Creative Literacy's Noteworthy Posts for 2010

This morning I was flipping the channels between a couple morning news programs and enjoying their highlights from the year. It occurred to me that I could learn a bit about myself by looking back at the many blog posts I have shared this year.

So I started to reread my own year. I found when I looked at each month's post titles, there was a theme in my thinking during that time. June and July included posts about new books and new ideas as I was thinking for the upcoming school year. April and May were much about wondering as I immersed my students in writing, exploring and researching their wonders. And, Augustand September seemed to be about reflecting on my students and their needs as the school year began.

So, I was inspired to share my own Noteworthy Posts for the Year. Now, for me, the criteria for "noteworthy" depended on the amount of conversation about the post (comments) and my own feelings about the ideas in the posts. So hopefully you will find something that will be noteworthy or new for you. Here goes:

Winter 2010: Reading and Blogging

Looking back at the winter months, many posts included (surprise) books. But, the most loved video I shared during Right to Read Week was Gotta Keep Reading. The kids in the classroom danced and sung it for days. There was also a post I wrote in response to a student who wanted some advice on blogging. Click here for my 5 tips to Better Blogging.

Spring 2010: Wondering

Last Spring, I was busy preparing for a visit from Samantha Bennett, author of That Workshop Book. To prepare for her

coaching and observation, I plunged into a unit of wondering with my students. The kids painted and wrote about their own Heart Wonders and they filmed some wonders they had during our science study of living things. All of this work helped me to uncover some big ideas that I took away after a day with Sam Bennett including:

-Teaching is an incredibly complex endeavor. No one has nailed it. There are always ways to get better for students.

-Everyone does the best they can until they know better; then they do better.

-We are smarter together.

-The rest is here.

Summer 2010: Books and The Book Whisperer

This summer

I read Donalyn Miller's, The Book Whisperer. Posting about this fabulous book inspired teachers at my school to read it and begin book talks about what messages are most important to send to kids. There were many comments from bloggers too about grabbing this great read before the end of summer. I love this book and visit this post for the big ideas I took away from Donalyn's book.

Another big post this summer, Ten Picture Books Boys Can't Live Without, was a blogging event created by some blogging friends to invite a ton of sharing about our favorite picture books.

Fall 2010: Thinking and Reflecting on Tech

This fall I embarked on a year long learning journey with a community of learners in Powerful Learning Practice. This opportunity for embedded professional development had helped me extend my learning of web 2.0 tools but more importantly the importance of sharing my learning, developing my own PLN and creating authentic ways to incorporate tech integration in my own classroom. Here are some noteworthy reflections from the fall:

How Blogging Has Changed Me

Kids and Tech: Resources for Home and the Classroom

Using Kidblog to Share Student Stories Online