of possibilities open up in their learning." - Empower


Before school started I read two amazing books -  Empower: What Happens When Students Own Their Learning by John Spencer and A.J. Juliani, and Social LEADia: Moving Students from Digital Citizenship to Digital Leadership by Jennifer Casa-Todd.



In Empower, I loved the idea of moving students from engagement to empowerment, of shifting from making the subject interesting to tapping into student interests. 

And I especially loved the graphic style of the book:



"Choice gives students the opportunity to cast their own line and choose what bait they want to put on the hook. Learning follows, not because it is forced upon them, but because it is naturally connected to curiosity and inquiry."    -Empower

In Social LEADia, I loved the idea that tomorrow's leaders are changing the world today, and shifting the conversation from digital citizenship to digital leadership.
"To us, is more than just connecting online. We connect at school, in teams, and with our teachers. When we connect, we feel that we are using our voice to make an impact in a positive way, and when we connect, we are also learning new ideas and perspectives. When you add these up, we are making a difference in our own world and maybe someone else's."

 And, there were great graphics, student vignettes, summaries, and discussion questions.






If you are looking for inspiration this fall, be sure to pick up these two books. On Twitter, follow #SocialLeadia and #EmpowerBook, and begin building your personal learning network.





Thursday, August 24, 2017

Love is Louder

After the violence Charlottesville, I didn't know what to do. 

So, I left flowers at the Anne Frank Memorial with the tag: Love is Louder.

Hundreds of people turned out for a vigil on Sunday evening  at the Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in downtown Boise to show solidarity with Charlottesville, Virginia. 

I was so happy to see that the flowers were still there.