Junk Vs. Classics-Where's the value?

The debate goes on. Do we allow our children to read junk books, especially those children who are struggling to find their place as a reader? Or do we insist that they only read books that have become classics? Books that we feel are better for their minds?

Teen readers come in various forms. There are those who have already developed a love of reading. These teens don’t care what they read, they just need to read. You’ll find them with a classic one day and maybe a book that we consider “junk” another day. We’re not concerned about these readers because they read well and they comprehend what they are reading. They will be ready for the reading demands of their future. The middle of the road readers know they need to read to complete assignments and they manage to accomplish their reading tasks. They may not exactly like reading but they appreciate their responsibilities and just do what they have to do. You won’t find them doing too much outside reading for pleasure. Then there are the reluctant readers who just don’t like reading at all. They can’t see much value in reading and are not motivated to do any reading in their leisure time. This latter group is the one who would benefit most from a free rein when it comes to reading choices. But if they get hooked on junk, will they ever cross over to the classics. There’s no guarantee. But there are benefits from reading that teens will receive no matter what type of book they are reading. They will improve their vocabulary and become aware of the world they live in. Reading causes teens to use their brains by absorbing different viewpoints, remembering facts and details, and creative thinking by evaluating the details. These are the benefits along the way. The final goal is to develop a love of reading. When this happens, teens won’t stop at junk books and will want to explore other authors and other sources of new ideas ways of thinking. So let them read.

My picks this week have all been recommended by teens as they browsed in the Young Adult room at my public library. I asked what the last book was that they read and these have become my picks of the week:


ttyl by Lauren Myracle. 2004. Grades 8-10.
This book is a series of internet dialogues between three teenage girls, thus the title, ttyl which is instant messaging lingo for “talk to you later”. The three protagonists are best friends in high school and are identified throughout the book by their screen names: Angela is "SnowAngel," Zoe is "zoegirl," and Madigan is "mad maddie". Their conversations from September to November are typical of high school girls who are dealing with issues ranging from boys and clothes to drinking and sex. These are totally written in instant messaging lingo.
Teens love the language and the topics. Adults on the other hand may find the topics a bit too honest and the language too difficult to decipher.



Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. 2010. Young Adult.
Anna is an about to be senior in high school who is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta. She loves her job, she loves her boyfriend and her best friend. She has just found out that she has to go to boarding school in Paris. This all changes when she meets Etienne St. Clair. She develops a crush but still has feelings for her old boyfriend back in Atlanta and she learns that he has a serious girlfriend. They remain good friends throughout the book. Anna is quirky and full of teenage emotions. She hopes that she’ll finally get her long-awaited French kiss. This book is romantic, funny, and dramatic.
The teen who recommended this told me that this was the most popular book among her group of friends.



Doing It by Melvin Burgess. 2004. Grades 10 and up.
Three teenage high school boys, Dino, Jonathan, and Ben, deal with sex. The story begins as they are fantasizing about having sex with teachers, classmates, and even the Queen of England. Then begins the dialogue about their actual experiences. Dino’s girlfriend, Jackie, is the prettiest girl in school. She puts out but he tries to use another girl for sex while keeping his relationship with Jackie. He witnesses his mother with a man who is not his father, and watches his parents’ marriage end. Jonathan is keeping secret his feelings for Deborah, an overweight girl whom everyone likes as a friend. He either follows his heart or risks the ridicule of his friends. Ben has an affair with his drama teacher. At first he enjoys it but soon tries to get out of the relationship.
Burgess admits to writing this book because books about sexuality are usually from the female viewpoint and he wanted to change that. The sexual content is pretty strong but the male characters change into more sympathetic characters with their experiences. This book will probably appeal more to boys than to girls. The recommendation came from a boy.

Nutritious books-Yum! Food for the Brain

So if there were a “Book Pyramid”, as there is one for food, which books would find themselves on the bottom and which on top? Which books are the ones that are the best for us? Some nourish our minds, some our hearts, and some our very souls. Readers find information on any subject, ideas and opinions that provoke discussion, pure and simple escape, and instructions on how to do just about anything. Let’s face it. Reading is good for all of us, no matter what we expect to gain from it. My picks of the week are:



Life of Pi by Yann Martel. 2002.

Sixteen-year-old Pi Patel, the son of a zookeeper, is being raised in Pondicherry, India, alongside a menagerie of wild beasts. This allows him to gain much knowledge of the animal world. His curiosity also makes him change from his native Hinduism to Christianity and Islam, all three of which he practices. One day, his father packs up the family and their beasts and they board a freighter for a relocation to Canada. Halfway to Midway Island, the ship sinks into the Pacific, and Pi finds himself stranded on a life raft with a hyena, an orangutan, an injured zebra and a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. In a series of descriptive interactions, the tiger picks off the animals one by one and soon Pi is left to survive alone with the tiger for 227 days while fighting hunger and the elements, and using his knowledge, cleverness, and faith to keep himself alive. He supplies Richard Parker with fish, turtles, and water in an attempt to keep himself from becoming the tiger’s next meal.

I chose this book after reading a review and seeing that the book had won Canada’s 2001 Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction. I think that teens will enjoy this unbelievable fable-like story narrated by Pi that is full of adventure, faith, and survival and topped with wit and wisdom.



Freewill by Chris Lynch. 2001.

This is the story of a seventeen-year-old teen named Will who has lost his father and stepmother in what may be a murder suicide and is having trouble dealing with the loss. The story is told in second person narrative by a voice inside of Will’s mind which constantly admonishes, challenges, and questions reality with Will occasionally answering back. This all gives the reader a true sense of just how disturbed and lonely Will is. Enrolled in a therapeutic woodworking class, Will creates totem poles. Soon these monuments begin to appear at the sites of a series of potential suicides.
I chose this book from the list of Printz honor books. I think that teens will enjoy this dark story with its distinctive second person narrative coming from the mind of a teenager who finds himself an outsider from his peers and who struggles with the typical adolescent concerns of autonomy and choice.



Godless by Pete Hautman. 2004

Sixteen-year-old Jason Bock was raised in a Roman Catholic family but struggles with his belief in God, leaning towards agnosticism and possibly atheism. Jason decides to invent a religion of his own which he calls Chutengodianism, sanctifying water, the source of all life, as manifested by the “Ten-Legged God”, the town’s million-gallon water tower. He soon gets a few others to join his religion and one night they decide to climb the water tower to celebrate midnight mass by swimming in the water reserve. One member winds up in the hospital, one in the psychiatric ward, and Jason goes to prison along with a sentence of 210 community hours. Jason is left to wonder about a religion with only one member and though nothing gets resolved, there is discussion of questioning one’s faith and the attached conflicting feelings.

I chose this book because it was recommended to me by a teen reader in the YA room at the public library and also because it won the 2004 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. I think that teens will like this book because there aren’t too many books that deal with faith and agnosticism while remaining neither pro-religion nor anti-religion. The characters are well developed and the thought-provoking story has both humor and a serious side.



Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. 1997

Set during the Civil War, this novel tells the story of W.D. Inman, a Confederate soldier from North Carolina, who is wounded in the Battle of Petersburg and disheartened by the fighting, walks home to see Ada, the woman he loves. On his journey across the war-torn South, he meets a variety of characters, slaves and marauders, bounty hunters and witches, some help and others deter him along the way. In the meantime, Ada is struggling to save her father’s failing farm and must learn to change from her socialite way of life to that of a working farmer to survive. Frazier based his story on a true life one of a Civil War soldier who left combat and walked home.

I chose this book because it was on my son’s high school reading list and because of its fabulous historical fiction. Cold Mountain made publishing history by staying at the top of The New York Times best-seller list for sixty-one weeks, won numerous literary awards, including the National Book Award, and sold over three million copies. I think teens would like this book for its poignant storyline and intriguing plot, based on an important era in our country’s history.

