Daring Librarian, The

Google+ Hangout with QR Codes!

2012-01-20T11:29:00.012-05:00

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

View more presentations from gwyneth jones

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

2012-01-08T12:29:00.007-05:00

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

2011-12-29T13:03:00.033-05:00

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!

2011-12-10T18:46:00.021-05:00

View more documents from gwyneth jones
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!

2011-12-06T18:44:00.013-05:00

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!!!!!!

My Edublog Nomiations 2011

2011-12-02T18:51:00.012-05:00

To celebrate the #Eddies this year I thought I would do my nominating both on my professional blog and on our NEW! Daring School Library Edublog! The EduBlogger award nomination process is a wonderful opportunity Pay it Forward by recognizing those in our PLN for their hard work and generosity. I wish I could name more than one on several of these categories! Gah! The Edublog awards has had a lot of buzz the last couple of years (both positive & hater) but I find the event & experience invigorating! I've been humbled & honored to be nominated a couple times (first by the amazing Shelly S Terrell! Thank you, Shelly!) and even came in second runner up once or twice! But what I get most from the Edublogs is an ever growing list of great new voices and views to add to my personal learning network.
So, to practice what I preach about educational thieving, when I like something I STEAL IT! Here are my cribbed & adapted Edublog nominations! Heh heh heh! If you recognize something that looks familiar to something you nominated or wrote, I hope you're not mad & take it as flattery!

Best ed tech / resource sharing blog - Steven Anderson & his Web 2.0 Classroom blog. Honestly, sometimes people email me asking me how to do something & if I haven't blogged about it before before I write it up for them I check Steven's blog and Voila! It's usually there!

Best individual blog Librarian by Day by Bobbi Newman fellow Libary Journal Mover & Shaker Bobbi Newman always has interesting information to share and a unique voice in the EdTech Librarian world!

Best group blog http://denblogs.com/ I have to agree with Steve Dembo "the DEN Global blog is far and away the best group blogs in the EduVerse. Whether you grade based on quality, quantity, or value to visitors, our Leadership Council bloggers are doing an unbelievable job and absolutely deserve to be recognized for their efforts!" So I hereby nominate for the Best Group Blog!

Best NEW blog: Tamara Cox – Eliterate Librarian She's another Geek Tribe shameless sharer and I LOVE that! She also was kind enough to leave a comment or two on this blog that were so spot on it drew me to her blog & I was hooked!

Best individual tweeter: Shannon Miller Shannon Miller has a zest for the new, the challenging, and is a true change agent in her school, district, & community! She also is one of Cengage/Gale and SLJ's 5 national new library leaders program and a Shorty award winner! 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 twitter hashtag- #tlchat, This is the hashtag that I always check to keep a pulse on library trends and news. I also like #EdChat a LOT!

Best Educational Use of Audio/Video/Visual/Podcast Flocabulary @Flocabulary I've blogged about Flocabulary before but honestly, this has been one of the most relevant & incredibly enriching video resources in my school!

Best Student Blog Hagan's World of Awesome @haganemiller - I'm not a little kid person...I admit it. I teach middle schoolers & find most elem kids well, a little whiny & annoying - but this kid is amazing! Sure, I'm a wee bit biased as he's the son of a friend but seriously - you gotta check out this blog! It's visual, upbeat, interesting, engaging, and very very AWEsome!

Most Influential Blog Post #You Matter.....Two World-Changing Words @angelamaiers I am a huge admirer of Angela Maiers! She's positive, insightful, and oh so on point! The #youmatter movement - I'm totally behind it!

Best librarian / library blog- Adventures of Library Girl. 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!

Best open PD / unconference / webinar series: TL Virtual Cafe The TL Virtual Cafe is such an incredible FREE PD opportunity offered every month! Participating in this terrific webinar series has helped me to grow so much as a teacher-librarian and it always leaves me refreshed and full of new ideas. Our Geek Tribe is so giving… having so many willing to share makes for something really great!

Best free web tool - Sweet Search for Students.

Best educational Ed Tech Wiki: 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 open PD / unconference / webinar series- TL Virtual Cafe- my source for all the latest and greatest in the library world - now co-managed by Jennifer LaGarde & welcoming new moderators Librarian Tiff, Joquetta Johnson, & Shannon M. Miller!

Best School Administrator blog: Eric Sheninger – A Principal’s Reflections Eric Sheninger is an inspiring administrator he's a super advocate for social media in schools.

Best educational use of a social network: Joquetta Johnson - The Digital Diva- Energetic and exciting - Joquetta brings it all together from blogs, tweets, nings, to amazingly inspirational sessions and presentations that make you want to jump up and drink whatever koolaid she's serving. Yeah, she's that good.

Lifetime achievement: Joyce Valenza Joyce is the queen of our Geek Tribe. She’s brilliant and inspirational. She’s an incredible leader and fabulous speaker. She is a shameless sharer and my official mentor. (I never get tired of typing that, right!?) Joyce is also kind, generous, and a great collaborator. With everything that she has done and continues to do to push our profession and education forward, she completely deserves to be recognized!

( If you've been following me on Twitter (or my professional blog) you know it's been a trying couple weeks for my family & my school family dealing with illness & loss. Thank you all for your kind messages, Tweets of positive thoughts, & prayers! I rushed this a bit obviously due to family obligations but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to show some love for some educators who have inspired me this year - Thanks everyone for your support & understanding!)

Why Edublog Awards?

The Edublog Awards is a community based incentive started in 2005 in response to community concerns relating to how schools, districts and educational institutions were blocking access of learner and teacher blog sites for educational purposes.

The purpose of the Edublog awards is promote and demonstrate the educational values of these social media.

The best aspects include that it creates a fabulous resource for educators to use for ideas on how social media is used in different contexts, with a range of different learners.

To nominate, all you need is to:

1. Write a post that includes your nominations on your blog, link to them and link to this site (See an example from 2009.)
2. Use the form at the bottom of this page to send us a link to your nominations

Tips

- Nominate in as many categories as you want!
- You can’t nominate yourself ;)
- Nominations must be made somewhere public – your blog, a forum on a ning, a school website, etc.
- Even if you see your favorite has already been nominated, it is best to nominate them again
- Categories are competitive, and only the most nominated will make it to the voting round
- Share your nominations using twitter (#eddies11), facebook, Google+ and email

TL Cafe Smackdown with Joyce Valenza

2011-11-29T19:52:00.008-05:00

I'm shamelessly lifting & adapting from Joyce's NeverEnding Search blog this week - if you follow my Tweets you'll know we're dealing with a family emergency right now (see below) but the TL Cafe is so close to my heart I gotta give you the heads up, right!?

"Time to look back at the best of 2011 in our school library/edtech world and share!

At the TL Virtual Cafe on December 5th, 8PM Eastern, we’ll be hosting a Learning Tools Open Mic/Smackdown/Karaoke. And the plan is to get ready by building a crowd-souced presentation/book.

Joyce & I are listed as presenter & host, but the goal here is for YOU, friends, to do the heavy lifting.

Look back at 2011. What is the most exciting thing you learned? What was the most powerful teaching strategy you tried? Which instructional tools best inspired learners? Did you have an epiphany about how to do something easier, better, cooler in your library or classroom? (Classroom teacher friends are welcome!)

From the tiniest to the most profound new thing, this is your time to share with you colleagues. Think of it as a professional obligation. And, if this works, we’ll make it an annual event!

All you have to do to get ready is to

1. think hard about what you want to share

2. share it as a slide or slides on this crowd-souced presentation/book.

3. remember that we are prepared to offer extra credit for very pretty slides!

4. be prepared to grab the Elluminate mic on Monday, December 5th at 8PM Eastern!"

Session Wikipage
Participant Link

Edublog Nominations DEADLINE FRIDAY! If I can't nominate this week, why don't you share those in your PLN who have made a difference in your educational practice!? (and no, that's not a hint to nominate me! really! no....really!)

--PS. Thank you dear readers & Tweeps for your positive thoughts & prayers for my beloved Gramma Scott who is ailing right now and for my family. Especially, my adored Mom! She's the eldest & well, this has been a real hard week for her!

My Edublog Nominations might have to be postponed or I'll promise to pick them up next year. I am so sorry! Family first!

Just Blog It! Blogging Tips & Ideas

2011-11-19T19:00:00.014-05:00

I'm not ready to give my Edublog Nominations 2011 yet. Yeah, I take them seriously! The Edublog awards has had a lot of buzz the last couple of years (both positive & hater) but I find the event & experience invigorating! I've been humbled & honored to be nominated a couple times (first by the amazing Shelly S Terrell! Thank you, Shelly!) and even came in second runner up once or twice! But what I get most from the Edublogs is an ever growing list of great new voices and views to add to my personal learning network. I adore my PLN! That's you, dear reader! You're part of my PLN & I celebrate you! But, honestly? You don't start blogging for awards. You also don't start blogging for readers - if you blog it, they will come. It just may take a while! I blogged for YEARS for like 4 readers! (I'm lookin at YOU Svetlana in Vladivostock!) And you surely don't start blogging for comments! If you are expecting that when you start blogging you're gonna be discouraged awfully quick and give up. Blog because you have something to say & share! Now, I am in NO WAY saying I'm an expert blogger (or writer! ha!) I've gotten some slack abut my conversational tone, ellipses, constant use of the ! (thanks Elaine!) & occasional snark ... but I do have some ideas & tips for blogging that I'd like to share and I'd love to hear yours!

Start When You're Ready, Already!
I started blogging in 2006 a few months after I saw Francey Harris’s Gargoyles Loose in the Library [blog] at my first AASL05 in Pittsburgh. My first year I had like eight posts — that’s it. If you choose to blog it is a long-term relationship. If you're just trying to stat a web presence my usual advice when asked, is start with a Wiki & not a blog! (blogs are work!) Blogs are like pets - you have to feed them regularly & Wikis are like a cactus plant - you can water them occasionally. Wikis don't judge you, wikis can be neglected a bit. But if you start a blog you should try to maintain it. Post when you can, be upbeat, share what you can, give anecdotes about your profession, tech tips, lesson ideas, student successes, & professional philosophies. So here goes....
No Excuses!
When blogging, don't apologize for not posting! Have you ever landed on a blog & started to skim past posts and noticed that almost every other one started with "I'm so sorry I haven't posted in a while I've been so..." (insert lame excuse here) People don’t want to hear that, it's boring & pathetic! But it's also human nature! We innately feel self-induced guilt for not writing...FIGHT IT! So, if you've started more than one blog post with that - take the time to go back & edit that out & promise never do it again.

Keep an Idea Folder Going!
When you see an interesting Tweet or think of something that might make a cool blog posting - bookmark it, file it away, or jot it down. That way, whenever you feel like blogging but just can't think of a topic - then you can go to those brainstorming ideas. It's like creating a little safe-deposit box of blogging awesomeness!

Schedule It.
I try and blog on Sunday mornings. But be flexible. Having a schedule helps me "git er done" but if I'm traveling over the weekend or just don't feel like it, I don't blog. If I'm inspired & excited on a Wednesday - I blog Wednesday night! Whatever. It's a balance....having a schedule but not being a slave to it. I'm blogging on a Saturday because we're celebrating my Mom's B-day tomorrow & I wanted to get this off my list. (Sadly, my laundry is still in the hamper by the stairs!-GAH!)

Get Graphic!
Show pictures. I’m very visual (and ADD), so any blog that’s got lots of pictures is always one that I’ll read! Add a screenshot, graphic, or two to make your words POP! Not obsessed with Comic Life or Photoshop like me? That's ok! Use Flickr Creative Commons! Just always give attribution!

Share Shamelessly!
Share what you create enthusiastically and shamelessly. If you invent a wheel (or even a spoke!) share it so that someone else (always think of the new or first year librarian or teacher) doesn't have to re-invent that same wheel!

Use Slideshare to embed your PPT's & Docs
Use Flickr or another easily navigated photo sharing site for your pics & graphics
Link to your wiki for complete lesson plans. Think of the blog as the appetizer & the wikipage as the meal.
Use Google Docs & Google forms!

Gimme a Widget!
Embed widgets & videos on your blog. pages. Adding Video & Widgets to a Wikispaces page is really easy! Check out the Comic Life graphic & this wikipage for directions. -How to Embed Almost Anything in your Website. Widgets are mini-applications that may be embedded in websites, blogs, wikis, Nings, etc. They are often dynamic and interactive. You may use widgets to subscribe to RSS feeds and other push content. Note: Most of the Digital Storytelling Tools and online Video portals provide embed code. More resources can be found on the Information Fluency Wikipage as part of the Smackdown I participated in at AASL09

Be You!
Honestly, speak from your heart. Or as my friend & HCPSS colleague Matthew C. Winner said...

"My Tip: YOUR VOICE is the BEST VOICE.
I always appreciate blogs that embrace an original, authentic voice. I find them more approachable and even more personal. An authentic voice feels both like a trusted friend and a valued colleague... and keeps me reading post after post." Be passionate, be positive, and always be professional. Our kids are in our trust and just like a doctor or lawyer we protect our kids by not talking about them in any way that could be negative. I'm privileged to have that privilege. Cheering their successes is a whole different thing. We all have frustrations in our jobs but a blog is not where to vent them. Doug Johnson has a great post about this! BFTP: Blogging and a little common sense

Give Credit!
Don't forget to credit your sources, quotes, inspiration, graphics, & more! The more you give the more you will get back. Giving attribution is hot!

Be Thankful!
If someone took the time to leave a comment on your blog, Tweet a thanks! Or comment back! Better yet, go to their blog - read one of their posts, & give back a nice comment. Pay it forward!

Lastly, be stubborn!
That school library blog I started in 2006 was blocked last spring and it really was hard. I blogged about how Life is Not Filtered & moved my MHMS Daring School Library Media blog over to EduBlogs - I didn't migrate the old posts (I'm lazy, right?) but I had to learn a new publishing format - ouchie! In the end, it's for the best...so if you're starting a new blog whether it's a professional or school blog, I'd recommend an EduBlogs. Doubtful your district will block those. But, you never know....be nimble, be daring, be digital, be flexible, be ready to roll, and always have fun! Thank you for reading!

What are YOUR blogging tips? What works for you? What did I miss? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Can't Get Enough of Miss Critter Sharpe? Follow her on Titter & check out her latest YouTube Video below!

Credits & References:
Pictures of Critter Sharpe used with her Mommy's permission
Video of Critter Sharpe from YouTube
Pictures of my furry first cousins Boo & Bentley from my auntie Life With Lynn's Blog (I'm so proud of her! I helped her start that blog & she's just run with it! - If you like cats, quilting, cooking, travel, & cute stuff - that's your blog!)
Screenshots from my blogs & wikis. (links on right)
Some quotes were from a Washington Post interview -What is Literacy Today
My Blogs are Blocked-Life is Not Filtered

Shine a Light on Advocacy - NOW!

