Thursday, February 25, 2010

Punished by David Lubar


Logan knew it was wrong to be running in the library, but what does the old man mean when he says he should be punished for running? What do you do when an average trip to the library leaves you speaking in puns? What exactly is a pun? What is an oxymoron? And better yet what in the world is an anagram? Who has ever even heard of a palindrome? It is up to Logan to not only figure out the meanings of these words, but he has to find seven examples of each, all within five days! If he is unable to find these things out he will be speaking in puns for the rest of his life! People are starting to get real annoyed with all the puns, what if he can never stop? He will be "pun"ished for life!


A 2008 Maud Hart Lovelace Award Nominated Book!







See more about this author at: http://www.davidlubar.com/

See examples of oxymorons here: http://www.fun-with-words.com/oxym_example.html

See examples of palindromes: http://www.english-for-students.com/Palindromes.html

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Project Mulberry: A Novel by Linda Sue Park


Silkworms, can you get any more Korean than a silkworm project? When Julia and Patrick joined the Wiggle Club (Work-Grow-Give-Live) they need to find a project dealing with husbandry. I know that living in the suburbs will make it very difficult to find an animal to raise, but why can't we do an American project? When my mother suggest that we do a silkworm project, I was not the least bit thrilled, but Patrick is excited. Maybe we won't be able to find the silkworms only food source, a mulberry tree, if we can't find a tree Patrick and I will HAVE to pick another topic. My best friend Patrick, yes I am a girl and he is a boy, really wants to do this project, but I don't. What is I don't tell him that the reason I don't want to do the project is because I feel it is way too Korean, I risk my friendship with Patrick because I am being stubborn. After I finally agree to do the project I then get to deal with the fact that my mother is racist against black people. This reality hits home when the only mulberry tree in our area is in Mr. Dixon's backyard, a black man. When we visit Mr. Dixon, my mother is very apprehensive about Patrick and I going to his home to gather food for the silkworms. Why had I never noticed that my mom was racist? Things in my past are finally clear I can see that when I had a black teacher my mother spent a lot of time asking me questions about her, I thought she was concerned that she was a bad teacher, but was it because she was black? See how much I learn about myself, friendship and my mother being racist.

See more about this author at: http://www.lspark.com/bio.html

Want the author's autograph? See this link on how to contact this author with questions, or to get her autograph! http://www.lspark.com/faq.html

Follow the author at her blog at: http://lsparkreader.livejournal.com/

Read book reviews at: http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/0618477861.asp
Want to see a sample of a silk worm project look here: http://www.lindasuepark.com/books/mulberry/mulberryread.html

Reading age level 9-12 years old
Clarion Books, 2006

Friday, February 19, 2010

Listen to This: Getting Beyond Good

One of the good people I follow on Twitter led me to these podcasts reviewing books for young adults.  They are recorded with Gabcast, a free podcasting tool.  Give one a listen and then try it yourself!  If you don't like Gabcast, try AudioBoo, Vocaroo, gCast or SnapVine.

Free Digital Storytelling eBook

Microsoft is offering a free ebook and some templates for digital storytelling including rubrics for evaluation

The book is excellent!  It covers the basics, the advantages of using digital storytelling in education, the basic tools and dozens of projects ideas for all grade levels.  The principles apply no matter which movie, slideshow, or presentation software you use, so download the book and get started!

Microsoft is also sharing free guides to using  Photo Story 3 and/or Windows Live Movie Maker on the site, too, and teachers share ideas and tell their own stories about digital storytelling.


If you haven't taken a trip to the University of Houston's Digital Storytelling site, do it.  Even Microsoft went to them for the ideas in their ebook!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin


*****One of the five finalist for 2006 National Book Club Award*****

How do you know if you are having a bad day? How bad can a day be, is it a day that your mother is completely crazy and comes after you with a kitchen knife for sneeking a cookie? Is it a day that your mother goes out at night for a date and doesn't come home for days, leaving you to fend for yourself and your two younger sisters? What kind of man helps a young child in a convience store when his parent is being abusive? When Matt sees Murdock in the store he knows he needs to find him, if he helped a strange maybe he could help Matt and his sisters deal with Nikki. It is unfortunate when Nikki gets in the way with Murdock, and she tries to develop a relationship with him and it ends in disaster just like everything else that Nikki touches. Will anyone step in to help these poor children survive their mother, will Murdock, Ben or Aunt Bobbie see what Nikki is doing to her children? There is one thing that this book will teach you, it will teach you to survive and only those who survive get to tell the story.


See book support materials here: http://www.nancywerlin.com/rules_guide.htm#about

See more about this author at: http://www.nancywerlin.com/

See an interview with this author at: http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/lit_resources/authors/interviews/NancyWerlin.html




Reading Level 13-18 Years Old
Penguin Group, 2006

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

PhotoPeach

If you aren't familiar with PhotoPeach, here's a great example of what you can do with it (on a topic related to this class, of course!)

