741.6 Glogster: A Different Way to "Present"

741.6 Research Projects in the 2.0 World: Sharing the Learning

Typical 4th grade research project - learning about Texas cities.

Typically done? Not on your life!

One of the librarians in my circle who has embraced the 2.0 tools almost longer than anyone I know recently shared her school's version of the "typical" project.

Yes, each student researched a Texas city...each one used typical resources available to them...print and digital. So they had experience accumulating information and using research skills.

The 2.0 finished project - trading cards using the Big Huge Labs site.

The interaction experience - ACTUALLY trading the cards (and some treats courtesy of the librarian)

The assessment - the librarian developed a checklist activity and found out the students really did learn facts about Texas cities...and did it in a fun way!

I am so fortunate to work with librarians (and teachers and school leaders) who recognize that learning CAN be done in interesting and creating ways...with fun thrown in!

027.626 Teens & Libraries: How Do YOU get 'em In?

Over the last few years, I have been involved in lots of discussions about, plans for, and activities on getting teens to "use" our libraries. Most of the librarians in my circle understand that the 1980's version of the library is dead...and hopefully gone!

After all, the kids we work with these days weren't even around to know what we are talking about. Think about how many changes have come into your own life in the 20-25 years.

During the 1990's, the changes were coming faster and in bigger bites. I think we gave librarians and libraries passes who were still lagging behind because change is often difficult and is not cheap to accomplish.

But come on folks, the first decade of the 21st century is coming to a close. If you haven't changed, you MUST do it now. You must look at what libraries are doing to meet the needs of the teens.

Musty and dusty can no longer be the words associated with libraries...especially for teens! Let's try virtual, let's try visual, let's try music and sounds, let's try games, let's try F-U-N!

One of the librarians in my circle who really has grabbed hold of the change needed in working with teens is also so involved in using the 21st century tools that she has provided examples of life in her library these days.

Take a look. What you see is going on in lots of libraries in my circle...maybe not quite like this, but with the same excitement and enthusiasm. If your library doesn't "look" like this, maybe you should pick out an idea or two?

Yes, the videos are a little raw and rough. They were made with a little Flip camera and were made on the fly...with nothing but fun in mind. But the message is clear!

These kids LOVE to come to their library.

Students gather in groups to share the computers or wait patiently for their "turn" to use the Internet for what interests them.

Wii games have their own special little corner in this library. You can see friendly competition over baseball, boxing, and bowling!

But wait...these same kids read plenty of books and spend time looking for just the right one...and just the right reading spot.

And not all the fun and excitement happens on the computer. Traditional board games and card games are available to the teens at appropriate times!

Look at what the kids are doing in this last bit of video. Do you call that "virtual" skateboarding? I have never seen these miniature skateboard parks. Can't wait to see one up close.

Of course, all of this fun and excitement could not happen without the support of the school and the administration. The administration has supported the changes. Teachers help out with duty stations and participate in the fun with the kids. Volunteers have even been enlisted to help with painting and decoration.

O, and the negative side to all of this? Is there one?

Yes...

SO many kids want to come to the library that the librarian has had to create a schedule for the different grade levels for before school. There were concerns about safety and fire code. It also assures that everyone will have a chance to participate and play.

Don't you wish you had that problem?

Thanks to CL for the loan of her videos and pictures.

Her webpage. Her blog.

004.09 Did You Know 4.0: Stats about Our Current World

Ok, it is time to be reminded that what we have been doing in the 2.o world is NOT being done in isloation...we are playing and learning and testing and learning and practicing and learning the very things that more and more of the world is doing every day as a part of its normal, everyday world.

Is it a perfect world? No. Is it a totally safe way to do the business of everyday life? No. But neither is the other world!

It will take you a little more than 3 minutes to catch up with the latest and be reminded that it is ok to move forward and think differently, communicate differently, react differently, and most importantly in our little education corner of the world, learn differently!

Enjoy the current update of the wildly popular Shift Happens.

P.S. I'm intrigued by the method used in creating the text strips and some of the graphics. Pretty cool and worth the time as well!

In case the embedded video is blocked in district, here is the link. You should be able to see it through teacher sign-on of your computer.

028.162 Pura Belpré Awards

Author award:

The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle

Illustrator award:

Just In Case, illustrated and written by Yuyi Morales

Here is a video provided by Yuyi Morales about her award. It features Señor Calavera, a character often found in her books.

Invited from Yuyi Morales on Vimeo.

629.45 Moon Landing Plus One

My hometown's hip, hip hooray!


Check out the headlines from newspapers around the world.
Newseum has other things celebrating the 40-yr old event.
One online exhibit is about the video camera and the problem-solving
that went into the design and creation of the device.

629.45 Apollo 11: 40 Years and Counting

I know exactly where I was, who I was with , and what I was doing on this date at about this time 40 years ago today. I was watching a scientific miracle, the culminating activity of years of hard work, and the dreams of countless others come to fruition.