2011-11-13T12:54:00.021-05:00

I got this compelling email from good friend and LJ/SLJ/The Horn Book publisher Ian Singer who forwarded a passionate plea to several of us to mobilize, sign the petition to Ensure all school libraries are properly staffed, open, and available for children every day and to get out the word via Twitter. So, I immediately signed the petition and Tweeted it out now I'm posting it here to share it with you my dear to readers! DEADLINE: November 27th

My friends –

Good morning.

I’m writing on behalf of a single voice, who has reached out to School Library Journal looking for “help and hope”. And so, I am reaching out to you individually and collectively because the time for us to act is now.

While at AASL, I spoke with very many of you about this exact issue and the pressing need for us to get together and more actively to support the plight of our school libraries and librarians . . . the time for us to act is now.

So let’s start somewhere, together, and help our friend, Seanean – please see her message to SLJ below. While it would be ideal to coordinate action, we can all start by doing something on our own, via our own channels, to advocate. I’m asking you to think about what you can do and to act . . . now. On our end, we’re going to do all we can via our social media channels, our newsletters (LJ/SLJ and The Horn Book), our blogs. Our efforts can’t focus solely on the school library channel.

We need to get over 23,500 signatures by the end of the month . . . we can do it, together!

And to build on the momentum, and perhaps to help fashion a wider advocacy plan that we can all support . . . I’m asking you to PLEASE inform SLJ via Kathy Ishizuka, Rick Margolis, Josh Hadro, Guy Gonzalez and/or me about exactly what it is you can/will do. We’ll report it . . . we’ll report on how many signatures TOGETHER WE drive to the petition. And please forward this to other colleagues / friends who I have missed . . . I started “small” but started.

Have a great day/weekend . . . and it makes me happy to end with, “Seanean – we hear you and YES we will do all we can to help!”

Ian

Ian Singer VP, Group Publisher - Library Journal, School Library Journal, and The Horn Book Library Journals, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.

****

FROM SEANEAN
President Barack Obama and his Administration have created a site to assist citizens in writing and "signing" petitions online that can, if all thresholds are met, make it to the President's desk. This is how the recent changes in student loans came about. I have created a regarding school libraries, which I and my fellow CSLA and LASLA members hope might make it past the major thresholds, but we are having problems getting it far.

Would you be willing to help promote this petition to get ALL school libraries open with proper staffing and enough books to really help our children grow and become better readers, learners, and evaluators of information? California is woefully underfunded in this and some estimates take us now to 6,000 students or more for every one qualified school librarian. We need help. We need hope. Can you help us?

Sign The Petition Here

- It just takes a few min!

Thank you!

Seanean Shanahan, M.A.Ed.
Teacher Librarian, SRHS #2
sshanaha@lausd.net
http://librarytalker.blogspot.com
@librarytalker

So dear readers, please sign the petition. Sadly as of today we only have 7,231 and we need 17,769 more signatures to make the required 25,000! As I said in my comment on Joyce Valenza's blog "It would be a shame if we couldn't get this done!.....what does it say if we can't mobilize & get 25,000 signatures?!

Mobilize for help and hope: Petition Obama & Twitter bomb Senate!

Thank you Joyce for blogging about this! When I got Ian's letter I signed right away & started Tweeting it out A LOT. I haven't heard from @librarytalker yet during all this week of Advocacy Tweeting & Re-Tweeting but I am hoping our Geek Tribe & friends can mobilize to get this pushed forward!"
Now....I've blogged about it, too! As Joyce & Seth Godin say .....
"We are stronger when we share!"

This is especially significant after the *AMAZING* presentation on the TL Virtual Cafe Webinar that Jennifer LaGarde & Librarian Tiff gave us last Monday! If you missed it...the inspiring & fun! ARCHIVE is up & available for you to experience!
...Let your voice reflect your passion! For your teaching practice, for libraries, for literacy, for education, but most importantly - for our number one priority, - our students!

NEXT Month on the TL Virtual Cafe:

Library World Smackdown: Open Mic Night with Joyce Valenza!
& Moderator Gwyneth A. Jones - The Daring Librarian
Monday December 5th - 8pm EST
Joyce will share her top discoveries of the year. Get ready to share your faves too and help us build an interactive resource book.
Session Wikipage
Participant Link

Dropbox It Like it's Hot!

2011-11-06T10:15:00.012-05:00

I eagerly drank the Dropbox Koolaid last year thanks to my good friend from METC_CSD Gina Hartman - I was sold when she said "because of Dropbox I don't care if my laptop crashes"-- I realized THIS WAS BIG and I love it more every day! Dropbox brings together seamlessly all of my devices. All of my Macs (iPad, Macbook laptop, & iMac work desktop) and my Android Fascinate phone. Between Dropbox & GoogleDocs - I really don't need to carry around flashdrives (But I still do -cause networks *can* still go down!) I'm a girl scout that way.

The Cloud is here! Give it a shot by joining Dropbox – Are you a teacher? Join with this secret squirrel link - Dropbox loves schools! will get you (and me!) extra saving space! After you join, if you are an educator you can also get double the credit for referrals. That's 500 MB for you per friend & an extra 250MB for them that with your special .EDU account. Make sure to use your school email addy! It only kicks in once they Join AND INSTALL Dropbox on at least one device! …Sure, it’s a total pyramid scam of Dropbox goodness! See my Daring Tech Wiki for more cool Web 2Oh Tools!

Adore you Gina Hartman of METC_CSD for hooking me up with this! Using the Magic Pocket: A Dropbox Guide (published by MakeUseOf) - PDF !

(I used keepvid to upload this to my Flickr so you could watch it at school)
PDF iPad Reading Goodness!
I use this feature all the time! It's great! You can "easily read the PDF files in the iBooks application which is installed on your iPad. You can do this by opening one of your PDF files on your iPad and then pushing the “Open in iBooks” button which appears on the upper right side of the screen. The button provides a way for you to open the PDF file in iBooks and automatically imports the file into the iBooks application. Also, if you sync your iPad with iTunes the application will automatically be synced with your computer" - Sarah Park Techwhizbackup

Notable Dropbox Features from Techwhizbackup

It’s FREE!

Dropbox offers anyone a free 2 GB account for as long as you like. This isn’t a free trial but a permanent free account.

Linux Support

Unlike other online storage services, Dropbox supports linux. You can also use Dropbox on any mobile device and there is a custom iPhone app as well.

Real-Time Backup

Dropbox will automatically recognize files that are new or have been changed and will only backup new or changed parts of the file rather than re-uploading the entire file. This can lead to significant time savings and reduce the resource footprint on your computer.

Syncing and Sharing

Dropbox is specifically set up for syncing files between computers, and as with the backup, this sync occurs in real-time. Any changes you make to files in your Dropbox folder can be immediately seen by all users. Sharing Made Easy! Dropbox also has more advanced sharing features than many of the other online backup services. Inside the Dropbox folder, users have the option to create public folders, which includes files anybody can access without a username and password. Dropbox also gives every file its own URL for easy link dropping.

30 Days Undo (this is HUGE!)

A nice feature of Dropbox is they keep 30 days of history for all your synced files; this even includes deleted filed from your computer. Drop also offers an optional unlimited undo feature called “pack-rat” for additional charge. - by Greg McKeon

Resources:
Web 2.0h! Tools
Intro to Dropbox on YouTube
Dropbox Allows iPad Owners to Read PDF Files
Dropbox Review

NPR Loves Reading, Teens, & Neil Gaiman!

2011-10-23T17:31:00.013-04:00

I'm a shameless NPR fan! In fact, I just spent about 3 hours driving home from #MASL11, #MSEA11, & Bethany Beach today laughing along with Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me & the Prairie Home Companion. I was also honored & gobsmacked to be interviewed by Bob Edwards last year! SQUEE!) /boasting So, when I got the below astounding tweet this afternoon from NPR rock star Michele Norris alerting me to a VERY AWESOME new NPR bookclub - I put my planed Sunday blog post on the back burner and started writing this!

Neil Gaiman Geeky Uber Cool & Oh So Generous!
Ok..so first Neil Gaiman proves his geek street cred by pairing up with Dr. Who and now he's combining his superpowers with that of NPR, All Things Considered, & Michele Norris to give our kids....ages 9-14 a Back-seat Book Club of their very own! So teens listen up!

"Finally, NPR For YOU! For all those kids in the back seat who are fed a steady diet of NPR news, here's a book club just for you! Read along with us and send us questions you have for the authors. We're asking young people and their parents to join us in reading a special book each month. We also want young readers to join in the conversation with that book's author. We want to know what you think about the book. And most important, we want to give authors a chance to answer your questions. This is a great way for All Things Considered to celebrate kids' books and to provide a special treat for all those youngsters..." & Librarians, too!

The first book of the book club is Neil Gaiman's wonderfully creepy book The Graveyard Book. (You can hear Gaiman read the whole book here.) He's also going to be launching this new book club on ....you guessed it, HALLOWEEN! Tune into All Things Considered to hear Neil Gaiman answer questions that kids can submit! Tell your students about this, maybe create some questions together & let's encourage kids to keep a book (or iPad, Kindle, or Nook!) in the backseat of their car, kitchen, nightstand, and backpack!

Anyway....so what's better than listening to Neil Gaiman reading a book? Having Neil Gaiman on NPR & getting kids passionately hooked on life-long reading! Thank you NPR, Michele Norris and Neil Gaiman! You rock!
-------
Second life photos taken in Ceejay Writer's car at Java Jive in Seraph City - In the top photo Capt. Red Llewellyn is wearing Terry Lightfoot's Winter Waltz gown from her amazing shop To-A-T Designs.... and is holding a book & a lorngette from Wardrobe Trunk

How to Create a QR Code In 3 Easy Steps

2011-10-13T19:20:00.013-04:00

(click above for more sizes & to download)

It's been a while since I've added to my Comic Tutorial Collection - not surprising since September & October are always a busy time for teachers, right? But I was asked several times recently not WHAT WAS A QR CODE...like my previous Comic Tutorial explained (below) ...but exactly HOW to CREATE A QR CODE! So, here's a new comic tutorial that shows you how, in three easy steps, by copying & pasting a URL and using Bitly how to save that created QR CODE graphic (.PNG format) and using it in a document or graphic, it's easy! With the AMAZING BONUS feature of aggregated data on that code! (see below)
This is the coolest thing ever! Bitly saves (I think for a YEAR!) the statistics on that code. How many times it was scanned & clicked, which country, which days, via which social media sharing format like Tweets, Shares, and Likes, and more! Done!

Included in the comic are optional directions for creating a Text Message using Kaywa.com. Here's an example of one that was sent to me from one of my awesome 8th grade Tech Team kids, Kasim! My kids rock!

But Mrs. Jones? Why is it that all kids think teachers are married? AS IF! LOL My dearly departed four ex husbands would tell you I'm darn difficult to get down the aisle! (heh heh kidding. Vegas.)

For those of you new to my blog here's the comic tutorial on What IS a QR Code. Click the image to get a variety of sizes for download.
Want to know how I make these lovely Comic Infographics? Well, of course I've blogged about it! Creating a Comic Life! Naturally, it's Creative Commons!
Creative Commons...
It's not just a license,
It's a way of life!
I was SO thrilled, honored, & excited to see that Creative Commons works when I got the following Tweet.

" @ghartman Gina Hartman to @gwynethjones Wow...your QR Code tutorial is hanging in St. Louis Science Center (in tech section) yfrog.com/h3v7hrij "

What the What!?? Like, OMG!

That is SO cool! I love Science! Museums! (Thanks to Thomas Dolby I am incapable of saying or writing the word Science without an evident exclamation mark!) I contacted the museum to thank them for featuring my comic in their exhibit and they were very enthusiastic & kind!

Snag the whole collection - again...did I mention that they're all Creative Commons?! LOL

Beautiful QR Codes In My Urban Decay!

A new set I got from Sephora that included QR Code links to makeup videos & a special tiny speaker! Urban Decay Book of Shadows - $64.

"A mirrored compact of 16 eye shadows, including 10 new shades and "QR" codes that let you use your phone to access Urban Decay's exclusive how-to videos.

What it does:
This much-awaited collection of 16 eye shadows includes never-boring neutrals, provocative hits of shimmer and vibrant hues, as well as a Book of Shadows first—a portable speaker and how-to videos that reveal Urban Decay's five newest looks. All you need is a phone with a camera and a web browser to scan their QR (quick response) codes and instantly download videos. Pick your look, scan the corresponding QR code, plug your smart phone into the speaker, and drop your phone in the cradle. Then, open the drawer of shadows and recreate the look right along with the how-to video. This kit also include a 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner, a travel-size Eyeshadow Primer Potion, and a travel-size Supercurl Curling Mascara."
Oh What FUN!
Can't find what you're looking for? Search the blog!
(heck, I do it all the time to quickly find stuffs!)

Melvil Dewey: International Library Hip Hop Superstar

2011-10-10T19:03:00.011-04:00

Melvil Dewey! Kablam! International Library Hip Hop Superstar! That's right, in Winston Salem where I was honored to be keynoting at the amazing North Carolina School Library Media (NCSLMA11) conference this past weekend I got to meet him! AND WOW! This guy is the real deal! Sporting a blingtastic gold & diamond encrusted library card, glasses, magic hoodie, & a rhyming dictionary this self-proclaimed Story Yeller can write some mad library & literacy rhymes! Check check check it out! His YouTube vid has gotten over half a MILLION hits!

Amazing! Who is this guy? From the bio on his website:
"Melvil Dewey teaches children the importance of libraries in our communities (and schools!), advocates reading and introduces basic library skills. His first single, The Dewey Decimal Rap, has over half a million hits on YouTube and is being distributed worldwide by McGraw-Hill in 2012. Meanwhile, two of his music videos have been deemed by The Huffington Post as two of the nine funniest library videos ever. Complete with book turntables, a rapping book drop and golden library cards, this high-energy hip hop artist empowers children to speak up for their library and encourages them to become lifelong readers."