Enter At Your Own Risk

Why is it that teen readers can’t get enough of scary stories? The scarier the story, the less time it spends on the library shelf collecting dust. There are many emotions all tied up together that a reader experiences when reading a scary book: the pleasure of reading, mixed in with fear and tension as the story progresses; a kind of anxiety eased by the knowledge that these events are all made up; finally a sense of relief when reaching the last page and taking a deep breath. What a great experience and one that no reader should miss. So whether you’re daring enough to like your scary stories full of horror and blood and guts or more timid in preferring a little less blood and a little more suspense, there is certainly a scary story written just for you. Enter if you dare, the world of scary stories. My picks of the week are:


The Monstrumologist: William James Henry by Richard Yancy. 2009. Michal L. Printz Award book.

The story centers on Pellinore Warthrop, a monstrumologist which means he practices the science of finding, studying, and categorizing monsters. Sometimes he is forced to hunt them down and kill them. The story is narrated by 12 year old Will Henry, his ward and apprentice. His story begins when a band of Anthropophagi which are fierce, man-eating hominids have migrated from their native Africa to a cemetery in late 19th century New England. The corpse of the first to be found monster is brought to Warthrop's lab by a resurrectionist, one who hunts night creatures, who wants to learn more about his night’s catch.
I chose this book because of its Printz honor and the reviews that I had read about the book. This gothic horror adventure story has a lot to offer the teen reader. The colorful characters, whether they be the good guys or the evil ones, have been described by one critic as resembling characters out of a Dickens novel. The narrations are descriptive and build suspense that is similar to the style of Stephen King. I think this story will appeal to the teen reader who enjoys a true, terrifying horror story that is gruesome but at the same time an imaginative adventure.




Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry. 2001. Edgar Allan Poe Award for best true- crime book of the year. YA-Adult
Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial, gives readers an insider's look at one of the most baffling and horrifying cases of the twentieth century: the cold-blooded Tate-LaBianca murders carried out by Charles Manson and four of his followers. Motives were never understood nor were the reasons why Manson’s followers carried out his every order. The murder, which took place in August of 1969, shocked the nation as we learned about the brutal murders of Sharon Tate, a then rising Hollywood star and six other victims who were all shot, stabbed, and bludgeoned to death. The book covers the murders, a portrait of the killers, events of the investigation and trial, and theories behind the never-ending search for the motive. It also offers little known facts about Charles Manson who had become a father figure to many, mostly female, teen runaways.
I chose this book for three reasons: it had received the Edgar Allan Poe Award; this is a part of history, as gruesome and disturbing as it is, that has always fascinated those who lived through the event; the book was recommended to me by a teen I met in the Young Adult room in my local library who had just finished the book after receiving a recommendation from his friend. I think that teens will become just as fascinated with the descriptions of the process of investigation and trial and also the chance to learn about those who carried out such a gruesome crime. It also can show teens the potential dangers of becoming detached from their home and families.





Bullet Point by Peter Abrahams. 2010.
This is a hold-your-breath thriller about sixteen-year-old Wyatt, who after baseball is cut at his school because of the budget, transfers on the advice of his baseball coach to a wealthier high school where he’ll have the opportunity to play. He meets a girl named Greer whose father is in prison, a coincidence since Wyatt’s dad is in prison, too. In fact, thee two dads are in the same prison together. Wyatt decides to help his dad whom he’s sure is innocent. He and Greer decide to investigate the robbery at Millerville and set off on a journey that leads them to an out-of-control adventure as they seek answers to questions of justice and guilt.
I chose this book on the recommendation of my son. I think teens will enjoy this action packed thriller that also develops the character of Wyatt as a thoughtful teen


Night Road by A.M. Jenkins. 2010
Yes, this is yet another vampire story. They certainly are the rage these days. This story is about Cole who may look like an average teen, but is actually over a century old and who feels it’s an insult to be called a vampire. He and the others prefer the title of hemovore (a vampire who feeds on human blood without the victim even realizing it). Hemovores live to a high standard of rules in which they respect omnis. Cole tries to live his life completely on the road never staying in one place too long to avoid the risk of becoming involved with an omni as had happened once in the past. He's a master of life on the road and is confident that he can handle any situation that comes his way. He soon learns that he can’t control events that are the result of the actions of others. Enter Sandor, another heme, who has killed a human named Gordon by mistake. Cole has been called in to help Sandor train Gordon in the ways of the hemes. Gordon seems completely lost and is unable to accept his condition. Along the way, they discuss their ability to die and whether or not they possess souls.
I chose this book on the recommendation of one of my former students who described this as a different take on the world of vampires and a story that seemed more about coming of age than the typical vampire romance story. I think that teens will enjoy this because of the development of the characters and the sensitivity sometimes lost in vampire stories.

That’s hard to believe…Or is it?

Science fiction is a genre that has been enjoyed by readers for centuries. Authors have fabricated tales of unbelievable scientific and technological innovations and events which for the most part seem too incredible to be true but at the same time, in a world full of speculation, seem almost imaginable.
Fantasy is similar to science fiction in its speculative nature but unlike science fiction, fantasy doesn’t try to clarify what causes these incredible things to happen by using science or technology. It uses magic and the supernatural in its plot development.
Teens are drawn to both science fiction and fantasy as a means to escape at least for a while their real life pressures and demands. There are so many books waiting to be read at the public library making the task of choosing my top three picks a difficult one. Some of my picks for teens:



How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff. 2004. Grades 6-up


The winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2004, this is the story of a fifteen-year-old girl named Daisy who is sent to live with her cousins on a farm in England when her father can’t take care of her where she spends time getting to know her cousins while her Aunt Penn is stranded in Oslo. Daisy soon falls in love and has a sexual relationship with her cousin Edmond. But war is about to break out and when the enemy invades the farm, Daisy and Edmond are separated and Daisy flees with her younger cousin, Piper. The girls are forced to go on without knowing the fate of Edmond. This is a story of growing up and acting responsibly when faced with being on your own. It’s a story of love and survival during wartime.
I chose this book on the recommendation of the YA librarian. I feel that teens would enjoy this story for the character development and the survival of love even through separation. The story gives reassurance to teens of the power to survive in case another major war were to occur.


The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer. 2004. Grades 5-9.

This fantasy story is set in 793 A.D. and centers on an eleven-year-old Saxon boy named Jack who is kidnapped, along with his five-year-old sister, Lucy, by the crew of a Viking ship led by Olaf One-Brow. They are taken to the kingdom of Ivar the Boneless where Jack becomes an apprentice and learns to develop his magic. One of his new spells goes wrong and when he causes Ivar’s half troll queen Frith’s hair to fall out, he is forced to go on a quest across the Sea of Trolls to save his sister from being sacrificed to Frith’s favorite goddess, Freya. He faces many challenges and meets frightening creatures such as trolls, giant troll bears, a dragon, and giant spiders which only serves to force him to mature and become stronger.
I chose this book because of its cover depicting a massive ship against a backdrop of fog with the title written in bold red letters. It was an example of choosing a book by its cover and my choice turned out to be a good one. I think that fantasy lovers of all ages will enjoy this story of mythological adventure and humor.


