Google+ Hangout with QR Codes!

We had an exciting day a few Friday's ago when we used Google+ to hang out with the 2nd grade gifted inclusion kids at Ms. Mensing's class from Sonoran Sky Elementary in Scottsdale, Arizona! Whew! That's a mouthful! But these kids were AWEsome! I taught a brief lesson on QR Codes in the Classroom (and Library!) all about where QR Codes came from, how they are different than regular bar codes, and how they are being used all over the world to transmit information like Text Messages, Video, and URL Web links via Mobile Media!

QR Codes in the Elementary Classroom

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Say What!? Audio QR Codes!

After that my 6th graders in Ms.
Torsani's Math class held up to the camera special QR Voice audio codes & written
messages they composed for the kids! QR Code Voice is a really cool
new resource! You just type in a short message (100 Characters) and
click and Voila! You get a QR Code that when scanned reads out in a
robotic voice your message! Scan the QR code on the left to see what
it says! (Download the FREE QR Code APP i-nigma
for both iPhone & Android! Click link or search on the App
store for i nigma QR)

Ms. Mensing's kids scanned the QR codes using both iPod touch generaton 4's (like we have here at the MHMS Daring School Library!) and iPad 2's! (we don't have any of those yet, but I brought mine in! - Thanks, Santa!) they were very engaged with the learning and it was a lot of fun!

Ms. Mensing and I became friends when we were both at the Google Teacher Academy this past summer in Seattle Washington. That's her next to me & Miss Critter Sharpe (and another teacher friend) She's the one with the long blonde hair & fabulous pearls! I'm peeking out from behind the sign - NINJA Style! We had a great time learning together and I'm so glad we could use Google+ to hang out with our kids.

Then... I got the BEST PRESENT EVER in the mail! A big envelope of
drawings & letters from Ms. Mensing's class! SQUEE!

See ALL the cool pics here!

Thank you Ms. Mensing & Ms. Torsani for an amazing video chat adventure! We're gonna have to do that again! Hmmmm next time MATH!???
---------------
Personal UPDATE: I would like to thank all my dear friends, Tweeps, & beloved readers who have sent me kind messages during this difficult time since I posted my Gramma fell ill around Thanksgiving. Sadly, she passed away on Tuesday morning and we've been grieving & celebrating her life this week and will be having a memorial service next week in Western PA.
I was very close to my sassy, fun, blingtastic silly Gramma, we were true kindred spirits and I will miss her SO much! She was my partner in crime, secret keeper, & my cheerleader. She rode a mule trap to her one room schoolhouse, grew up on a farm & a coal mining town, she got married reeely young to get off the farm, worked in a munitions plant in WWII, traveled around the country in an RV after her second marriage at age 68....and did high kicks with the seniors dance crew on the stage. I know wherever she is she's kicking up her heels & stirring the pot in a cute way!
A lovely tribute post about our Amazing Grace was written my dear Aunty Lynn that says it all and more.
(pictured: Aunty Lynn, me, & my beautiful and adored Mom, Laurel)

This is the song she sang to me as a tot sitting on her lap:
"A tiny turned up nose
Two cheeks just like a rose
So sweet from head to toes
That little girl of mine

Two arms that hold me tight
Two eyes that shine so bright
Two lips that kiss goodnight
That little girl of mine

No one will ever know
Just what her coming has meant
Because I love her so
She's something heaven has sent

She's all the world to me
She climbs upon my knee
To me she'll always be
That little girl of mine"

Bonnie Owens Lyrics - That Little Boy Girl Of Mine Lyrics
Bonnie Owens Biography

My dear Mom, Laurel & her beloved Mom our Amazing Grace.

You've Got Game: Wii Learning

Wii Learning: Engaging Students through Gaming Technology

Monday January 9th - 8pm EST
with Matthew C. Winner and Meghan Hearn
Moderated by my friends & mentees the amazing Library Girl -Jennifer LaGarde & Mighty Little Librarian Tiff

The Nintendo Wii is a powerful tool for engaging your students and supporting math instruction. No need to be a gamer to score big points here. Learn the In's and Out's and experience lessons aligned with CCSC standards in Mathematics.


