Florist's Daughter aka Media Queen

Blogging Withdrawal

2009-06-30T23:28:00.000-07:00

I've decided to just keep blogging all summer! I joined a digital photography RSS today. I also sent my lesson plans to Anwatin Goes Digital by cut/pasting the lsn plan template into Google Docs and then sent it that way! Way to go, huh? and it was easy as well as efficient! Keep reading all summer long!!

Thing 4

2009-06-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

Thing 4 - Going Deeper: Online Productivity Tools"

Wow, who would have thought about a calendar with the ability to show real people's faces looking up, down, to the side, etc. No wonder Jeannie D. or "Information Woman" chose this for her calendar. Up until this year, just jotting down a grocery list, list of cards to purchase, etc & stuffing it in my purse or pocket was fine with me. Well now everyone can have their own customized home page. I personally liked igoogle best simply because I use Google all the time almost exclusively for everything I do even though Netvibes is the most popular while Pageflakes is the main competition of Netvibes. I used to use Yahoo most frequently, but gave that up some time ago. I haven't decided yet if I will make igoogle my permanent home page. My current home page is the MPS one. At school as I mentioned previously, the HIA web page is the home page. I do like to see the current temp and weather forecast. The current daily world news is also very interesting as we teachers never get to listen to the news. I could see myself using the calendar although my experience with the online calendar at HCL has been less successful. We have to go through an entire time consuming process to check the availability of a date for the meeting room whereas b/f we could quickly flip open a schedule book to check. None of us like it; it's not working for us. Our new head librarian has taken to printing out the weekly schedule to make it more manageable for us to use! I think the County should look into another online calendar that would make for sense for our needs. Come to think of it, an online calendar that could be color coded for both schools & the HCL job would be ideal. Back in the day when each of our 3 children had 2 summer sports I would hand write out the color coded calendar. That was quite a feat, I only delivered the oranges to the wrong playing field once! At this point in my life w/o an ipod I think the "To do Lists" would be too much work. I could very easily revisit this "Thing" at a later date. I think students would really do well with online assignment calculators. Having a pop up message about an upcoming due date would not only help the student be better organized & more prepared, it would assist the teacher's planning & not being a nag. Paper assignments can be lost or misplaced; some of my students claimed to have lost their entire folder whereas a student can always go back and look up the assignment on the computer. Students could quickly check their "to do" lists b/f class just as they do with their gradebook.

Thing 3

2009-06-28T12:55:00.000-07:00

Thing 3 - Going Deeper - RPC & Dribbling Lessons
I have gone over the Research Project Calculator previously in depth and should have blogged about it at that time. I can see how using the RPC which I will do next year, can and will make projects more manageable. Yes, there is an overwhelming anount of information to go through and work with. I think that's why I "skipped" over this "Thing" previously. I have looked at Fact Monster, Google for Educators, CIA World FactBook and have made rubrics using Rubistar. I have worked with other educators in my Hamline classes making a presentation on using Moodle in the classroom. In the past 5 years I have used graphic organizers to help students organize their information and try to keep it straight. What used to be easy about teaching research was that I could teach each reference book in context; you know, ency., dictionary, almanac, include copyright and citations. Now looking back, that was easy. What's difficult now, of course, is that there is just so incredibly much information out there, how to organize it and use it to meet one's purpose and needs. The RPC gives structure, form and deadlines to a project. By following the 5 step model students should be able to be successful in their research process. What is hard for me now is that my students are new to America & find these sort of assignments more difficult to process. The students who have further advanced English skills translate for me so all students can be successful. The RPC will help me be better organized as an instructor. Once my students learn an online skill, they can really move with it to produce outstanding projects. I have found that technology is a universal language. My students even without English skills are much farther advanced technologically than students I have worked with in other buildings. I can explore the additional sites listed under "Do" in this "Thing". I will definitely use Google docs to make managing research projects easier for me as a teacher. In the past I have purchased Dr. David Walsh's Media Literacy materials & have used them to teach Media Literacy. Our district also purchased a unit for Media Specialists to use a number of years ago that I still use parts of. Every school in the district received these materials, which of course are stored at school now & I don't remember the name of.