The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman. 1999

After the popularity and critical acclaim of The Golden Compass (and of course, the movie!), many wondered if Pullman could keep up his momentum with the sequel. He proved that it was possible as he didn’t disappoint readers. Lyra Silvertongue is back and she has a match in a human twelve-year-old named Will Parry who has been a game player like Lyra since he was young. He has also developed the talent for becoming invisible, an art he used to distance himself from his unstable mother. This story takes up where the first ends and many of the old characters are back: the witch Serafina Pekkala, the manipulative Mrs. Coulter, Lee Scoresby and his hare dæmon, Hester. There are new characters as well: Oxford dark-matter researchers Mary Malone, the Latvian witch queen Ruta Skadi, Stanislaus Grumman, a shaman in search of a weapon crucial to the cause of Lord Asriel, Lyra's father and a serpentine old man who serves as a mystery. The story begins as Will's enemies are trying to gain information about his missing father, a soldier and Arctic explorer, and Will knowing that he must hide his mother and make his way toward Oxford, which may hold the key to John Parry's disappearance. The story moves between several worlds and the plot will keep readers on the edge of their seats. In true fantasy fashion the impossible becomes reality making for an exciting and moving adventure.
I chose this book because I had read The Colden Compass and a student had recommended that I read the sequel which in her words was even better than the first. Teen lovers of fantasy will enjoy a great story with a mix of characters who intertwine and make for many “hold your breath” moments.


The Eyre Affair by Jasper FForde. 2002. Grades 9-12.

This is a comical alternate history story about a literary detective named Thursday Next who has just married but when her husband is “time slipped” and exists only in her memories, and an unknown work by Shakespeare arises, she decides to get back on the job. Her first case is about a stolen Dickens manuscript. The evil presence in the story is Acheron Hades who plots to steal such manuscripts and alter them permanently. He does this easily since he has discovered a portal that can take people in and out of books. The humorous plot thickens as a Dickens character is murdered and then Jane Eyre is kidnapped in order for the plot of her story to be changed forever.
I chose this story on a recommendation of the YA librarian and once again am happy to say that she knows her stuff. Teens will enjoy this mix of adventure, mystery, romance, and absurd and amusing comedy as simply a fun book to read.

All You Need Is Love

In my exploration this week through the impressive number of YA romance books on library shelves, I realize that this theme has come a long way in what is available for teens today. Maybe this is due to the fact that these teens are facing situations that were not admitted to or talked about years ago. With the openness of society today and adult attempts to prepare children for all they will have to face and endure as a part of their growing up process, authors are using these topics to create characters that teens will be able to relate to, learn from, and become comfortable with in their own real life situations.
Covers play an important role in creating that first attraction to a title and this seemed especially true to me as I pulled one book after another off the shelf to expose its “sexy” art work. Who can forget the image of the pair of hands holding the apple on the cover of Twilight depicting the forbidden fruit in the story of Adam and Eve. They also played a part in my choices of romantic titles.


Dark Water by Laura McNeal. 2010. Gr. 8-up.
In this story based in Southern California in 2007 when wildfires spread across the land, Pearl DeWitt lives with her mom on the ranch where her Uncle Hoyt grows 900 avocado trees. He frequently hires migrant workers and Pearl doesn’t pay too much attention to them until she sees Amiel, a young boy who is quiet and keeps to himself. She becomes attracted to him and this attraction leads to a forbidden affair which becomes entangled in the danger of the wildfires. The plot and setting are based in fact making this an entertaining story because of its historical elements besides its romantic ones. There is so much packed into this story for teens to enjoy. Besides the compelling story of forbidden love, this is one full of suspense and historical facts. Readers will see Pearl deal with real life issues of her parents’ divorce and her cousin’s anger at his father’s potential adultery, as she tries to resist her attraction to Amiel. I chose this book because of the cover art and jacket information.


Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. 2010. Grade 9-up.
Nora is a high school sophomore from Portland, ME who is both attracted to and put off by her new biology partner. He seems to know all her thoughts. She soon finds out that he is a fallen angel who wants to become human and she becomes susceptible to his influence. The supernatural theme with questions as to whether fallen angels really exist will draw readers in as will the story of forbidden love.
I chose this book because of its alluring cover. In reading the jacket, I found that it was a story of a fallen angel, a mystery that has always intrigued me.



Keeping You A Secret by Julie Anne Peters. 2005. Gr. 9-up.
This is a story of teenage first love involving a high school girl, Holland Jaeger, who seems to know what she wants as we are introduced to Holland going steady with a nice looking boy and thinking about attending college in the fall until she meets Cece Goddard whom she is attracted to and realizes she loves. They grow closer and become committed to each other, a course that causes Holland to lose her friends and face the harsh discrimination of those around her and especially the anger of her mother who throws her out of the house. This is a story that will have teens thinking about the real complications of same sex relationships and the antigay slurs and hatred that are sometimes the consequence. I chose this book on a recommendation of a teen I know who had read the book.

Make 'Em Laugh

One of my favorite movies of all time is “Singin’ In the Rain” and in one scene, actor Donald O’Connor sings and dances in a slapstick way to a song called “Make ‘Em Laugh” as he states all the reasons why we should not take life too seriously and to take the time to look at things with humor. As the song says:
Make 'em laugh
Make 'em laugh
Don't you know everyone wants to laugh?

Yes, I think deep down we all do. We want to laugh at ourselves before someone else has the chance to. We want to have the ability to laugh off all the fearful, uncomfortable, and apprehensive moments in our lives. No different are our teen population who struggle with all the new feelings, emotions, and experiences that they are encountering. A little comic relief can go a long way to help them cope with life and they can find this in their reading choices.
This week was devoted to humor in YA books. Sometimes it’s nice not to have to take things too seriously and enjoy a chuckle or two. I enjoyed browsing through many books in the Young Adult section of our local library and found a number of them that I would recommend to my students.
Reading Allison Follos article for SLJ about “funny books” made me realize that I have to agree with her when she says “It’s about connection and appreciation, not judgment, and it’s a rare find when a humorous title entertains us all equally.” So in choosing books for teens, we adults need to go by what they think is funny even if we don’t get it, and quite often, I honestly don’t. When purchasing books for our school library collection, it is difficult to choose books that we don’t think are particularly funny and may even contain language or subjects that make us feel uncomfortable and go against what we believe in. What we need to keep in mind is the ultimate goal of increasing student reading and winning over those reluctant readers. Isn’t it better for us to house a collection of books, not particularly funny to us, but that fly off the shelf than to have a shelf full of titles hand picked according to our perspective of what tickles the funny bone that are collecting dust?
With this in mind, when searching for this week’s picks for books with humor and after browsing the many sites that offer suggestions, I chose books on the recommendation of students as well as for the reasons mentioned with each title.

A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett. 2005. Gr.6-10.
The sequel to The Wee Free Men, is the continuing adventure of Tiffany Aching, a girl training to become a witch, who feels ready to discover her full powers but first has to overcome the creature pursuing her with or without the help of the six-inch high, small blue tattooed Wee Little Men, who have vowed to protect her. In the end, Tiffany is the one who makes things right all on her own.
I found this book in the YA section of my local library. I chose this one because I had read The Wee Free Men on the recommendation of one of my son’s friends and enjoyed the writing style of Terry Pratchett. I feel that this is a book that would appeal to teens. Much of the humor in this book is supplied by the Wee Free Men, also called Pictsies. Teens will love their irreverent conversations and slapstick comedy. Pratchett combines something for every reader: fantasy, humor, suspense, and a lesson to be learned about self-determination and purpose in life.


The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarity. 2004. Gr7-12
Written as a series of notes, emails, letters, and diary entries of Cassie, Emily, and Lydia, three girls from upscale Ashbury High whose teacher in an attempt to end the feud between their schools, gives her class an assignment to write to male pen pals, Matthew, Seb, and Charlie, boys attending lower class Brookfield High and though they’re reluctant at first, they find the boys to be more appealing than they had anticipated. While Emily and Lydia find their pen pals fun to write to, Cassie’s sends threats and abusive comments leading the girls to devise a plan to teach him a lesson.
I chose this book because of its numerous awards:
• American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults
• Horn Book Magazine Fanfare Book
• Booklist Editor’s Choice
• Books for Youth (Awards)
• Amazon Editor’s Choice
• Virginia Young Readers Award Nominee
• IRA 2006 Young Adults' Choice

This comedy of manners would appeal to the teen reader by offering three teen relationships complete with misunderstandings, angst, and the final making-up. They will be able to relate to many of the heartfelt emotions that are being expressed by the teens as they correspond to each other. The story tells the tale of true friendship among the girls and a new found understanding and friendship among the boys.


