Yearbook.

Do you complete an annual report at the end of the school year? Does your school/district/resource office require it?

Our does, but I also really like the idea of reflecting on your meaningful practice throughout the school year. I appreciate this in part because I just forget what has happened in a given year. It's also a really great way to remember those accomplishments, endeavors, and adventures smattered throughout the year that you might lose sight of when the going gets tough.

And so, being the author of this blog, I'm taking the liberty today to reflect on the highlights of my 2012 blogging year. The post can then serve not only as a sort of virtual blog yearbook for me to reference professionally, but also as a way of reminding/affirming myself of the hard work I did for my students, my school, and my profession.

Thanks in advance for coming along for the ride. I hope you also find some cool stuff in these reflections. Maybe you'll even consider creating a yearbook of your own. If you do, please share! I'd love to see what you were up to in 2012.

Happy New Year!

- Matthew

January. We hosted a Wii Learning Webinar.

It was my first time hosting (co-hosting) a webinar and Meg and I had a lot of fun. We got to share the details behind the work we've been doing with the Nintendo Wii in supporting math instruction. We've since completed the first manuscript of our forthcoming ISTE publication expected in October 2013, tentatively titled Teach Math with the Wii: Engage Your K-7 Students Through Gaming Technology.

February. We had a Book Fair.

We hosted our annual Scholastic Book Fair and this time we actually decorated a bit. The library looked very Adventure Island (minus the giant scorpions) and there was a ton of energy surrounding another great book fair. This is always the very best time to meet our school families, talk books and reading interests, and help build our library collection.

March. I lost my hair and our kids won big.

We raised $448.38 in spare change at our book fair to purchase books for those students who wouldn't normally have the opportunity to buy a book. Fundraising of this magnitude can usually only mean one thing: an outlandish prize tied to the winning collection. Our students donated to one of three collection bins at our book fair. The one which happened to receive the greatest amount of change was "Mr. Winner shaves his head." And that's how I lost my hair while the students at Longfellow won big. Over 100 books purchased for LFES students thanks to those very generous donations!

April. We had a Shelf Challenge. and I won an award.

To celebrate School Library Month I challenged my colleagues to join me in reading a portion of their collection throughout the month of April. I pledged to read every picture book in our "L" section and I only barely accomplished it. I did, however, discover a ton of hidden gems in our collection. Definitely worth while.

At the end of the month I was honored at our state technology conference at an awards banquet where I was recognized at the Maryland Outstanding Educator Using Technology 2012. That was pretty amazing. The video makes me feel pretty awesome, too!

May. We started the Level Up Book Club.

Meeting Jennifer LaGarde was one of the best things that's happened to me, and starting the Level Up Book Club with her has been nothing short of amazing. Pairing passion with curiosity, fun with learning, we've established a home base where like-minded educators learn together about gaming and gamification while have a massive amount of fun in the process. I couldn't be happier for all that Level Up has become in my life and all of the cool people with which it's brought me into contact.

June. I presented at a national conference. Twice. and I was the recipient of some very kind words.

Meg and I got to share a workshop on Wii Learning at the ISTE Conference in San Diego. It was crazy to be presenting our work in a setting like that, where over the course of 3 hours we got to really dig deep with our participants and provide an engaging hands-on environment to explore the Wii and its implications in the math classroom. I later was part of a panel using the guise of Hollywood Squares to reveal research trends in education and technology integration.

Later I received a copy of the application letter a recently graduated student of mine wrote for the Ben Carson scholarship. It was/is one of the most sincere string of words anyone has ever put together about me. It's a regular go-to when I need to hear those words that I am making a difference in the lives of my students.

July. We started a state book award for graphic novels. and I coordinated a family gaming competition.

I was granted approval to pilot a graphic novel award under the umbrella of the Black-Eyed Susan State Book Award, Maryland's own. In July I started recruiting readers for our committee. By this February we will have made our selection of nominees to be inducted as the first ever BES Graphic Novel award nominated titles. Students throughout Maryland will read these titles in the 2012-2013 school year and select a winner through anonymous voting. Very awesome to be at the heart of this endeavor.

In the meanwhile, I also coordinated a Wii Family Competition in which teams of four (2 kids and 2 adults) battled it out in four different games on the Nintendo Wii. I think it's safe to say that all parties had fun, despite lots of improvements to be made in preparation for this year's competition (the topmost being a secure internet connection).

August. I helped others connect for International Dot Day. and We took our first vacation sans child.

I had never participated in International Dot Day previous to this year. Now I'm not sure how I could ever resist. I jumped in with both feet forward by setting up a networking system for other educators to connect via Skype in the Classroom. I wanted to connect with as many educators as possible for our celebration. In the process, I realized that a ton of other educators could benefit from the infrastructure I had laid down. Bigtime success. Bigtime fun.

Just before returning to school, though, Aimee and I took a much-needed vacation together. We journeyed to the Windy City, packed our itinerary with museum visits, touristy adventures, and a last-minute meet up with blogger pal John Schu (of Watch. Read. Connect.). We returned well-rested and very connected. We've kept that same focus on our relationship throughout the rest of the year and it's proven to be a very, very  good thing.

September. We celebrated our first Dot Day.

It was no small feat. Nor was it a small celebration. Our school connected with other classrooms across the country to share books, show off projects, and even collaborate for a handful of activities. I made lots of friends via Skype and have continued to connect with classes throughout the school year. Celebrating Dot Day was awesome and certainly left me feeling more connected.

October. I presented at the state library conference. and I coordinated an epic online side quest.

As has become tradition, I presented at our annual MASL conference on best practices and my adventures as an LMS. This year I focused on sharing a handful of epic wins with a healthy dose of embarrassing stories. In general, I find these opportunities to connect to be both gratifying and vulnerable, as I lay out my practice for judgment and criticism. But the end result has always been the same: connecting with colleagues on a deeper level and not feeling so alone in the practice.

We also tried something new in Level Up. That is to say that we held our first side quest, a completely optional adventure based on an optional book selection for Season 2 of the Level Up Book Club: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Challenges abounded and individuals competed in a virtual battle of whit and research know-how. The feedback from the participants was tremendous, but I found the work of designing and coordinating the challenges to be the most rewarding.

November. We used games to do a lot of good.

Wonder twin Jennifer LaGarde and I teamed up once again to bring more gaming to the world. We were invited to present a webinar at the TL Virtual Cafe on gamification and the Level Up Book Club. I themed the slides using level maps from Super Mario Bros. 3 and learned a ton while presenting with Jennifer. She knows her stuff and is super talented at organizing presentations.  She also came up with a brilliant idea for how Level Up could support those affected by Hurricane Sandy, that being our first ever Games 4 Good game-a-thon in which Level Up members were sponsored per hour of gameplay as we explored educational games and games for social change. 2013 might just be the Year of the Game. Regardless, I look forward to more exciting opportunities to collaborate with Jennifer.

December. We began work on our own mock Caldecott award.

I've been meaning to try something like this for a very long time and, with the help of a post by Travis Jonker on his 100 Scope Notes blog, finally found a mode of execution that felt in line with my style. My 5th grade students spent 3 weeks in December creating evaluation criteria and critically reading a selection of picture books in consideration of our mock Caldecott award. When we return to school in January the students will design an award medal and we will announce our 2013 Mock Caldecott winner and honors. I'm thankful that we've been able to take our time with this project and I look forward to sharing the results prior to the ALSC Youth Media Awards

Well then, that about wraps it up. It's been a great year. Thanks for reading. I look forward to sharing all that 2013 brings our way.

Sincerely,

- Matthew