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ETCon : Communities and the Power of Crowdsourcing

Posted by Mark Cruthers on August 28, 2009 at 4:40pm

ETCon : Communities and the Power of Crowdsourcing by E-Teachers Academy

Get your own Virtual Classroom

TIE Preconference

Posted by John Williams on June 28, 2009 at 5:25pm

Hello All:I was proud to be the TIE "techie" attached to the C.A.S.L. preconference. I hope I can be of assistance to any and all of you in the future.Sincerely yours,John Williams, Ed.D.Teacher/LibrarianDakota Ridge High School

The Little Prince

Posted by Karrie Romero on September 10, 2007 at 6:47am

I thought I would share my favorite book, which is The Little Prince by St. Exupery. This is the first book I ever read (and not until I was about 21) that ever really struck a chord with me. I felt that I shared many of the Prince's feelings and sorrows, so I understood him. I re-read the book about once a year, and I always find new insights when I do.

Thanksgiving break.

Posted by LARRY RETZACK on November 19, 2007 at 6:21pm

I'm so pleased to have a week off from a 42-mile 1-way commute and am particularly thankful for the opportunity to rehearse as a pit-orchestra member--trombone--for a production of Dickens' celebrated Christmas Carol at the Temecula Old Town Community Theater coming up early next month.

Another Blog?

Posted by Cathy Nelson on June 10, 2007 at 9:30am

No way! I'm not ready for this to be my main blogging resource, though I see in some forums that there are those who are ready for this to be their primary blogging tool. I have other blogs that I can point to, and they are at:

Scasl Blogs! The South Carolina Association of School Librarians sponsor a blog, and I am lucky enough to be a contributor. I wish i could say it is as popular as Sunlink, or some other state association blogs, but I'm proud of it no less. I just appreciate the opportunity to be a part of it.
Cathy Jo Nelson's Professional Thoughts This is my personal space to share little tidbits of information i think is relevant.

I also have written three others that were school specific, and now that I am changing schools, I won't reference them. I plan to begin new ones once school resumes in August, so I'll be sure to reference those once I get them started.

PowerSearching in a Web 2.0 World: Class Begins November 12!

Posted by Dennis O'Connor on November 5, 2007 at 3:02pm

Classes Forming: Register Now!This popular four-week on-line course empowers participants to search efficiently, evaluate Internet and Web 2.0 information effectively and use it ethically incorporating the full range of 21st Century Information Fluency skills and resources.This course, developed by the 21st Century Information Fluency Project is open to all adults who desire to become fluent in searching and evaluating on-line resources. Anyone who intends to teach 21st Century Information Skills to students and staff should complete this training.Details:

Instructor: Dennis O'Connor
Time commitment: login at least four times a week
2.5 CEUs are available for the 25 online contact hours
Course delivery: 21CIF Moodle (view the course -- log-in as a guest)
Assignments include readings, interactive learning games, discussion groups and practical projects you can use in your work
ISTE NETS (for teachers) addressed: I, II, III, IV, V, VI
ISTE NETS (for students) addressed: 2, 3, 5
ISTE NETS (Refreshed for students 2007) 1,3,4,5
$99.00 course fee

Online Registration is Now Open! If you would like to be added to our interest list, send us an email with your name and preferred email address. If you'd like to register, click here!Objectives:

Participants will increase skills and efficiency in searching world wide web
Participants will become reliable evaluators of digital information
Participants will become successful integrators of digital information

Next Registration Deadline: Nov 12. Please alert us to any special accommodations you may need.Cancellation Policy: Any registration cancellation must be received 48 hours before the scheduled date for a refund to be issued. Because attendance is limited, persons registering and not in attendance will be charged the full registration fee. 21CIF reserves the right to cancel any session due to insufficient enrollment. Participants will be notified by email or phone if a cancellation occurs.

The CLA Conference in St. John's Newfoundland.