Once Upon a Marigold by Ferris. 2002. Gr.5-9
This is a humorous coming-of-age fantasy with hints of classic fairy tales, about a boy named Christian, raised in the forest by Edric, a troll, who decides to set off and see the rest of the world, or in this case forest where resides Princess Marigold, whom he has admired from afar and has exchanged letters via p-mail (carrier pigeon). Christian becomes part of the court and learns that Marigold, who loves him, too, is set to marry Sir Magnus. The story is full of fairy tale characters such as Marigold’s evil mother, Queen Olympia who is plotting to murder Marigold and her father, King Swithbert. The plots are predictable but with a combination of romance, comedy, and fantasy, this story will appeal to many younger teens.
I chose this book for two reasons, the first of which it is one of those books that is found in either the Juvenile or Young Adult section of a library at the discretion of the individual library. This may make it more appealing to a wider audience and I am always looking for books that are appropriate for my fifth graders who are making the transition from Juvenile to Young Adult titles. The second reason is because this book was a 2007 nominee for the Rebecca Caudill Young Reader’s Book Award. Rebecca Caudill was an author who wrote about life in Kentucky and many of her stories are based on her own life. She is an ancestor of my husband.


Rules of the Road, Joan Bauer. 2005. Gr.7-12
Jenna Boller, an average student who is too tall for her age, has a talent for selling shoes and loves her after school job at Gladstone’s Shoes, though working for elderly Mrs. Madeline Gladstone, the irritable president of the company, presents some challenges. When Mrs. Gladstone chooses Jenna to chauffeur her in her Cadillac on a trip visiting her other stores, Jenna is reluctant to leave her alcoholic father but decides to go and learns many lessons along the way about survival on the road like “Never eat at a place called Mom’s because it’s a safe bet that Mom’s been dead for years.”, about Mrs. Gladstone, whom she learns to care for and admire, and about herself in becoming a vital asset to Mrs. Gladstone with her eye for poor quality and salesmanship. Jenna’s life becomes full of strife when her good friend Harry, the “World’s Best Shoe Salesman” suddenly dies and the realization of how much she would have wanted Harry to be her father gives her the courage she needs to save the day when Mrs. Gladstone’s less than admirable son, Elden, appropriately nicknamed “The Shoe Rodent”, tries to take over the company.
I originally chose this book by Joan Bauer because I was familiar with the author and learned that Rules of the Road was chosen as one of the top young adult books of the last 25 years by the American Library Association. I admire Bauer’s talent for dealing with difficult issues for teens but always encouraging them to never give up hope. Her plots are full of twists and her use of first person narrative makes it a more personal journey for the reader. Teens will enjoy reading a story that is funny, touching, and full of lessons to be learned about oneself and dealing with others.

Here We Go Again

When I completed my last post on May 9, 2010 (My thirteenth wedding anniversay, by the way, making me wonder if my posting was part of the celebration and while waiting for it.), I had all intentions of keeping my blog going. I really enjoyed my first blogging experience and though the posts were directed more by assignment deadlines than by off the cuff "in the mood to blog" moments, I found that the experience got my brain thinking in an organized way. This is something that I can honestly say doesn't naturally happen with me 24/7. So when I realized that I was going to be blogging for a second course, I decided to continue with this, my original blog. In thinking back to setting up my blog,my first post explained why I chose its name. I wrote:

"All these decisions!! And that's just to set up my first blog. The perfect name? I came up with a few but always came back to "Still Hoping After All These Years". Yes, Paul Simon came up with most of this first but I've always related to that song. The problem is I had a problem with admitting that I was crazy in my first blog attempt. I began to think about hope and how no matter what has happened to me in my lifetime, good and bad, I always felt that there was hope. The idea of what we're hoping for may change in our lives, from "I hope that Mommy doesn't serve me those mashed peas again." , through "I hope that Stanley asks me to the dance Saturday." and the "I hope it doesn't rain on my wedding day." through the "I hope that my father knew that I loved him before he died of cancer." and the "I hope that my son becomes healthy one day and doesn't have to take medication for an autoimmune illness." to a "I hope that I can get back into my music one day." to "I hope that my sons can live happily ever after doing something they're passionate about." to the current "I hope that I can keep all this straight as I try to juggle family, work, choral and guitar students, with my graduate school commitment?" I am indeed "still hoping after all these years" and have no plans of giving up."

So today, over five months later, I find that some things have changed:I was laid off from my position of LMS, my second son is off at college and I miss him dearly, and I decided to push for my certification by diving into three courses this semester, two of which require PrePracticums. I also find that some things are the same. I try to keep a smile on my face, a song in my heart, and remain "still hoping after all these years".

10 Things Every Teacher Should Know About Technology

My "10 Things Every Teacher Should Know About Technology" list was created back in January as I began LBS850, Emerging Technologies For Libraries. I knew I had so much to learn and couldn't have imagined just how right I was. I opened my list this week and after reading it with a slight feeling of nostalgia along with a great feeling of relief at realizing I've made it through. I want to be the kind of teacher who lives by these suggestions; an educator who puts the needs of the students first and foremost. This means putting aside any fears that I may have about not knowing as much as my students in using new technology. They have grown up with this and also have the time that I would cherish to experiment and learn about each new application. I need to remember that the whole purpose is to learn and to continue to learn, even if that means alongside the students. So with this in mind:

1. Be adventurous. Technology is new to all at first. Keep an open mind and don’t be afraid to try something new even if you and your students learn it together. Shelving a new technology until time allows you to learn it prior to introducing it to your students may result in a dusty shelf worn application that you'll never use and your students will miss out on.

2. Be informed. Something new is always in the wings. Learn about what technologies are available and how they can fit into your lesson plans.

3. Be prepared. Do a trial run to work out any problems and still be ready with an alternate lesson in case the lesson doesn’t go as planned. In fact, be ready with a Plan C as well.

4. Be humble. Admit it when you’re overwhelmed and don’t be afraid or too embarrassed to ask for help.

5. Be cautious. Before giving free rein to your students, help them to become responsible internet users by teaching safe internet use.

6. Be patient. You won’t learn it all as quickly as you would like. Take technology one step at a time.

7. Be thorough. Don’t incorporate technology into your lesson for its own sake without keeping in mind the pedagogy behind it.

8. Be creative. When utilizing PowerPoint, Publisher, or other programs to create a presentation, don’t stop at its creation. Develop the students’ art of presenting their work, as well as their art of creating it.

9. Be curious. Open yourself up to whatever is new in technology and be as curious as a child when trying out something new. Look for opportunities to join others who are learning new technology through workshops or PD.

10. Be persuasive. It will become your job to convince even the most skeptical staff and teachers of the benefits of using available technologies to improve the learning environment of the students and prepare them for their future as lifelong 21st Century learners. Invite them to see how you have incorporated a certain technology into your lessons and offer them your help to do the same in their classrooms.