Hey Flocbulary!...I'm lookin at you darlings...why not get together with this guy and add his library rhymes to the amazing topics you now offer on your site that I blogged about last post? Just sayin. This. Dude. Rocks.
His latest CD "Deweylicious" has dropped "Containing 15 tracks of superfly library hip hop songs for kids, Melvil’s debut album advocates reading, teaches the importance of libraries in our communities, and introduces children to basic library skills such as using the Dewey Decimal System. An album like this one has been long overdue." Thanks to my dear BFF Jennifer LaGarde, Library Girl -- I got my own CD....AUTOGRAPHED!!! (don't be jealous!)
Melvil Dewey’s debut album DEWEYLICIOUS! Library Hip Hop is now available to purchase on iTunes. Related to this Melvile's video Welcome to the Library made the Huffington Posts' Librarians Go Gaga: 9 Of The Funniest Library Videos Ever
Personal Appearances!
I've seen the magic of a live Melvil Dewey show and it's Electrifying! From kids, teens, to grownups Scooter's style and charm is hard to resist! Invite Melvil Dewey to visit YOUR School or library & spread his brilliant Hip Hop lyrics, rhymes & amazing energy to your peeps! You won't be sorry & you'll be singing his rhymes!

Credits & Resources:
Top photo: by Paul Stephen from the article: A kids' performer turned Internet hip-hop star just might save libraries
Second photo: from the Storyyeller.com website
Third photo: CD cover available online
Press Kit

Flocabulary Makes My BrainPop!

2011-10-04T19:15:00.017-04:00

I blogged about my unabashed love for The Week in Rap back in 2009 on my school library blog ....I went on and on about how AWEsome it was bringing current events & news written for students in an immediately engaging and Oh so Hip Hop way! Now, Flocabulary just gets even better! But it will cost you -though not too much...and it's totally worth it! Now, before you ask...NO! Neither Flocabulary (nor BrainPop) have asked me to write this or paid me for posting (AS IF!) I can't be bought! I only blog about sites, software, and products I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! ~~(of course, I'd obvi take a hoodie!)~~

Of course, the peeps at Flocabulary are going to keep the super popular and lauded Week In Rap -- With ARCHIVES ....AND Special Features! But this young, talented company, have also added SO many other subject categories of sweet rhymes & songs that immediately engage learning & inspire substantive conversations!
What's for FREE? LOTS! According to VP of Sales Vlad Gutkovich, Flocabulary "will always have free videos, but they will cycle around our content, featuring different songs or videos each month, as it stands now. There will always be a Week in Rap episode featured as one of these free songs/units, but it may on occasion be a "special" episode, e.g. "Summer Recap" or "Year in Rap" in December." Teachers: Sign up now for a FREE 14 day trial! BUT wait...there's more! Since you read this blog - dear Vlad has given us a special PROMO CODE: Put in TDL30 and you'll get a double Trial of 30 days!!! Thanks Vlad! Oh and check out the Shakespeare! Say, WHAT!?
Yo Juliet, You Whack. Don't drink that poison, it ain't no snack! (Sorry, couldn't help myself!)

Let Your BrainPop Over Animation & Learning

BrainPop is another one of those incredibly rich, engaging, sites that kids will flock to - learn and not even realize that they're learning.
A. Lot. And kids LOVE them! We've used their learning "games" in our after-school program for years! And yes, they have TONS of FREE stuff! A multitude of subject areas are covered from Arts & Music, Engineering, Social Studies, Science!, English, MATH, to Health!

And now...they've added a new category...wait for it...ESL!!!

Yo Yo MA!
Confession: I'm an unabashed Yo Yo Ma Fan! See? (he's hanging out on one of my bookcases!) and wouldn't you know it but they even have a animated short on famous historical figures including one amazing cellist, Yo Yo Ma! in the FREE STUFF area! They also include comprehension Quizzes (Graded, Review, & Printable!) activities, graphic organizers, vocabulary, and really a cool Q & A!
It's so amazingly multidimensional and rich! Speaking of rich- my school isn't! That's why I really wish my PTA or school could someday find the money for a school wide subscription along with home access. But really, if one can't pony up the cash for the subscription, there are amazing and effective resources to be found in the FREE section! Check it out!
So, two great resources, both with FREE materials, that create instant engagement and meaningful student learnig.....and both bring it....with COOLNESS!

QR Code Scanning for Parents

2011-09-18T10:46:00.006-04:00

Back to School Night is Coming:
Marketing to My Parents

In a couple weeks we're having our Back to School Night (BTSN) at my middle school & it's a GREAT opportunity to start my year off right by giving my parents ALL the resources they need to be in constant communication with us!
A friend & fellow teacher librarian in my district Barb Randolph mentioned that the teachers who posted QR codes in their classrooms had parents lining up to scan them on BTSN! So, taking that one step further I created with Comic Life & iPhoto a QR Code Tree Poster (see above) with all our important MHMS Daring School Library & school web links. I'll be posting this outside the Libary Media Center and in the school lobby as parents on BTSN don't usually visit the library....so I wanna "get 'em while the gettin is good!"

Qr btsn site

View more documents from gwyneth jones

I've also created for my teachers a quick & easy QR Code Microsoft Word template poster for them to easily adapt & post in their room. Feel free to go to my Slideshare or wiki to download and adapt it for your school!
Set the Stage: Have Parents Download the App!
In preparation for BTSN I posted on our school digital newspaper Murray Messages:

QR Codes Hit the Hill!

We embrace mobile media here at MHMS! Proof of which you’ll see in cool black and white when you visit us for Back to School Night!

Have a smart phone? Be ready & download a QR code reader app! We really like the FREE iNigma QR code reader available in both Droid, iPhone, or iPad versions. You’ll see several QR Codes around the building guiding you to different helpful websites (and maybe a secret message or two!) – be ready to scan! Want to learn more about QR Codes? Check out this handy Comic Tutorial!

(Note: I also took the opportunity on the newsletter to promote our new Edublog)

The MHMS Daring School Library Media Center Says: YOU are Our Best Customer!

Murray Hill Middle School tries every day to put into practice our motto “A Model for School Improvement!” We strive to be accessible by utilizing Blogs, Google forms, Google docs, and social media to provide many ways for you to feel connected to our school and to have a voice! We’ve also created wikipages that help students with research & tech problems at home. For more information and for links to these great resources, read our latest EuBlog post and learn how we’re here for YOU! http://daringlibrary.edublogs.org/

Well, the proof will be after BTSN & when we check the numbers back from the Bit.ly info page to see the number of hits each of the QR codes got!

My Related QR Posts:

QR Code Quest: a Library Scavenger Hunt

QR Code AT-A-Glance Comic Tutorial

HOT QR Codes in the Classroom & Library

MSET Conference, Colbert, Crabs, & QR Codes

QR Code Custom Jewelry, Swag

Library in Your Pocket

Oh and I've gotta give a huge shout out to Mr. Russel Tarr of Class tools for creating a neat QR Code Scavenger Hunt generator! LOVE this idea! My way was more visual with custom .jpeg graphics & answers but my way was also a LOT of work! LOL

Oh and as a little giftie to you dear readers...feel free to download & snag this blank version of my Second & Comic Life tree! Insert your QR Codes on this tree (or just paste them on) - photo of tree taken from my property in Second Life - 4 season SL tree created by Sixpense Ninetails.

Back to School Special:7 Web Savvy Starts to a New Year!

2011-08-16T07:48:00.019-04:00

It's back to school time again! Darn those Target & Office Depot commercials! Last year around this time I blogged about using Google forms to create community conversations and decorating your library media center & classroom. This year I'd like to invite you back by popular demand to a FREE TL Virtual Cafe webinar called Back to School Special: Savvy Starts to a New Year! Join yours truly & The Mighty Little Librarian Tiff (on right) for a casual discussion to generate ideas on how to build school allies, support new teachers & become indispensable to admin & staff at the beginning of every school year. Featuring how Google tools (forms, docs, & presentation, and more!) can supercharge the library program & classroom throughout the school year. For Teacher Librarians, classroom teachers, tech teachers, admins, & well...everyone!
1. Make this the Year that You Share Shamelessly!
So many times we are reluctant to share what we create because we're afraid of either looking like we're showing off or we're afraid of critique. Consider shameless sharing as not shining a spotlight on your practice but a lamp post to guide your community to your program! Also consider that there are losts of new teachers & librarians out there that are hungrily looking for ideas & examples! So make this year the year that you GIVE and then GIVE some more! Embrace Creative Commons, Flickr, Slideshare, Wikis, & Twitter and share your AWEsome stuff!
Never one to give advice that I wouldn't follow...I created a simple PPT presentation template for my teachers (& FREE to you!) to use for back to school night which you can download from either Slideshare or my wikipage. Why not download it and give it to your teachers to modify & personalize to mix up their presos for back to school night? Save them time & aggravation AND be a superhero!

BTSN Preso 2011-12

View more presentations from gwyneth jones

Or you can download the graphics from my Flickr stream to make up your own PPT!

2. Why Not a Wiki?
Another thing you can make for both students and parents is a Tech Tips & Help wiki or web page for home use. Answering dilemmas such as:

I can't open my report!

I don't have Microsoft Office on my computer!

Saving Word Documents for use at Work/School

Why Can't I Use Wikipedia?

How to Teach Wikipedia Comic Tutorial

How to Download YouTube Videos for School Use

Keeping Your Computer Clean of Viruses

Making a PDF

Feel free to cut & paste anything on our creative commons wikipage for yours (you don't need to join our page to snag stuff!) and as long as you give attribution somewhere, it's all good!

3. Got Parents?! Start a School Facebook Page!
Yeah, sure...Facebook and I are "seeing other people" but that doesn't mean I don't get that it's a place a lot of my parents hang out & we need to be there! Creating a local page for your school (the kind that is just a listing...like Yellow Book!) is another great way for parents to get the school hours, phone numbers, link to the official web page, & event announcements! I followed directions from Brad Flickinger, a Elementary tech teacher from Fort Collins, CO - who posted how to create a Facebook local page for your school! @bradflickinger

4. Create a School YouTube Channel!
Sure, YouTube is blocked in your school - but that's where your kids, parents, & teachers are at home. Why not upload your school promotional creations, PSA's, animations, & professional development vids there to share with the world? Using KeepVid.com teachers can easily download any video to their hard drive! This year inspired & directed by my Principal and as part of my Google Certified Teacher Action Plan we created a Murray Hill PD YouTube Channel! This is a total work in progress but I'll write more about it later! Promise!

5. Tweet for Your School or Library!
Now this is going to be tricky because Twitter is blocked by my district but I believe in social media, web presence, & Twitter enough to give it a try! I created a MHMS_Media Twitter account to make announcements about exciting new books, fun contests, & ways to publish Twitter styled & sized book reviews! You're invited to Follow US to see how this is gonna work - or not work! LOL

6. Why Not Try an EduBlog This Year?
I realize starting a blog is a big endeavor & commitment! It's also sometimes a pain in the butt! Internal blog guilt when you don't post for a while nags at you (don't let it! that's self-defeating!) and finding the time to write is a challenge. But honestly, blogging has given me more in the last 6 or 7 years than I can say. It's great to share what you've created - hoping to save someone else the time doing the same thing! It's a great way to "think" about the practice of teaching and express your beliefs about our profession. And....It's also great way to remind yourself what stuffs you've done when it's report time! There are two kinds of blogs...a school one (as pictured above) and a professional blog like the one you're reading now! For a school blog I recommend creating an Edublog - no chance of those being blocked by a district filter! (one would hope!) For a professional blog I love me my Blogger! (even with it's unsavory sexual content policy!) I'm gonna write soon about tips for blogging but until then...if you don't have a blog already (or you haven't posted in a while) consider trying it! It's a great way to start a conversation with your students, parents, the community, our colleagues, and the world!
Once you create your school based blog promote it on Back to School Night, in the hallways and library...using cool ways like a QR code & humour!
7. Transparency is the New Black

What about You?

Graphics:
All graphics except for the Librarian Tiff avatar were created by Gwyneth Jones are Creative Commons & available for use on my Flickr stream.

Dear Facebook, We Need to Talk

2011-08-01T22:15:00.010-04:00

We need to talk. I'm seeing other people. I know I've been distant lately. In fact, we never really talked about why I left you for a while a two years ago and I really feel bad about that. You wanna know why? You're like that studly rockstar boyfriend I dated in college who threw those really AWEsome parties & was so cool! You were so popular I couldn't resist you...even when I knew you were no good for me I kept overlooking your faults and taking you back. I HAD to have you but I really never liked it!
You were slutty! ....especially with my personal information! You spilled my secrets without hardly a blink or an "I'm sorry!" I knew that. Everyone knew that. Where was my privacy? I had to keep tweaking things to feel safe around you and every other week or month you let me down! I still don't know what to expect. I don't think I'll EVER fully trust you! At least I never payed any of your games.
With you, my worlds collided. All of a sudden it's like I'm at this party surrounded by all my old high school and college friends who were showing my new professional & librarian friends pictures of me from my partying hardcore punk rock, rockabilly, & new wave days! Without even asking me! WTH!? I had to go around & untagging and yanking them so that I could keep some semblance of professionalism. I had had it up to here, Facebook and I left you. Remember that? I just upped and walked away. Of course you didn't make it easy. For some reason it's easy to "take a break" from you but to totally leave and quit you I had to go through hell!
I stayed away from you for 6 months or maybe it was a year. All I know is that I almost felt shameful about it and no, I didn't blog about it then. Because I new I really should be AT THAT DAMN SOCIAL MEDIA PARTY! But I realized to do it properly I had to say goodbye to all my old high school and college friends and come back to you alone. I needed to be seen at that party but I came back on MY TERMS. For my web presence I had to be on FaceBook but I didn't have to like it. So yeah, you're hot and I used you as much as you used me but I never really liked it. I came back alone, open, transparent, and professional. Did you notice that I was chilly with you? Only throwing you a nod here and there with most of my love going to Twitter? Yeah, didn't think so. And frankly, not to sound shallow...though you're really popular and all you're not that attractive - that ALWAYS bothered me. Not like my first....MySpace!
I gave up my first social media BF... MySpace Tom for you! I had molded MySpace so well, dressed it up with my awesome HTML skillz, and pimped it out so great...then well it changed, it grew old, and I got tired of him & started seeing you. But now..
Now I'm leaving you for GooglePlus. Ok, not leaving per se. Thanks to a Chrome Extension I can connect you two (gee, you don't mind do you?) and thanks to If This Then That I've got my Google+ going to my Twitters (please do NOT ask me for an invite, I'm clear out :-( So....I really think that Google+ is going to satisfy my social media needs with my Twitters being first. The parties are better, more thoughtful - I'm definitely moving in better circles now. I can't see giving up my Twitters. I hope Facebook you don't mind...but really? I could care less if you do. HA! Booya!
Please, don't call me, I've set up a Gmail filter to skip my inbox on all your emails....and for gosh sakes and for the love of all that is holy.......
DON'T POKE ME!