Posted by Richard Beaudry on June 6, 2007 at 5:04pm

So much for promises to write during the conference. I discovered that being the new president of the Canadian Association for School Libraries meant that I had a lot of meetings and social gatherings to attend. This is rather late but here are some highlights. School Libraries in Canada Western Canada is holding its own with strong provincial associations in BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Manitoba's provincal association is lacking members but the government still supports the idea of school libraries and there are some dedicated teacher librarians that are still making an impact in the province and across Canada. Ontario is in the best position. After several years of cutbacks in budgets, the provincial government is reinvesting in school libraries. They have the stongest provincial association in Canada and have been instrumental in the first Canadian study on school libraries and achievement: School Libraries and Student Achievement in Ontario. http://www.accessola.com/data/6/rec_docs/137_eqao_pfe_study_2006.pdf The Ontario School Library Association hosts, with other divisions, the Superconference each year which is well attended. Quebec is holding its own but when we head into the Maritime provinces, teacher librarianship is in crisis. Due to a lack of membership, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have ceased to have provincial associations. The few teacher librarians left in Nova Scotia work at district offices or for the Ministry of Education. One member is a councillor with our national Association. Prince Edward Island, Canada's smallest province, has a provincial association that is still going strong with support from the government. Newfoundland and Labrador finds itself in the same boat as Nova Scotia and New Brunswick without a provincial association. In 2003, Dr. Ken Haycock, director of the School of Library, Archives and Information studies at UBC wrote: The Crisis in Canada's School Libraries: the Case for Reform and Re-Investment. http://www.cla.ca/slip/final_haycock_report.pdf Four years on and school libraries are still in a crisis in Canadian provinces. Copyright As with most jurisdictions in North America, we are struggling with this issue. Copyright laws in Canada are being changed and we are still trying to figure out the impact in Canadian Schools. Another issue that is being hotly debated is Open Access. Technology My research interests have been on information technology in school libraries. I was hoping that there would be more sessions on Web 2.0, Library 2.0 or any other technology associated with the new information structure of the web but there was very little offered.

K12Online2007

Posted by Yolan Mistele on October 12, 2007 at 5:29pm

I will be attending this conference which has already begun with a preconference session with David Warlick. I signed up for audio podcasts which I thought would help me decide which video sessions to attend. I've listened to David Warlick who demonstrates the lack of boundaries to communication that now exist, yet also the need to create new boundaries in the Web 2.0 world. Now I have discovered a wiki for First Timers which provides helpful info, guides, and links to everything. Check it out.

New ISTE Standards

Posted by Diane Cordell on June 27, 2007 at 6:51am

Diane Chen's link to the new ISTE Standards doesn't appear to be working. Click on NETS-S 2007 on the CNETS - ISTE site to access the 6 Standards.

Year end... how is your mood?

Posted by Lisa Hunt on June 1, 2007 at 12:04am

Yesterday was my last day for the year, and it certainly ended in a rush. I repeatedly told teachers it was fine to keep whatever they needed until the last school day. Wow, when they did that it was great for relationship building and making them feel welcome. However, I didn't think about all the books that would show up needing to be reshelved. Whew!! Foolishly I thought I would end the year with things all neatly put away, and that would be a first. No, that didn't happen. I don't mind at all though now that I realize what I've done. This year we had lots and lots of new teachers in the building, and I mean new to the building AND rookies. So, many people had no idea who I am or what I do. I spent all year trying to build those relationships. It paid off in the end. My relaxed and open attitude seemed to make everyone just love the library!! I look forward to building on this experience next year. My mood? I'm relaxed and content to have complete a job well done.

Is blogging for me?

Posted by Lisa Archuleta on May 30, 2007 at 3:27pm

I've heard about blogging but never really understood what it is. I've perused what a few people had to say in the TeacherLibrarian Ning and their comments were interesting and food for thought. As one completely new to blogs, my initial concern is that there is so much to say and millions of opinions to be heard! I also feel like I did when I first went online. There is sooo much information and so many people, it is difficult to navigate through everything.