There Is Light at the End of the Tunnel

All I can say is "Whew!" I feel like I do when I come to the end of a heart pumping, pulse racing roller coaster ride. We've just reached the end of the course and I can finally take that deep sigh of relief. It's been a fabulous ride. I haven't regreted any minute of it. Well, maybe there were a few moments-those desperate "How will I ever get this done?" or "Where do I begin?" or "What was I thinking?" moments when it all became so overwhelming. Luckily, those moments were brief and usually as I was feeling insecure about not understanding some point or how to begin a project, one of my classmates or my professor jumped in to help before I would get to the screaming stage. My sons and husband are very appreciative about that. This has been my most favorite course so far. Granted, I've only taken four but I don't expect too many future ones to come close.
There were the many online applications that we were encouraged to become familiar with, some I had used, some I hadn't. But in "playing" with many of them, I realized what each was capable of and if and how it could be introduced into my library lessons. The students are always receptive to new technology and now the fun will continue as I attempt to incorporate what I have learned into my library. If it enhances the lessons, it should become a part of the plan.
One of my favorites is Animoto which makes it easy for students to use a video to showcase information they have learned about a topic. After attempting my first video using my Songbirds as a subject, I began to think of a number of ways that my students can get creative in presenting their information besides a PowerPoint.
The cataloging module was the most helpful one to me. I have been cataloging since I began my role as LMS in elementary school but without much formal training. It was a necessary part of the job and I did my best to keep up with its demands. The information I gained from the readings and discussions helped to connect the dots for me and fill in many of the blanks left empty due to lack of any formal training. I learned about many of the features of the OPAC used in my school and I am planning to learn more about what it can and cannot do for our students.
This course may be coming to a close but its influences will live on in the heart of my teaching as I strive to become an effective and passionate instructor of 21st-Century students.

Choosing the Right OPAC

In an ideal situation, we as Library Media Specialists would be able to sift through the many OPACs available to libraries and regardless of cost, choose the right one for the individual school. With budget cuts and lack of funding, schools need to choose wisely and sometimes adapt to the OPAC that is available for their use. My school uses InfoCentre, and this was the OPAC in place when I came to the school four years ago.Are there better, more advanced ones for our school? Certainly. Is there a chance that we may change to another with more advanced features that will move our students forward into the 21st-Century? Realistically, I would have to say no. Our district, like many others in Massachusetts are experiencing major budget cuts in all areas. The likelihood of changing over to any new technology at the present time is slim.Until that changes, we as LMS need to utilize our present OPAC to the absolute best of our and its abilities for the benefit of our learners. It is our responsibility to our students to know the system we are using and all of its features. Then we need to ensure that our students know how to use the system to get the most information to help them access the resources they are searching for. Working together, students and LMS, to get the most out of the OPAC can compensate at least in part for the lack of an updated version or a new more advanced one.

Interviewing LMS on Library Automation Systems

One thing that all school libraries have in common is their need for a library automation system. Not only useful as an organizational tool for librarians and a “Table of Contents” for patrons searching for informational and recreational materials, a good system will serve as a portal for students allowing them access to resources beyond their library’s four walls, their district schools, and into the world wide web. The needs of each individual school are different as are the needs of their student population. Certain criteria should be considered when choosing a library automation system for your school. Comparing systems and accepting feedback from product sales representatives along with customers currently using the system will help you make an informed decision that will benefit school staff as well as students.

Interview One- Sirsi/Dynix User

Gary Metzenbacher
Library Media Specialist
East High School
Columbus, OH

Question: What system do you use?
Answer: SIRSI/Dynix

Question: What is the support like? How available and helpful are they?
Answer: Fairly helpful. Our downtime is very short and outages are few and far between.

Question: Do you have one server between many schools?
Answer: "Our" server actually takes care of numerous school systems. We don't actually own a server for library automation but we utilize SIRSI which is a major provider. Our IT people could not possibly handle library automation. That requires some background in library services and it's much better for our district to simply contract with someone who knows what they're doing for that. The downside is that when the main server is down everyone in the state on SIRSI is down. Downtime, however is very, very seldom and very, very short.

Question: Can you search other libraries?
Answer: We can search the libraries of all the Ohio schools using SIRSI so that gives us all of Columbus City Schools (140+ buildings) and Southwestern City Schools (20+ buildings) and quite a few school districts and private schools around the state.

Question: Is the search easy (ours need to be exact titles, or search comes up empty)
Answer: Easy search: keyword search, title search, author search, subject search. The default is keyword and you can specify a particular building/library as well if you want. It is fairly user intuitive and simple to use.

Question: How about updates and upgrades?
Answer: Updates and upgrades are all done at the main SIRSI Ohio center in Lima. The main hiccups would be with our own district IT people who aren't always on top of their game if you get my meaning. For the most part, updates are transparent and seldom affect users EXCEPT for major revisions which require us to have new training, which is provided by SIRSI. We've had 2 major revisions in the 6 or 7 years we've been using the system. Not bad for such a big setup.

Question: Do you have any other comments, positive or negative?
Answer: As to negatives; since SIRSI was originally designed as a public library system there are a few quirks that you have to work-around as a school library. They are willing to accommodate SOME requests to adjust the setup for your building/district but they take a while before they actually grant such accommodations and requests. Inventory could be a lot simpler than the multi-step process they designed but I've managed to get my inventory done by eliminating some of those steps but you have to pay careful attention when you do that or you could miss something and not be able to figure out where you did.

Question: Do you think this is the right system for your school?
Answer: I'm not sure I would say our system is the best one for our school but every system has its positive aspects as well as its faults. It really depends on what the users are comfortable with and what the costs over the long term will be. Costs are not always monetary and one needs to make sure they consider the user frustration or acceptance as a very real cost to any system you implement or consider. Additionally you need to consider long-term customer support. Is the system reliable and will there be technical support over time or will it get orphaned and leave you with problems? We use our system and like some things about it but dislike some things as well. I don't care for the inventory module because it is too labor intensive. It was easier (and quicker) with the shelflist cards and a box. I do like, however, that I can search all of our buildings and some others as well. The interlibrary loan module still relies on our personal contacts via phone or email but it works for us. It would be more convenient to make the request electronically but we're not there yet.


Interview Two- InfoCentre User

Deborah Caudill
Library Media Specialist
FallBrook Elementary School
Leominster, MA 01453

Question: What system do you use?
Answer: InfoCentre

Question: What is the support like? How available and helpful are they?
Answer: When Infocentre was first introduced into our district schools, it was a product of Winnebago, a company later bought by Sagebrush. As far as support, I cannot give an honest report because I was not using the system during that time. Since then, Sagebrush has been bought by Follett and so Infocentre support comes from them. Follett has stated that they will continue to support InfoCentre users and keep them updated with the latest improvements, updates, and upgrades. Our library has been a customer of Follett in the past and we have been extremely satisfied with their support and speed at responding to our questions or concerns. I have no reason to believe that their support of InfoCentre and our district as a client would be any different or of any lesser quality.

Question: Do you have one server between many schools?
Answer: We have one server to support all the schools in our district. The server is housed at one of our middle schools and is serviced by our district’s IT staff that was trained by Sagebrush to manage the system. When our server is down, it affects all schools but because it’s within our district, downtime is limited.

Question: Can you search other libraries?
Answer: Besides our own catalog, we can search those of all other schools within our district. This can be done from our library computers, all classroom and teacher computers, and from students’ homes. This is a great feature in that parents can also access our library catalog to search for books for student projects or personal interest.

Question: Is the search easy?
Answer: The simple search can be done by keyword, title, author, or subject and Infocentre also offers an advanced search which makes it easier to do a Bibliography list for teachers or students searching for books on a specific subject. Another great feature is the visual search allowing younger, slow readers and also the many ELL students in our school to search by topic pictures instead of words.

Question: How about updates and upgrades?
Answer: Because updates and all upgrades are performed from Follett’s host website, they are fast and easy and ensure the most advanced technology for our library. When we are ready to upgrade, Follett’s InfoCentre 2.0, a newer version, is available for download from their site.

Question: Do you have any other comments, positive or negative?
Answer: There are a lot of positives. For instance, InfoCentre includes features previously considered add-ons such as: an integrated Z39.50 server; the Visual Search interface; the WebServer component to deliver the Web Catalog interface; multiuser licensing; the ability to load user data into InfoCentre from other databases. The search interface can be configured to display results from one or more libraries in the district. This makes it a good fit for our schools.

Question: So it sonds like you wouldn't replace InfoCentre?
Answer: With budget cuts and frozen spending, an upgrade is not in the immediate future. With a system that works for us and a company like Follett backing us and ready to support upgrades when we are ready, InfoCentre would be my choice for our library’s OPAC.