So what kind of relationship do you have with the Facebooks? Do you see it changing with Google+? I'd love to hear what you think!

Rocketboom, Meme Molly, Me, & Google+

2011-07-21T23:52:00.015-04:00

I admit to having a total geeky girl crush on Meme Molly of Rocketboom. What is Rocketboom? It's a "three minute daily videoblog or Vlog based in New York City. We cover and create a wide range of information and commentary from top news stories to quirky internet culture. Instead of costing millions of dollars to produce, Rocketboom is created with a consumer-level video camera, a laptop, two lights and a map with no additional overhead or costs.”
This adorable English Internet Vlogging phenom & her perky gorgeousness explains in amusing & snarky pattois what's the lastest Meme and above...what Google Plus is all about & how it's different than The Twitters or The Facebooks. Fascinating history this Miss Molly Meme has...From the Wikipedias: "Molly started secretly making Youtube videos in her bedroom when she was 16 and eventually her parents found out about it. After a few years working independently in web video and a stint in Canada studying fine art, she went to New York to host, write and produce at Rocketboom. Also a YouTube partner, her mememolly channel on YouTube is #50 on the all-time most-subscribed list for the U.K., with over 50 million views. She has cited lonelygirl15 as one of her inspirations to start making videos."
Of course it's terribly shamelessly self-serving of me to post this video and if I had any modesty whatsoever I would have refrained (thank goodness I'm not burdened with that particular trait)...let's just say this brilliant video gets flippin AWEsome at the 1:47 mark. Just sayin. [coughshameless!terrible!cough] But really? When EVER will I get such geeky street cred cool as to show up in a Meme Molly Rocketboom vid, after all? I mean...Pinch me!
Here's another cool way to explain the 3 different social media formats...don't quite know if I agree with it.

My favourite (natch!) is below!

Now....to quote Molly speak I'm terribly gobsmacked & chuffed & must go call my Mum & tell her!

WAIT! Eh, Wot? You want more Molly?
Related then to my previous post - Harry Potter and the Tearful Farewell --Here's Molly to give you the lowdown on my favourite Wizard!

Geeky Girl crush over...I'm back crushing on the Weasley Twins! Woohooo! Give me some ginger boys! Or.....Snape! Wait!...no, no....Eric from TrueBlood...Yes! And don't forget Danno! [swoon!]

----

Rocketboom was created and founded by Andrew Baron. Rocketboom is co-produced by Andrew Baron, Barry Pousman, and Mememolly.

Harry Potter and the Tearful Farewell

2011-07-18T22:24:00.016-04:00

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are far more than our abilities"
- Dumbledore pg. 333 Chamber of Secrets

It's silly that I'm blinking back hot tears writing this. But I'm sorta sentimental about the Harry Potter Series. Back in 1999 I joined the Unofficial Harry Potter Fan Club started by interweb fan fiction pioneer "Jenna" (never found out her last name) and created a special bulletin board display with pages I printed (in colour!) from the website! It was the first book I became a fangrrl for! I made sure to put the URL at the bottom of each page to teach my kids attribution. I thought I had lost these pics until cleaning up at the end of the year when I stumbled across an old ZIP disk! (and yes, I still have a Zip drive --- just in case!) And Whoohooo! Some early Digi pics edited with Photoshop Deluxe! The UHPFC website (on GeoCities, no less!) had character write-ups and artwork created by the fans...and this thing that was new to me called-- Fan Fiction and even before I knew what a Mary Sue was.

In 1997 when our school was not even a year old and before the book was released here in the U.S. I jumped on Amazon.UK & ordered the Philosopher's Stone version (still on my library's shelf! - we were the first to have it in my district! buwaa!) With each new book release I was on the Amazon pre-order... I taped thank you notes to my delivery guy to my front door in the summer and waited for that book to drop! I would read it, consume it, gobble it ...almost non-stop until I finished. I yelled out loud and was stunned and angry for days when Prof. Dumbledore died and wasn't brought back. I never expected that! With the last book ...Deathly Hallows I was up until sunrise the next day finishing it, eyes streaming with sad, happy, crushed, and sentimental tears. I read it too fast and as soon as I finished it I went back and re-read it again with less breathless haste.

"I LOVE magic!"
- Harry Potter upon seeing the inside of the Quiddich cup tent in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Thank you J.K. Rowling for creating a magical world for us that captured my attention, imagination, & emotions. Other series that have my lifelong love & affection are the Chronicles of Narnia, Anne of Green Gables, and Little House on the Prairie. But all of those series were finished before I ever started them. Never had I started a series that was still in progress where the plot points were hotly debated among my friends and where our loyalty to the world was unequivocal! Where each book was feverishly anticipated! This was a first!
I'm going to see the final part of the movie tomorrow and I'm bittersweet about it. It's NOT an elementary story any longer. I really believe only the first book was appropriate for 4th or 5th graders after that the darkness pervading the series were definitely PG-13. The movies were certainly a happy surprise - they conveyed the magic almost as much as the book. So few films can do that. But the HP series of films gave me an extra gift of seeing with my eyes what my mind had beautifully imagined. I still watch the first one over and over because that walk on Diagon Alley was magical! (and I hate to admit that it wasn't till book 3 that I translated Diagonally in my mind..doh!) After watching 4 hours of the Bio channel's specials about the Making of Harry Potter I learned that 5 screenwriters were sent first editions of the first HP book - 4 declined the job...but got priceless 1st edition copies at least! Also when the young actress Evanna Lynch auditioned for the open casting call she admitted that she always identified with Luna when she read the novels and that standing in that ponderous open casting line for hours was the most "Gryffindor" that she ever had to be otherwise Luna would have given up & wandered away long before ever getting the chance to audition. Honestly, Evanna Lynch is the quintessential Luna Lovegood. She has that strange, detached, dreamy quality in her eyes and voice that flawlessly captures the character in the books and grows into the still dreamy but determined friend to Harry Potter.
So let's talk about the supporting cast stars to the HP world! Perfect casting! Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockheart? Brilliant! And no one else could be Severus Snape BUT the delicious Alan Rickman? Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange was just spot on! And how cool was it to see David Tennant my 2nd favourite Dr. Who show up as evil Barty Crouch, Jr? There *was* talks about an HP & Dr. Who crossover! But Tennant crushed it as too "spoofy" WTH!? So yes, I loved the movies. Did you?
The Harry Potter series resonates on so many levels with truly classical themes and characters. Heroic stories like the Mabinogion, the Odyssey even to Star Wars - Harry Potter embodies the classic tale of the lone hero, marked by parental abandonment and tragic circumstances is befriended by a sensai, a guide, Jedi master or a wise professor and who must defeat great forces and overcome great loss before he is ultimately triumphant. Beguilingly, these stories are set in modern times with modern kids facing modern problems - yet there is that hidden classic world hiding behind brick walls and subway platforms...so close, but out of reach for us Muggles. Who would not be enchanted?
I was enchanted...I continue to be enchanted. And isn't that the true magic of books? That willing suspension of disbelief that silken spell that surrounds the reader and sparks the imagination and lasts....forever. Thank you JK. Thank you so much!

Forgive me if this tearful long and rambling farewell post isn't techie, instructive, or even all that philosophical... I just think that Harry, Hermione, & Ron (and SNAPE!) deserved a goodbye love letter.
UPDATE: Harry Potter Eyes: Cried my makeup off at HP7 w/my friends! Sad, pathetic, huh? It was AWEsome!
I just got back from seeing HP7. A 1:10 movie on a hot humid DC Metro day. My friend Debbie joined me with her soon to be 9th grade son Matt. I leaned over before the movie started and said in a hushed sotto voice "What happens at Harry Potter stays at Harry Potter! I brought 10 Kleenexes from home and I'm prolly gonna use 'em all! I apologize in advance for my sobs - we won't be speaking of this again - got it!?" he laughed at me and I grinned and then tried to cry and sob with dignity behind my 3D glasses as best I could. Yeah, it was THAT GOOD! But parents! It's flippin scary! What looked like a 3rd grader got upset & had to be taken out. But for middle school kids & older?...It's a brilliant glorious exciting movie about love, sacrifice, friendship, and trust. Go see it. Now!

Lastly, from fan fav site 109 Harry Potter Reborn BABIES! Most disturbing creepy thing EVER! Eewwww! SCARY!
Baby Voldemort toy is the most horrifying thing to come out of the Harry Potter world

also...
The Most Ludicrous Moments from Lifetime’s J.K. Rowling Biopic

10 Fantasy Book Series That Could Replace Harry Potter at the Movies

Google Plus Cheat Sheet and a Cool Guy from Denmark

2011-07-12T17:57:00.014-04:00

On the interwebs a star can rise overnight! And no... I'm not talking my old beloved friend & early Internet Meme Trogdor ....I'm talking about a cool guy from Denmark. With the advent of the new social network by the Googles called Google Plus or G+ Denmark denizen Simon Laustsen has created some of the BEST & coolest infographics for this exciting new community of learners & early adopters! They became an instant hit & according to his blog (scan the QR code, too!) "It turned out to be very popular, and so it has now been shared over 1000 times on Google+. It has been translated into several languages and the number of people following me has literally exploded from 0 to 600 and counting."
Now with over 1800 followers Simon's Google+ cheat sheet has been translated into 11 different languages! (link to all at bottom) He has also graciously given me permission to post them here on this blog and he added a QR code to his profile pic after a few messages back & forth. Cool! Thanks!
Now.. I know I'm known for creating Comic Tutorials..but really people, I'm basically lazy... why re-create the wheel!? Eh-wot!? (click each pic below for full sizes)

Thank you again, Simon for your generosity!

What are your best Google+ tips?

PS. Since writing this post I have been reminded that there are MANY cool Danish & Denmarkian Peeps out there! See?

janholmquist Jan Holmquist

Lot´s of cool guys from Denmark :) RT @librarianbyday Google+ Cheat Sheet & a Cool Guy from Denmark by @gwynethjones

----More Resources:

Ahmed Zeeshan - Google+ | The Starter Pack

Google+ Teacher Academy, Seattle!

2011-07-03T15:12:00.017-04:00

So....even though I'm very transparent about my practice and profession here and on the Twitters I kept pretty mum about the fact that I was applying to the Google Teacher Academy cause I guess I didn't want to jinx it, humiliation, you know...the usual! You see, I missed my opportunity to go the Washington, DC 2009 GTA in my own backyeard with my mentor Joyce Valenza and my former student teacher the awesome Danielle Du Puis. The next one was in Australia - I didn't even try for that one...Cha Ching...Why? As one of my FB peeps said

"Kathy Kaldenberg I assumed you were already a GCT! I think you'll be teaching them a thing or two."

Ha, ha..me teach Google? One can only hope! But that's how I missed the GTA in my backyard of Wash DC -everyone assumed I was in & I missed the narrow application window! DOH! (Srsly, I can't keep up w/everything!) But I *have* been preaching the Google message since 2003. My first Google App webpage (above) & ISTE affiliate preso was 2004 - Doing Backflips Over Google for Yahooligans - Go ahead and giggle about how it looks! (designed for computer screens that were only 900 wide)
The excitement of discovery!
I was at ISTE11 in the convention center - right before going onstage with our huge Learning Tools Family Feud preso when my dear friend Linda Dougherty aka Eleanor Anderton alerted me that the GTA emails were in! I scramble to get to my Gmail...oh why oh way do those moments seem the most excruciatingly long? When there... to my amazed eyes I did spy:

"Congratulations!

You have been selected to participate in the Google Teacher Academy - Washington. After reviewing your application, we believe that you have the experience and passion necessary to positively impact education in your region, and we are excited to have you join us at the Google office in Seattle."

Woohooo! Special thanks to Danielle Nicole Du Puis GCT & Trainer for her feedback on my application & video!! Danielle was instrumental in helping me "git er done!"
Within seconds I run to the new #GTAWA Twitter hashtag to reach out to the other 49 students! And within only a few hours a Googledoc was designed by Robert Madden @mrmadden77 to connect us all and get this ball rolling! He got the idea from @bmossholder who is a gctsyd. (GTA Sydney!)

See, I really HAVE been a total Google fangrrl since the get go! But yeah, I'm terribly flattered, gobsmacked, & honored! This is total geek street cred & the opportunity to learn SO much! It's going to be an exciting time and I promise to bring cool stuff back to you, dear reader! And to my school, students, and teachers! Gotta say it again, Woohoo!

Hi, I'm Gwyneth and I've never liked Facebook. So, I thought maybe what I didn't like in FB I would be resolved in G+. I've been playing more with Google+ since I got back from ISTE11 on Thursday. I trust Google WAY more than Facebook when it comes to security & privacy! What I worry is that with as pervasive as Google is in my life...that the little black bar and red message alert will suck me into it over and over and run my life! [grins] I already have Twitter for that! And people, stop asking me for invitations to Google+!!! LOL
Google+ Tweets & Resources

9 Reasons to Switch from FB to G+ http://t.co/s2IxvbR & Will G+ make Twitter the next MySpace? http://t.co/Z8XyB4N Via @markwagner
The Google+ Project
6 things google+ can do that FB can't: http://bit.ly/mimJiJ dpgreen via @pcmag
5 Interesting Ways to (possibly) use #Google+ to Support Learning http://bit.ly/kdRdq9 @tombarrett
RT @rkiker Extended Share for Google+ Chrome extension allows posts to Google+ to go to Twitter/FB too. Perfect. http://t.co/1SYo10r
Google Circles, Google's Radical New Social Network, Launches Today
Google+ Circles "This Week in Google" http://t.co/AvrMv6U & listen for baking in "social cues" into how it works via @ijonpederson
Google Launches Free Mobile Website Builder via @rww http://t.co/4Zkke2O Via Awesome @JamieCrager
Comparing Google+ & Facebook (slideshow) via @AuntyTech

How to Apply for the Google Teacher Academy
The Google Teacher Academy Application was not overly long but it was challenging with word count restrictions for those of us who are ummm verbose? It also included some provoking & thought inspired questions. I created a Google Doc immediately and started writing... every night after school (and it was at the end of the school year!) I would add some more - re-write... trying to decide if I keep my normal conversational informal blog voice or stretch & try and sound hoity toity professional. You can see below which one I ended up on! LOL

Before applying I really wished I could read what a winning application sounded like. Not to copy of course but to be inspired! Many thanks to a very dear friend and super successful Google Certified Teacher who shared hers with me...and who was kind enough to look at my shared Google Doc & write comments on the side. Now that I amazingly got in.. and upon reflection maybe not everyone has a former student teacher who is as generous (and behholding a wee bit!) to share their winning Google Application with you...so here we go.