Thing 23

2009-06-28T12:47:00.000-07:00

Thing 23 - Teacher Web Page. All MPS staff are required to have a web page. John McC is the teacher for this class in MPS. My web page, which I just looked at, needs to be updated again. The address is: http://hia.mpls.k12.mn.us. Look on the left hand side under "staff information" for my name. Mr. Lyfu runs our website. He has done a fantastic job. I want to add some suggested summer reading to this page as well as the media standards. Our students love looking at our HIA web page. Our homepage comes up automatically upon login @ HIA. Oftentimes if we have 5 min. of free time or during ALC, students can be seen reading about the teachers or looking at the pictures. Students are very proud of our school. I need to learn how to link my web page to my blog like HIAMATHMAN did. Pertinent, up-to-date information needs to be on a web page, general knowledge that students & parents need to know is also very helpful.

Thing 22

2009-06-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

Thing 22 - Online Learning - If there is one thing I have learned this year, it is about Online Learning! If I don't know a definition I can quickly open a new tab & go to wikipedia or an online dictionary and look it up! I agree, I do have new tools I can use to find information. I can read articles online, put them into my delicious acct, or just bookmark them, I can share them with co-workers, I can blog to other MILI participants about them, I could make a story about them, & you're correct, I know I can do it w/o FEAR! I didn't have the time during the school year, but as a lifelong learner, I continue to learn. It doesn't matter if it's during the summer, late at night or early in the morning; as long as I have my laptop, I can do anything! I have come to depend on Atomic Learning, I learned about Educause in this course & the "7 things You Should Know About" series (I've printed some of them out) and I really like how easy to understand the Common Craft (I think that's the name) video snipets are. I can research a product online, I can pay bills online, I can purchase online, my life is truly changed because of my laptop. I even used Flickr in Maureen M.'s Digital Storytelling class and know how easy that is to use. I feel that I'm a success even though I wasn't able to do everything during the school year. I will be able to take what I've learned & use it successfully next year. Thank you.

Thing 21

2009-06-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

Thing 21 - Podcasts & Podcasting - Our podcasting guru in MPS is Mike W. I took a PC class from him last summer & had to make a short PC. We also used podcasting last week in our Destiny Sandbox class with Diane W-R wherein we made a book review using flip cameras and then put it in our Destiny Library catalog. I will continue with this medium but currently find myself more comfortable with GarageBand and am currently working on iphoto. When I am more confident with those 2 mediums I will revisit Podcasting for more intensive work. My middle school students will definitely LOVE podcasting. I do not subscribe to any podcasts on a regular basis but will definitely continue to work on my 23 Things throughout the summer.

Thing 16

2009-06-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

Thing 16 - Electronic Portfolios - I am currently in the middle of an efolio unit right now. We started the first day we were able to go back into the lab after testing for most of the 4th qtr. We only had 2 days in the lab all quarter b/f school was out but most of my 7th & 8th graders were able to set up their efolio.mn accounts. I am really fortunate as the school year @ my building does not end in June. Almost all of the students attend summer school. It is a refreshing, hard working attitude on the part of our students that makes them such a joy to work with. We will continue where we left off working on our efolios. I have taken 2 courses from our District expert John McC which have been very helpful. Efolio was changed to a newer version that I don't think is as easy to use. I do have the beginning of an efolio made to use as an example for students. I think electonic portfolios are vital for students today. They change buildings or districts often, we no longer have paper resources & students can work on building their portfolio throughout high school giving them a finished product which to use to apply for colleges around the state. Efolio is the way to go!

Other Things - Thing 14

2009-06-28T11:40:00.001-07:00

Thing 14 - Comic Creations - We have briefly used Comic Life in middle school. I worked to supplement a unit done by our Hmong Literacy teacher, Mr. Lyfu, this year. Graphic novels are wonderful for my students, they hold and engage students' interest, they are easy to read which is extremely beneficial in a school where the majority of the students are ELL; & they are at a middle interest level. Although I must say, the students @ HIA are very good about reading "I Can Read" books as they work through their journey of English acquisition as they are all in the same place. It is not unusual to have them check out 2 I Can Read books & 2 graphic novels. Two books for English practice & 2 books for reading interest. Needless to say, the Comic Life assignment was a great hit with my students. I also really liked the part about not having to worry about inappropriate content. One must consider that we constantly teach values about what is acceptable and what is not in America. Many of our students had never been to school their entire lives while living in the camps in Thailand. I will delve deeper into the resources given us in Thing 14 over the summer.