Moving Our School Library Forward

In my opinion, The OPAC assignment was one of the most useful to me as a current, albeit novice, LMS. I began the unit questioning its worth as compared to some of the others and wondered if I would value the experience with its time and energy demands. This doubt coupled with the confusion of where to begin led me to drag my feet a bit at the thought of beginning my quest. After my first attempt at making some sense out of the Breeding site offered, I wasn't feeling too much better. Then two things happened. The first was that reality slapped me in the face screaming "You have to do this so get over the whining and get to work!" This reality check was the impetus of the second. In researching other library OPAC systems and paying closer attention to my own and what it has to offer, I concluded that I don't know very much about the system I've been using for the past four years except for the applications that I had become familiar with. Because I came into the position as a permanent LMS sub, a role that lasted for two years, I was expected to function as best I could without guidance from a mentor or the tech support. After being offered the position as a permanent LMS teacher, things began to change and I was assigned a mentor. I was able to catch up and fill in the blanks through the help and support of her and others. Still I became comfortable with what applications I needed I continued on through my blissful ignorance believing that this was enough and that I was doing the best I could under the circumstances.
With the help of Marshall Breeding's site and after my eye-opening experience of researching other school library automation systems and my own in more depth,I have come to the conclusion that this assignment has been so beneficial to me by making me aware of the importance of knowing the system you are3 utilizing so that your students benefit fully from its use.
I interviewed myself as an LMS using Follett's Infocentre. In additio, I interviewed Gary Metzenbacher, a Library Media Specialist in East High School, Columbus, OH. Mr Metzenbacher uses Sirsi/Dynix. I had heard from colleagues that this system would be one worth looking into as a possible replacement for InfoCentre. Mr. Metzenbacher answered questions and gave his opinions as a current user as to the positive and the negative points of Sirsi/Dynix. In comparing the two systems using criteria such as tech support and user friendliness, I have decided to prepare an argument to keep Infocentre in our district schools. One thing that Mr. Metzenbarger said that holds true when choosing an automation system for your school library: "Costs are not always monetary and one needs to make sure they consider the user frustration or acceptance as a very real cost to any system you implement or consider." Metzenbarger also stressed tech support as an important component:
"Additionally you need to consider long-term customer support.Is the system reliable and will there be technical support over time or will it get orphaned and leave you with problems?"
I found it advantageous to talk to a "live" LMS. In discussing the advantages of any system with someone who has been using it in his library, I was given a picture of the system in action within a school library environment with a firsthand source of positive and negative points. On the other hand, if I had discussed the same only with the system's sales representative, there would always be the feeling that the main goal of the discussion was to sell the system. The only sure proof of an automation system's success is in its initiation wihin the school library and observance of daily student and teacher use.

Where Does Dewey Fit In?

One of the ongoing jobs of a public or school librarian is that of cataloging. Where there are print materials meant for circulation, there is a stack of books and periodicals each waiting to be christened with a call number and take its place on the appropriate library shelf. In years past, when Dewey was king of library cataloging, there was little if any discussion or much thought going into the process of cataloging each book. It was a simple if not tedious process of assigning a predetermined call number according to Dewey's system to each resource. Like everything else in our world today, cataloging has become a little more complicated.
Some school librarians are questioning whether or not it would better serve the students to catalog books, not according to Dewey as was done in the past, but more in the fashion of book stores where materials are clustered together with similar topics for easier access. So one shelf would house "Mysteries" while another "Historical Fictions" and so on. While it may be true that this system would likely help students in the short term to locate the materials that they want or need, I don't feel we should totally discount educating students on Dewey's catagories. When these students move on to middle school, high school, college, and beyond, they will have to locate resources that no doubt have been cataloged and shelved according to the Dewey system. Without the proper early introduction to Dewey and practice locating materials in this way, these same students will be lost when later attempting to find books. Wouldn't it better serve our students if we took the time to teach them about Dewey and his ten catagories? Library lessons can be planned that are fun and helpful in its teaching. For instance, classes could participate in a Dewey Scavenger Hunt where each member of a team picks a card with a call number on it and has to locate the book that corresponds to it. First team to collect all the correct books is the winner. With lessons such as this, it won't be long before the students are skipping the catalog step and heading right for the shelves to choose their books to take out. With a little practice, Dewey isn't that hard to figure out.
No one knows what the future holds for libraries. But for now, I think we should hold onto a system that's been around for a while. It's not time to do away with Dewey.

Cyberbullying Education for the Very Young

So as educators we are becoming convinced that it is our responsibiity to make the students aware of the causes and the hurtful effects of cyberbullying. Such education should begin at the beginning of the school year and continue throughout the year. The presentation would be far more effective if constructed and presented by the older students, in my case grade five. But the question arises as to what grades will make up the audience. I look at children working or playing in their kindergarten classes, and I find it hard to believe that such innocence could produce hateful bullying or cyberbullying against other children. Yet these children are being exposed to more media, positive and negative than ever before and at an earlier age. With this exposure comes the potential for harmful learned behavior that could lead to bullying and cyberbullying. Parents want their children to compete with children around the world and be prepared to "keep up" in the 21st Century. This pressure to compete causes parents to start their children early whether it be sports, music, or academics. So it also goes for technology. If the door is open to all that today's internet has to offer, the good, the bad, and the ugly, isn't it possible that they are given the opportunity to be bullied or even to cyberbully someone else? With this in mind, why not follow along this pattern of early education and instill in them the message that cyberbullying is never something that they want to be involved in, offer them ways to prevent it, and if it happens to them, teach them ways that they can help themselves.If we capture this audience at a young age and continue to educate them with a continuing cyberbullying awareness program throughout their elementary school career, we may be able to stop or at least greatly decrease the magnitude of cyberbullying in their lifetime. Something needs to be done and there's no time like the present.

Keeping Safe While Traveling in Cyberspace

How many people, regardless of age, do you know who do not spend at least some of their time online? In fact, we are becoming a society of internet dependent people. The first PCs became available to consumers in the early 1970s and I’m sure not many could have imagined the impact that they would have on our lifestyle. Today consumers rely on their computers for so many daily tasks that they could not imagine their lives without their computer. People shop, do their banking, pay their bills, search for any kind of information, book travel arrangements, find their ancestry, amuse their children while they tend to other chores, do their bookkeeping and scheduling, and communicate with each other, all from the privacy of their home or workplace.

But along with these life changing technological timesavers, come new dangers for consumers of all ages. The cases of identity theft are on the rise, as is the number of children predators and subsequently children victims. No one at any age is safe from cyber crimes. Our addiction to computer use has given rise to a vulnerability that we as a society, as parents, and as educators must address. Our global society has told us that we need to expose children today at an early age to the benefits and positive successes that technology brings. It is our responsibility to our children and their achievement and productivity to make sure that they have access to all that computer use can offer them to help them compete in a 21st Century global community. But we will be failing them if we don’t at the same time alert them to the dangers of functioning in cyberspace and continually educate them in practices of safe internet use and etiquette.

With this in mind, I have developed one of many possible student presentations with the purpose of alerting the student population of the dangers lurking on the internet. The presentations will only be effective if they are coupled with continual in class reinforcement of the important things to remember and internet use that will potentially expose them to some of the dangers but with teacher supervision to address any issues, concerns, or questions from the students. Another part of the plan is to have the older students research and organize their own presentation of caution and advice which they will present to the younger students of our school. We can never do too much to ensure the safety of our children in our technologically advanced global community.