Session Wikipage

Participant Link


Follow Matthew on Twitter and visit his blog, The Busy Librarian

10 Super Geeky Tips for the New Year

I'm usually not one for new year's resolutions. If I decide to do something the calendar doesn't matter & I've blown too many good resolutions to believe an arbitrary day will make a diff. BUT...there are a few things that are easily done & feels great for a SUPER GEEKY SAFE....errm Aware! New Year. (There is no *safe* on the Interwebs, only Aware!)

(click above for a larger size or download PDF it here)
1. Change your passwords. Yes, ALL of them.
According to CNN Tech an 8 digit password can be hacked in 2 hours but a 12 character password would take 17 years. Use this handy NEW! Comic Tutorial to create a really super new password for every website....don't worry, there's a trick! Oh and in the small print I said 3 important things - Change your passwords twice a year, have a different password for Facebook that you don't use for ANYwhere else because FB's security is notoriously craptastic (and the bank, too), and as a disclaimer - I'm not a security expert and nothing is foolproof.

2. Dump your cache, cookies, & clear history
At least once a year (I try quarterly) go around to every computer you use public & private -and dump the cache, clear your cookies, & browsing history.

3. Consolidate your Flashdrives
We all have a gajillion flashdrives floating around from 128mg's to 16gb's. Lazy Way: Gather them all up and create a folder on your external HD called flashdrive backups (or one folder per flashdrive) and drag all the stuff in there. Smart Way: Go through all those flashdrives & trash anything you really don't need & save only the archive worthy stuff. While you're at it - are those drives named? Do you have an .RTF doc on it that says "If found, Please Read" with your contact information? This might be a good time to get those on there. I give every new teacher to my school a new 4G flashdrive and yeah, sometimes they lose them (I'm looking at you Justin! LOL) So, even though it's super easy to carry around & save stuff in a pinch, you wanna give yourself a chance to get it back if lost. Now... throw some of those old flashdrives away & go on to the next tip.
4. Forget the flashdrive try the cloud!
Now that you've backed up your flashdrives consider using Dropbox, Amazon Prime storage, iCloud, or Google docs to save your stuff! Don't have Dropbox? I blogged about this amazing resource a couple months ago - get it by using THIS SPECIAL SECRET SQUIRREL LINK to register for dropbox & use your school email account and you'll get EXTRA FREE SPACE! (it's a geeky pyramid scheme but so worth it!) Dropbox allows you store your files online, easily share files with others, and sync your documents with multiple computers and mobile devices. I have it on my iPad and all my Macs both home and at school! This is a must have tool for educators! It's Free, Convenient, and Saves Time!
5. Edit your privacy settings & friendships
Facebook is notoriously changing their privacy settings (that's why I've had an on again and off again relationship with FB)- Google "latest facebook privacy settings" to read blogs with advice to double check that you're sharing what you want to share. Consider what you share and who you share it with. Also, look at your friends - are you really friends with them? Do they add to the conversation? Have they contributed lately? " While considering what's private and public, take time to evaluate what a "friend," "contact" or "follower" means to you and what types of information you share with different groups." (Quoted from the super AWEsome Jolie O'Dell)

6. Be Transparent
If you haven't done it already, go for it! Though some still consider it a big leap for an educator on the intarwebs, I think that horse has already left the barn. I went transparent in 2009 after being inspired at NECC-DC. Sure, it's a little scary but worth it if you're building a PLN and wanting to make a "name" for yourself out there. And really? Our names are already "out there" best to craft how it shows up yourself & be a good role model for creating your own positive digital footprint. (Search this blog "digital footprint" to read more) So yeah, now I'm gwyneth jones here and on the Twitter in addition to my and my electronic portfolio and on my wikis.