Thing 9 Revisited

2009-06-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

Thing 9 Going Deeper: Copyright & Creative Commons...Sorry I fell asleep before I really commented on Creative Commons. According to the article by Educause Leaning Initiative at www.educause.edu/eli Creative Commons is "an alternative to traditional Copyright". After reading the article I realized how much easier CC is to use than traditional copyright; trying to reach elderly authors who may not use email, waiting for the reply, or not receiving one at all. All of this can take weeks or months by which time the project will be over especially with the law that copyright exists 70 years after the death of the work's creator. In general CC allows copyrighted materials to be shared which benefits all education, allows instructors to "think outside the box" on how to include previously copyrighted materials into their coursework & allows for the freedom to make derivative works providing new and different opportunities for previously unavailable work.

Thing 10

2009-06-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

Thing 10 - Going Deeper: Digital Storytelling - At first I thought digital storytelling was like making Reading Rainbow book reviews with the video camera that we had so much fun with 20 years ago. But as I read further I realized that DS is actually similar to a very short play. Digital Storytelling tells a personal, real life story of a person or a group of people. The Wikipedia definition states that DS: "is an emerging term...that uses new digital tools to help ordinary people tell their own 'true stories' in a compelling and emotionally engaging form. These stories usually take the form of a relatively short story (less than 8 minutes) and can involve interactivity." Jeannie D. is the DS guru in the MPS district; she has taught this course for 2 years now. I learned form the Educause article "Seven Things You Should Know About Digital Storytelling" that most users are not professionals, but rather just common everyday people and that DS is another way for people to share their stories in the age-old oral tradition that has evolved throughout time. "Telling stories...teach(s) beliefs and values to others." DS is another way for students to creatively express themselves. I looked at all three of the digital stories in Thing 10; Myths & Legends, Awesome Stories, & Our Story. I realize there are innumerable more. I have not used digital storytelling in my teaching. All of my students have stories to tell of either their or their parents and grandparents coming to America. It would probably more efficient & effective to have students tell their stories in their native Hmong Language. I could work collaboratively with Mr. Lyfu & Mr. Thao the Hmong Literacy teachers. I find this to be extremely interesting and will pursue it with both these teachers. Digital Storytelling has the potential to be extremely powerful. More & more people are visual or don't understand English, but can watch an 8 minute presentation & understand it. My problems with DS would be time and have the necessary equipment, but I'm looking for Grants to apply for. Working in conjunction with the Hmong Literacy class would give us more time. Our labs are usually full, lab time is an issue as well.

Thing 9

2009-06-27T17:30:00.001-07:00

Going Deeper: Copyright & Creative Commons. Copyright is huge as evidenced in the recent downloading trial of a Minnesotan woman who says she is being sought out, picked on & used as an example in Court. Whether that is the case or not, copyright MUST be discussed & taught in context in schools beginning in the primary grades. Students must be taught what is their thinking as opposed to other people's original thinking. After reading the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education by the Action Coalition for Media Education, media Education Fdn, NAMLE, NCTE & Visual Communication Studie Div. of the Intl Comm. Assn, I rerealized the importance of embedding the teaching of copyright with the media literacy unit. I have relearned just how important an awareness of copyright is as well as just how open the fair use policy is. Educators can pretty much do whatever they choose as long as it's in the name of "education." I think that's why the idea of copyright has fallen by the wayside until this particular court case recently came up. According to the article a defn. of fair use is: "Law provides copyright protection to creative works in order to foster the creation of culture" (page 5) of the Fair Use article. Along with that: "Copyright law does not exactly specify how to apply fair use, & that gives the fair use doctrine a flexibility that works to the advantage of users" (page 6) & "fair use is flexible, it is not unreliable" (page 6). Most users are educators and they act in "good faith" in order to teach these policies to students in some shape or form. "Fair use" would be considered for all forms of media. I found this article to be extremely helpful. I am thinking I might want to incorporate parts of it in my teaching next year in reference to this recent court case even though that wasn't for educational purposes.