I'm gonna take the transparent leap and share the questions and my answers with you! No matter how vulnerably & squirmy this makes me feel I believe this is part of my philosophy of shameless sharing and "paying it forward" so that the next time there's a Google Teacher Academy maybe it can help in some way.
Gwyneth Google Teacher Academy Application

Would love to hear your thoughts on Google+, GTA, Google, Lava Lamps, or Go!Animate!

Epic Photoshop Fail!

ps. If you noticed the lava lamp graphic above looks funny on the last text line (iSpy points for you!) it's because my Photoshop crashed just as I was saving it! Because I'm too lazy to start from scratch over again after working on one pic for 40 min I took a screenshot so I wouldn't lose ALL the work! See what caused me to let my epithets fly! LOL

Happy 4th of July!

Lady GaGa Librarians Unite!

2011-06-25T16:36:00.023-04:00

I was asked recently for a quote by a N.Y. Times editor for their opinion page: Here's the question: "School librarians are on the chopping block as states and cities seek to cut their education budgets. Do superintendents and principals see librarians as more expendable than other school employees? If so, why?" Here's my response:

"From the Daring Librarian to Teacher Librarians everywhere with love, albeit tough love - but full on love! Times are tough all over for education. Superintendents and administrators are making some hard financial decisions. Any position that does not have constant student interaction, testing expectations, and direct grading is vulnerable. Librarians and school libraries are at a crossroads. This is one of the most exciting times to be a teacher-librarian in our country and is also the scariest. A revolution is at hand, and we need to be nimble, daring, digital and shift both our practice and the way the world thinks of school librarians and libraries.
Some revolutions compel you throw everything out. This revolution is easy...keep what you love but just make a shift. Seth Godin recently said “A librarian is a data hound, a guide, a sherpa and a teacher.” I like that metaphor it resonates with me! We NOT expendable because we are guiding the minds of our students to lead them to become life-long learners, curious searchers, and good digital citizens. Librarians must teach Google ed and social media ed because we know kids are gonna connect and create online, better they do it with knowledge, discernment, responsibility, & ethics. We must shift our language, adding words like attribution, tagging, widget, Creative Commons, transliteracy, and authority.

"I've always been famous, it's just no one knew it yet."
— Lady Gaga

Shift perception! We need to be more like Lady GaGa than Lady Bird Johnson. We need to establish a clear, pervasive, vibrant, and involved presence in their school, community, and on the web. The more visible librarians are the less likely that they’ll be taken away. Those teacher librarians who are hiding their brilliant programs under a bushel, that’s when they’re most likely to get cut. We need to stay positive, be proactive, and always be professional!"

Why Lady GaGa?
She loves her "little monsters" and so do we! She has style & doesn't apologize! She doesn't ask for permission - I bet she doesn't even ever say she's sorry (I do, though!....on rare occasion!) She is innovative, a risk-taker, a change agent, an early adopter and dag she's COOL! She also is all about self-empowerment! And I'm SO not saying that we all need to start wearing meat gowns or Steve McQueen sky high pumps...but to paraphrase my mentor & super hero Dr. Joyce Valenza...We need to step up our game, get fierce, throw off the pumpkin sweaters and be damn awesome at our jobs & fight the good fight! They got the library in Alexandria, they're not getting mine! Booya!

One last thought - I really like the idea of us Teacher Librarians and Geek Tribers creating some kind of hand gang sign! More like the monster claw than the Nancy Pearl Shushing action! Any ideas peeps!? If you think of one - take a pic & either post it in comments or email me!

"‎Do not allow people to dim your shine because they are blinded. Tell them to put on some sunglasses, cuz we were born this way b**ch!"
— Lady Gaga

"I just I felt like a freak, I guess what I'm trying to say is
I want to liberate them, I want to free them of their fears and make them feel that they can create their own space in the world"
— Lady Gaga

Q. What can a librarian do
without admin & staff support?
A. Not much!
I'd like to thank my principal Dr. Donyall Dickey who has been amazingly supportive & encouraging these past 4 years – I have grown SO much under his inspiring leadership. He has given me the opportunity to do some cutting edge things in our Library Media Center with mobile media (QR Codes & iPods touches, etc.), joined me in expanding our Social Media web presence, and allowed me to be on the ISTE Board of Directors & represent our school and district presenting out of state.
I’d also like to thank Mrs. Carol Fritts my district supervisor and friend who is officially the Coordinator of Career and Technology Education and Library Media. Carol has for many years supported cheered me on – giving me opportunities to represent HCPSS and the state of Maryland. Thank you so much Carol!
Lastly...to my AWEsome MHMS staff: I can't do anything without a great staff of teachers who try new things, are open to new technologies because really, it's the hardworking classroom teacher who makes all the difference!

"I am focused on the work. I am constantly creating. I am a busy girl. I live and breathe my work. I love what I do. I believe in the message. There's no stopping."
— Lady Gaga

Since the NY Times article was only a taste & not a treatise of what I think & believe check out this recent more -in-depth (but still delightfully shallow!) interview by the amazing M.E. Steel-Pierce!

How Teacher Librarians Can Save the World (and maybe their jobs) Posted by M.E. Steele-Pierce

I also would like to thank Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post for picking up this article!

Librarians the Edge of Glory!
-----
Images via WENN and Perez Hilton
GaGa Daily

Get Your Free ISTE11 SIGVE Virtual Worlds Badge!

2011-06-18T15:19:00.013-04:00

Every year I look forward to going to ISTE Island and taking a snap for my Virtual Worlds Name Tag! Yes, I blogged about this last year..but it deserves a fresh mention! It's important that those of us who learn and teach on the grid show our SIGVE allegiance! It's also important to represent my Steampunk aesthetic by wearing my most fetching Steamy Victorian tophat by famed milliner Miss Reghan Straaf of Hatpins! I'm also wearing Miss Punktuality gown by Cutea of Grimm Bros. with out of control grid breaking metal overskirt & matching rusty clock bedecked collar. Go big or go home, folks. I also gotta admit I photoshopped my Avatar...which frankly is just a bit odd.
Get your own ISTE SIGVE Nametag!
"If you're heading to Philly next week for ISTE 2011, don't be left without your avatar name badge. Come on over to ISTE HQ's and follow the directions at the photo booth.
Thanks and see you soon! -Louise" Here's the SLURL to the Photobooth!

Visit the SIGVE Playground to pick up your badge and experience all that Virtual Worlds have to offer the digitally shifted educator! "All Philadelphia sessions will be mirrored into Second Life at ISTE Island and all sessions originating in any virtual world platform will be mirrored into Philadelphia and shared in Second Life as technology permits! "
Also be sure visit the SIGMS playground! Wonderful presenters and super fun topics! Featuring some of my favourite friends & amazing Teacher Librarians like Brenda Anderson - @brendaanderson, Linda Dougherty (aka Eleanor Anderton of SL!), The Digital Diva herself- Joquetta Johnson and of course The Mighty Little Librarian - Librarian Tiff and more of our Geek Tribe! YAY! Last year it was a jumpin place to be!
I was also truly flattered that Brenda continued Sir Bolt's example and friends created a great animation for ISTE SIGMS with Xtranormal!

Want to join Second Life?

From the SIGMS Wiki:

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 the Community Virtual Library, 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.)

Rebecca Black, Justin Bieber, & Zombies

2011-06-11T08:53:00.016-04:00

It's that time of year again! Time to beg, cajole, tease, torture (audibly), and plead to get our Library Media materials back. With 27% of our students on free & reduced lunch I know that we have a large group of kids that probably can't pay for their lost books...and I've made peace with the fact that I'm never gonna get ALL my books, digital playaways, & CD's back. I shoot for a loss of 30 a year. Sometimes it's more - sometimes it's less. And, That's OK! That's the cost of doing business. Some of my kids might not return a book because they LOVE it and they can't buy it to keep for their personal libraries. So, if that could possibly EVER be the case I only push so far.
BUT... I do everything I can to get those materials back because though I'm understanding, I'm still trying to teach responsibility, respect for property, and accountability! That's why I have lots of creative ways to get our books back. And yes, I also make 80 or so phone calls every year - to every number I have of moms, dads, aunties, grandmas, whoever is our primary caretaker to get that super hero help from our awesome grownups - some of whom don't even know that their kid has an overdue book! Muuwaaa! I'm gonna share the videos & Blabberize animations that we've made for this time of year for the last few years. The above video was mad with Blabberize with Guest Zombie voice of 6th grader the Cool Master Z Ricky! Funny how these videos are also a snapshot of pop culture - what's funny, hip, groanworthy, despised, or basic fodder for parody a the time - therefore their shelf life may vary! PS. Zombies Are ALWAYS in Style! (see end of post for more brains!)

Last year we focused on our buddy Justin Bieber...and funny, one of my classroom teachers complained to my principal that they thought the video defamed Canada! What the what!? I LOVE CANADA! (esp. my Saskatoon peeps! Holla!) You can ask anyone aboot that! ;-)

Twilight's Bella & Edward have also been the object of our parody! Which I blogged about more last year and about how Bella is a typical MARY SUE trope fan fiction wannabe!

And in 2003 a very talented special group of MHMS filmakers Inuksuk Studios & I created this iMovie video called Bookfellas. We wrote the script thinking about of course Goodfellas and we were inspired by the music of a certain Guy Ritchie film. The quality is so, so,...a little jerky..but still the AWEsome comes through! That's their graduation pic in 2007 -- I'm still so proud of these kids & they even come back & visit!!
PS. Inuksuk is a "stone landmark or cairn built by humans, used by the Inuit, Inupiat, Kalaallit, Yupik, and other peoples of the Arctic region of North America." Where did they come up with it? It was a nonfiction book on display in the library that was near their editing Macintosh. It also sounds funny.. as in heh heh "you said suk" heh heh. You know I'll NEVER be able to weed that book! I know, right!?
Video Hosting
I load my videos of course on my YouTube channel, but because the YouTubes is blocked in my school and if they're under 90 seconds I host them on the Flickrs, and if they're longer I also upload them on TeacherTube. But honestly? Embedding on TeacherTube has been sketchy lately for example, it seems like every video I've ever loaded there- even years ago are only a month old! WTHeck? Also irksome about TT is that Vids I've put on my wiki from TT can't be played sometimes. Sheesh. Annoying. Always fighting the filter and dodging the locked net monster, ninja style...it's good to have the same vid in lots of different places! ZAP! Where do YOU host your videos? I'd love to hear from you in the comments with other video hosting suggestions! Thanks!
Want to learn how to Blabberize? Check out my earlier post with Comic Tutorial and Wikipage!
Search This Blog for Directions
Oh and darlings? Not to sound irksome myself...can I make a request? Before emailing or tweeting me asking for directions on how I do some of the stuffs I do (like Blabberize) can you please search this blog first? I don't wanna be repetitive and re-post directions & comic tutorials over and over. How meh-worthy would THAT be, right?

---
And though it's not Halloween yet...It's ALWAYS a good idea to be prepared for the oncoming Zombie horde! Of course I have a Zombie Survival plan....don't you!?

Photo credits:
Rebecca: Screenshot from Video
Justin: www.thenewcurrent.com/2010/07/05/justin-beiber-to-tour-no...
Zombie & Zombie Puppet: laughingsquid.com/san-francisco-zombie-mob/

Survey Says! ISTE11 Philly is the Place to Be!

2011-06-05T20:53:00.018-04:00

Only 3 weeks until the ISTE11 conference kickoff with Mario Armstrong! OhEmGee, I am SO excited! Besides being super busy with with ISTE Board service, meetings, poster sessions, Blogger cafe hanging, and playgrounds - I'll be presenting twice on two exciting (but very different!) panels!!!
Game Show Learning!
Learning Tools Family Feud: Crowdsourced Edition with Geek Tribe pals my dear mentor the amazing Joyce Valenza, super cool & smart Shannon M. Miller, slick Chad Lehman, hilarious & high-energy Nick "The Nerdy Teacher" Provenzano, and the wonderously sweet & funny Matthew Winner! With our special game show host the AWEsome Steve Dembo! Survey Says! This is gonna be GROOVY! We're gonna re-visit the favourite 70's Game Show with a Twist! We've crowdsourced the survey with over 100 of our PLN answering questions using a Google Form and will be going head-to-head boys against the girls to see if we can guess what the top learning tools will be AND give on the spot examples of how to utilize those learning tools in the classroom! And yes, we will be in COSTUME! Thanks to Shan, Some of our favourite vendors have even promised to donate some cool swag for FREE PRIZES! Including stuff from: Shmoop, Edmodo, SweetSearch, FableVision, EasyBib, Discovery Education (Thanks Steve!) Safari Montage, Terinery Brothers, Snag Learning and I scored a Livescribe Pen to give away! (Thanks Janet!) Please add us to your planner! Monday, 6/27/2011, 12:45pm–1:45pm PACC 103BC We've had some very generous donation from some vendor friends to have some prizes to give out during the "Game Show" This preso will be also be broadcasted on ISTEVision! So, if you can't be there in person you can catch it virtually by visiting via ISTE Remote or our TL Family Feud Wiki! Oh and to keep things honest and to ensure the integrity of this event our game show judges will be Diane Cordell and Paul Wood.
A New Dawn
I was dead flattered & honored to invited by the amazing Doug Johnson to sit in on another all-star line-up panel of amazing educators and teacher-librarians! Join us at the SIGMS Forum: A Dawning Era for School Librarians with Lisa Perez and Doug Johnson. The session is FREE but tickets are required (and 30 are still avail!) Tuesday, 6/28/2011, 10:30am–12:30pm PACC 108 This preso also will be broadcasted & saved for later streaming on ISTEVision! Following the Tedx style of presentations this panel will feature:

Anita Beaman: The E-volution of Books: Ebooks, E-readers and the Future of Reading or, Where Are We Going and Do I Have to Get in That Handbasket?
Buffy Hamilton: Libraries as Communally Constructed Sites of Participatory Learning: Creating Conversations and Connections Through Enchantment
Cathy Jo Nelson: The Blind Leading the Blind: Be the trailblazer for newbies, veterans and students alike modeling the use of new tools for professional development and student learning.

Gwyneth Jones: Viva La Social Media Revolución! Make a daring digital shift for your practice & the community.
Shannon Miller: Be the change you want to see: Empowering students with a VOICE in education.

Read Doug Johnson's blog about this forum on his Blue Skunk Blog! (it's a fav of mine!)

You PLN Comes Alive & Together at ISTE!
If you're going to ISTE please join us for the learning fun! If you're a reader of this blog I'd love to meet you face to face! If you see me (and forgive me if I'm ISTE blind -where my ADD kicks in and I seem oblivious because I'm too over stimulated! LOL) make sure to come up & say HI!!!! That's my favourite part of ISTE is meeting people F2F I've only "met" virtually here...or on the Twitters!

