LMC Lady

Season Change

2009-04-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

As I went on my I-really-should-do-this-everyday walk this morning along a familiar path, I was reminded of how renewing it is that we have a change of seasons in Minnesota. The air was brisk, the sky was blue, the terrain was crunchy, brown and tired of winter:

And I remembered last fall when it looked like this:

This morning the lake reflected the surrounding beiges and browns:

Last fall it looked like this:

My back yard garden this morning - apparently dead as a doornail:

But in only 2 months it will look like this:

My Magnolia tree this morning, an April DOA...

will transform to this in just 1 month:

Winter certainly has raised havoc with my front yard:

Come June, this is what happens:

This bony thing...

is really a lush Japanese Lilac tree that blossoms in June:

Oh, and this guy stays the same all year round.

Ain't life grand?

King of the Roost

2009-04-07T06:42:00.000-07:00

In November of 2003 we decided to get a dog. It had to be dander-free since both Abby and I have allergies. That narrowed the breed possibilities down quite a bit to a Bichon Frise, Shih Tzu, Poodle, one of those hairless, rat-looking jobs and a few more. As luck would have it, Abby's flute teacher, our neighbor, was moving and she wanted a new home for her family's Shih Tzu. Well, who could say no? He was 5, already trained, had shots, necessary puppy-preventing snipping had been done, and he had this face:

He came with 2 chewed up toys and his favorite blanket. Not enough for our new baby. I immediately went out and bought a new ball, treats, squeeze toy and a comfy bed. The bed was a hit; the toys and treats were ignored. He stuck with what was familiar and has never wavered. The 45 seconds a day he spends playing is always with this green and white toy, one that came with him, or a similar multi-striped near replica.
Now let me explain this shot. He had the typical red eye going on, so I practiced editing photos and this was the result. He's not really able to rotate his eyes in 2 different directions at once like a cartoon character. He may be challenged, but not to the extent depicted here:

We've enjoyed him to no end and although he's not the brightest bulb on the tree, he has the biggest heart. He's going deaf now, and when elevated voices don't work, hand clapping does. When he's doing his business in the snow, however, no clapping is necessary to get him to come in:

Speaking of winter, bring it on:

So now he's almost 12 and has settled in. Sometimes he forgets that he doesn't have to cry at the bottom of the steps as if an invisible leash is holding him there and that he has full permission to go pretty much where he wants to go in the house, but a simple clap and gesture signaling "come on up" brings him right back to reality. After all, don't we all have memory lapses now and then? Most of my exercise these days seems to come from retracing my steps trying to remember why I wanted to go to a particular spot and what I wanted to accomplish once there. But once Kieko hits the couch, he knows his job is to steadfastly protect us from all the dangerous joggers and dog walkers that pass by our front window, all of which he can still see from his favorite post, because thank goodness, he's not going blind yet.

And after a hard day's work which included probably only 18 hours of sleep, what can be better than a little R & R?

He's aging gracefully. His groomer likes to give him a little Fu Manchu mustache when he gets trimmed, but I think it adds years so I always cut it off. Guess I forgot part of it this time:

Just look at how irresistible he is in the lap of my wonderful daughter. Aren't they both just stunners?

Spring Break in Indian Wells

2009-04-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

My friend Harry and I accepted the generous offer of our friends Debbie and Dan to spend a few days with them at Deb's home in Indian Wells California. Harry took me to school last Friday and kept my packed suitcase, bringing it along when he and his brother picked me up from school that day. School could not pass fast enough...I was so excited. Right from school to the airport. What a deal! We arrived around 7:30 pm CA time and Deb & Dan were at the airport to pick us up at the Palm Springs Airport which, incidentally, sports a lovely, open air area between drop off and pick up, and has a concourse named for Sonny Bono.
We stopped at a famous Italian PS spot called Tony's where it felt more like NY City than CA. Everyone had East Coast accents and looked like extras from the Sopranos set. Guys with dark shirts open at the neck and elderly ladies whose hayday had been sometime in the early 60s but who still had the same hair color and Jackie O sheath dresses only now size 14 instead of 8, chatted and sipped on cocktails. Scores of autographed pics of 50s and 60s celebs surrounded us. What a wonderful welcome to PS. We actually ended up dancing with many sixty-somethings who looked very much like these patrons when we went to The Nest and boogied to the music of Tim, piano bar soloist extraordinaire. It was like discoing at Scottie's in Minneapolis during the 70s.

Dan drove us to Indian Wells (another huge plus of this vacation was being chauffeured everywhere by Dan!) where Deb's home is and for the first time saw the beautiful pool in the backyard and the spectacular view of the Santa Rose Mts.

Her neighborhood is full of stunning landscaping from cascading red bougainvillea bushes to gigantic succulents.
Over the next few days we spent hours by the pool reading, relaxing, laughing, and my version of swimming which includes no leg motion and a flotation device directly under my backside. Whenever we wanted a snack, we could walk over to one of Deb's tangelo, orange or grapefruit trees and pick one. I'd never had fresh citrus fruit before and now I'm spoiled for life.
One day we went to a street fair held in the parking lot of the College of the Desert where we had a fabulous hotdog for breakfast (yes, that's right, and it was surprisingly great.) Debbie and I bought hats for wearing in the sun and Harry bought a very unique visor that sported fake gray fur on top, somewhat resembling hair.
Since we are all children of the 60s, we have a fond appreciation of that beloved B-level show, Hullabaloo, and lucky for us Dan has acquired the DVD set. Several months ago we were watching an episode and developed a keen admiration for one of the dancers named Tommy (we know this because each dancer has his/her name in huge letters displayed on the Hullabaloo shirts they wear.) Tommy's energy and boogaloo spirit are always a notch above the others, and in this particular act Tommy hopped from side to side, arms plastered against his sides, legs tightly together, as if he were performing an accelerated hop-scotch move. Tommy's ability so impressed Harry that he made his own Hullabaloo shirt by taking an old t-shirt and writing Hullabaloo on the front. And you know what was on the back: "Tommy," of course. When Dan started playing the DVDs, Harry dashed to the bedroom and came out in his t-shirt, shades and his new hair-sprouting visor - oh and shorts too. He then joined the Hullabaloo dancers by gyrating next to the television set, keeping in perfect sync with their head-wagging, booty-wiggling moves. The audience was in awe and entertained beyond our wildest dreams.