Genres of Fiction on PhotoPeach

In the "story mode," you can add captions, music and questions to your images. There's also a "spiral mode" that is kind of cool. Think booktalk. Think book trailer. Think non-traditional book report. Think BLOG post for this course! Try it with some of your own images. It's free.

Homework Machine by Dan Gutman

Who wants a machine that does your homework??? It even does your homework in your own handwriting!


Reader Level 9-12 Years

Aladdin Paperbacks, 2006


When the class geek invents the "Homework Machine" he decides to keep it a secret. His first teacher, places four loner students together in a group and this is the beginning of the trouble. At first Benton decides to use the machine alone, he doesn't really need the help, but hey who doesn't want to get out of a little homework. While bragging one day Benton lets the cat out of the bag and he tells the other three students about the machine. When the other students at his table are introduced to the machine, they are addicted to it immediately. It isn't like Benton needs the help, but Sam, Kelsey and Judy all need help with their grades. The first year teacher doesn't notice the vast improvement in their grades right away, but how long can they carry on this charade? Then a Mr. Milner starts stopping certain members of the group to ask them questions about Benton, this makes the group of four worry. As this diary style book introduces the Grand Canyon Police, the students have a reason to become concerned.


See the book review @ http://www.bookpage.com/0604bp/children/homework_machine.html


Read more about this author at his homepage Dan Gutman @http://www.dangutman.com/


If you enjoyed this book you should read the follow up book: The Return of the Homework Machine by Dan Gutman

Monday, February 15, 2010

It's About Time

One of the two new Barbie dolls will be a computer engineer.  From BitTech News:

Computer Engineer Barbie comes equipped with everything a modern geek girl needs: "a Barbie® smart phone, fashionable laptop case, flat watch and Bluetooth earpiece," alongside the aforementioned laptop making her "ready to conquer the day's tasks on the go or from her desk."

For those who are afraid that Barbie's journey into the world of computer science would mean she would have to give up on her noted sense of fashion, good news: Computer Engineer Barbie comes dressed in "a t-shirt featuring binary code and [a ] computer/keyboard icon along with a pair of black knit skinny pants," designed to be "representative of a real computer engineer."

Better yet, those deciding to buy Computer Engineer Barbie get "a special code to unlock exclusive online game content on Barbie.com," in order to "further experience the reality of being a computer engineer" - which is to say, playing on-line Flash games.

In all seriousness, the latest Barbie to come out of the Mattel factories has the thumbs-up from some pretty influential people in the computer science industry: no less than Nora Lin, the president of the Society of Women Engineers, believes that "as a computer engineer, Barbie will show girls that women can design products that have an important and positive impact on people's everyday lives, such as inventing a technology to conserve home energy or programming a newborn monitoring device."

Joe's Non-Netbook

A digital native?

Friday, February 12, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day!




Since My Valentine Got A Computer
Since my Valentine got a computer
My love life has taken a hit.
Nothing I say is important
Unless it’s a byte or a bit.
Before she got her new laptop,
Everything was just fine;
Now she says we can’t talk
Unless we both go online.
"But honey," I said, "I’m attached to you;
Love is what I feel."
"That keyword isn’t relevant,"
She said, with eyes of steel.
She clicked the keyboard furiously;
The screen was all she could see,
And then to my horror and shame,
She started describing me:
"Your motherboard needs upgrading;
Your OS needs help, too.
And you definitely need a big heatsink
To cool your CPU."
"Don’t flame me, my sweet," I pleaded.
"Not on Valentine’s Day."
"Fix the bugs, and I’ll see," she said,
While looking at me with dismay.
"What ever you want, my darling;
Whatever you need; you call it.
I’ll upload or download anything,
And then I’ll go install it."
(Her hostile CD keeps replaying,
And though I don’t want to fight her,
Is this what I want for a Valentine?
I’ve been burned; can I rewrite her?)
"Are you all hard drive now," I asked
"Is there no software in you?
Don’t you remember the good times?
Let our memories see us through."
"LOL," she said to me, chuckling.
"You’re nothing but adware.
"I’ve got four gigs of memory;
I’ve got no problem there."
"Please, honey, we can save it," I said.
"Our love means more than that."
"That’s not in my cache; we’re going to crash,"
She said, as she turned me down flat.
(This woman has really changed;
Do I really want to chase her?
More and more I’m thinking
It might be nice to erase her.)
"Aw, honey, don’t talk like that," I said.
"Can’t we just plug and play?
I hereby accept default,
And I’m yours, my love, come what may.
My goal is to make you happy;
I want to be your portal,
But your sudden, distant coldness
Would test the strongest mortal.
If we need a brand new interface,
So we can FTP,
I’m your go along, get along guy,
And I want you to stay with me."
"If you want to get into my favorites," she said,
And you want to get past my encryption,
If you want to get through my firewall,
Here is my only prescription."
"First, put up your own Web site,
And e-mail me when it’s done.
I’ll check your page rank with Google,
And tell you if you’re the one."
My life has become a real trial,
Since my Valentine got a computer.
If I want her to care about me again,
I guess I’ll have to reboot her.
 