Attention all ISTE Newbies!
As a member of the ISTE board lemmie officially say that I hope all newbies to ISTE feel welcome, get all they can out of the many awesome offerings at ISTE, and have FUN doing it! I'll be posting soon about my advice to get the most out of the conference experience and packing tips! If this is your first ISTE do make plans to drop by and hang out in the Newbie Lounge on the 3rd floor -it's a great chance to meet other newbies & veterans, learn about cool receptions and events and make friends!

PS. to my ALA peeps... I am SO disappointed that I won't be able to join you in New Orleans & go to the Movers & Shakers luncheon (Waaaaa!) ...WHY OH WHY do they schedule these two conferences ALWAYS the same week every year!?? At least next year in CALI we'll be physically closer together so maybe I can hop over! But being on the ISTE board I do have responsibilities and I take those seriously because I'm so honored to represent and serve ISTE members the PK-12 educators! So ISTE will always come first....Cheers dears!!

a dawning era for school librarians, Buffy J. Hamilton, Doug Johnson, ISTE11, joyce valenza, lisa perez, Philly, shannon miller, sigms forum, the nerdy teacher

Tweeting Ulysses-Eyepatch Required!

2011-06-02T06:14:00.006-04:00

I have great friends! Even people I don't get to see all the time or have met only once - I'm richer for having known them! My PLN is the same - richer for (virtually) knowing them... Sarah Koski, a bright, bubbly member of our ISTE staff from our Eugene OR ISTE office - even though she's working hard on the upcoming ISTE conference sent me this from The Daily Good - a really cool site with quirky (love!) news items that is of course blocked in my district!
"So you want to read James Joyce's famously impenetrable modernist masterpiece Ulysses, but you can't seem to take your eyes off the Internet? We've got the solution to your problems. This year, for Bloomsday, an annual celebration of Joyce and Ulysses, there's an effort underway to recast the novel and publish it in its entirety in a series of tweets. The experiment, called "Ulysses Meets Twitter 2011," will use volunteers, who will each take a section of the book (it's been divided into 96 parts), and distill it into four to six tweets that will go out on the @11ysses account. In this way, the entire book, or a crowd-interpreted version of it, will be broadcast, 140 characters at a time, on June 16, starting at 8:00 a.m. Dublin time. (of course!) It looked like the "Ulysses Meets Twitter 2011" organizers were struggling to find enough volunteers to pull it off. A recent publicity blitz, including a post in The New York Times, may have solved that problem, but there are still a few days to get involved if you want." Here's how. Oh and Eyepatch Optional!
Thanks Sarah!!!
Classroom Classic Connections!
Now think of the classroom implications of this! Think of how cool this would be for students to take chapters...or parts of chapters of ponderous novels and using the Character Counter I talked about a few weeks ago, boil down classroom or classics for other students!

Write your Review in FRONT OF the URL & Emoticon

Cut out words that are unnecessary - re-word, re-think, re-write, re-mix, & be creative! Hints: use "&" rather than the word AND, dashes as breaks, but try NOT to write in leet speak. Like "4sqore &7yrs ago" OR.....should We? Hmmmm That's a conversation for you and your teacher!

"Leet Speak" Cringingeworthy or Cutting Edge?survey software

--
Resources

Joyce's Ulysses set for Twitter translation

Joyce Meets Twitter: Boiling Down 'Ulysses'

Joyce Flickr Creative Commons photo By: Max Braun

Diigo iChromy for iPad + Angry Birds = Happy!

2011-05-28T12:48:00.024-04:00

As much of a Mac fangrrl as I am, I've never been a Safari fan. I dunno why, it just never *felt* right. So it was Netscape...and then Firefox & Chrome. Of course the iPad only came with Safari so when I heard that ~~Google~~ Diigo came out with a FREE new browser app called iChromy which offers an identical browsing experience on your iPad with a smooth user interface, free apps, and some rather nice features - I was excited! When researching this I came across a great article on Cult of Mac:(link below) "iChromy’s attempt to mimic Google Chrome on the iPad makes it one of the nicest third-party browsers for the iPad I’ve used. One of its best features is its tabbed browsing: just like Chrome all of your tabs sit at the very top of the browser and it’s simple to switch between them and open & close individual tabs." SWEET! (Correction: In my excited reporting of this new APP I jumped to the conclusion that Google came out with this but it was the AWEsome people at Diigo who actually did! Thx to Eric in comments for the correction & I'm happy to make it!) That means a seamless feel from laptop to iPad! Now, this is not BETA but does have a bit of a Beta feel...What looks different from Firefox? Once you install it you'll notice that iChromy’s address bar "combines both URL entry and search into one box in an effort to keep its UI clean, and when you begin to scroll down a page, this bar is hidden to provide you with more room for content." I don't know how long it's gonna take me to stop looking for my Google search bar on my top right but I'm more than willing to give it a whirl! "There’s a built-in reading list with ‘read later’ functionality with which you can save web pages to view later offline. There’s also support to save and share content with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Diigo and Instapaper." Hmmm So...that makes me run & download it...I'll report back later on my user experience.
UPDATE! 6/29 I got an email from co-founder of Diigo with this exciting news!
FYI - we have just released a new update V1.1 in App Store, with more enhancements & fixes in response to many user suggestions. So in addition to tabs, offline browsing and fast speed, the new version now allows Incognito Mode, Find in Page, Photo Save, Quick Dial, and lots more. For the complete list of new update, please see http://bit.ly/ichromydiigo for more detail.
Also, I want to give you a heads up: our next version release will be a major one that includes integration of highlighter and annotation features, unique core services by Diigo. Stay tuned!
Best,Maggie Tsai --Diigo

In the meantime I got intrigued by the Mac v. of Chrome for my MacBook...and then..I'll admit, whilst shopping online, I saw an ad for my beloved Angry Birds game built inside the Chrome browser!
WHAT the WHAT!?? and then Oh Happy Happy!
New Chrome for Mac highlighted features:
Speed - Chrome is designed to be fast in every possible way: It's quick to start up from your desktop, loads web pages in a snap, and runs complex web applications fast. Learn more about Chrome and speed.

Simplicity - Chrome's browser window is streamlined, clean and simple. Chrome also includes features that are designed for efficiency and ease of use. For example, you can search and navigate from the same box, and arrange tabs however you wish — quickly and easily.
Security - Chrome is designed to keep you safer and more secure on the web with built-in malware and phishing protection, autoupdates to make sure the browser is up-to-date with the latest security updates, and more. Learn more about Chrome's security features. APPS-A-Go-Go! And more features: Chrome has many useful features built in, including translation in the browser, apps (Like Angry Birds!), extensions, themes, and more. Learn more about Chrome's newest and most-loved features. From the Why Chrome? Page

How much of a Google fan am I? I've mentioned before my 2004 Google App webpage (now visually embarrassing -but still geek street cred cool - designed for 640X480 screen! LOL) "Doing Backflips Over Google for Yahooligans" And now.... to show off my office decorations feat Google swag (or toys!) I give you this!

I always wonder what other peoples offices look like - well, this is mine which I share with my AWEsome assistant of near 20 years Mrs. Robin Black. (obviously.a.saint) See? My Google Neon Lamp, Google Lava (Motion) Lamp ($15.85 while supplies last) my fav Red Angry Bird, YouTube thermal mug ($12.05) which sadly doesn't fit under my Kerurig and other toys like my Torchwood Capt. Jack Harkness action figure. Now Google, don't think I'm sucking up to you! (however tempting that is!) Back in the day I used to be able to email a marketing guy at CDIGateway & share that I was doing a Google centric preso & they would overnight me swag! Ahh those were the days! Obviously, no longer!

Frankly I had SO many literary & library related toys & bobbleheads I had to make a display of them in my library display case! LOL

Resources:
Google Chrome - Overview
iChromy is The Perfect iPad Web Browser for Google Chrome Users --By Killian Bell
iChromy: An Alternative iPad Browser With Chrome Envy
Free Angry Birds game | google.com Play Angry Birds with the new Chrome Web App - Exclusive levels!
Angry Birds gets a web version, coming to Chrome Web Store -- Engadget

Vinyl Love App: Scratching Justin Timberlake

2011-05-26T06:28:00.011-04:00

I can't help myself. I love me some JT. He brings my Sexy Back!
(not that it ever left! ;-)
...But almost as much I love Justin Timberlake, I adore this new app that "plays" the vinyl records of my youth AND let's you "scratch" as if you had 2 turn tables and a microphone (Beck knows where it's at!) And...it's only $1.99!
Thanks to my dear friends Joquetta Johnson & Donna Anderson - my Appolicious Queens of the i Pad I learned about this at the MSET spring board meeting last week! The pic on the right shows another cool feature! When choosing an LP you can "flip" through the albums in a milk crate of all your iTunes music! No need to import the App finds it and puts it right there for you! How cool!

Another great new app is from my longtime software love, Comic Life. At a more hefty price of $7.99 this gorgeous app promises to feed my comic desires on the go! Haven't played much with this but I'll report back to you dear readers once I do! More from their website:

	Beautifully designed interface that makes making comics even more enjoyable
	Easily use photos in your iPad Photo Library or take a picture with the iPad 2 cameras
	Balloons, captions, lettering and templates for easy story-telling
	Smart text layout - keeps your words inside the lines
	Integrated Comic Reader for fullscreen view of your comic with added external screen support
	Share your comics with family and friends with Facebook integration, email and printing
	Drag and drop comics between iPads. Great for sharing work in the classroom
	Built-in Collections helps keep your created comics organized in simple collections
	Image filtering enhances the look of your photos and lifts the look of your comic project
	Online Help has comprehensive information on how to get the most out of this feature-rich app

If you missed this post iPad LOVE & App LUST all about the coolest, best iPAd APPS for educators & geeks featuring guest bloggers, Joquetta Johnson, Donna Anderson, & Selena Ward check it out!

What's YOUR favourite App!? Love your comments!

(no commericial spammers though!) Gah!

Know Your Meme

2011-05-22T14:36:00.006-04:00

I can't believe I'm giving Rebecca Black another mention on my blog! But she and her viral vidoe are really great examples of an Internet Meme. And after 146,797,514 views of her orig video below and a growing number of re-makes this is also another excellent example of the Re-mix Mash-up revolution as I've mentioned before! The Digital Remix Mash-Up Culture Explained Blog fodder \\FTW!// (for the win)
What's a meme you may be asking? Let's talk about it after the jump!

A Meme is an image, video, phrase or simply an idea that spreads from one person to another seemingly for no logical reason at all ...but is AWEsome! From babies & hamsters dancing, LOLcats, O Rly, Epic Fail, to being Rick Rolled an Internet meme is a cultural phenom...
(click below for the full PG-13 infographic)

Need to keep up on all the hot memes or confirm a meme hunch? Check out the Internet Meme Data Base aka Know Your Meme!

With SO many renditions of this song going around first Stephen Colbert & Jimmy Fallon then

(click above for the flipped video...that is, until the YouTubes yanks it)
the Christian version "Sunday"....And just when we thought it was over SQUEE! it's on GLEE!??

I mean if anyone can make a song (Friday) or artist (Justin Bieber) cool... it's GLEE! "It's undeniable that Glee’s trio Sam, Artie and Puck does a very good job pimping the most hated song in history…but why Friday despite of its untoward acceptance from Netizens? Well Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy simply explains it to HollywoodReporter.com." -zebiz

LATEST MEME?
Planking: the act of laying face down, hands at side, and playing dead - made famous first in Australia, sometimes deathly dangerous, a dead funny photo op and youtube trend.

More!

Top 10 Internet Memes -by Squidoo

EngChat
Rubbish the Report! Join us for #EngChat Mon, May 23 at 7 PM EST w/ @emsingleton, @dmcordell & me! Pls RT. @mrami2 #TLChat #EdChat

Ban the Book Report!

The Power of the Product: Creative, Meaningful, & Daring Ways to Demonstrate Information Mastery

An EngChat Conversation with:
Gwyneth Jones, Elizabeth Singleton, & Diane Cordell
This conversation will hopefully generate a wealth of viable, creative, meaningful, and daring products that demonstrate information mastery, go beyond the regular research report and span the digital divide. The products of this conversation, the collected tweets & corkboardme additions will generate layers of sharing, producing, and value.

Super Quirky Rocks! I know, Right?

2011-05-17T19:23:00.018-04:00

quirk·y
/ˈkwərkē/
Adjective: Characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits: "quirky charm"
From the Urban Dictionary: quirky "weird funny unique strange awesome cool odd cute fun random different intelligent silly amazing individual dork awkward sarcastic hot..." Quirky Hot? Really? Ok! I'll gladly take the lovely Salem Press 2011 Library Blog Award nomination! I am blushingly & gobsmackedly honored! Thank you! If you have found my quirky blog amusing, interesting, cool, informative or helpful I'd shamelessly would love your Vote! (takes only a second - I'm at the very bottom!) If you are viewing my blog for the first time because of the Salem Press mention - Hi! Welcome!
Salem Press definition: Quirky: Character-driven blogs covering an array of library topics that defy categorization Wooohooo! That does seem to fit! And I guess the fact that I just spent 40 min photoshopping the graphic to the left to Steampunk geeky goodness must prove it! LOL (hope you don't mind Salem Press love you, mean it!) So yeah, when my sweet friend & fellow Geek Tribe member @DianeCordell emailed to tell me this was like a real thing...Ok, I'll admit to another SQUEE! moment!
To be listed with an amazing group of super bloggers such as:
Librarian in Black
Information Tyrannosaur
Librarian by Day
my local favorite the Cecil County Public Library
and the School blogs...sheesh! Look at this Rock Star Lineup!
The Unquiet Librarian
Ms. Yingling Reads
The Blue Skunk Blog
K-M The Librarian
Shelf Consumed
In the "Commercial blog" category my neverending favourite! My beloved mentor Joyce Valenza Neverending Search not to mention...dear "new comer" a particular fav of mine Tamara Cox the Eliterate Librarian and the lineup of judges! WOW! At the risk of sounding like a total suck up...Look at these peeps! The Salem Press yearly blog award also gives ME a great new list of inspiring & informative blogs to follow -- I LOVE THAT! Seriously again..thank you everyone!

Want your own Super Hero Avatar!?
Who doesn't? Like, OMG...mine is like lookin into flippin mirror, right? [snarf, cough, gag, eyeroll, evil grin] Go to my Wikipage with ALL the directions! Cheers!