If you click on the pic below, you'll see a video of Harry performing his splendiferous moves.

We also had some memorable meals, one at Sullivan's, where the steak was to die for. At the Cafe' Italia we were serenaded by wait staff who belted out Broadway hits, and at the Pacifica the generous manager treated us to an appetizer of grilled scallop on wasabi mashed potatoes. Very unique, beautifully presented and delicious. For thirty years I thought I didn't like scallops because the last tiny ones I had were slimy and rubbery, very unlike this fist-sized perfectly done distant cousin. Fabulous.
One night Dan grilled NY Strips, chicken breasts, asparagus, brussel sprouts, red pepper, corn on the cob, and spuds, all done on a regular old-fashioned Weber charcoal grill and all done perfectly. Another memorable meal.
We saw part of a magic show at the McCallum and went to an antique car show as well as a farmers' market in La Quinta.
All in all it was four of the best days I've spent in years. Good food, good surroundings, good entertainment, and best of all, good comradery and friends. Wonderful memories....

Oh by the way, this is what was in store for me when I came home:

Viva Indian Wells!

"Mom, guess what? Just caught a wild boar..."

2009-02-22T06:21:00.000-08:00

Now, let's say that you're the mom of a 20-year-old who is studying in Rome for spring semester and is taking weekend trips to Dublin, Amsterdam, Krakow, Greece and a week's trip to Tunisia. Let's further say that this weekend she tells you she is going to a cute farm in a small town two hours outside of Rome where she can have her own room (something she hasn't had in ages) and will be hiking and horseback riding. I investigate online and any concerns I had are put to rest. http://www.italyfarmstay.com/index.html This, from a mom's perspective, is pretty much a slam dunk, worry-free jaunt, except, of course, for the Saturday a.m. phone call which proves to be a momentary snag in the bliss. She was stranded at a train station alone in a small Italian town whose name she didn't know. Apparently her connecting train hadn't shown up. But that's another story. Fast forward to Sunday morning when this text arrives: "Mom, guess what? I just
hiked barefoot through a waterfall and caught a wild boar!" Hmmmmmmm. I text back, "With what, your hands?" and the reply is, "No, the guy did, but we circled it." The first picture that flies through my head is my barefooted daughter going nose to nose with a boar. The next thought is, what guy? After calming down, however, and remembering "the guy" is the bed and breakfast guy, I find myself so excited that she can experience this and have such an unforgettable moment. And I'm so glad she decided to forge forward after getting stranded in the small town, proceeding to get on the wrong train, having to go back to that small town to get the right train, and finally making it to this wonderful bed and breakfast near Sora where she successfully connected with her friend from school. It was worth the newly sprouted gray hairs I now sport because I believe it's true that the challenges and setbacks we conquer bring us wisdom and strength that will serve us well throughout life. On to the next adventure....

(Sources of images:
http://www.italyfarmstay.com/gallery/gallery.html and http://www.swla.co.uk/SWLAmembers/meadh/Mead_wild_boar.JPG)

Back At It

2009-01-12T17:14:00.000-08:00

My daughter is in Rome and plans to record her impressions and thoughts on her blog, to critique cities and restaurants, to describe her dorm and classes or anything else she fancies. Suddenly I found myself missing my blog. I had originally set it up in 2007 as part of an information literacy initiative, but now I can write not only about information literacy and school, but about family, weather, pets, friends, food, movies, or in this case neighbors. Now I know that people complain about neighbors, but I've been lucky in mine. For example, I just went out to blow the 4 inches of snow from my driveway before the -30 degree wind chill set in, and what did I find? My kind neighbor had already done it for me! Who says being neighborly is a thing of the past? Thanks, Gary. Here's to Minnesota nice.
Source of image: Google Images. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.worldproutassembly.org/images/snowstorm.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.worldproutassembly.org/archives/2006/12/snowstorm_leave.html&usg=___kmOPa92axUix9oSxlm3hHqCKoM=&h=391&w=580&sz=35&hl=en&start=4&tbnid=RfX5xcjBlvfjBM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsnowstorm%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DG

Library Orientation Video - iMovie

2008-05-10T15:47:00.000-07:00

For five years now every fall I have presented a library orientation for our new freshmen. The talk lasts about 40 minutes. I do 13 of these presentations in a 2 week span. Even I can see that listening to me describe what goes on in the library for 40 minutes can get a little, well, ho-hum. Since year 2 I've been thinking how much better it would be to SHOW the kids instead of tell them, and the best way would be through a video using students as the actors and narrators. This year I was so fortunate to be able to work with Karen, a techno-savvy intern whom I knew could not only handle this daunting task, but would do it well. I"m happy to say that my mama didn't raise no fool. Asking Karen to produce the video was one of my better decisions (unlike the one to use my long sweater as a mini-dress for student teaching, but that's another story...) The iMovie is almost done and it will accomplish in about 15 minutes what took me 40, and will do it in an entertaining and informative way. We plan to post it on TeacherTube when it's done and I'll provide a link to it on my website. I'm excited. When you see it, you will not believe that this is Karen's first experience with iMovie. I knew she could do it. Thank you Karen!
(iMovie logo found on Google Images http://www.edb.utexas.edu/lhd/images/imovie.jpg)