Man...two men in fact, walked on the moon...and I, for one, was spellbound! I was 17 years old and on the brink of my own adventure---senior year in high school, but I had planned for this event as if I were in the module on top of the rocket.

You see, not only was I child of the 60s, a product of the Cold War and post-Sputnik jitters, I lived around the space program. My summer neighbors were teachers of the astronauts and friends with people who knew the chimps who had been taught the rudimentary tasks to be performed in space. We got visit some retired chimps in their New Mexico compound. School field trips were routinely made to rocket launches in the desert outside my hometown. My family wandered around the deserts and mountains of the same general area encountering signs indicating Government Property-Keep Out Signs because all kinds of things were going on and being tested.

It was an exciting time. My mom and I decided we needed a color TV so we rented one for the special night. We could not imagine this special occasion occurring in our house in mere black and white. Of course, neither of us knew that the actual event itself would be broadcast IN black and white, and grainy at best! And we watched every minute...and held our breathe along with all the guys in Mission Control until we too heard: "Houston, the Eagle has landed!"

If you ever doubted the reasons for it beyond the sheer need of man to explore where he has never been then take a look at these lists of the benefits from the needs of the space program.

It goes WAY beyond Tang, Corningware, and velcro.

http://www.spacecoalition.com/products.cfm

NASA Spinoffs

Medical Benefits

It was a team effort, a team success. If you want to see how a team works, watch the mission control room. Watch the teams that suit the astronauts up and lock them in the capsule. Everyone had a job to do and everyone had to rely on everyone to do his job. It was something!

Do I hope we go back? Do I hope we go to Mars? You bet....I just hope I'm around to see some of it. My daughter has selected Coringware for her newlywed home. Do I hope SOME day to get to tell some cute little munchkins all about when it was first made and how...you bet! Do I want to hear them laugh about renting the color TV? Absolutely! And will I hold my breath until the adventure ends...count on it!

P.S. My father finally stopped pacing that night and went down to Sears the next day and bought a little 20 in. COLOR TV on a rickty aluminum stand...it was to be our rocketship to the future. We had to be up with the times! Who knew a microwave oven was just around the corner!

92 Walter Cronkite: The Voice of My History

The voice of history as I remember it was stilled today. Walter Cronkite was a part of significant events in my personal timeline of history.

That day in Dallas...

(I was home for lunch and was watching when the announcement came.)

That summer night in July...

(My family stayed up way into the night, waiting, waiting, waiting...my father pacing like I had never seen him do)

At school for almost any history lesson I had...

(His TV programs were adapted for school viewing and were major classroom resources during my 1960s public education.)

In his own words:

"And that the way it [was]."

306.093 Happy Birthday Happy Meals!

Another pop culture icon, the McDonald's Happy Meal is 30 years old today. Probably one of the best market gimmicks to come down the pike. And we swallowed it hook, lime and sinker, didn't we!

My older daughter is just young enough to say she has never know the world without Happy Meals...and believe me, my two girls had their share of them and all the cute little prizes. I think I finally got rid of (or passed on) the last of them during my last move.

The report I saw this morning said over 200 billion Happy Meals have been served. The most popular toys were the Beany Babies (100 million of those) and in their honor, the company is issuing a new set to commemorate the anniversary. I do have to say that was also one of the saddest things I have ever seen. When a new Beany Baby was coming out, people would line up in the drive-thru, order multiple meals to receive the toys, and as they drove out, dump bags and bags and bags of uneaten food! I HOPE that scene is not repeated.

The company also launched a Happy Meals website last year. If you don't have munchkins in your house and don't know about it, it probably is worth looking at, if, for no other reason than a nostalgic look back. Come on, if you are less than 40, you know you had your fair share, and if you are not, you have had kids who did!

McDonald's Happy Meal 30th Birthday - ABC News

Shared via AddThis

070.5 Working Out The Kinks with Bookr

In one of the online summer professional development programs we have going this year, one of the activities to make and post a bookr. We were having trouble at one of our f2f recesses trying to get this particular book to load. So I promised I would play with it this weekend. I needed a place to post it ...and so you reap the benefits of technology trial and error.

What did I do to get it to post? Absolutely nothing! Apparently all the stars were aligned and I held my mouth just right and boom, up it went ...with no hassle. And it fits the blog...no edge overhang...another issue that has popped up with these this summer. So I will make a note that I do it with my Mac. (Will try my PC later.)

Patience is one of the tools you have to have in the 2.0 world. When at first you don't succeed, [be willing to] try, try , try again!

Anyway, enjoy the lovely insect collection put together by Honey Bear. And if you've not put a little visual treat together for yourself, go grab some Flickr pix and play. There is a huge archival collection (7000+ so far) for your viewing pleasure as well.