The Philosophy behind My Project 1 (My Narrative) It is hard to believe that the semester is over already.

With all of the work and time put into this class, I am surprised it flew by so fast. The Weebly website that this is posted on is the finished product of a semesters worth of blood, sweat and tears- that is what happens when technology and I do not get along- but do not worry, nothing and no one was actually harmed in the making of this website. Throughout the semester I learned how to use many new technologies, most of which I had not heard of before. Between learning the new technology and making sure that I followed all of the directions, this class was not an easy one. The payoff was nice though, I always enjoyed showing off my finished product and was happy when my grades were what I hoped they were. The main thing I wanted to communicate with this theme is that literature is something to be treasured and explored and enjoyed. It is not just dusty old books pulled out of the stacks every year to torture students. Literature is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings. Though William Wordsworth wrote this line about poetry, literature has the same feelings and desires and elements of humanity that capture the reader and forever changes his or her perception of the world. This is what I wanted to communicate to those who look at my website. In the process of figuring out how to communicate such a personal feeling to the world, I discovered new ways to inspire and create that will help show the students I teach just how wonderful literature can be and how integral reading is to the continuation of society. This website is designed to be able to show students that literature is still relevant and important. I could have them peruse the website on their own time, ask them questions about

some of the material on the website, or simply ask them to look it over and write about what literature and reading is for them. I hate to reduce the experience to an examination, but I hope that, in the process of earning that grade, my students will uncover something about themselves and the world around them. This website could be used at the beginning of a school year or a semester in order to show students what to expect. It can be used to show students that the class will not simply be regurgitating the facts about a plot but exploring the world that the author created and watching the characters behave like human beings (hopefully learning something about humanity along the way). This project could be more inventive- I know this is a failing on my part. By inventive I mean that I wish I had activities that had allowed me to better communicate the feelings and the passion that can be gained from reading and appreciating literature. Some of the projects, badges, and cases allowed that, but I wish there had simply been more room for the emotional side of what literature can mean to individuals and society as a whole. It is only through the communication of the feelings and passion that students can begin to understand what literature can mean to a person. It is hard, I grant you, to do this when the finished product is online (there is noting that beats face-to-face when it comes to connecting with others), but I believe that there are ways that this could have been done. Now that I am done philosophizing about my thoughts on literature and its importance, I have to tell you which standards that this website covered (I will not go into my personal feelings on standards- there is not enough space in two pages). Of the ISTE standards for teachers, I believe that this project aims to promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. This falls under standard one (Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and

Creativity). Because reading and what students can get from literature is such a personal experience, the only way to begin to judge if they learned anything is to allow them to show you the impact that the novel, poem, play, what-have-you, had on them personally. The quizzes and other such assessments that are included in the activities outlined on the website fall under standard two (Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments) of the ISTE standards; specifically the portion on learning experiences: develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress. While this project became kind of personal for me because I used it to talk about what I believe literature and reading can do for humanity (in and after the classroom), I still feel that the work I did here helped to get my philosophy out to the world and hopefully inspire some people along the way.

What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die. -Anne Lamott, American novelist