7. Buy your name.
For $10 bucks a year you can own your own domain through Google Apps. You don't want to be the last person who has their own domain or let someone else get it. I was lazy in this, considered it back in the late 90's - went with Angelfire instead. That was stooopid. Wish I had grabbed Gwyneth Jones before the Welsh Opera singer & the Sci Fi YA Author! Ahh well! Now I have 2 domains! thedaringlibrarian.com for this blog and daringlibrarian.com for my electronic portfolio.
8. Get Wikified
Sure there are LibGuides & LiveBinders out there but nothing is so easy to use, flexible, FREE, & just a joy as a Wikispaces! So, if you're not ready to buy a domain but don't just want a school based web page? Create a FREE K-12 Wikispaces. Learn from my mistakes, when you sign up for the first time, use your own name or a variation thereof! I made the mistake back in 06 when I joined wikispaces of making it under my school name because my intention was for it to be a prof dev wiki... so I named it mhmsmedia for my wiki account -I've since changed it to http://thedaringlibrarian.wikispaces.com (Thanks Wikispaces!) Also, while we're talking about wikis...lemmie vent a little: you DON'T NEED TO JOIN THEM! (Oops! sorry for shouting! Eep!) Seriously though, unless you expect to contribute, edit, or add pages to the wiki site you don't need to join a public wiki to use them. So please, don't be offended if I say to nope your application to join my Daring Tech Wiki because that's just for my teachers to edit, k? Still love you, mean it! LOL
9.Build your PLN
Build your PLN! Today, having a Personal Learning Network is essential to stay in tune with the trends and what's going on. So whether you join a Ning or Twitter (even just for conferences!) Here's a getting started Flickr gallery so you can start talking to other excited educators about new ideas...crowdsource! Got a question? Pose it to the PLN and you'll be amazed at the answers you get! See a question someone else is asking that you can help with? Contribute! (I try to give 95% and only ask for help 5%) GIVE, give, and give some more! Share shamelesly! Whatever you create think of your other educators out there who might benefit from it. Add it to your blog, wiki or slideshare! No one likes to re-create the wheel. Give your greatest works to our profession - it's good ed tech karma! PS. Always give attribution! I know professional teacher thieving is par for the course, heck I do it all the time, but I ask permission whenever possible and link back and ALWAYS give attribution!

10. Back up your data.
"Hacks and hardware failures happen. Before this year gets going, make sure as much of your data as possible is protected. From calendars and contacts to blog posts and work projects, more and more of us are relying on networks of servers and startups to keep us running. So, now might be a good time to download and back up files of your contacts and blog posts - anything that's valuable to you and portable." Get a big external HD but also burn to CD or DVD the really important stuff because I've had externals die on me. And yeah, the cloud is awesome, but I'm not ready to give over yet completely! LOL "Think of it this way: You - or at least parts of you - live in the Internet. If the Internet caught on fire, what would you grab to carry with you out of the blaze?" (Quoted, inspired & adapted from the super AWEsome Jolie O'Dell)

Suggested alternative expert comic from the comments - Thanks, Colin!

(click above for full size on XKCD!)

So, Ok...some of these things are stuff I preach about ALL the time... like a flippin broken record when it comes to shameless sharing I'm that passionate about it....but what did I forget?
What are the geeky things that you do that we can learn from?
Please comment your suggestions, corrections, & additions! Thank you dear readers! Muuuwa! And......Happy New Year!
BEST Christmas Presents EVER!
Oh and though Santa got me an iPad2 for Christmas, don't tell him but here are the best presents I got this year from 2 students featuring a Ninja Squirrel & Ninja Bacon, & one fabulous kid blogger - my friend Hagan! (click for larger images)


(check out Ninja Bacon! My kids know I love Ninjas!)

Lastly, thank you to everyone who voted for this blog as Edublogs Best Librarian Blog - we were only 16 votes away from winning! Maybe someday! But seriously, having this conversation with you is the real prize! For reals! Thank you!
(not that I'm not gonna pimp my blog with those fab badges! Love me some badges!)

