Monday, December 31, 2018

2018 Reading List

When I was growing up I read constantly. It was an escape for me and a relaxing way to spend hours of time. For years I was rarely without a book but as I grew older I got away from reading as much and finished maybe one or two books a year if that.

Over the summer I bought an Amazon Kindle Paperwhite e-reader on Prime Day and since then have finished twenty books, more than I've read in easily the past ten years combined. The Paperwhite has become my near constant companion, going on vacation, doctor and other appointments where I might be waiting a while, even lunch on occasion. It's small enough to fit in my pocket and the battery life is amazing. Its small size is comfortable to hold and the screen is easier to read on than an iPad. I find myself many evenings winding down with a book instead of being on my laptop, watching tv, etc.

This was my reading list for 2018. All links are to the website Goodreads.
Thanks to the local library I also haven't spent anything except for the cost of the Kindle itself. The Henrico Library has a very good e-book collection and Henrico residents are also able to obtain library cards in surrounding systems. Because of that I have an account and have checked out e-books from Richmond, Chesterfield, and the Pamunkey Regional Library It seems to take them longer to get some new releases in e-book format but there's enough currently available to keep me busy reading for a long time. If you're on Goodreads, connect with me here.




Monday, December 3, 2018

Hour of Code Activities

This week, December 3-9, is Computer Science in Education Week. Students at my schools will will take part in the global Hour of Code event to introduce them to computer science. For those interested in pursuing it further on their own time I’ve put together a list of activities below.

Hour of Code - the original Hour of Code site.

Brain Pop Coding Games

Made w/ Code - Coding activities from Google.

Snap!- Drag and drop programming interface designed to help you learn how to program.

Blockly
 - Series of educational games that teach programming.

Codester - Create your own dance moves with this coding application.

Crunchzilla - Series of more advanced activities.