Using SlideShare & Google Docs Presentation

2008-04-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

At today's MILP meeting we learned how to use SlideShare and I created my first Google Docs presentation. Coincidentally, it happens to be on Google Docs:

| View | Upload your own

Google Docs Across the Curriculum? Thing #11 Revisited

2008-04-01T05:45:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been thinking that we might serve our students well if we included Google Docs instruction across the curriculum somehow. I'm planning on proposing this idea to our English Department first to get some feedback, and if they agree, then figure out the best way to teach every student how to use Google Docs. Why? Every day I have students coming to me with floppies or flash drives that won't open on our computers. They unknowingly used Works instead of Word at home to word process and our school computers have been ghosted without the conversion software, or at home kids have the latest Word version which our school computers don't recognize, or the floppy is old and useless, or the computers won't open the flash drive. Novell is a great way for kids to work on projects and save them when they are at school, but it doesn't solve the home-to-school issue. Google Docs would. The first step would be how to get at every student. I could do it through the Information Literacy homeroom lessons I do with 9th graders, but 20 minutes isn't really enough time to help every student set up a Google account and show them how to use Google docs. English would be a good spot, but English gets hit with so many reach-every-student initiatives already. Maybe I could train the staff during opening week next fall, or maybe the Tech Integration program next year could train the 20 or so participants. I'll have to think about this.
(Google docs logo above taken from Google Images: http://larryhendrick.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/google-docs-logo.jpg)

More Reliable Online Resources - Thing #14

2008-03-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

Four of the MILP members and I have formed an Information Literacy Professional Learning Committee (PLC) this year at our school. Last week we met for an update. All four have been using the ROR sites, including databases, but additionally have now introduced their students to the world of reliable online public library and textbook links. Through the direction of these teachers, students are poking around in the St. Paul Public Library's Contemporary Literary Criticism database, the Smithsonian, Library of Congress and McDougal Littel websites. Our students are delving even further into that big online world beyond Google.

Sprucing Up My Homepage - Thing #27

2008-03-15T13:53:00.000-07:00

I love having an iGoogle homepage because it allows me to have the information I want all in one place. I recently added my Google Reader subscriptions as an RSS feed to my homepage. So now whenever there's an update on any activity taking place in state or federal legislatures regarding school libraries, I find out about it pronto.
On another note, I am very taken with del.icio.us and have already used it to put together some links for a teacher on the 1940s. Thanks, Karen!

(Source for image: http://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2007/01/14/rss_tools_and_services.htm)

New RSS Feed - Thing #3 Revisited

2008-02-18T12:03:00.000-08:00

We learned in our last MILI meeting how to set up RSS feeds from EBSCO and ProQuest. I'm planning on setting up a link to the ALA Washington D.C. blog using Google Reader so I can keep updated on the progress of the SKILLS Act. However, as often happens when exploring new facets of the internet, I noticed the "Photos" link next to the "Reader" link on my Google homepage. Up to this point I'd ignored it because I use Snapfish to hold my photo albums on the web. Someone told me how much they liked using Picasa, a free web-based photo manager, and I discovered that Google Photos uses it. Naturally, Google fan that I am, I downloaded it. I'm just learning to use it, but at first blush it appears to offer many more options than Snapfish. The main advantage? It's free. Mind you, Snapfish only charges around 50 cents a year, but it's still kind of a nuisance to get the e-mail reminders saying that if I don't order something, my account will be canceled. I will have to rename all the pics I downloaded into Google Photos, but that's not the worst thing in the world. The image in this blog entry is my first attempt to use an image from Google Photos. It worked!

Free Images and Sound for Your Website & Blog - Thing #26

2008-02-03T08:57:00.001-08:00

I was looking for an image to use on a project and since I'm not at school where I have my cache of copyright-friendly images I purchased (on CDs), I went to my guru's website to see if I could find something, and sure enough, Joyce Valenza came through yet again. She's created a great page called Copyright-Friendly and Copyleft Images and Sound (Mostly!)for Use in Media Projects and Web Pages, Blogs, Wikis, etc.
It's so good, I decided to include it on my Pathways to Websites page and thought you might like to know about it too. I don't know about you, but kids are always on Google images looking for pics (completely oblivious to copyright laws) and often can't find what they're looking for. Also, staff who are concerned about copyright issues ask me where I get the images I use in Urban Planet. I'd love to share mine but can't because the copyright on the image CDs I purchased essentially says: 1) no sharing and 2) no using them for profit. Now I can send people here: http://comosr.spps.org/pics. The shortcut is comosr.spps.org/pics.
(Note: the picture of Joyce was taken by Jim Graham)

Spreadsheets in Google Docs - Thing #11

2008-02-03T08:02:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to move some personal files to a web-based format for a long time so I can access them from anywhere. Now that I'm old, I find I need to strike when the iron is hot when it comes to ideas, or I'll forget them. Jotting them down on paper just doesn't cut it for me. So this morning I decided to tackle the issue. I tried moving a Works spreadsheet doc saved on my home computer to Google Docs, a great place to keep web-based docs, but the Works format wasn't accepted in Google Docs' Xcel program. After many attempts, I found a way: Converting the existing Works info to text & tabs in Notepad and then copying and pasting the info into a Google Docs blank Xcel spreadsheet worked. This will be great. Whenever I remember I need to add something, I can, no matter where I am -- well, make that no matter which computer is in front of me. Cool.