GoAnimate.com: GoAnimate Basics by gwynethanne

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!
Oh and HCPSS? I wish you would unblock - yeah, it's got the f-bomb but how ELSE am I gonna keep up with my student's lingo? Good thing I know how to GOOGLE! Want an Urban Definition but blocked? Do this! And you'll get this on Google Page...

Urban Dictionary: hoochie

7 posts - 7 authors - Last post: Oct 20, 2010

a woman who dresses in tight clothes and wears a large amount of makeup.

No need to click it - just read! [winks] Sweet! Take that filter! POW! Zap!
Thank you to my dear Dr. Obolensky of New Babbage Second Life for the evil monocle and triumphant evil mustache - that added just the right touch to my Photoshoppin! Rumour has it, Steampunk Former Pirate Capt. Red Llewellyn has had a mad adoring pash for him for 4 Second Life years...that's DECADES in RL time!

Twitter Style Book Review Lesson

2011-05-15T13:03:00.017-04:00

Sweet Tweets About Good Reads

Here's an idea for a fun tech-social-media infused creative writing lesson and one I'll be sure to mention when I'm guest hosting the Twitter #EngChat event May 23rd at 7pm EST. The topic will be The Power of the Product and I'll be hosting with amazing MHMS co-worker Elizabeth Singleton (@emsingleton). This conversation will consist of viable, creative, meaningful, and daring products that demonstrate information mastery, go beyond the regular research report and span the digital divide.
On this second blog posting in one day (assuredly a first!) I must give a very special thank you to reading specialist & MHMS co-worker Deb Burkey! You inspired & gave me this idea during our conversation the other day talking about the Fakebook lesson. YAY, you rock! The text is written as directions to students.

Writing a short, concise, quality book review is a challenge! Using the Twitter style, create a short book review that hints at the story, not give TOO much away - add a shortened link to the Amazon book listing (for more information, buying, and expanded book reviews) and your emotion rating.=D
If you cannot say something in 140 characters or less, then it is not worth saying. Paring a review down to 140 characters and a rating really forces reviewers to get to the essential appeal or flaw of the work being reviewed --AND it's a challenge!
Here are some examples:

Full lesson on our MHMS Learning Wikipage
How to:
To do this activity, go to our learning wiki by typing in the Google top right search box "mhms learning" we're the first hit...go to the wikipage for this lesson & get ready to have more than one window or tab open to do this. If you like multitasking, then this is the lesson for you!

1. Choose a YA book to review *you have read* (non-negotiable!)
2. Go to Amazon Books and search for your book, SAVE the URL

3. Shorten the Amazon URL using Bit.ly! Copy that URL

4. Go to Character Creator & Paste the shortened URL
5. Add your review Emoticon at the very end.
In keeping with SMS Social Media culture, the four ratings are emoticons:
=D for Squee! I LOVED it!
=) for It was good - not Great!
=| for Meh...I guess it was just OK.
=( GAH! Did NOT like it a bit!

6. Write your Review in FRONT OF the URL & Emoticon

Cut out words that are unnecessary - re-word, re-think, re-write, re-mix, & be creative! Hints: use "&" rather than the word AND, dashes as breaks, but try NOT to write in leet speak. Like "OMG, UR going to h8 this book" There are times for that kind of informal text - but not for this activity :-O

If you want to post these Tweet reviews to your school Twitter account you can also add the hashtag #booktweet before the emoticon review so that they can be searched (this is optional since Twitter is blocked by HCPSS :-(

Did you do all that and you're under 140 characters? AWEsome!

7. CUT and PASTE your Tweet review from the Character Counter and put into a Word document, save it as your first initial & last name + bookreview EX. "GJonesBookReview" Don't forget to add your name on the top of the word doc and save to your documents folder &
if instructed to do so, turn this into your teacher via the Hand In folder (MHMS only)

ALTERNATIVE Google Form Submission idea: Create a Google form & embed in wikipage for kids to submit their Twitter Style Book Reviews - share that Google doc with all your teachers who are working with this lesson!

Want to teach this lesson with your kids? Go to our MHMS Learning Wiki!! Link to, or copy the wikipage (with attribution please) onto your wikipage!

Inspired by Twitter, this lesson idea & posting, and for my deep admiration for the amazing work of Icon Factory artist & creator of the Twitter Bird, Ollie David Lanham who created my beloved cartoon avatar - I bought Ollie the Twitterific Bird toy today! YAY!

Twitter Style Book Reviews by Gwyneth A. Jones - The Daring Librarian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at murrayhill.wikispaces.com.

Like that CC license? Check out the interactive Creative Commons License Generator!

ISTE Social Media& Web Resources

2011-05-15T09:48:00.022-04:00

A week or so ago I was asked by soon to be ISTE president the AWEsome Ms. Holly Jobe to create "a page on the board wiki and/or a word doc with links and descriptions of the tools that would help orient new board members to all the ISTE tools" and I did! Taking the easy way out (this is a very busy time for me!) I curated the info from various ISTE publications, the main ISTE webpage, and used my own graphics wherever possible so that the new ISTE board members would have everything ISTE Social Media on one wikipage.
But as the ISTE board wikipage is protected - ya'll can't see it...so I thought I'd re-post it here (with minor changes) so that these great resources can be enjoyed by anyone, not just ISTE board members! I also think I'm gonna post these as a blog on the ISTE Community Ning. Comment if I missed anything, or if you have a suggestion for inclusion...Enjoy!

ISTE Main Website:

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) is the premier membership association for educators and education leaders engaged in improving learning and teaching by advancing the effective use of technology in PK-12 and teacher education. Featuring:

ISTE NETS & Standards
News
Bookstore
Membership & MORE!

ISTE Social Networks:

The ISTE Community Ning is a year round social network for ISTE Members, affiliated organizations and groups, and educational leaders and the ISTE11 Ning is the place to go for up to date information & networking around this year's annual conference! Make sure to join, upload a profile pic, add your website url, & start building your ISTE PLN!!

ISTE Community Main Portal

ISTE Community Ning

ISTE11 Ning

Wiki Spaces

YouTube

ISTE Connects Blog

ISTE Learning

"ISTE Learning is an anytime, anywhere online community for professional development where educators can sample free concepts, buy cool resources and exchange creative ideas. This space provides relevant learning experiences in multiple formats to strengthen the teaching experience and grow digital literacy."

Tweet to Connect!
Twitter- Join using your real name - it's an easy two way conversation with other ISTE members AND a way for you to experience the PLN building & conference back channel that is vibrant at ISTE11
New to Twitter? Here's a helpful Twitter Tip Gallery and a blog posting: To Follow, To Listen, To Learn, & To Lead

ISTE Connects Twitter

ISTE Twitter & Flickr Hashtags: #ISTE11 #ISTE #SIGMS #SIGVE Basically, any SIG + Initials
Education related hashtags: #EdChat #EdTech #TLChat

ISTE Special Interest Groups "The Special Interest Group (SIG) Program offers ISTE members year-round professional development, networking, collaboration, and leadership opportunities. Get involved with the SIG Program—connect with the topics you’re most passionate about and contribute to the field!"

Join a SIG

Volunteer with ISTE

Career Center

Ambassador Program

They've Got An App For That!

"Have an iPhone or an iPad? Download ISTE’s new iPhone application by clicking here or searching for “ISTE Mobile” in the iTunes App Store. Have another Web-ready smart phone? Visit www.iste.org/mobile to surf our mobile Web version. Network with fellow ISTE members and get up-to-the minute news, blog posts, and educator resources."

ISTE Mobile

ISTE In Second Life

"ISTE Island in Second Life provides a venue for educators to network and learn from each other about real-life education opportunities and best practices in virtual worlds. We sponsor an in world group and host a number of learning events including tours, workshops, and networking and topical programs. To sample some of ISTE's previous Second Life programming, visit our //ISTE Eduverse Talk//s archive.
In addition, ISTE’s Special Interest Group for Virtual Environments (SIGVE) hosts a monthly speaker series session on the third Tuesday of each month. Joining SIGVE is a great way build your network and get the most out of your time in Second Life. Learn more by visiting ISTE's Second Life wiki or by visiting us in world!"

Photo credits:
ISTE Island pics by Capt. Red Llewellyn of New Babbage
ISTE Screenshots
ISTE Learning graphic from The Daring Librarian

Neil Gaiman Does Doctor Who

2011-05-07T12:43:00.019-04:00

Spoilers! The Doctor’s Wife
Literally! Hello Sweeties!* A special episode written by AWEsome young adult novelist & comic genius author Neil Gaiman that will air NEXT Saturday - May 14th on BBC America! Set your DVR's! I've trolled the interwebs for the latest scoops, spoilers, & a plot synopsis for much anticipated (I've waited now 14 months!) Gaiman episode....all for you darlings! Shamelessly cribbed & curated ....here we go!

“The Doctor’s Wife” will deal with the Time Lords, The Doctor’s alien race. At this point in the long history of Doctor Who, The Doctor is the only surviving Time Lord known. As he, Amy and Rory travel to the summons of some old friends, another possible survivor is revealed. Idris, presumably the blushing bride, will be played by Coronation Street‘s Suranne Jones."

According to Gaiman only one important (and long awaited!) scene was cut because of my time-traveling favourite redhead! "If I wanted to tell you that we only cut the scene in the TARDIS swimming pool because Karen Gillan cannot swim (“But that’s impossible!” I told them. “Her legs are as long as two fully grown men! Tell her she just has to wiggle them! She’ll whoosh through the water like a speedboat!”) nobody could stop me."
GAH! The SPOILER PLOT is described as follows:
The TARDIS, drawn off course by the most unlikely distress signal, materialises outside of time and space itself. In this bubble universe, the Doctor meets Idris (Suranne Jones) and her aunt and uncle, who live together in a scrapyard of impossible things. Idris, it seems, is mad. And when the Doctor finds out why she is the way she is, things start to get a bit complicated. And unmentionable.

"The Doctor is played by Matt Smith, Amy by Karen Gillan, Rory by Arthur Darvill and Idris by Suranne Jones. (River Song does not appear in this episode) Gaiman expressed joy at the opportunity to write for the long-running series. The author was quoted in a colorful interview with The BBC: “I don’t know what it’s like to be God… Until that very first moment when you get to sit down and type the words in your script: INTERIOR. TARDIS.
This episode will feature:

This story will change the way we see a key part of series’ mythology.
We see an infinite TARDIS corridor.
Originally there was a “TARDIS hall of mirrors” that instead got replaced with an “Ood being really scary in the dark”.
There was going to be a TARDIS swimming pool scene, but it was too expensive to film.
The episode was originally going to have Rory trapped in the Zero Room.

There’s also some recent good news for fans of Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood: the fourth series, Miracle Day, will premiere in the US on July 8th." - Live for Films If only they would bring back my beloved Ianto Jones - I was part of the Save the Coffee Boy campaign that I blogged about in 09. Alas, to no avail! [audible sniff]

Sneak Preview featuring Amy, Rory, & Neil!

And now....an Interview with Neil Gaiman himself about his episode!

There Be Pirates!
As a former privateer wench, you know that a Dr. Who Piratical episode would give me the geeky shivers...so I give you... the Curse of the Black Spot!

Are you a Whoo Noob?

Neil Gaiman has the perfect introduction to the series. He’ll tell you everything you need to know:

"There’s a big blue box. It’s bigger on the inside than the outside. It can go anywhere in space and time, sometimes where it is supposed to go. Something will go wrong, and there’s some bloke called The Doctor who’ll make it all right because he’s awesome. Now sit down, shut up and watch Blink." - Bleeding Cool

Want to learn more? Thanks to the AWEsome blogger, Charles Skaggs - Check out the

A wiki covering Doctor Who, Torchwood,
The Sarah Jane Adventures, and K9
that anyone can edit!

This wiki contains spoilers. Read at your own risk.

So Who is YOUR favourite Doctor? What do you think of Matt Smith? What's your favourite episode?

Resources & Credits:
Screenrant
All things Dr. Who
News on Dr. Who
Digital Spy
Life, Doctor Who, Combom

*Hello Sweetie! A favourite line by River Song - love it!

Jersey Shore Gone Wilde & Mashterpiece Theatre

2011-05-01T18:55:00.011-04:00

WARNING: NSFW Language & Content - These Mashup Parodies of the Jersey Shore Includes Talk of Smooshing, Hair Gel, Your Sister, Grenades, and Juicehead Guidos. If you are easily put out of sorts with such earthy discourse and repartee do pray, pass on these amusing bon mots! You have been thusly warned!
Since Blogger has banned in my district...and I've had to move my school blog (no, not this one dear reader) I now somehow feel more free to push the envelope as it were... with snarkdom & questionable language to illustrate brilliant satire!

Thusly, too good not to share darlings, this "is a collection Jersey Shore clips being performed in the style of Oscar Wilde. The rather amusing videos, on par with the similarly brilliant Victorian Vision of Ogden's The Wire (LOVE Me some Wire! -GJ) , are the side project of Santino Fontana and David Furr, the two leads in the new Broadway production of Wilde's classic The Importance of Being Earnest. The nattily-attired, British-accented pair have taken it upon themselves to reenact actual transcripts from Jersey Shore episodes, somehow lending each line—"I'm hungover, I'm not having a good time, and work blows dick for skittles right now" —more gravitas than we ever thought possible." By Jamie Feldmar

I will show episode one....and five.

For those in between please do journey to The YouTubes for the whole short series. Not to be undone...dear Cecily has created - Mashertpiece Theatre

Remember, these are the actual transcripts...so do not throw an askance glance at Cecily for the words did spout from Snooki's mouth!

So what do you think? Want more? Well Cecily & friends have created several...and all just amusingly inapropriate! Another series that dear Cecily has created is a Mashterpiece Theatre version of Saved by the Bell! Not.to.miss. Alice G dear....that one was for you!
And lest you think the brain trusts that are the original Jersey Shore cast can't reach for that brass ring of thrilling thespianship. I give you this!

The REAL Situation (Feat. MTV Jersey Shore's The Situation, Snooki, and Pauly D) - watch more funny videos

---
Resources:

a big thanks to my dear friend from my Steampunk Second Life in New Babbage Viv Trafalgar for pointing me in this amusing direction. TA!
Quote from Gothamist
Inspiration from Alice G, Leila C, fondue, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock, Doctor Who & the brilliant time at our fortage slumber party last night! Thank you dear Jeff for your patience!

I Think Different: Macs Rule!