Annotated Bibliography of Informative Websites



www.netsmartz.org/

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children sponsors this interactive site dedicated to internet safety education for parents, teachers, and children. Its goal is to make children aware of the dangers they can encounter with internet use, to teach them to be cautious when dealing with strangers online, and to encourage them to report any uneasy situations to their parents or other adults. Kids are told to UYN ("Use Your NetSmartz") when it comes to dealing with situations on the internet. The site offers music, games, activities, and videos to help teach internet safety.


http://www.safekids.com/

Larry Magid, author of the 1994 brochure entitled “Child Safety on the Information Highway”, created this site dedicated to the education of children in internet safety and civility. The site is separated into sections for teens, kids, and parents. Menu bar takes viewers to more pages of safety tips which include cell phone as well as social web safety and blogs about Cyber Safety themes. Kids can take the online quiz to see how much they know about online safety Online Safety Quiz.


www.bullying.org

This site started by Bill Belsey is perhaps the most frequently visited site devoted to the prevention of cyberbullying through awareness and safety education. The site makes available resources and educational programs for educational institutions and other organizations and private families. Sections include facts and myths about bullying and places victims can turn to for help. There is also a Helpful Resource page where you can contribute resources such as multimedia presentations, books, or articles.


http://www.ncpc.org/cyberbullying

The National Crime Prevention Council sponsors this site supporting their campaign against cyberbullying. The site offers help to those who have been victims of cyberbullying and useful tips on how to prevent it from happening. There are links to other sites to inform kids of their rights and offering more awareness and prevention tips.


http://www.cyberbullying.us/

The Cyberbullying Research Center offers updated information on what is new at the research center including latest publication entries. There are also updated lists of Blogs on the subject of cyberbullying and headlines from around the world. The site has so much to read to help stay in tune with what is happening worldwide.

http://www.stopcyberbullying.org
Stopcyberbullying.org is another informational awareness website. It offers a flash presentation of a cyberbully typing out messages to his victim. The messages are chilling when you think that a child could be on the receiving end of them. It covers what cyberbullying is, how and why it works, steps to prevention and taking action, and laws against cyberbullying.

http://www.cyberbullying.org/

This site believes as others do that awareness of the problem and education as to what can be one to prevent it, are the keys to controlling cyberbullying. Flash messages of facts and encouragement appear as you enter the site. The menu bar offers links to facts, informational resources, and contact information.



http://www.commonsense.com/internet-safety-tips/tips-for-kids.php

This is a non profit Internet Survival Guide with a section directed towards kids and teens and one specifically for parents and teachers. Tips on internet safety at every age and every stage of development are included and also a downloadable guide for parents.

The LMS as a Leader in the School Community

The demands on the school Library Media Specialist are great. The LMS is a teacher, an organizer, an administrator of the library, and a leader in the school community.
The LMS is responsible for keeping up with the ever increasing array of Web 2.0 tools and how these tools can and should be implemented in the classroom to enrich the 21st Century learning environment. It is an easy job compared to the one of convincing that school community of teachers and other staff of the benefits of taking the time to learn the tools and in turn to teach their students the same.
So in planning a PD for these teachers with the purpose of training them to use these applications with their students, I feel it is important to assure these teachers that learning them will not be a waste of their time and show them examples of how student learning will benefit from their incorporation. A tough job? Yes. Impossible? No. The key is not to expect all teachers to be on the bandwagon from the start. Take it slowly. If you can convince even a few teachers to try a certain application and then be there to support the teacher as he/she becomes comfortable with its use, then it will only be a matter of time before more teachers want to follow and the number of successful users will increase.
So where do I begin? Which tool should be my initiation? I plan to begin with the wiki. Most of the teachers by now have heard the term wiki and though not too many in my school district have used one in the classroom, I feel that they will be more open to listen to my views and recommendations for its use if they've heard it mentioned.
I plan to announce my intentions with another application, a Voki. I think this will break the ice and make the teachers more curious about what they may be able to learn to create. The PD will be in the form of a PowerPoint which I find is still one of the best forms of presentation.
Whatever the outcome, it is my responsibility to offer training and support to classroom teachers, administrators, and students, a challenging role but one I feel I am willing and able to accept.

Example of Student Work- Western Expansion

Mom and Dad told us today that we would be leaving our home here in New York City and going to a new home out west. They said that there is a lot more space out there and that we can build a new home once we get there. We have to pack everything we have and fit it all into a wagon that we will travel in. Dad says that it will take a long time to get there and that it won't be easy but that it will be worth the trip. I have to leave all my friends. I hope that I can make new ones there.
Mom says that I will have to help her to pack the food. We need enough for many months. We can only fit so much in our wagon so we have to plan right that we will have all that we need for the trip. We'll start planning tomorrow. I hope there is room for my doll.

What a week! But what possible rewards!!

It has been a week of mxed emotions. I have been so excited to realize all the wonderful Web 2.0 and beyond tools out there just waiting to be discovered and used in our classrooms. I am optimistic about incorporating them into my lessons and already have created some draft plans for future library and computer lessons. The key will be to use them sooner rather than later. In the past, I have caught myself claiming I would use a certain tool someday and then finding that the "someday" never came. My resolution is to use the tools that are out there even befor feeling comfortable with them. The students and I can learn together and from each other. If I wait to become comfortable with these applications before teaching them to students, they may remain simply "future plans".
So that's the exciting part. Then there's the ever present uncomfortable feeling that I can never get done what I need to. This has been a demanding year and sometimes I feel that it is physically impossible for me to do all that I am trying to do. How does one juggle a full time teaching job, coordinating and directing an after school chorus with many gigs around the community, giving guitar lessons, taking care of a family, and helping a high school senior with all the extra scholarship applications and trips to colleges, and last but certainly not least complete the many assignments, reading, and discussion posts for two graduate courses? If anyone has any good suggestions, please offer them to me. I never turn down advice or constructive criticism.
The good news is that what I lack in time or strength, or even intelligence, I make up for in my determination to make all of this work and hopefully work well. I try to smile a lot and complain only a little and keep my sense of humor along with the hope that things will all work out the way they should and that the rewards of all my hard work will be so much greater than I can ever imagine.And so, back to work.

Feeling Hopeful Once Again

So I'm back. I've had a full week of exploring and my head is spinning from all that the virtual world has to offer. I could not experience it firsthand. It seems my computer is too slow. But through the many blogs that I have found on the subject and the kids I was able to interview who are gamers, I feel like I know so much more about this craze. Like everything in life, it has its good and its negative points. I can see how it offers an opportunity for problem solving through critical and creative thinking and there are choices and decisions to be made. While still believing in the educational value of some social networks, I feel a little unsettled about some of the experiences that I know the students could be exposed to. I am eager to see how this all fits into the 21st Century classroom. In the meantime, as promised, here is another attempt at uploading my video. This is a performance by my Songbirds singing "How Lucky You Are" from Seusical the Musical. Enjoy!

Fall Brook Songbirds

Fall Brook Songbirds

Fun with Video

I have to admit that though learning all these new applications does take up a lot of time, once you get the hang of it, you begin to see the many things you can do with them and how much they will enhance our lessons. I already use YouTube and it has helped me to learn how to tie a toga for our Ancient Greek Olympics, teach my Songbirds sign language, get some ideas for different units I'm using in the library, and find some old song or movie that my mom has been trying to remember. I'm sure that I will continue to use both YouTube and TeacherTube and find new purposes for it. I did upload a video of myself and a few other teachers performing Thriller at a school talent show. I've been trying to upload it here but apparently I still have a lot to learn. Much cooler to embed a video right here. Instead here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/ycuxgpn



Animoto is another fun site. It's all about photos and videos and creativity. With the time and a little practice, I feel this could become one of my most visited sites. I'm in the middle of finishing one starring my three sons. For now, "Hey, Hey we're the Songbirds". More problems. I can't upload the animoto video either.
I know that there is probably some minor step that I'm forgetting. For now, I will close.