Social Networking - Thing #36

2008-01-26T09:45:00.000-08:00

I just watched PBS's Growing Up Online (thank you Steve for lending me your tape and to Leslie Y. for telling us about the show) and was riveted to the screen. It's not that I didn't know all of these things were going on with kids online, it's that I've never seen so many kids interviewed about the topic. The issues have faces now. Many facets of going online were covered including kids' personal computer use, use at school, parents' and teachers' viewpoints, as well as experts' opinions. But what stood out for me was listening to the kids describe what they get from social networking. While there were many sad and frightening aspects of this show, I came away thinking this: If we as parents and teachers teach our kids from the get-go how to handle themselves online, everyone will benefit. Kids will know what to do when they encounter the seedy side of cyberspace, and adults can feel less anxious about what their kids are doing online. I agree with the women who said this is not going away. We need to embrace the positive aspects and teach our kids how to handle the negative aspects. I liked how one women said that she knows her kids are "good kids," but that she's worried her good kids will make maybe even one dramatically bad choice that will adversely affect their entire lives. As a parent of a teen, I know so well what she's talking about. It's difficult trying to balance worry and anxiety about what choices are being made, with pride and excitement about what choices are being made - the coin has two sides and it keeps flipping.
Social networking is here to stay. Personally, I think my daughter has enough sense to wade through the weirdos and get rid of them, to refrain from posting anything that will jeopardize her safety or future, or anything that will harm someone else. She has a good head on her shoulders and she'll use it online just like she does everywhere else.

Wikis - Thing #32

2008-01-13T10:58:00.000-08:00

I was glad to learn about wikis in our last session. I can see how they would be great collaborative tools and storage tools for documents that can be easily accessed by a number of people. Wikis are more user friendly and seem to do what Google docs do and more, so I'm wondering what the advantages to using Google docs would be.

Dramatic Chipmunk on You Tube - Thing #21

2008-01-06T10:57:00.000-08:00

I belong to MEMO, a state school library media specialists organization. A fellow member recently sent us a link that deals with fair use in video use, which has some good info, but even more important, it introduced me to a cultural phenomenon I hadn't heard about. I may be late to the party, but at least now I know about the 5-second YouTube video called "Dramatic Chipmunk" that has evidently been all the rage for the last 6 months. It's a stitch (be sure you have sound -- you need it for the full effect:):

I also broadened my vocabulary by learning the word "meme" which is defined by Urban Dictionary as "an idea, belief or belief system, or pattern of behavior that spreads throughout a culture either vertically by cultural inheritance (as by parents to children) or horizontally by cultural acquisition (as by peers, information media, and entertainment media.)"
Apparently, "Dramatic Chipmunk" is one of 2007's most famous memes. Here's a 1-minute YouTube video that talks about it:

I know, I know -- I have to get a life......

Using MnLINK and ELM - Thing #16

2008-01-05T06:43:00.000-08:00

Whenever I see the ELM homepage, I'm reminded how much I'd love to see our SPPS Reliable Online Resources webpage do the same thing. A pathways system to websites and databases would make searching so much easier for students and staff. I envision an SPPS Pathways homepage for secondary that would include cute icons for topics like Ancient Greece, Mythology, Inventions, Biographies, Civil War, World History, World Religions, Hmong-Related, Spanish-Related, etc., that would lead searchers to individual pages loaded with easy-to-follow links to databases and great websites, all reliable information. Joyce Valenza, Queen of high school librarians, does a good job with her pathfinders webpage. I can only imagine how slick it would be for us to point kids to one easy-to-use webpage for virtually all of their online searching needs. This would eliminate the need to create individual webpages for teachers' projects like I do now. Of course, it would take money to hire someone to do this and sustain it, so I don't see it as a viable option in the near future. However, once schools begin to realize the importance of easy-to-use reliable sites, and once the info lit standards are in place for awhile across the curriculum, it just may happen. I'll be on my lawnchair in Florida by then...No, not Florida -- too humid. Maybe Napa Valley near a gorgeous vineyard...
On another topic, using the MnLINK Gateway is a great way to obtain books my book club is reading if my own library system doesn't have them.
On yet another topic, I'm smiling as I write this because I've reached a milestone: the first 17 things are finished. I know this because I was keeping track on my iGoogle Homepage's To-Do List, which was actually one of my things...life is just so ironic sometimes.
Happy New Year!

Collaboration - Thing #15

2007-12-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

Working with teachers is one of the things I like best about being an LMS. It's fun to hear about projects the kids will be doing and to be part of the process by providing good sites, pulling books for them, and helping the students when they visit the LMC. Having been in the classroom for many years, I can empathize with the lack of time teachers have to do everything they want to do. Helping them with the research piece I know saves them precious time. Unfortunately, my EA was cut two years ago; consequently, there would have been no book pulling had it not been for the great interns I've had, and that part of the support I offer would have suffered. I worry about the future and I'm afraid that when there are no LMC interns or EAs at Como, the collaboration process will suffer. Working with the Como staff reminds me how lucky our students are to have such creative teachers who are very concerned about what their students learn. The MILI project has also reinforced LMS-classroom teacher teaming. When LMSs and teachers have the equipment they need, it makes the transfer of information literacy tips that much easier, not only from LMSs to teachers and students, but from teachers to students as well. For example, recently Kita, Kathy, Kristin and I got together (Steve had a 1 on 1 session later) and we explored how to do a smart search on Google, using the advanced search page and limiting searches to various domains like .edu. It took about 15 minutes. This productive time, then, led to these teachers showing their students the same tips. The result? Hundreds of kids benefited and will continue to benefit from one short collaboration session between the LMS and four teachers. This is just one example of the good that can come from LMSs and classroom teachers working as partners.