Monday, February 8, 2010

Read Across America!

The National Education Association is building a nation of readers through its signature program, NEA's Read Across America. Now in its fourteenth year, this year-round program focuses on motivating children and teens to read through events, partnerships, and reading resources.
NEA's Read Across America logoNEA's Read Across America Day, NEA's national reading celebration takes place each year on or near March 2, the birthday of Dr. Seuss. Across the country, thousands of schools, libraries, and community centers participate by bringing together kids, teens, and books, and you can too!

On March 2, the National Education Association calls for every child to be reading in the company of a caring adult.

Highlights from the website:


Lights!  Camera!  Action!  Looking for your 15 minutes of fame? SchoolTube has created a Read Across America channel designed to showcase student and educator videos from around the country. You'll also be able to watch new video created especially for Read Across America. To sign up and share your videos, go to www.schooltube.com/user/NEAreadacrossamerica
What's Your Favorite Book Series?  Is it J.K. Rowling's adventures with Harry Potter, C.S. Lewis' tales from the Chronicles of Narnia, or Beverly Cleary's much-loved stories of America's favorite mischief maker Ramona? Read Across America wants to know. Vote now or add your own favorite to the mix in the Read Across America Online Poll . Cast your vote and see who's in the top spot.
 How will you celebrate?

Sunday, February 7, 2010

One Person's Opinion?

Because I hope you're still thinking about the role of the school library media specialist (OK, I still can't call us "school librarians")...you should take a look at this post from a language arts teacher:


Ouch!  It hurts!  Be sure you read the comments, and feel free to leave one if you'd like! 

Two Birds, One Stone

You can experience learning in a virtual world and find out more about producing book trailers by participating in this free event.  I plan to be there!

Second Life: AASL-SIGMS Virtual Learning Community
Feb 8:  8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5pm PT
Guest facilitator:  Bernajean Porter
Book Trailers: Seen Any Good Books Lately?

Book trailers are NOT book reports. Similar to movie trailers, video book trailers are short, minute and a half to two-minute videos that introduce the basic storyline in ways that arouse your audience interest to read THAT book. Engage students in the artful video advertisement or PSA of a book with techniques and creative decisions being made by the director that tells enough to interest but not to spoil the plot. Merging the technology of books with digital tools is an engaging adventure for students – explore resources, ideas, tools, and processes for starting your own book club theater! Join us on Monday, February 8th, 8:00 PM ET/5pm PT @ Atlantis Underwater Paideia Colluseum. SLURL Location: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eduisland%206/61/156/7

Bernajean Porter is a nationally-recognized expert in educational technology.  She is a well-respected consultant who specializes in curriculum, facilitation, and consensus building.  For more information, see her DigiTales website at http://www.digitales.us/about/about_bernajean.php.

If you are new to Second Life, set up an account to join us:
  1. Go to the Second Life website at http://secondlifegrid.net/programs/education several days in advance to set up your free basic account.
  2.  Verify that your computer and connectivity meets the systems requirements at http://secondlife.com/support/sysreqs.php
  3. Click on the orange “Get Started!” button. Go through the subsequent screens to create your avatar account.
  4. Download and install the Second Life viewer software at http://secondlife.com/support/downloads.php.
  5. Open the software and log into Second Life using your avatar first name, last name, and password. Watch your avatar “be born”. Complete the orientation activities to learn about how to communicate, move, search, and edit your appearance.
  6. When finished, search “Places” for locations such as Chicago Public Schools, ISTE, or the American Library Association. Teleport to a favorite location, explore, and become acquainted with Second Life. (When searching, make sure the “search mature places” square is checked.)
  7. Fifteen minutes prior to scheduled meetings, log on and IM Elaine Tulip for a teleport to the meeting location or use provided SLURL.
Some of Bernajean's Second Life sessions can be found on YouTube if you'd like to experience Second Life second-hand!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Green Eggs and Ham: An Invitation

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of "Green Eggs & Ham" this year, co-hort, Karen DeFrank of New Jersey and myself (here in Georgia) are coordinating Seuss activities at our respective schools.  We would like to do a display of people reading GE&H...everywhere!  If you would like to e-mail a picture of you reading GE&H, please do and tell where it was taken, your name (to give you credit) and any other info. you feel pertinent.  Linda Martin sent pictures of her reading GE&H at the Make Way for Ducklings in the Boston Commons.  I plan to get our public library staff to also pose at their site reading it and myself at some well-known local spot...if it quits raining long enough for me to do so!

So, think GREEN...think interesting...and share your pix!  Ha...  If people do not mind, I can post for others to view, but the only way I will have to do so will be by putting it on a site on FaceBook and posting a link to that site.  If you'd prefer I not post your picture on-line for others to see, please be sure to tell me.

Thanks in advance!

Tony Pope
Library Media Specialist
McHenry Primary School
100 McHenry Dr.
Rome, GA  30161


(via LM_NET)