In June (since I last posted) I...
Went to Paris! France!
My husband and I are learning French so it was my mission to buy some French language books including some Dumas, a little Voltaire, some French History, Harry Potter, and Le Petit Prince (of course!). The hopes with these purchases was to some day be fluent enough to read the books in their original language.
I studied French in high school and while I passed the IB HL exam, I never had a real-life opportunity to practice. Ten years went by, and now I'm using Duolingo (an amazing, FREE app and website) to relearn the language. The bookstores in France were my best opportunity to practice my rudimentary speaking skills, as most English speakers wouldn't go into a French bookstore unless they were also well versed in French. It was quite fun to have a conversation in a different language, something I hadn't done before and really is a very educational experience. There is so much out there in the world - so many different cultures, languages, people - I want to connect to it all.
Read books! Just a few!
-Jane Austen in Boca (Paula Marantz Cohn)
-Zeitoun (Dave Eggers)
-I Am Malala (Christina Lamb, Malala Yousafzai)
And now smart girls!
The book I am currently reading is Smart Girls in the 21st Century: Understanding Talented Girls and Women (Barbara Kerr, Robin McKay). It is brilliant so far, and as someone who 1) is a girl and 2) attended gifted programs throughout my K-12 school years, it really resonates with me. Not to mention the professional meaning it had for me working at an all girls school. We had a choice of two books to read for professional development this summer and while both looked good, I'm glad I chose this one!
I'm at ISTE! 2015!
The International Society for Technology in Education, or ISTE, is a global professional organization dedicated to educational technology. The ISTE annual conference is a huge event, with thousands and thousands of exhibitors, participants, and presenters. Follow the hashtag #ISTE2015 on Twitter to connect and learn from others. Or, choose to connect with those #notatISTE - another helpful hashtag.
Until next time!