I'm trying to figure out how I could use this particular forum in a classroom or library setting. I like how UCD has the discussion going; that is particularly helpful. In the classroom, I suppose I could post a question about a particular reading and have students respond. But I'm still trying to figure out how I could use blogging in a library...

My first blog post

Posted by Lisa Snyder on July 31, 2007 at 6:31am

Having attended the Building Learning Communities conference two weeks ago, I've determined that, while I'm nominally in charge of technology at my school, I am terribly naive about social networking and what it means to my students. My experience with MySpace has been mostly attempts to see what our students are doing/saying on their pages. At the same time, our school blocks MySpace. I'm beginning to see a disconnect between what we (the school) teach, allow, and encourage and what our kids are experiencing every day.

MySpace provides a community for our kids that offers something we just haven't tried to understand. Well, my school is in for a surprise. We are going to try to understand the value of MySpace to our students and, perhaps, harness their enthusiasm for online communities by creating our own. Wish me luck!

23 things in California

Posted by Librarymum on May 28, 2007 at 7:34pm

I am currently working my way through the "23 Things" on the California School Library Association's School Library Learning 2.0. It is an interesting experience and we are all trying to find new and amazing things to use at school in our libraries. Not everything will be useful, but we will sure know about a lot more when we are finished.

Greetings

Posted by Linda Picceri on April 10, 2007 at 1:44am

I just signed on to this site yesterday. I am excited about having the opportunity to "play in the sandbox" with all of you. I have been a teacher librarian in Watertown, Massachusetts for about 17 years. I am happy to find a place where I can share experiences and thoughts about the field of school librarianship. Since hearing Chris Harris speak at the MSLA conference in Sturbridge, MA last fall I have been reading and exploring everything I can get my hands on regarding Web 2.0. In Massachusetts I see the job of school librarian and tech specialist moving closer and closer. In some communities school librarians are expected to do both jobs. I wonder if this is a trend that will catch on and change the way our jobs and libraries look in the future. I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. School librarians have always been in the forefront of technology in schools. Remember when computers first started appearing in schools and administrators didn't know what to do with them, they gave them to the librarians. We figured out what to do with them.
LInda P.

Mosquitoland by David Arnold

Posted by BJ Neary on August 26, 2015 at 7:19am

Mosquitoland by David Arnold
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The saga of Mim ( known as Mary Iris Malone) as she travels by Greyhound bus from Mississippi (Mosquitoland) to Cleveland is hilarious, sad, and daunting. As an immature 16 year old, Mim captivated me with her words, thoughts, feelings and wacky ideas as she makes her way back to a mother she loves (and maybe back to herself too). The cast of characters she meets (Arlene, Walt Beck are a few of the good people) will make your reader heart happy while the villains (Poncho Man specifically) will scare and horrify. I have not met a character like Mim before and I did not want to stop reading her opinions, fantasies, ironies and notions of romance. Hers is a slice of life teens will love. I am looking forward to more David Arnold books! Highly recommended, to teens and adults!!!

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Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier

Posted by BJ Neary on August 3, 2015 at 1:25pm

Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Justine Larbalstier's book of 1920's Australia, ghosts, and a girl who can see and talk to ghosts is a rip roaring good read. Kelpie is a strong female protagonist who has lived on her own since she was young. But she stumbles into a murder and meets Dymphyna who can also see and talk to ghosts. For a look at the fictional town of Razorhurst and the likes of Kelpie and Dymphyna, struggling to survive in a community where mobsters vie for tenuous control; the reader will go on a one of a kind reading adventure and not be disappointed. I love the characters, the plot and setting---all so good. Join the twitter chat with #readyalit 8/2 at 8pm CST!