I also looked at the Creative Commons site but thought more about the Learning Commons we attended on 6/19. I'm still mulling all this over. I'm beginning to understand why it is important to "share" our work with others for the use of common background knowledge & learning but as a new user, I haven't sorted it all out yet. No I haven't ever had any experiences with copyright issues. My first thought was legal and scary, but after reading the article I realized just how unlikely that would be and how "copyright education" ... "has been shaped by the concerns of commercial copyright holders" (page 14). The code of best practices "is shaped by educators for educators & the learners they serve, with the help of legal advisors" (page 14). This must be taught to students, even though one might not like to teach it as it involves the law and it's not the most interesting subject, but students are more responsible for their own learning in the 21st Century. We have a moral obligation to make students aware of this so the recent court case doesn't happen to them.

Thing 8

2009-06-27T10:46:00.001-07:00

I know I need to go back to revisit Things 3 & 4 as they were more difficult for me, but I decided to move on to the Things I know more about. Thing 8 Going Deeper: Databases & Online Resources. I use the HCL databases almost daily. What I like is that with more frequent use I become faster & more skilled at digging deeper to find the info. that my patron (now with new admin. customers) needs. I usually work with the high school students and their project or report is always due the next day! So after a search of the catalog or paper reference materials that I know quite well after 35 years of use, I show them how to use the online resources/data bases. Students don't really care at that point, they just need the information & they needed it yesterday. So I walk them through the steps, help them choose the search terms and then go through the articles. I show them how to check the box so they can email the articles to themselves at home so they can get home to get to work to save their grade. If I am lucky enough to have a time frame of a week or 2, I take the patron to a terminal and walk them through the procedure so they can be more independent in their use.

At school we go to Online Resources on the MPS Homepage. I project the steps on the mounted projector and we work through the datebases unit by unit. For ex. we use the African American registry in Jan. & Feb. Students especially like looking up who was born on their birthday. They can find a more current person that we don't have a biography for. We go to Culturegrams for state & country reports. We can dig as little or as much depending on the grade level of the students. I begin using online resources in 2nd grade. I want this process to become 2nd nature to students so we use it often. First graders like to go to Tumblebooks Library to listen to a story. Then they enjoy taking the little quiz and playing the puzzle or fill in the blank game. We also do an animal report using World Book online. Next year I will include more of the MPS data bases in my teaching. We didn't have time to explore them all. I have learned now that I can email the database contributors with suggestions to make changes for easier use. My view of data bases has changed. I see them as user friendly tools to use to make student understanding easier and more compact. Often we don't have up to date written materials or enough materials for everyone to use. I remember just a few years ago, the paper copies of Culture Grams. I would xerox them back to back. Now we also have more efficient use of resources. We can just read the information online and not have to have paper copies at all. Students can readily revisit the site for additional or supplmental information. I can't wait to go another step next year and have students email me their assignments through Google Docs. In watching how others from MILI have used the Web 2.0 tools, I learned how much more efficient this method is! It makes teaching so much more fun for the teacher too. It is empowering. Online Resources are an invaluable resource in these budget restricted times. They are a necessary part of the curriculum. I would be lost without them.