2011-04-24T12:44:00.020-04:00

It came as no surprise to me to see that the CNN headline: Mac vs. PC: The stereotypes may be true that Mac computer ad campaigns have been spot on! Then dear Mashable of course picked up on that and gave us this brilliant infographic from Hunch,

You see, I've been a MacGrrl since the beginning of the Interwebs....my first foray into teaching with the web was when I brought into my school library a 14.4k modem and a 100 foot phone line - I dialed up to the University of Maryland's server because my district didn't have the Internet yet and Uof M gave teachers FREE dial up! Wheee! My MacLCIII was smokin hon! C'mon kids let's huddle round this puter & look up state information for our unit Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego!
Then, when we opened our middle school school in 1997 we bought 200 PowerMac all in one 5200's that had the S-Video out so we could hook them up to a .....wait for it.....yeah 27" mounted TV! AND because it was a NEW school we planned to have not the one ethernet data port that was recommended per classroom but we said we needed 4! HA! We wanted one on every wall cause we sorta thought that someday we might possibly have more than one computer per classroom....cause that's how we rolled! (picture of my lab in 97)
Today we now have all new iMacs! So why am I so strenuously establishing my Mac street cred? Cause I really do think an OS reflects personality. I read that infographic & nodded the whole way! But it's really not the tool - it's the way we think. I think different. I'm creative and random and multi-tasking and as Torrence Temple said "You make ADD your beyatch." This blog posting is taking hours to write because like a squirrel ---Oh shiny! I get distracted! Tweeting DMs with Shannon Miller about AASL hotel reservations, finding pictures of my old Macs, and watching Burn Before Reading on FX....We need to teach to ALL the kids who Think Different. (and yeah, it doesn't *have* be on a Mac OS platform!)

From my iPad love, iPod touch adoration to App lust Apple has played a big part of my learning and teaching life. We don't have to be snooty about it though....really. And if we start to get uppity - then thank goodness we have people like Stephen Colbert making Salsa with his iPad and the Onion to keep us humble....AND laughing!

In The Know: Should The Nation's Unemployed Be Buying New Apple Computers?
Forgive the advertisement before the vid (though it's great ICB fodder).....darn the Onion wanting to earn money! Sharks! Poor LauraLee...go use that computer in the garage, honey! We're talking technology here! What are the poor unemployed gonna do? Go to the public library & use their free computers! Sheesh!
Forgive the shameless picture...I just HAD to do it! Maybe gonna do a whole series of these pics with my teachers - convert to B&W and photoshop the transparent .PNG logo over...did the whole READ posters years ago...something old is NEW again!
Celebrate Thinking Different!
ps. my b-day is May 21 wishing on this Tiffany Apple for my charm bracelet! [crosses fingers] Both for my love of all things Apple AND cause I'm a teacher.

Apple charm in sterling silver. http://t.co/y1pOJJK via @TiffanyAndCo

Gadget-A-Go-Go! or How Flickr Slapped My Smugmug!

2011-04-18T13:17:00.011-04:00

I’ve given this every year since 08 & every year I think of dropping it –But it’s always a hit & all cool new gadgets keep coming out that excite me! Teaching is NOT about the Gadgets – it’s about the kids & content…but gadgets are cool! And with the right gadget in the hands of an engaged student & inspired teacher – magic can happen! So let's talk tools & toys!

Amazon with free super saver shipping usually wins. But sometimes if you just gotta have it NOW!…Just make sure to check the online price & availability at your local Best Buy store, and do print it out, & bring it with you! Go to the customer service desk & ask that they honor that price. Otherwise you could end up paying more? And Target? Yeah...they have great deals, too!

It pairs with your iPad via Bluetooth. It can be viewed either landscape or portrait…the keyboard feels right and the case is strong enough to drop on cement ---AND M.C. Hammer says it’s great….what more do you need? Less than $100!

I have so many USB charged stuff it ain't funny...so having extra adapters & chargers around makes life grand! Check Amazon for this great trio of handy adapters & chargers. I’ve bought this on Amazon for a .01 cents (plus $2.50 shipping) and I’ve bought it for $2.99 plus FREE shipping - either way it’s a great deal!

A 4G LiveScribe pen can do SO MANY cool things in the hands of a creative kid or teacher! Read my previous blog posting for ideas like the PenCast book reivew pictured above - PLUS…my inspired 6th grade Math teacher Liz Zinger just won a LiveScribe PenGrant and our kids are going to create pencasts with math problems worked out & explained by kids then posted to the web for on demand audio & visual help! SWEET!

Using Skype in the classroom or library is opening the world to authors and subject area experts! Find a way to make it happen!

I wrote a whole blog posting about this….but if you’re a serious reader you need a Kindle (large for a beach vacation – small for airline travel). An iPad is just so much more than a reader – and the Kindle is a must for those who read for hours!

Damn, you Cisco! Stoopid, Stoopid Cisco!!! They are NOT thinking about the education market! Schools use cameras like these for student projects, field trips, video diaries, video book reviews...anytime we want to put into the eager hands of kids a reliable, sturdy and yes...not super expensive device that let's them have the freedom of creative expression....AND then upload it easily for movie making - or the web - Flips are awesome products...I am so flippin annoyed! (pun intended!) But srsly, GAH!

I’ve written several blog postings about how to use an iPod touch Gen4 in the library & classroom. Search my blog for them or start with clicking on the QR code above….or ok…here ya go!

Sometimes parents or visitors don’t’ show up when the cool stuff is going on in your school library or classroom – fix that by taking action pics & display them prominently with a digital photo frame with a motion sensor to save electricity! Great for back to school night! Promoting your program is not showing off – it’s sharing with the community!

The Cloud is here! Give it a shot by joining Dropbox – Are you a teacher? This secret squirrel link --> Dropbox loves schools! will get you (and me!) extra space when you join. After you join, if you are an educator you can get double the credit for referrals. That's 500 MB per friend that you invite will get you right to the .EDU account…yeah, it’s a total pyramid scam of Dropbox goodness! Adore you Gina Hartman of METC_CSD for hooking me up with this! Using the Magic Pocket: A Dropbox Guide (published by MakeUseOf) - PDF !

I loved me some Smugmug - it was the shizzle (yeah, I went there) back in 2004... I still adore the gorgeous BLACK background...but then came Flickr and well...it won me over. There are SO many lovely, wonderful, social media connected features of Flickr that it's hard NOT to love it!
And I pay for it...Yup! My PRO account is worth every bit of my $29 yearly fee. Now if only they would go for the ability to have a lovely black background, I'd be ecstatic!

For buying information for the Gadgets check out my Gadget-A-Go-Go wikipage, check out the Web 2.Oh! Tools wikipage for links to online tools, and always - when you are curious if I've written about something use the search bar - I use it myself ALL the time!
Here's the Slideshare full peso...

Gadget A-Go-Go

View more presentations from gwyneth jones

What are your favourite Gadgets & Web 2.Oh! Tools? I love your ideas & comments!
Oh and two toys....not educational but just geeky fun!
The orig Ollie the Twitter bird in Rotocast Vinyl for $19.99 designed by the awesome David Lanham (who drew my fav monocled avatar) and the plushie version for only $12.99! I'll take both, please!

Cheers dears! Tweet Tweet!

MSET Conference, Colbert, Crabs, & QR Codes

2011-04-10T09:01:00.009-04:00

I'm putting the finishing touches on my presos for the MSET Conference, in Baltimore next week! Of course one of them is QR Code focused! (more on that below) The AWEsome Nick Ford may be the undisputed Captain of the QR Code Galaxy but I declare I'm the official QR Code Librarian for the movement! Zing!
I'm so honoured & excited to have been asked to be a featured speaker at this my "hometown" ISTE affiliate technology conference - this will be my 14th consecutive appearance - as MSET (formerly MICCA) was where I got my start speaking about my passion for educational and being an agent of change.
"This year's MSET conference will be filled with inspiring professional development workshops, concurrent sessions, and thought provoking keynote speakers to enhance your professional knowledge and skills. The MSET Market Place will provide an opportunity to check out the latest tech products and services. See live demos and speak with representatives! But best of all, the MSET Annual Conference is THE PLACE to network and share ideas and knowledge with your friends and colleagues! Don't miss it!"
I'll be hanging out in room 336 (and the Digital Sandbox!) giving 6 presos on these topics: Death by Powerpoint...or How to be a Presentation Ninja, Transliteracy, Advocacy & the Remix MashUp Revolution, Easy Animation for Dynamite Disposition & Program Promotion, the ever popular and soon to be newly updated - Gadget-A-Go-Go, and of course QR Codes in the Classroom (& the Library!)
Since some of you, my dear readers, won't be able to make it to Baltimore next week let me give you a sneak peek at the QR preso. As an introduction to QR codes & an "in the wild" example - and as an admitted Pop Culture Ho I'm entertaining (or abusing) my audience with a mashup of Rebecca Black's ~~terrible~~....err viral song Friday (don't worry - I'm only showing a snippet!) However, as a proud member of the Colbert Nation I am showing the full glory of my personal hero Stephen Colbert singing on Jimmy Fallon's show his rendition of the Friday song featuring a QR Easter Egg at the end. What!? You haven't seen it yet?

That's ok...it drove me crazy to catch that code - but I got it in a screenshot!

(can't scan it? click above for a full size version)
That code ...sorry I'm gonna ruin it for ya....leads you to a special message from Jimmy Fallon.

Not the most exciting vid I admit, and I wish the Easter Egg coulda been a few more layers but that's ok...I think it's a fun way to introduce my audience to the QR code - what do you think?
For the rest of the preso I'll be going into their history, how they are created, the best scanner apps for both Apple & Droid, share my viral QR Code Comic Tutorial, & how they can be used in the classroom & the library with kids as I blogged about last week!
Whoohoo! A whole bunch of QR Code yummyness! I even convinced MSET to create a QR Code Game for the conference. The amazing Digital Diva Joquetta Johnson is in charge of that -but basically, the first 50 winners (25 per day) that have the correct responses to the QR code questions will receive a prize. All participants will receive the MSET Geek The Tribe Badge and the geekiest will get the honor of posting the winner badge below!
ISTE11 is also gonna run a QR Game in Philly this summer (yeah, as an ISTE board member I admit pushed for that, too! Ok...I admit it, I'm addicted...What!?)

Welcome new readers! Did my keyword tag QR Code bring you here? AWEsome! Search this blog for "QR Code" & see my other postings including shameless QR Code bling, busines cards, stockings, and other ways to get your code on! Cheers!
MSET members? Don't forget to take the MSET Crab Challenge!
GoAnimate.com: MSET Challenge: Blue Crab in Space! by gwyneth

QR Code Quest: a Library Scavenger Hunt

2011-03-29T06:06:00.016-04:00

I remixed this awesome scavenger hunt originally created by Joyce Valenza and added a QR Code Twist!
I re-worked some of the questions for a lesson with my adorable ESOL kids (we have 35 right now in our ESOL program & one cute be-freckled girl just came yesterday & speaks no English at all but she LOVED scanning the codes when I handed her my Droid Fascinate!) The rest of the kids have varying degrees of English proficiency but still will benefit from a few visual clues. So the scavenger hunt questions are intentionally simply & clearly worded combined with pics I created as QR Code Hints.
You can also use this lesson for special needs classes, Library Media orientation, or even re-mix the questions, QR Codes, & hints for just about ANY subject area!
To create the hints I used a combination of Photoshop, Flickr, bit.ly and my favourite QR Code generator, Kaywa.
First I created the Hint. For my kids who are just learning English I thought it would be better to combine the hint with pictures. So I combined Creative Commons images with clearly worded (simple) hints - but I also wanted to add in some key words that we've been working on like genre, fiction, nonfiction and title.
Multi-step clues & questions were important, too. To give a little insight on how this lesson was created I'll go through questions 6-8 which all had to do with Italian cookery.
In Question 6. I wanted them to find two of our Italian cookbooks in the 641 section of Nonfiction. I found online pics of the exact two cookbooks we have in our collection, combined them with a sporty red & white checkered cloth jpeg, a pizza, and the hint. Putting this all together with photoshop, I saved this as a .jpeg & uploaded it to Flickr.
Taking the Flickr .jpeg URL of this pic I pasted it into Bit.ly to get a shorter URL (that makes an easier to scan or read & prettier QR code - more on that below in the Tech Tip section!) Now with the shorter URL it was time to open another tab on my browser and go to my favourite QR Code generator, Kaywa which makes terrific codes in S, M, L, & XL sizes of any URL, text message, phone number or SMS!
Back to the Italian cookbooks - I taped the laminated QR code hint with the pics of the cookbooks really close to the 641 shelf & they had a great time finding it by both number & sight!
Question 7. Then I wanted the kids to locate and use our big unabridged dictionary on the swively stand & while we were there point out the other dictionaries (including all the foreign language ones we have!) I chose Risotto for them to look up because it was a word covered in both of my Italian cookbooks, it's not obvious like Pizza, and I thought some of my kids would recognize a risotto & translate it to "arroz con camarones." The QR code with the visual hint was taped on the globe next to the dictionary. The kids identified it right away!
Question 8. Now using that new word, I asked them to find a Risotto recipe in their Italian cookbook index and write down the pages of that recipe. I loved that this lesson combined good old books, traditional reference materials, and our PAC catalog with spanking brand new QR Code techie fun!
Want the whole lesson?
Visit my Daring Steam-Powered Wiki to download the MS Word Worksheet in both .doc and .pdf format with the QR codes or visit my QR Code Quest Flickr Gallery for all the .jpegs and pics of the kids scanning & learning!

The codes that the kids scan are NOT the ones on the side of the worksheet next to the questions...those are just for purty! The QR Codes are on pages 2-4 - I also created a test scan page for fun & to get them used to focusing and grabbing the QR Code. During the class we scanned the codes using our iPod Touch Gen4 and my cell phone as our other iPod Touch was loaned out. With larger classes I ask the kids to bring in their own smart phones or iPod touches & ask them to download a free barcode scanner first. I really like the i-nigma FREE barcode scanner available on both the Apple & Droid markets.

Tech Tips!
1. Why do you need to use a URL shortener to make a QR Code? See the example above. Same URL - with bit.ly the code is clear & easy to read and without it's more complex. The more data you have in your code the more complex the 2D barcode. Oh and when you're making a QR code message with text you can't use a QR code shortener - I tried! LOL

2. Not only is Bit.ly great for shortening URL's they keep stats on the links you share! All you have to do is to click on Info Page+ and you can see how many people followed your link & when. Another COOL tech tip! Add a .qr on the end of any Bit.ly URL and you will get a QR code! Now these aren't big enough for me - that's why I use Kaywa which offers XL codes which are better for posting around the library....but still it's neat!

BEST Presents in the World! Thank you notes from my adorable ESOL kids! I'm keeping these for a rainy day!!!!
Here's the slidedeck from my recent MSET preso!

QR Codes in the Classroom & the Library, too!

View more presentations from gwyneth jones