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Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin

Posted by BJ Neary on January 8, 2015 at 9:34am

The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have read Bomb and Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steve Sheinkin and I love his writing. His nonfiction reads like thrillers you pick up and read in one night; you keep turning the pages- holding your breath and hang on the edge with each turn of the page. In Port Chicago 50, Sheinkin's research is thorough, and even though it seems words and phrases are repeated...it is pivotal to drive home the unequal, horrible treatment these young African Americans received as sailors for the Navy. No one would listen as the discrimination and degradation continued. No one would listen when these boys were not trained to handle dangerous ammunition. And no one believed them when they said officers placed bets on which divisions could load the most ammunition the fastest. What Sheinkin shows in this must read book is the continued injustice and mistreatment by the Navy, even after the horrible explosion that claimed so many lives and caused fear in those that survived. Even with Thurgood Marshall involved, the trial was a sham with lies and bias by the white officers, prosecutor and the members of the Court toward the 50 young sailors. Highly recommended for students and adults.

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The Nest by Kenneth Oppel

Posted by BJ Neary on November 29, 2015 at 8:28am

The Nest by Kenneth Oppel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, I do not really care for horror books- but I do read them and this psychological thriller was so scary I could not stop turning the pages! Steve is very concerned about his newborn baby brother, Theo and his mounting health concerns plaguing his parents and Steve. In a dream, he is visited by a very calming being who assures Steve a new "healthy" baby can replace Theo. What begins as a dream in a dark place quickly morphs into the horror of wasps with their nest hanging outside the baby's window. The horror elements of darkness, wasps, phone calls with no one on the other end and a hideous knife sharpener bring many overwhelming scary moments to Steve as he tries to find a way to help his baby brother, his parents and himself. The young age of Steve, his own insecurities, and his haunting dreams (are they reality) will keep kids turning those pages, because who doesn't like a scary story. Klass' illustrations are delicious, dark, gray and further embed the horror of Steve's world. A great ending and a must read!

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Breaking the Rules by Katie McGarry

Posted by BJ Neary on January 7, 2015 at 4:11am

Breaking the Rules (Pushing the Limits, #1.5)

Breaking the Rules by Katie McGarry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have only read Crash Into You by Katie McGarry (recommended on Simone Elkeles website) and I am hopelessly hooked! Teens will love her books and reluctant readers will love her books- there is definitely drama (foster kids), romance, and even an urban edge (you will see what I mean)! I met characters, Echo and Noah in Crash Into You and when I saw there was a follow-up story including Isaiah's "family" - Noah and Echo- I couldn't wait for the book to come out. Both characters have experienced grave losses, found each other and love each other tremendously. After they graduate, Noah and Echo, set out for a summer of travel, peddling Echo's art work while Noah works and tries to find out more about his mother's family. I just loved how much both of these characters truly cared about one another- how much they were willing to give up and how much they were willing to grow for one another. As the summer ends, both characters have life altering decisions to make- will this impact their romance and end their relationship? Very edgy, teens and reluctant readers will enjoy- since they are on their way to college- there is some sex going on- so more mature readers for the edgier topics. Highly recommended.

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Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor

Posted by BJ Neary on December 11, 2015 at 2:04pm

Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #2)

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved, loved Kristine Hvamm's narration in this 2nd Daughter of Smoke & Bone book!!! The narration, the voices, the drama kept me hooked in...Karou wasn't my favorite in this book- I did not like her hatred of Akiva for killing her family and then Karou throws in with Thiago and becomes a resurrectionist, creating horrible chimaera to fight against the angels. I loved the human friends, Zuzana & Mik and the fact that they continue to be in Karou's confidence. The reader will be enthralled with all the betrayal by angels & chimaera, Karou and friends. But beneath this aching terrible time, I was so impressed by Akiva's steadfast love and hope for a future maybe including Karou. Another must read by Laini Taylor & I have already begun the final book, Dreams of Gods & Monsters!!!

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