Dribbling Lessons - Thing #8

2007-12-15T07:50:00.000-08:00

I like the access route to the dribbling lessons. If you want to work on question generation, just click "question," etc. I've been incorporating search term lessons into each project introduction when a teacher brings his/her class to the library to learn about the teacher's webpage for the project. I've written some suggestions for searching directly under the project title so the kids can refer to them later and won't have to take notes when I'm presenting. An example is Nancy Plagens' project webpage. One simple search tactic many kids don't know, for instance, is that when searching for famous rulers you use Roman numerals, not 1, 2, etc. or the words one, two, etc.

Research Project Calculator - Thing #7

2007-12-15T07:32:00.000-08:00

It was a good review to see Leslie's presentation on the RPC at our last MILP meeting. I was reminded that while there is a great deal of info, one can focus on portions here and there when needed. The whole thing doesn't have to be tackled at once. I guess that's the approach I've taken, and it makes the RPC more usable for me. One way I introduce students to the RPC is by showing 9th graders during library orientation where the link to the RPC is on the Library Media Center website, so they all have easy access to it in the right column of the Research Process webpage. Also, because the 9th grade English teachers are present during these orientation sessions, they can see where it is too.

Metasearching - Thing #12

2007-12-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

Years ago I used Metacrawler and Dogpile all the time, but dropped them as soon as Google hit the market. I was glad for the opportunity to revisit them, and to try out some new metasearch engines I'd not heard of before. I loved Kartoo's graphics, but personally prefer the simplicity of Clusty's Googlesque homepage and easy-to-follow clustering categories. As a matter of fact, I have it as a link on my ROR page. I'd seen the Search Engines Features Chart before and had found it helpful, so I posted it on my Smart Search Webpage. Clicking Quintura brought up an error page, so I'm not sure about that one, and MusicPlasma looked interesting, but I didn't want to set up an account.

Copyright & Plagiarism - Thing #10

2007-11-29T14:17:00.000-08:00

The staff members at our school are very concerned about plagiarism; therefore, my second year as an LMS at Como, the English Department and I collaborated and came up with a list of possible consequences for plagiarism. I created a webpage that discusses plagiarism and points out how to avoid it. I noticed that Purdue's Owl was referenced under Thing #10. I, too, included it on an MLA citation page I created so that students can have a guide in citing correctly. I think it's one of the best sites around for looking up how to cite. (By the way,thank you to Leslie E. for having her intern create the original guide sheets several years ago. My former EA retyped them and now anyone can access them, even at home.) Also, because staff members care about the legalities of using various media, I added a Copyright and Fair Use webpage. Until recently it was relatively easy and free to type a segment from a student's paper into the Google search bar, put quotes around it, and voila, up came the source. It's not possible to do that anymore, and my guess is it's because the online paper writing warehouses have put some kind of block up that makes it impossible to track papers to them. Schools need to decide if they want to spend huge bucks to buy online plagiarism-detection tools such as Turnitin.com, CopyCatch and the Essay Verification Engine. Using the plagiarism proof assignment ideas listed under Thing #10 might be a cheaper, and in the end, more fruitful way to go.

Infinite Thinking Machine - More Googling - Thing #11

2007-11-21T07:51:00.000-08:00

My wonderful colleague, Gail, just told me about a great Google workshop she attended and shared with me the wealth of Google knowledge she learned, all contained on one little handout titled "The Google Universe." It has so many good tips and quips I felt compelled to add several of the points to my Teacher Tools and Smart Search webpages, and to add the presenter's blog to my Helpful Blogs Urban Planet webpage. It's a website & blog called the Infinite Thinking Machine and can be found at http://www.infinitethinking.org/. From the "About" section of the ITM site: "ITM is designed to help teachers and students thrive in the 21st century. Through an active blog, an Internet TV show, and other media resources, the ITM shares a 'bazillion practical ideas' for turning the infinite universe of information into knowledge. We showcase examples of innovative instructional methods, talk with leading experts, and share real stories from the classroom to improve how we think, learn, teach, and live. And we try to have a little fun along the way."

College Kids Today on You Tube - Thing #21

2007-11-19T18:10:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Leslie Y., who spent two hours Urban Planeting (why can't it be a verb just like "googling?") with some Como folks today, I took the time to add a new section to my webpage called "Helpful Blogs." I included Dr. Scott McLeod's blog, "Dangerously Irrelevant," to the section (thank you Ruth W. for reminding me of the name), along with several consumer-related blogs. While I was poking around DI, I noticed a video Dr. McLeod recommended which was produced by a Cultural Anthropology professor and his students using "digital ethnography." I was very intrigued by its subject matter: How do today's college kids spend their time, and how do their choices impact their future? I was also very entertained by the technique used to present the info. It turns out the students who collaborated on the video used Google docs to compile and edit the info: 200 students made 367 edits to one document. I was so impressed with the video I decided to post it here. It's around 4 minutes long, but is well worth the view time.

The following description of the video was taken from You Tube: "A short video summarizing some of the most important characteristics of students today - how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they will experience in their lifetime. Created by Michael Wesch in collaboration with 200 students at Kansas State University."

