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Written on: November 26th, 2008 by: in Learning Journeys
Laura here: I spend most of my reading time on fiction; I’m drawn
to the stories and characters that often reflect real-life learning and
situations, but sometimes real-life stories can read like a fairy tale.
That’s been my experience of The Google Story by
David Vise and Mark Malseed. It’s the story of the Google Guys: Sergey Brin and Larry Page and it caught my eye in a lovely
independent bookstore while I was in Georgia recently. I jotted down the
title to check out at my local library: this is my standard operating procedure
before purchasing a book I’m not 100% ‘sold’ on. 😉 (My public library had the
print and audio version so I can listen in the car or on a walk as well as read
at home and I’m already sold.)
The book reads like a novel—fascinating characters,
improbable situations, and astonishing discoveries! The Google Story
tells the tale of two young entrepreneurs who dropped out of Stanford University to “change the world” and give their product away for free! You’ll even learn
how the company’s mantra: DON’T BE EVIL guides their remarkable success.
Google it to learn more! Have we really been ‘googling’ for ten years!? A brand that’s become a verb is definitely a success story worth reading! Have you seen this laugh out loud t-shirt saying? “Sometimes when I’m alone I Google myself.” 😉
Written on: November 14th, 2008 by: in Learning Journeys
Honoré here: Last Sunday's ( Sunday, Nov 9) edition of the Washington Post's Book World caught my attention: "Calling All Kids – Book World invites young artists (ages 5-12) to submit their original, colorful works of art. The winning entry will be used as the cover of a forthcoming issue devoted to children's literature and the winner will receive a bag full of books."
Subject of the art work:? The pleasures of reading!
Since I don't technically qualify as a kid any longer, I immediately thought that my seven-year old niece would be interested… and then I started thinking, uhmm, what would I draw, paint or color to show the pleasures reading brings me? Haven't picked up a pencil, crayon or paintbrush yet but I am thinkin.' And I plan to create several works of art right in my journal. The perfect place. I encourage you to join me in creating your work of art in your journal. And who knows, down the road, we may even feature our colorful pictures on the blog. Wouldn't that be fun!
Cheers~
Written on: November 4th, 2008 by: in Learning Journeys
Honoré here: …and a good time was had by all . We had great weather throughout the day, a stellar cast of authors for all ages and we introduced the second edition of the journal! It is a tad bigger, a nice solid purple with orange as an accent color and the new graphic is quite nice and fun – soon, the blog banner will feature the new graphic. We'll also be posting updated calendar downloads for Nov/Dec and 2009.
For me, the best part of the Book Festival was reconnecting with some of you who are Delaware Libraries Learning Journey charter members…and meeting some new ones.Thank you so very much for joining Annie and me at our two programs and for sharing with everyone how you've used the journals to track your own learning path. Watch the blog; we plan to build on your ideas and insights . We look forward to continuing our conversation throughout this next year. Enjoy your journals and learning.
Cheers~
Written on: October 28th, 2008 by: in Learning Journeys
Honoré here: Today is day #3 of my learning conference. One of the prominent people joining me on this learning journey was Kevin Kelly, very notably of Wired magazine. Interviewed this morning, he was asked what he was most concerned about pertaining to his learning. His repsonse: forgetting what he's learned. His remedy: writing it down ~ or life bogging. Sounds like a plan to me! I'm going to check out his website: kk.org. This conference has been fun and inspiring.Tomorrow I leave.I'm looking forward to reconnecting with you Saturday, Nov 1 at the Delaware Book Festival. Imagine, I've had a whole week plus of learning dates! How lucky can anyone be? See you soon!
Cheers~
Written on: October 21st, 2008 by: in Learning Journeys
Honoré here: Julia Cameron, author of the Artist’s Way and many other books, always encourages writers – those who are and those who wannabe – to have a weekly "artist’s date" with themselves. The goal: take yourself to a museum, quiet place in your town or city, the library, anywhere you can take in the sights, sounds, smells, the area and relax, reflect, rejuvenate, re-create. Do you take artist’s dates? If yes, how frequently? Where do you go? How do you capture that special one-on-one time you have with yourself? For yourself?
