I really believe that great educators share a personal side of who they are, and since I am relaxing over the break yet wanted to keep in the habit of blogging, I decided to share some things that I liked this year. I also wanted to keep this archive yearly to see if my interests change over time. Things I like this year, I may hate next.
So what are the Georgies? They are just a random bunch of stuff I liked this year that I wanted to share (note, some of the stuff did not originate in 2012 but that is the year I found it!). They have little or no educational value, so here goes! (Please don’t take the below too seriously!)
Favourite Album – I love music and one of my favourite bands over the last few years has been The Avett Brothers. They have recently released the album “The Carpenter“, and right now, I listen to songs off it daily. If you are looking for some good music to hear from them, listen to “A Father’s First Spring” or “Down with the Shine“, although “The Ballad of Love and Hate” is probably one of my favourite songs ever (from the awesome album “Emotionalism“).
Runner Up – Some Nights by Fun. (You probably know the more popular songs so check out “Why Am I the One” on YouTube)
Best Cover by Some Band That I Don’t Know – This “Little Black Submarine” cove (originally by the Black Keys) is awesome and actually got me listening to the real band.
Favourite Movie – Pitch Perfect was awesome and the soundtrack is extremely catchy. Didn’t expect I liked it but it was pretty funny.
A Book That Really Pushed My Thinking – I loved the book “Humanize” which really made me think of how we do stuff in education. (All time favourite book that isn’t about education but has so much to do with learning is “Drive“)
Favourite Non-Educational Site – 22 Words is a site that I make sure that I look at every day. It is hilarious yet there is a lot of stuff that I have found there that I have used in presentations.
Favourite Non-Educational Twitter Account – The fake “Stats Canada” site is always good for a laugh. (Tweets – “81% of Canadians will SHOVEL THE DRIVEWAY IN A SECOND, MOM” or “Canada’s highest-rated TV show is “The Weather”)
Favourite Song I Will Admit That I Like and Get Made Fun of For Liking By People Who Know All the Words – Call Me Maybe (You know what I am talking about.)
Inspirational Video That I Loved (tie) – I love the Nike #MakeItCount video and the “How Bad Do You Want It” video (Part 2 is also awesome). Great videos for yourself or discuss with your class.
Video That Really Made Me Think About Education – Seth Godin asks what is the purpose of school (great video) but I really enjoyed the video “What if money was no object?“. Both will make you think and again, could be discussed in class.
The Video That Always Makes Me Smile – Flight of the Conchords video for Cure Kids New Zealand is the cutest and catchiest song and it is 9 minutes that I guarantee will make you smile. (below)
If you have any good suggestions for books, music, movies, or videos, I would love to hear about them in the comments!
