153 Thinking...on Many Levels

Take two minutes (and a few seconds) and watch this...



Now react...

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]."

025.8 Adminstrators' Conference: The Value of Libraries

Are you a TEXAS SCHOOL Librarian?

If so, have you nominated your principal, your assistant principal, or other administrator to attend the 5th Annual Strong Libraries, Strong Scores Administrators Conference to be held Wednesday, April 1st during the Texas Library Association Conference in Houston? The nomination process has begun.

Nominate

Restricted to TEXAS School Administrators & Trustees

The administrators will hear how strong school library programs CAN positively effect TAKS scores. The evidence will be presented by nationally-known experts and teams of successful administrators and their librarians. There will opportunity to share experiences and ask questions on how to make current programs better!

Questions?

371.22 Videostreaming For the Younger Set

Last week, I was told this site existed so I went to see what it is all about. TOTLOL is for younger children and their parents to share the "funny" video experience. It is powered by YouTube and includes videos rated by parents as safe and appropriate for the younger children in the family. Here is the background behind the site which just launched about two weeks ago.

A check search thru the videos shows that animals and pets are a big part of the collection. I'm sure there are many other things that I will find when I return again. I selected this video because I too have a dog with a crazy habit. Enjoy!

http://www.totlol.com/watch/CoiFGva_JoY/Dog-Vs.-Balloons/0/

There are some "learning" videos included on the preview page as well...look like pre-reading and vocabulary building activities.

The site does not include file info (that I can find yet), so I can't put the video up here, but I'll be watching to see if things change.

I will be checking to see if it is available in district tomorrow...my initial thoughts are that it is not, at least for now, because of its association to YouTube.

Update: It is NOT available in district (for now anyway)

I will be adding it to our recently created wiki page of early childhood materials so others can check it out as well.

793.932 Another Second Life Adventure

Because of my membership in ISTE due to my planned attendance at NECC this summer, I got an email from one of my favorite bloggers, Blue Skunk Doug Johnson about a talk he was going to give this evening on ISTE Island in Second Life. (nope not open in district)

It was going to start in 15 minutes. Plenty of time I thought...and an opportunity to "hear" someone I had been reading for some time now! I also needed a reason to get back into Second Life and experience it again.

Ha! 45 minutes later I got in and only caught the last part of the talk.

When I opened Second Life, I was notified that I need to download an update or I would not be able to use the site. My possessed computer took FOREVER connecting to the download and then I had to wait for it to do its thing.

Ok, ok..only 10 minutes into the program. I clicked the transport address from the email and landed on the right island...with absolutely NO clue what to do next. I looked around and around and saw no one. Then I started hearing voices...barely. Dug up my headphones. Eureka, I was at least hearing the talk.

And as always, someone showed up and asked if he could help. Sorry, I did not get his name...but I think he is a "docent" for the island. He was great at explaining what I needed to do and was VERY PATIENT when I explained I moved slowly! BTW...he had a cool vehicle...forgot to "screen shot" it. Anyway, I walked carefully, managed to stay out from UNDER any buildings thistime, flew a little and crashed only once.
So I finally show up at the location...the screen is full of Blue Skunk's cartoons and they are talking away...and there is not one single person in the audience, but I see all kinds of names on the screen. There was 25 minutes left of the program so I just quietly listened and watched the typed comments on the screen.

Some points from the talk:
1. Human vs. machine
content filtering done by a machine cancels out the human's ability to discriminate what is appropriate for what situation...not a good practice, but "we" all do it!

2. Self-empowered or self-discovery type staff development...a good thing! Score one for my circle! We are doing that again this summer with our 23 Things...opportunity for educators to learn on their own with help/support, but the self-discovery of knowledge is a key component of the experience!

3. Blue Skunk reminded us of one of his favorite statements...# of kids in the library is in reverse proportion to the importance of the next visitor. Boy, that has been the truth for me in SO many cases!

4. Sometimes technology can be over used. If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything becomes a nail! His analogy...going online and finally finding the population of Bolivia from a 1995 CIA Fact Book vs. thumbing thru the current World Almanac that is probably sitting relatively close to the computer. not sure I know a lot of libraries that have a current World Almanac anymore, but I definitely understood his message. The right tool for the right job at the the right time!

Gosh, I wish I had heard the whole thing.
O, also ...You can download his book Machines are the Easy Part, People are the Hard Part: technology in the Schools for free here.

P.S. I loved his voice (my first time to hear him)...sounded just like what I had imagined from reading his posts!

And I KNOW inquiring minds are waiting...........................

patiently............................................

NO............................................

I did not sit down because I could not remember how!

For the uninformed...it's ok. You hadda be there to understand!
Just know that this Second Life thing is never gonna be a strong suit for me...I will keep trying, I know I will...it will just be continue to be pitiful. I just know it will.

371.2 Some More Thoughts on Change in Education

From David Warlick's 2¢ Worth blog is another video titled Learning to Change with a group talking about education and the need for changes for a variety of reasons.
It was a YouTube video in his blog and I went ahead and put it through the ZamZar process so it could be viewed in district. (changed it fro flv to mov that could be uploaded into this blog)



Points to ponder:
1. U.S. Dept of Commerce ranked education 55 out of 55 for its level of IT.
2. Kids could be rich content developers using 2.0 tools...if given opportunity!
3. Technology is not really a choice anymore...it is an environment.
4. Classroom system vs the need for a community system.
5. Using a formula based on factories of a hundred years ago instead of embracing 21st century ways.
6. Children live in "nearly-now."
7. School is only one place kids learn
8. Give teachers global connections if you want students to make global connections
9. Right-answer vending machine testing does not match the skills needed in the 21st work force

Listen for the 21st century list of literacies!

It's worth 5 minutes of your time.