Soon I am going to be on a "learning date;" I will be attending a conference on learning in Disney World. As I prepare for this conference, I am reminded of the train trips my mother took from Washington DC to Portland OR, years ago. The neat thing about taking the train was one could get off at a scheduled stop, and if so desired, spend a day or more checking out the town or city. My mother always approached her trips cross country as a learning date – she would check out the telephone directory’s yellow pages for the location of the library and because she was a weaver, weaving and yarn shops, plus, local transportation. On some trips, she had several hours layover; on others, she chose to spend the night, catching the next day’s train to continue her journey.
It is only a matter of days til the 3rd Annual Delaware Book Festival, Saturday, November 1, 10 AM – 4 PM, at The First State Heritage Park at Dover. Check out the link for the latest information about the day’s events and featured authors and illustrators. I’ll be there, introducing the new learning journey journal at 10 AM and 2:45 PM in the Delaware Visitor Center. The Book Festival is a great place to have a learning date with yourself for yourself. Hope to see you November 1!
Written on: October 13th, 2008 by: in Learning Journeys
Honoré here: Come the next Great Depression, thanks to my many learning paths, I’ve a myriad of projects – and the attendant supplies, tools, resources, etc – to keep me well occupied for easily several decades. All kidding – only half seriously – aside, this weekend I took inventory of my PiPs: projects in progress [or not]. These projects range from journaling in all its variations to knitting to needlepoint to quilting to scrapbooking to, to…
Recently, my interests have been focused on knitting, inspired by the book The Gentle Art of Domesticity I blogged about several weeks ago. I’ve been reading all things knit (writ) by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka as the Yarn Harlot; re-reading Zen and the Art of Knitting and others from my personal library, including my favorite, Sally Melville’s The Knitting Experience: Book 1: The Knit Stitch. And as is my pattern, I also checked out the magazines. One I discovered, Interweave Press’ Interweave Knits is a magazine of highest quality. From it, I was introduced to Inspired to Knit by Michele Rose Orne. An exquisite book that oh so lives up to its promise.
One is inspired not only by the 21 beautiful handknit items designed by the author – and way out of my league – but moreso by the process (her learning path) she shares for finding and developing her own inspiration. Arranged by season, starting with autumn, are four workshops to help you: gather ideas to create a mood board; develop a color palette; swatch creatively; and sketch silhouettes to incorporate into finished patterns. I’m only up to winter (develop color palettes) – thus the impetus for the PiPs inventory – and I’ve not knit a thing, but oh, how I lust!
Quite popular among knitters is the knitalong. You can also join Inspired to Knit’s KnitAlong and Mood Board Project.
Nope, I’ve not joined it…yet!
Cheers~
Written on: October 7th, 2008 by: in Learning Journeys
Honoré here: One of the ideas Kathy, Annie and I have been toying with [in our learning journey project] is to develop some type of tool that visually documents – or maps – our learning journey. If you have attended one of our programs you may recall the cluster or mind-maps we created as we captured the conversations about reading interests, hobbies, ways we track our learning paths.
Recently, I started Visual Tools for Transforming Information into Knowledge by David Hyerle. According to recent brain research, as shared in the book, "Neuroscientists tell us that the brain organizes information in networks and maps." ( p.2). How often, when thinking of what you need to do or creating a shopping list, have you found yourself doodling or adding symbols, such as numerals, stars, asterisks, exclamation points, arrows, circles, etc, to your list? What about color? Ever create a mini-map showing the places you need to go and the order in which you’ll make your stops? What about tracking or documenting a learning path?
I am only on page 2 in the Introduction of this book – 18 pages preceded the introduction – and already, I am captivated. About two weeks before I received this book, I ran across two titles on mapping our experiences, ideas, imagination, learning and life’s journey. They are on my reading stand – each one beckoning to me. Lots of maps awaiting. I shall keep you posted. The titles of the other two books are listed in the sidebar under What Honoré’s Reading.
I encourage you to try your hand at mapping your learning journey or your to-do list. Just use one of the blank pages in your journal and turn it sideways – horizontal – and map away!
Written on: September 29th, 2008 by: in Learning Journeys
Laura here: When you simply can’t get into what you thought
would be a good book, what do you do? Do you try again later: different mood,
different place or time? Do you give up and move on to the next book in your
stack? And if so how far into the book do you read before you decide to move
on? One chapter, two, or does it need to grab you within the first few pages?
