YA Reading Log

Beastly by Alex Flinn

I chose this title because I loved Flinn's Breathing Underwater. In that regard, I was disappointed. This story had none of the originality or the sincerity of the latter title. That being said, this contemporary re-telling of the classic Beauty and the Beast will appeal to teens who recognize, and simultaneously envy and detest the power of the popular. The author's note about her motivation for writing this tale is an interesting comparison on the virtues and pitfalls of YA lit versus classic fairy tales. I will add this to my library collection. With its online chapter transition format, I think I could entice students who love Lauren Myracle's books to try this out.

Week #2, Thing #3

Blog up, avatar added! The directions for adding the avatar were really good, so no problems there. I have often watched my kids creating avatars in their video games (though I admit that I never knew the word "avatar" before this - add that to new vocabulary) and it was more fun than I thought it would be. It's easy to see how kids lose so much time on the computer! Next stop - register this blog!!

Beginnings

So, at last, I begin! As I set out on this journey, the most exciting part is the not knowing where exactly I might land. My plans are to share my travels, my struggles, my successes and my feelings about delving into technologies my students have been comfortable using for years. My hope is that as my comfort level increases, I can think of ways to use these technologies to increase my contact with students and teachers concerning books, resources, and especially evolving information literacy.

In terms of the 7 1/2 habits, the easiest for me will probably be to view problems as challenges. I am already a "glass half-full" kind of person, and have always viewed snags along the way as great learning opportunities. I am always telling my children and students that the best learning comes from failure. If we always do everything right, the opportunities for new learning are minimal. The most difficult habit for me will be using technology to my advantage. Though aware of all these technologies, it has been difficult to move past knowledge into implementation for student/teacher learning. I am looking forward to getting there over the next 8-9 weeks.