These are Vikki Davis’ good things.
Good things to read.
The 4-Hour chef by Timothy Ferris. It is supposed to be about cooking but it is not, it is squarely about learning and, although I’m in the midst of reading this, I’m just blown away and processing through what he shares about learning something new in this book (plus I appreciate some of the cooking tips and I thought I was a good chef.)
Classroom Habitudes by Angela Maiers. We are supposed to start with a “to be” list before we give students a “to do” list. This book applies to parents and teachers alike. Habitudes are attitudes that we make a habit of practicing and emphasizing. I think every school and home should adopt these habitudes. Research is increadingly showing that character traits have more to do with success than intelligence and grades. Curiosity, adaptability, passion, and the other four habitudes are things we should inspire in ourselves, our students and our children.
Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds by Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay. Yes, I wrote this one, but the trend towards connecting classrooms is soon going to take some schools by surprise when they realize that the relationships between schools are already established and they are not joining in.Students are the greatest textbook ever written for each other and it is time to connect them around the world.
Attack Your Day by Mark Woods. This practical book helps you see your work in a whole new way. I use their free forms from their website and tips when I need super-charged productivity and the methods are addictive. A fantastic read for anyone.
Three good things to watch.
The Secret Weapon Evernote Tutorials. This combines Evernote and GTD and the labeling system used is fantastic. I learned so much about Evernote from this free tutorial. If you’re not going to use the Awesome Note app I recommend below, this is a must see.
Cool Cat Teacher’s Inspiration Playlist. I keep a playlist of the inspiring videos that I love the most and add it to them. I think that we should all be creating and sharing playlists to inspire others.
Pranav Mistry on 6th Sense Technology. I love this speech because it not only shows how innovation happens but where technology is moving. My students always say “wow” and become interested in invention when seeing this video. I think every student should see it.
Good things to use.
Evernote is the most useful app on my dashboard. I use it for everything and use the Awesome Note app, which even syncs my to do’s with Evernote. I scan files to Evernote and snap photos to it as well. It is my outboard brain and even my Livescribe pen that records my lectures syncs with this. I use vJournal for my daily journal of work done which automatically sends that journal with time stamps into Evernote. I love it.
I love Google Reader and use it to build my Personal Learning Network. It is an important tool that I read daily whether it is on the web or using the Mr. Reader app.
Kindle. I have trouble reading on my iPad because I get so many notifications and sometimes have trouble focusing. I like having a device that does only ONE thing — let me read. It is important that I read an hour a night. According to speaker, Brian Tracey, in studies they have found that to be the top of one’s field, you should read an hour a day in-field. I set that as a goal several years a go and this is one thing that makes all the difference in my professional career. I do have the Kindle app on my iPad, but I will be hard pressed to get rid of my trusty old Kindle even with the cracks in it. There are no notifications and no distractions from the quiet of snuggling up with a good book. The great thing about this device is that it comes with worldwide download abilities that I paid for with the device, that, in itself, makes it important to take on trips because I can even surf in a pinch, like I did when I took some students to India and needed some important information.
Three things to read, watch, and use 