Here’s why I ask. I traveled to Las Vegas recently and only took one wonderful book
which I finished while I was there: The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton. On the
way home I picked up a book out of desperation: I needed something for the four
hour flight and the airport newsstand had slim pickings. I grabbed Alice Sebold’s
The Almost Moon along with a snack and figured I was all set. Settled on the plane I was shocked by the
first few pages and what the protagonist does and that kept me reading but I
stopped after a dozen pages and watched the in flight movie Flawless with Demi
Moore, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
I’m not a huge Sebold fan, I worked in an independent
bookstore when The Lovely Bones was on the bestseller list and I joined a book
discussion group and read it. I thought it was dark and depressing but the book
group did help me to see some insights that I would have missed on my own.
However, I
devoured Sebold’s memoir Lucky and as dark as it was I enjoyed it.
Back home and in my own bed I crack open The Almost Moon and am again aghast at
the protagonist’s behavior—I’m really not sure I like her. Am I supposed to?
Well I need to care enough about her to want to find out what happens to her,
and at this point even with the parallels between her mother and mine I can’t dredge
up any sympathy or empathy. What to do?
For now I’ve set it aside which pains me. If an author takes
the time to write it and a publisher takes the time to publish it the book must
have some redeeming qualities don’t you think? And as a writer I would want my
readers to stick with it and trust me to take them where they need to go. But
if the author has betrayed your trust as a reader what then? Inquiring minds
want to know what you’d do or have done in this situation. And if you’ve stuck
it out with Almost Moon…does it get
better? 😉
Written on: September 9th, 2008 by: in Learning Journeys
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Honoré here:
Last week I did a quick run-through of my favorite bookstore in Annapolis to see if any
new quarterly magazines that I like had hit the newsstand, yet…and also, to
check out the newest books in my favorite categories: Quilting; Writing/Journaling;
Self Improvement: and whatever other subject is currently on my radar
screen. [An aside: I go to the bookstore to browse the displays, see what’s
new. Book jackets and titles do catch my attention and encourage me to pick them
up, do a quick on-the-fly exam…most times I make note to check my local
library to see if the title’s available or if I have my Kindle, I’ll check it
for availability, but that’s the subject for another blog post. Sometimes, I
will buy the item.]
I hit the jackpot with a new title: life is a verb: 37 days to wake up, be mindful ,and live
intentionally by Patti Digh.
The blog is her book is her blog is 37 days, prompted by her stepfather’s death
just 37 days after being diagnosed with cancer.
Added to each blog entry in the book:
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Added to each blog entry in the book:
The format of the book is colorful, much
like a scrapbook and the content is thought-provoking, reflective, both
humorous and serious, contemporary, and liberally peppered with appropriate
quotes and words of wisdom, etc.
In many ways, the "book is a blog is a
book" is a learning journey and journal. Case in point: You may recall
several months ago, I started on a
learning path to learn how to see—to draw. The Action Challenge for one blog entry: "Get Off the Ship"
requires you to photograph, journal or draw an object from at least twenty different angles. I chose to use the book as my object and wrote 21 different descriptions; I next
plan to draw the book using those descriptions and then, take photos. Three ways
to see! Isn’t it interesting that as we look at things from different perspectives, there is a deeper meaning and the possibility of
an entirely new learning path opening.
Written on: September 3rd, 2008 by: in Learning Journeys
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Hi Kathy, Honoré and Annie-
Thank you so much for a great workshop and a wonderful journal.
I really enjoyed hearing about your experiences with the journal. Your displays
were so different and so creative. I really enjoyed the chance to get to know
you better.
I am helping a friend move into a nursing home and had had a sad and stressful
day.
I put the journal next to my computer and started – well, it felt like I was
playing with it.
First question, where should I put my name? After about two hours, I had a
bookplate. The whole time, I was totally absorbed. At the end, I was so pleased
with my creation, and I was relaxed and rejuvenated.
Next projects – a title page – possibly "Searching for Absalom Jones"
– and maybe a frontispiece.
You’ve done a great job!
P.S. At first, I wasn’t sure about the color, but
I’m beginning to like it.
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