Databases - Thing #13 Part Deux

2007-11-15T16:17:00.000-08:00

Our November 14 MILI meeting was very informative and practical. I found the format to be productive and realized that there were facets of Gale Student Edition I hadn't yet explored. For example, I didn't realize it included a Multimedia category. It was fun to team with two other librarians and bounce answers and ideas off one another. I vote for the session on the Research Calculator to be similar.

Google Analytics - Revisiting Oct. 20 Thing #17

2007-11-14T11:13:00.000-08:00

I ended up unsubscribing to sitemeter because it wasn't picking up any of the visits to my webpages. In retrospect, I think it's because I missed a step. However, I'm now using Google Analytics to track how many visits my ROR pages and library homepage get. George Adams, an SPPS technical support person, lined me up with GA because it turns out the district uses it to keep track of traffic. So anyone with an SPPS webpage can contact him and set up an account with GA. What I've learned is that since the last week in August my library homepage has had 3,178 visits, my ROR page has had 3,141 visits and our school's homepage has had 21,674 visits. You can even select a map overlay option, and as you move the mouse across the world map, little bubbles pop up that tell you the number of visits from each country. So far, I've only been able to use this facet with the school's homepage, not mine, so I'm not sure if that tool is usable beyond the main page. GA is a marketing godsend, I'm sure, for businesses. There is so much measurable data in soooo many categories, it would take weeks to explore it. If you'd like to tour Google Analytics, you can.

Streaming Video - Thing #9

2007-11-11T10:11:00.000-08:00

I saw this last spring and thought it would appeal to kids, but as it turns out, more adults than kids get a kick out of it! It's a You Tube video created by some high school students from North Little Rock High School. Actors/Singers: Holly H., Caitlin S., Aaron H., Quinn G., Wyndham W. Editor and Videographer: Joe C. Its purpose is to promote reading so the kids at NLRHS can become proficient and graduate. It's a parody of a Black Eyed Peas song. This one is called "My Books" and it was originally posted in December of 2006. I showed it to some kids last year. They were amused, but thought it was pretty lame. Not so with the adults who have seen it. Take 3 minutes to watch it and see what you think. Click the arrow in the middle of the video box to play it:

Reliable Free Websites - Thing #14

2007-11-10T06:59:00.000-08:00

While the databases the school district and state purchase for our use are fantastic, it's not realistic to think that researchers will find everything they need in them. For example, current local information is not available there. So, the first place I start when I hit a dead end in the purchased databases is at Google's Advanced Search page, a fantastic tool. You can fine tune your search and even limit the domain. I always start by searching college/university websites first by putting .edu in the domain line. That way the only hits I get will be .edu links. While nothing is ever 100% on the internet, I feel 99% confident that colleges post reliable information. This technique is how I found most of the non-subscription links I posted on teachers' webpages for specific projects. Also, on my ROR page, I've included several that I've run across through the years like the CIA World Factbook, and the following, to name just a few:

Librarians’ Internet Index: A good site if you need to get topic ideas. It provides pathways (clustering) for broad topics. Includes a broad range of websites that can be trusted.

Clusty.com: Another pathways search engine that clusters search results into categories for easier reference.

Statistical Abstract.com: Provides statistics for states and U.S. departments.

Fedstats.gov: Provides statistics for states and U.S. government agencies.

Citizendium.org : Provides information written by experts in their fields.

When I list these and other free reliable websites on my ROR page, I tag each one with*(Not a purchased database.)
That way the kids know they have to figure out the citations and there won't be a convenient little icon to click that will generate the citation for them. I do include answers.com in the list but attach a disclaimer about Wikipedia, a useful but controversial resource, upon which answers.com heavily depends. I guess I agree with a U of M prof who said that she's perfectly ok with her students using Wikipedia as a starting point to generate ideas, but not as an authoritative source. I think of it as a springboard to other sources and ideas. Also, for the most part, information about long-dead people or historical events that happened years ago is usually ok. It's the info about current stars or politicians, political movements, etc., that we have to be really leery of:

Answers.com: Search by asking a question. Using a variety of reference sources it generates an organized page of relevant information about your search query without requiring you to click on any further Web links. Caution: Answers.com uses Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia which accepts information from anyone, so search results must be carefully evaluated. *(Not a purchased database.)

I love finding great links for staff and students. It's one of my favorite library media specialist responsibilities! The ultimate goal is to equip each student with the knowledge to effectively search the internet for reliable sources, to realize when they have found one, and to use it responsibly. To help them with this, I've created a "Smart Search" webpage.

Some Other Thing - Thing #33

2007-11-10T06:42:00.000-08:00

I'm using the meditation exercises I learned yesterday at one of our Staff Development sessions to exhale all of the frustration and agitation I just experienced trying for the third time to convert my home printer to wireless by using a Netgear server I bought last week. This is what happens when you don't purchase expensive Mac gadgets to do what you want. I installed the software on my wired PC just fine, but when I wanted to add the Macbook, of course the nifty little installation directions didn't appear on the screen because Mac doesn't read .exe. Soooo I called Netgear support who said they don't support Mac products (even though on the Netgear box it says the server is compatible with OS X.) So I called AppleCare (incidentally, did you know our laptops come with AppleCare through 2010? Cool!) Anyway, Apple folks said they don't support 3rd party equipment. My last ditch effort was this a.m. when I put the Macbook on the PC side and tried. Yeah! The computer read the disk. BUT it hit a roadblock and after troubleshooting for a bit, I gave up. I uninstalled the server and it's in the box ready to go back to Office Depot. By the way, when I hear "server" I think of at least a computer-sized device. This one fits in my hand. I'm not sure how I'll print from my Macbook at home at this point. I'll have to do some more investigating. I may just wait until my daughter comes home from college this summer with her wireless printer.