So Many Toys, So Little Time

It's a rainy day and my first thoughts are getting cozy, making myself a cup of green tea, and exploring all these new treasures that I am being exposed to. I can easily do the "cozy" part, and I'm already sipping my hot cup of green tea. Ahhh, how soothing! Then reality smacks me on the back of the head. For I spent all day yesterday in Boston at the Hines Convention Center supporting our district's music program as my sons' high school jazz band and combo group and other like groups from high schools all around the country competed in Berklee's High School Jazz Festival. What incredible young musicians and vocalists we had the pleasure of hearing! I'm always amazed at the talent and drive of these students.
So what does this have to do with my plans for today? Well, I realized, as I so often do, that I am not the student I was many years ago before I assumed the role of wife, mother, daugther of an elderly parent, full time employee, director of a children's chorus, guitar teacher, and graduate student, not necessarily in order of importance but certainly all of equal pressures and demands. The difficult part is that I want to do them all and I want to do them all right.
So now to my "To Do List":

• Wash and pack clothes for my two sons going to Disney this week to perform with their high school jazz band
• shop for items they will need for the trip
• take my mother to fill her prescriptions
• grocery shop for the week ahead
• finish plans for my library classes this week
• do plans for my guitar students this week
• record two songs and write out lyrics for the Songbirds who have a gig coming up next week
• tweek my project due today
• work on my research project due in my other class due next week
• drive my son over to work on a group project for his social studies class
• help my other son with his scholarship applications due to be postmarked tomorrow
• cook??
• clean???

And so my story goes: I don't have the option of sitting back to thoroughly explore and enjoy all the fabulous tools out there. I need to proceed slowly because there are so many other responsibilities that I find in front of me. I am determined to be able to do it all and I'm hoping that I can do it all well, and I am really looking forward to the day when I can get "cozy", make another cup of green tea, take a deep breath, and do some heavy duty exploring and then applying all the treasures that I find to my lessons so that my students benefit as well as I. So, I already know how I'll be spending my summer. Here's hoping for a long one.

Exploration

Over the past week, I have had such mixed feelings over the online applications I was experiencing for the first time. I found that I could classify these applications by its organizational potential or by its curriculum integration potential. I certainly need help with both so I am truly excited about what I can do with these tools.


Before I detemine what to do with these tools, I need to learn how to use all their features.


My organizational quest began with Delicious and I can't understand how I could have missed this one. To be able to bookmark sites and have them handy when I want to access them is worth so much to me. Add the fact that these sites can be tagged in whatever fashion personally organizes them further has sold me. On the suggestion of one of my classmates, I will tag all the sites I have been introduced to while taking a course.


Shelfari will be my social cataloging tool. I find it simple to use which is a huge plus for me and what a great way to keep track of the titles, read reviews, and rate the books. I feel that this would be a great place for some of my older students to create book clubs.
In my searching, I happened upon PageFlakes. This seems to do it all: Notebook, calendar, message board, To do list and you can add Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, RSS feed, and more. PageFlakes can become your personalized social homepage. I feel this may have potential for me to become more organized with all that I am trying to do.
I had so much fun with Flickr. I plan to do much more with my loads of photos when I can find some down time.
I sent my first Voki and did I look cool. It was for my sister's birthday. I have always called her on her birthday to sing to her and this year I knew she would not be home. So I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to test this one out. I created the perfect Voki Me and recorded my rendition of Happy Birthday!! My sister is a teacher at another elementary school in my district and since she was at school, I decided to send it to her there. My only problem was that she didn't receive the first one. I sent one to myself to test the filters. I received "Me". I made one more attempt to send my sister hers only to find it was not successful. This reminds me of the problems I may have with integrating some of this new technology into my lessons.
More to come...

So many options, so little time

I've spent most of my time this week delving into the many online applications mentioned in this week's assignments. Each has potential to organize, liven up, and/or simplify our lives. Some were familiar to me and many were applications I had not heard mentioned before. Delicious is one that I was familiar with but had never attempted to use and now I wonder why. So many times before, I would jot down a website that I wanted to explore only to forget where I had jotted it down. Now any sites I bookmark are handy when I have the time to explore or am looking for a specific site. Besides the ones that I bookmark, Delicious offers a "hotlist" on its home page which helps to keep me informed as to any current topics of interest or importance. This is a great way to keep organized and I don't know why I waited so long to discover it.
I spent a fun afternoon learning the basics of Flickr and I can see why this image and video hosting website offers so much to anyone, whether it be an individual sharing personal photography or an educator looking for ways to liven up lesson plans and keep their students excited about all they can do online. I decided for my first attempt at a collection of images to use photos of the Songbirds, my school chorus. Parents are always sharing photos of our many performances and I also have collected photos taken at our weekly practices that parents may enjoy. So I chose a variety and enjoyed organizing, tagging, and mapping the photos. I added some annotations for fun. This wasn't a project that would use this feature to its full potential but I added a few to practice this feature.
Animoto is another application using images, this time taking the submitted photos and creating a video of them. I love this and can't wait to introduce this to my students.
Some of the teachers I work with had mentioned using SurveyMonkey in their classrooms. I can see how this would be useful to me as a tool to collect responses from my colleagues to survey questions that I create myself. This could help me make informed decisions as to how to manage the library or computer lab. In addition, it can be used by students to create their own questions to surveys relating to lessons we are engaged in. I already have plans to use Survey Monkey in my upper classes.
I can see the value in all of the sites I have visited this week. Each would add to my organization or lesson planning. I am hoping to incorporate as many as I can into my school routine. The more of these that I introduce to myself, my colleagues, and my students, the better informed and prepared we will all be as we attempt to keep up with the rest of the globe in the 21st Century educational arena.

Swimming in Widgets

Yes, I'm hoping to keep my head afloat while I'm diving into the seemingly endless pool of online applications. I have signed up for many of them in the hopes, not only of keeping up with my productive classmates, but because maybe some of these applications will help me to become a little more organized in my professional as well as my private life. Afterall, this is what it's all about.
I've been having a blast with RSS feeds and look forward each evening to all the wonderful "stuff"that comes my way.
Delicious is another addition to my newly found organization. To be able to know exactly where the sites are that I want to visit regularly has been a great timesaver for me. I'm hoping that with all this timesaving, I'll be able to get better acquainted with many of the other applications I've heard mentioned in class discussions and around my school. So I'll keep paddling on.

Wiki Wondering

Since my last blog, I have been attempting to make my wiki my own. I don't know what it is about wikis that confuses me, but I find it hard to maneuver around the site and get anything of substance added and added what it's supposed to be. I have tried both wikispaces and pbworks so I can't blame it on the site's ease of use. I've read about wikis online and the concensus is that they are an easy to use application that give so much organization and substance to any subject. So what's my problem. I'm hoping to resolve any problems I'm experiencing and make some progress. What I lack in wiki-bility, I make up for in my determination to get this done. So, here goes nothing... (Probably a wrong choice of words!)

Wiki-ing and Wondering

I spent some time today trying to add some personal touches to my newly created Wiki. At the moment, I am not feeling very confidant about my wiki-ing abilities. I'm hoping that I will be able to create the type of wiki that I can use at school to enhance the education of my students. But first, I need to understand what I'm doing as far as content and labeling of content so that it is easily assessible. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed and inadequate. Nothing that a little determination, focus, and patience can't cure. So my plan is to visit as many educator wikis that I can, making note of any aspects I would like to include in my own wiki and then return to mine with some fresh ideas. There is always the help menu. But is there a help menu for the help menu? Wish me luck.

Novice Blogger At Work

So I now have a blog in the works. Nothing fancy and because I'm new at this, nothing too much in the "meaningful" department. I hope that will change. I'm feeling relieved to have completed the beginning of this assignment by creating the blog, but I'm also feeling the pressure to become more comfortable with all this so that it can benefit me. I will be adding more in the form of a profile and personalization, but more importantly I hope some substance to my blogs. Time will tell.