--Credits & Resources
Creating and Remembering Complex Passwords by Alex Jones (not my nephew!)
The Ultimate Guide for Creating Strong Passwords - Some of these suggestions seem impossible but I got great ideas here.
The top 50 passwords you should never use | Naked Security
8 Things Every Geek Needs to Do Before 2010
Five New Years Resolution Suggestions.


Baby Cthulhu Squishable a gift from my dear friend Dr. Gelving Obolensky of New Babbage. Thanks darlin! He, I will NEVER Prune from my PLN tree!

Flashdrive pic from: bamalibrarylady Tamara Evans

Format MS Word Like a Ninja Super Hero!

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Does it ever seem that when your students go into the computer lab to compose & to write they've forgotten EVERYTHING they ever learned about formatting their MS Word documents? You get docs with wonky space bar spacing, 18pt comic sans (ick!), left justified headings, and strangely double spaced pages! Eeep! I know, right? I see proof of this working with my teachers, walking through the lab, and when kids come to me in the library to print out their work in the mornings & it's an assortment of crazy ill-spaced, scary fonted, and oddly sized docs, docx, and rtfs!

JONESing for a Rescue!
Yeah, I went there. So, one of my awesome new (to MHMS) teachers Mr. Justin Jones (no relation) came up with a comic tutorial for this! And after a little collaboration & tweaking we'd like to share it with you!
We've created both a colour version for those of you who have unlimited colour printing (yeah, not us! LOL) and Black & White versions for printing hard copies. Both are posted on our Edublog nominated (Squee!) Daring Tech Wiki. Sure there are other MS Word tutorials out there but we wanted something visual & short that hit most of the "worst offenders" and MS Word formating faux pas!
Punch 'Em For Binders!
We've printed out 30 copies of the B&W hard copy, laminated them, & are keeping them in our computer lab for quick reference! We've also made available to the staff by request, classroom sets. The B&W version also has a heftier margin than usual so that they can be 3 hole punched & students can put them into their binders.
Steal These Comics!
We've decided to (as always!) to make these comic tutorials Creative Commons Share Alike Attribution Non Commercial so that others can benefit from them. Of course any suggestions, corrections, and additions are welcome! So, I guess it's not *really* stealing but taking! All versions of these comics are on our Edublog nominated Daring Tech Wiki, they can also be found as PDF's for download on my Slideshare, and as .jpegs on my Comic Tutorial Gallery on Flickr.
Committing Formatting & Fontacide!
I'm on a personal mission to banish the font Comic Sans from use. Has there ever been a more overused, tiresome, & insidious font? GAH! I can't even look at it! The next in line for Fontacide© are the fonts Jester & Marker Felt. People! Please let's let go of these tired fonts! (ok, clearly I have font issues & I need to save this rant for a whole separate blog posting! Maybe I'll call it I Want to Lick That Font)
Another thing we gotta banish with our students is using the spacebar to move things around. OMG...it's terrible! I hate it when we have to go back and fix those broken lines... Let IT WRAP, kids! Wrap it, wrap it good!
More Comics!

So, dear readers....what did we miss on the Comic? Suggestions, corrections, additions? What EdTech conundrum drives you crazy? Would love your feedback in comments. Cheers! Oh! And thanks to all who took the time to vote for us for the Edublog Awards! Whether we win or lose I really appreciate & value our readers!...and here's my last shameless pitch for votes! LOL

If you've enjoyed this post or are a reader of this blog & find it useful please consider voting for us for Best Librarian / Library Blog - Voting Ends Tuesday 11:59pm EST.

Edublog Awards Nominations & Shameless Campaigning!