Subscription Databases - Thing #13

2007-11-08T11:41:00.000-08:00

The students are getting so used to using the citation link in the databases that when they can't find the "cite" link they get upset. Ninth graders are all introduced to Como's Reliable Online Resources webpage during library orientation. I've taken the district's ROR links and categorized them in student-friendly groups. I've also added to my ROR webpage several reliable websites that are not purchased databases. To reinforce the database introduction, four times a year during homeroom every ninth grader visits a computer lab and completes exercise sheets that explore four different databases. Additionally, when teachers ask me to put together links for a specific project, I always include the databases on that teacher's webpage. Our students are getting used to going to the ROR webpage or the teacher's webpage first before they try Google. The databases are great for many reasons, but the main one is that all of the information is reliable. Students and teachers can be sure that if a database is cited, it's ok. I only wish we had access to a literary criticism database. Maybe in the future.....

Teacher Guide to Research Calculator - Thing #6

2007-11-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

It is clearly evident that a huge amount of work went into creating the Teacher Guide to the Research Project Calculator. I like that there's detailed explanations if you want them, or concise bullet-type info as well. The blue/green side-by-side layout of students' view and teachers' view made it easy to follow. The graphic organizers are very helpful, as are the guide sheets and the rubric. Regarding the research process and targeting a topic that will motivate students, I recall a student, who after many questions, finally realized he was worried about going bald because his father and brothers were. That's what he did his project on. There was no problem motivating him after he settled on a topic that was meaningful to him, just as Doug Johnson points out. Unfortunately, it's not always possible to easily find the personal "hook" for each student in the process of questioning, but when they do, it makes the paper writing much easier for them. As with everything at school, time is the issue. How much time can one realistically take per student to effectively probe and cull out an excellent research topic with provocative questions? How will the classroom teacher manage time so that the RPC can effectively be used? I can see parts of it being used at a time. Teachers' curriculum is often so jam-packed trying to meet state standards, it's hard for them to envision an open spot for something new, even though it might be very helpful.

Another New Thing - Thing #17

2007-10-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

As you can see if you scroll down a bit and look on the right, I've discovered Photo Booth and now there's no turning back. Let me apologize in advance for all of the silly pictures you will see posted throughout this year. Learning how to use Mac applications is a big challenge for me because I'm not patient. I did, however, finally figure out how to get the pic from Photo Booth to the blog. I put it in iPhoto and then exported it to my desktop. There's probably a way to get it directly from iPhoto to the blog, or from Photo Booth directly to the blog, but I'll find out about that later. While exploring, I attempted to e-mail the picture to myself just to see if it would work. Evidently you need a Mac e-mail address which I tried to set up with no success. The photo in the top left corner is a daylily from my garden taken last summer. I plan to look at it in three months to remind me that summer isn't far away.

Another New Thing - Thing #17

2007-10-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

I can see access to the internet any hour of the day or night may be a curse. Now I can't even eat without the laptop in front of me...
I just tried to create a comic page with the Comic Life software. I found the Windows clipart file and put a bunch of pics in a file on my desktop. I'm going to see if I can somehow get the comic I created onto this page. It didn't work. I'm not sure how to make the whole comic a jpg, not just the picture but the balloon with text too. Another picture will have to do for now.

More About Google - Thing #11

2007-10-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a stab at Thing #6, the teacher portion of the calculator, but no page came up. So, I'll talk about what wonderful things I've learned about Google. First of all, last year I learned how helpful the "Domain" section of the Advanced Search page was. To be able to limit hits to .edu or .gov cut down on so much wading through junk. At the MEMO conference I learned about iGoogle and Google Docs. I LOVE both of these features. I've customized my Google homepage (iGoogle) so that it has a link to my Gmail, to the weather in St. Paul (and Chicago, where my daughter is going to college), a to-do list, a U tube link, a big clock with the time, a GREAT calendar where I can put my appts., etc., and consoldiate my personal and school calendars, a dictionary, a tab that leads to a whole page of librarian stuff.....I could go on and on. It's great.
Then, I used Google Docs to gather opinions of SPPS LMSs on how Destiny, our new library program, can be improved. So far 3 have responded. A glitch occurred when the original e-mail introducing the Google Doc project went into most people's spamjam. Marcia also created a Google Doc and is gathering info on another topic, and I contributed to it. Soooo exciting to be able to collaborate from a distance and create one document together. OK, the weather is too nice. I'm done blogging for today....
The pic is a shot of Chicago I took from the top of the Sears Tower.

One New Thing - Thing #17

2007-10-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

This morning I spent 2 hrs. on the phone with a tech person from Linksys who walked me through setting up a wireless router in my house so I can use the laptop at home. I bought the WRT546 model for $50 at Best Buy which can be used with either Windows or Macs. My first obstacle occurred when I inserted the installation CD. The folder showed up on the desktop with several files and I didn't know which one to use. Each one had several possibilities, and I had no idea which one to choose. So I called up the tech helpline. Long story short, if you can afford the extra $100 to buy Airport, Mac's wireless router, go for it. I think it will take you five minutes instead of 2 hours and numerous extra gray hairs. Or, if you are wireless savvy or know someone who is, then stick with the less expensive router. Linksys doesn't support Macs, so I had to download the software to my wired PC which did not go well because of all the anti-virus software I have on that computer. When the software was finally on my desktop, the techie signed off. I clicked the icon and it said my router wasn't supported. I called back again, got someone else who had me go out on the internet to locate the site I needed to finish the process. She instructed me to call someone else from Apple to finish the process. I called Best Buy's Geek Squad instead, since I had purchased the router at Best Buy. Plus, in the Apple book it said I needed date of purchase and some other info I wasn't sure I had. That call took 1 minute and now I'm good to go. Whew. What a process.
On another subject, sitemeter isn't picking up my ROR hits. I'm wondering if there's a firewall up somewhere. I'll have to investigate.

