Amplify! #MustReadin2016

1/36 completed! I finished Amplify! Digital Teaching and Learning in the K-6 Classroom this week.  Authors and teachers Katie Muhtaris and Kristin Ziemke have written an inspiring and user-friendly book detailing how digital teaching can enhance, and well, amplify learning! A key statement they make in the book is this: "The technology is as transformational as we make it. It's not the tool that counts; it's what we do with it."

Some ideas that I want to try after reading this book:

• creating a classroom recording booth when students are making audio or video entries into their digital journals. 
• learning more about vlogs and how I can use them. 
• look into SonicPics (an app that allows students to enhance images with audio recordings and captions.)
• teach more into evaluating infographics
• creating photo book reviews
• learning how to make book trailers

I really enjoy trying new technology tools to enhance teaching and learning. It's not about the tool, it's about the learning and the ways that the tool can make learning more meaningful, social, and long-lasting! I highly recommend this book! 

#MustReadin2016

Oh, my poor abandoned book blog. It's not that I haven't been reading. I've been starting a lot of books...finishing a couple...but life and teaching and other commitments and more have interrupted my reading life. I'm embarking on the 40 Book Challenge with my third graders and I need to really step up my personal reading if I'm going to meet that goal.  Carrie Gelson is a teacher blogger I deeply admire and her site is a place where I frequently find inspiration. When I saw that she was running this #MustReadin2016 challenge, I decided it was just what I needed to reboot my reading life!

There are many professional books I've purchased, started reading, and loved, but haven't finished. One of my goals is to thoroughly read and reflect on those books. There are also many children's literature books (mostly middle grade, some earlier, some YA) that I have on my list as well. I added a couple of books I want to read for personal reasons or for my book club. I saw some other bloggers were picking 36 and while that number is daunting, I'm going for it! :)

Here are my professional books that I #MustReadin2016 (11 books):

I am also going to add Stacey Shubitz's forthcoming book Craft Moves to my list! It is being published later this year.  

Personal choices I #MustReadin2016 (3): 

Children's Literature I #MustReadin2016 (22):

Thank you Carrie for creating this challenge! I hope to use this blog more often to update my progress and share the books I've read from this list.