You know how most people say about awards "It's enough just to be nominated?" Well, I think most people are fibbing! Sure, it's TOTALLY true that it's a distinct honor to be nominated! Especially for a crowdsourced award like the International Edublogs Award! I also gotta argue with the (mis)quote from the cinematic oeuvre Blazing Saddles "We don't need no stinkin badges" - because yes, YES we do! Oooh shiny shiny! Maybe it's because I was kicked out of the girl scouts for talking too much in 5th grade - I just can't help but love the monetarily free but oh so personally rewarding little square .jpeg badges that shows that my contemporaries & colleagues feel that we and what we're doing matter! So yeah, WOW! I can't help but be psyched that I was nominated for Best Librarian/Library blog! That's totally mind-blowing, humbling, and a true honor! And sure - I could be all "I don't care if we win" but that would be disingenuous, and why the heck not try to win!?? LOL Do you think that Lady GaGa doesn't want to win the Grammy? Do you think that ANYone nominated for an OSCAR doesn't wanna get that sweet shiny gold statue? HA! It's human nature!
So am I gonna campaign? Well, yes and no. I'm not gonna hire PR guru Donnie Deutsch or the Goodyear Blimp! (Cha ching!) But I am blogging saying YAY! Thank you, We're honored & please consider voting for me! Both here to you my dear Daring Librarian blog readers and to my students, family, & community at the Daring School Library Blog! Is that shameless? YES! Thank goodness I'm totally OK with being shameless!
Here's how you can vote for us! (Comic tutorial directions below for my fellow visual learners!)


Best Librarian / Library Blog - The Daring Librarian.com Nominated by The Library Girl, Jennifer LaGarde! Thank you!
Ms. Gwyneth Jones, your snarky neighborhood Daring Librarian, was also nominated in 3 other categories (I know, pinch me right?) If you would like to vote for her, here are the links & what to look for! Thank you!

Best Individual Tweeter -- Drop down the Category on Right to Best Individual Tweeter again & look for GwynethJones

Most Influential Blog Post - drop down last on the list Gwyneth Anne Bronwynne Jones for Lady GaGa Librarians Unite! Nominated by The Mighty Little Librarian Tiff! - Thank you!

Best Educational Tech Wiki - Drop down & look for Daring Tech Wiki!~ Nominated by the amazing Tamara Cox – Eliterate Librarian - Thank you!

Thank you everyone else who nominated me! I'm thrilled to be considered - and in the words of the venerable Wayne Campbell "I'm not worthy!!!!!!!!!!!"

Directions on HOW to Vote:

(click above for a larger size for us visual learners!)


Now a shout out to my friends! Please consider voting for some of my Geek Tribe peeps...even though some are competing with me with the same categories :-) And some are nominated in more than one...What can I say? They're my friends! & I'm thrilled that some of my nominations (and others!) came through & they made the "short list!" Woohoo!!!! I HEART my PLN!

Lifetime Achievement - Dr. Joyce Valenza!
Come on all Teacher Librarians...this is the year our Joyce gets this!

Best Individual Tweeter - Shannon M. Miller Her useful & positive Tweets brighten & inspire me! I also have to give mad props to Steven Anderson Seriously, the guy is a rock star!

Best Audio / Video / Podcast - The Mighty Little Librarian Tiff for her AWEsome YouTube Channel! The Mighty Little Librarian's Tech Tuesdays. I love this series because it helps her teachers learn more about technology, improve their teaching, and advocates for her role as a tech leader in her school. All around a wonderful project. I always get great ideas from Tiff! I'm flattered she considers me a mentor but honestly, it's a lovely symbiotic relationship where she takes ideas from me & expands them into new fabulousness and I take ideas from her and get continuously inspired!

Best Library / Librarian Blog - Library Girl, Jennifer LaGarde This is the toughest one for me EVERY YEAR because within my PLN there are so many wonderful librarian bloggers, but this year my nomination goes to one of my mentees Jennifer LaGarde's blog! She has consistently inspired me with her creative ideas and passion! She is a true mover & shaker in the library world!

Best Student Blog- Hagan's World of Awesome
This kid is amazing! You gotta check out this blog! It's visual, upbeat, interesting, engaging, and very very AWEsome!




Best Group Blog - Two Blogs, One Voice
"This blog is the story of John Schu and Shannon Miller connecting their amazing students at Brook Forest Elementary in Oak Brook, Illinois and Van Meter Elementary in Van Meter, Iowa."

Thank you!!!!!!