Sharing Resources

Today Diane and I had the opportunity to share our district's online resources with the district Tech Steering Committee. The presentation was successful and informative for our audience...whew!!!
The wealth of resources that are available to our students and staff is amazing and frankly, my dear, overwhelming! When I was a student in grade school and high school, the challenge was to find the information that you needed. ACCESS was the problem we faced as learners for centuries. (this is not from personal experience...despite what my son might say!) In the last fifteen years the learner's challenge has changed. Access is ubiquitous and now the challenge is to EVALUATE and SELECT the information that is accurate and relevant. We may have talked about "information literacy" for years...but it's importance has been heightened.
I'm not writing anything groundbreaking...just a reminder to myself that my eyes need to stay open to emerging trends...that we are really riding a wave of change.

Ideas--as wide as Lake Superior!

As I was reading reactions to Obama's speech to Congress and to the nation in Atlantic Monthly, I followed a link to an interesting but controversial blog "Divided We Stand United We Fall". The thing that I found intriguing was his concept for linking different blogs and news articles about the event through lines in a song for a musical. He thought Obama's speech was full of "razzle dazzle", thus....Chicago! I could see this being adapted for classroom use. Take the powerful lyrics from "the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
Superior, they say, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early.
Student researchers could find appropriate links for the history of the Chippewa, the origins of the name, "Gitche Gumee" and the history of shipwrecks in Lake Superior. Or, the teacher could embed links to websites that students would access through the lyrics. A pre-activity could include listening to the song and developing research topics or questions to be answered. What more do you need to know to understand what happened on that November day? What happened before? What has happened since? What are other disasters that have been immortalized in song, and why?
The use of music to connect to students and create meaningful content and context is amazing.
Some how I got from a podium in Washington D.C. to the depths of Lake Superior. The Internet allows our intellects to wander far and wide!
www.flickr.com/photos/52532834@N00/233759577

Hysterically Historical Librarians

"The charm of history and its enigmatic lesson consist in the fact that, from age to age, nothing changes and yet everything is completely different." Aldous Huxley

My friend and colleague, Kari, send me this link to a 1947-vintage movie about librarianship as a career. It is always worthwhile to visit our past, so we can more effectively understand our present and create our future.

Blogging as Professional Practice

I just read a blog by the Liminal Librarian on the topic of blogging. She says: "Every bit of blogging serves as that same practice that morning pages (concept from Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way) provide: Seeing what works for you, what works for your readers, and what works when you come back to it later; finding the nuggets of usefulness among everything you have to say; finding your own voice."
I am finding myself blogging more regularly now. It is becoming more a part of my practice.

Do You Have a Favorite Book?

Books...reading books...owning books....talking about books. What better occupation? I've just been exploring a list of the 1.041 best books (or at least a compilation of a number of people's opinions.) There is a chance at this site to submit your own list of the 25 best books of all time. Try it, if you dare! My list is currently at 45 titles and no doubt I'll dream about books tonight and check my library shelves tomorrow and the list will grow. It will take some time to cull it to only 25! There was also a quiz there and I've adding my results. It only had six questions to find out your "book identity". It's true, I am fond of talking rabbits!

You're Watership Down!

by Richard Adams

Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you're
actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their
assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they
build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You'd
be recognized as such if you weren't always talking about talking rabbits.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Be Alert to Google Alerts!

In our fast-paced world I often advocate for the concept of "less is more", in support of focus and simplicity. However, I am quite taken with the idea of "more is more" when I look at the tabs at the top of the Google page.That's where I located Google Alerts. Last month I wrote a grant and I needed to gather background and supporting information about current trends in professional development. By creating a Google Alert, I get a daily annotated listing of websites and blog posting that meet my search criteria. A quick look through this daily list gives me at least one or more things worth checking out.

I am not in desperate need of more e-mail...but this is comparable to having a personal shopper who brings me the latest fashions. I won't try them all, but some things are a very good fit!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jefharris/526752443/sizes/s/#cc_license

Time Flies...whether you're having fun or not!

What to blog about in the middle of February, when my driveway is a skating rink and an opposum is snacking out of our birdfeeder by the front door? Sometimes nature should take precedence over technology, but far too often I spend the hours of daylight and darkness staring at a computer screen. The Web 2.0 world has captured our collective imagination and people are finding amazing ways to create and connect. I have recently joined "goodreads"...a place to record the books you've read and connect with other readers. It's great! It's something I've wanted to have. I have hopes of recording all the books I own. Despite this enthusiasm, I don't have the time or energy to fully engage with this site because: Our family is also on Geni, a genealogy site...also wonderful and exciting. And, I just found out about Glogster, a site for making posters...I have lots of photos to load on Flickr and modify in Picnik...I just have to try to make a movie on xtranormal.com...and catch up with friends on Facebook. I'm suffering from an overload of wonderful!
After spending a whole Sunday answering e-mails and emerging with 275 emails still to go, it sometimes seems that technology has taken over my life. I think I need to spend time with the 'possums!