Urban Planet Webpage - Thing #5

2007-10-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

Creating a webpage has been one of the best ways I've found to help students and staff. Any handouts I provide during staff presentations are posted here. It's easy for students to get to the Reliable Online Resources page I've customized for easy use because there's a shortcut: comosr.spps.org/ror. They can also find reliable sites to help them with career and college research: comosr.spps.org/cc. There are smart searching tips, good books to read, our plagiarism policy, and more. The "Research Process" webpage helps students through the research process, and the MLA guideline sheets for help in citing can be found at the shortcut comosr.spps.org/mla. The "Websites for Classes" webpage has teachers' names and links I've found or they have found to help students research for specific projects. Also, the "Teacher Tools" webpage has lots of links to help them in a pinch (i.e. printing graph paper, puzzles, rubric templates, etc.) There are also links to help them research academic databases for college courses they may be taking. The webpage has made it easier for students and teachers to access the information they need at home and at school AND it's cut down on the number of handouts distributed.

Thing #4 - Libraries

2007-10-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

I had never used the MELSA map before -- very cool. Unfortunately, the link to my library in Washington County was not active. I've used Ask a Librarian many times, once to help me remember the name of a disco bar in Minneapolis that existed in the 70s, and most recently when I suddenly stopped receiving e-mail messages telling me when a book or CD I'd requested was in. Both questions were answered. Incidentally, while I love browsing my public library's shelves (the beautiful Stafford Library in Woodbury), I love even more the ability to order what I want online, get an e-mail when it's in, and dash over to the library to pick it up. It's so convenient.
On another note, I finally figured out how to resize pics from previous blogs. All you have to do is click on the pick and drag the corner. Duh..... Sometimes the answer is so simple and I waste too much time looking for all the hidden icons, tabs, etc.

Finished Things 1-3

2007-10-08T12:31:00.000-07:00

I just realized I haven't been posting according to directions, so this post will take care of reporting that I've done the first three things. I also have enrolled at sitemeter so that I can see how many hits my library webpage receives and how many Como's Reliable Online Resources webpage receives. I think the e-mail with my username/password confirmation went into spamjam, however, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see if it worked.

MEMO Conference

2007-10-07T06:20:00.000-07:00

Eight SPPS LMSs, as well as Ann from Metronet, attended the MEMO conference (MN Educational Media Organization) at Cragun's in Brainerd this weekend. Info. Lit. Project members Marcia, Marilyn, Leslie Y., Ann and I attended some eye-opening sessions. I learned about podcasting, Second Life (3-D virtual world on the internet populated by avatars), using SMART Notebook instead of SMART Board as a much less expensive way to accomplish the same thing, iGoogle, Google Docs and more. I'm planning on using Google Docs right away to request some changes in our new library online program by having the LMSs list the changes they'd like on the same doc via the internet. It'll be like sitting around a table writing on the same sheet of paper, except we'll be doing it virtually. The pic above on the right shows Marcia and I discussing internet security with one of the guest speakers.:)
I decided to try 2 pics in this blog and putting them in different locations. I had to edit because some of the type ran into one of the pics and couldn't be easily read. So I moved the text way down. Also, I can't figure out how to go in and make my previous pics smaller. I'll work on that....

Carts & Locks for New Laptops & LCDs

2007-10-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

Someone asked me to post this info, so here are the links for the locks and carts Como is ordering for the laptops & LCD projectors:
(Note that the lock is a double-headed model so you only need one lock to secure both the projector & the laptop.)
Kensington Locks
Carts

Catching Up

2007-09-29T09:02:00.000-07:00

It turns out the LMSs will get laptops too with a trade-in. We're very happy about that.
I suppose it's pretty pathetic that I'm spending a Saturday morning blogging, but my dog woke me up at 5:00 today so I got all sorts of chores done early. Don't let the picture deceive you -- he's cute, but not at 5:00 a.m. I decided to look at some of my colleagues' blogs, do some of the 23 things, etc. I looked at the articles and found it encouraging that the president of Toshiba felt compelled to write about information literacy, making some good points as a matter of fact. Also, for the first time I skimmed the results of last year's MILP. I thought the teacher and LMS survey info was very interesting. Too bad about the pre- & post-test data. I hope this year's data is more reflective of what the project accomplished.
I'm mulling over where on my webpage to put a new section called "Helpful Blogs." I found some consumer-related blogs in the paper this summer that would help kids & staff, but I can't really post them on my Reliable Online Resources page, because I can't vouch for every blog like I can for the ROR sites. Maybe on the Research page --- nah, maybe not. I'll have to think about this some more.

Second Posting Attempt

2007-09-25T12:18:00.000-07:00

The teachers are using their equipment and Leslie has offered to help those having "Mac Attacks" (in the computer sense, of course) one on one.
I'm excited because she'll be doing a Podcast workshop here on Nov. 9 for staff.
In the back of my mind I'm thinking about phase 2 of Information Literacy instruction here, which involves how best to teach kids the tools they need to do a smart search on Google. I feel like our staff is on board with directing our kids to use the ROR page, so the next step is to give them what they need if they hit a dead end there.

Blogging Baby Steps

2007-09-12T16:55:00.000-07:00

After the frustration of technology that wasn't working, I was finally able to do this. Not easy but the first steps are done.