Thing 7

2009-06-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry, about the typo in the previous post. I do think. I who thought I wouldn't have a thing to blog about felt blogging withdrawal when MILI ended at the end of the school year. I actually felt guilty when I didn't blog for a time period. If I had made more time, I could have worked my way through the "Things" at a better space, but I am used to focusing and putting the pedal to the metal when I must. I want you to know that even though I had a slow start, I am learning like crazy now and intend to continue learning and growing. The best part is that we now have SO many things we can use with students. They really and readily take to the new Web 2.0 tools like ducks to water. These many examples and lessons will make my life easier, more organized & efficient, more applicable to students and on and on. Students will be more engaged and responsible for their learning. What I have learned the most is that I can learn as much or as little by learning on my own time on line. The learning never quits. Just think how my life has changed in the past 15 mo. since I received my laptop from the TILT Grant. It is incredible! I can work late into the night or early in the morning. I can revisit these modules, use them in class, etc. I hardly ever go to a search engine other than Google. I remember teaching "search engines" as a unit to the 7th/8th grade classes @ Jordan Park 4 or 5 years ago. We tried different search engines, looked up information, checked the number of hits, followed the cookie crumb trail to the answer, chose which one was more efficient, seemed to give the most information, etc. Now for my own personal use as well as teaching, I just use Google. I used to use Yahoo & MetaCrawler at time at work at the public library. We all use Google now at the public library. For quick, simple answers I use Google; for a book search I use Amazon.com in order to get the correct author or title or date so I can continue on with MnLINK to find the book, or where it is located. We are just barely touching the tip of the ice berg. My mind is boggled with overload for just what Google contains. I really like Google for Educators and will make a point to use that more frequently. I can also go to the Google Help Index for assistance. I mean really, all of this is just as Ann commented to me one evening after class that I just need to read. Well, Ann I'm reading & learning now! Thx for the opportunity. I will never teach the same way again. I'm trying to gain knowledge by leaps & bounds. I can't wait to blog with my students, to use digital photography, to have students record book reports on Flip cameras & upload them into Destiny to share with other students. Learning really has come a long way. We are not along up date burning the midnight oil. We are online, taking responsibility for our learning & sharing it along the way to fine tune and make it better! Thing 7 over and out!!

Thing 6

2009-06-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, I thin that using Google Docs can improve my productivity because I've been busy this past week trying it - better late than never, right? Time was not on my side this school year. I can't tell you how many times I fell asleep as my laptop, looking back I also think I was afraid to try the tools, which I see now was really stupid as I was holding myself back and also that I was just plain overwhelmed with the amount of work of being assigned to 2 extremely demanding buildings. It was as if I had 2 full time jobs! So that said on to Thing 6.

This past week I took Maureen from Anwatin's class on Digital Photography as well as Diane W-R's class on Destiny Sandbox. Both used tools from MILI. I also attended the incredible 3rd Annual Metronet Information Literacy Conference on 6/19/09: Transformation from Within: Creating a 21st Century Learning Commons. Where was I the previous 2 years? Good question, now that I know about this annual ILC I will make a point to attend it. So hearing about the tools, watching the tools being used, gently pushed to use the tools has all helped to get me going. I've watched the utube "Google Docs in Plain English" 4 times, I've practiced sending msg. to Maureen as this will be the format we use for writing our paper & I've read many articles. The biggest factor for me in using Googledocs will be saving time! The new home is on the internet, not the computer so I won't have to waste time managing articles, or emails. I can have students email their assignments to me, I can mark them and get them back for revision. I would be paperless & there is a secure home on the web. Googledocs can also be used for spreadsheets & presentations. I am currently using Goodledocs in my digital photography class as well as will be using it this weekend for my skill set paper to Ann, Diane W-R, & Jeannie D.

Included in Googledocs are blogs & wikis. Of course we blogged in MILI this year. I have been involved in the media wiki and most recently this past week in the Destiny Sandbox class. We also used Edmodo for questions & short comments. I am thinking that a wiki replaces moodle? perhaps and that this is an online version of the old "parking lot" concept we always used in building staff development & TAP for listing comments or concerns on a bulletin board for staff sharing. I have not created a wiki but who knows? I may get so good I can for my middle school students.

I'm remembering when we first learned about wikipedia & how appalled we (media specialists) were by it. Now we use it all the time and don't think a thing about it! Thus I feel I have successfully navigated my way through Thing 6.

Thing 5

2009-06-27T01:42:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? Only Thing 5? I just didn't know that this past school year would be so incredibly horrible! I can't believe I basically achieved 2 full time jobs by being .5 @ 2 schools! Both buildings were extremely demanding, but with varying needs. Anyway on to Thing 5.

I've had lots of experience with Thing 5 as a 28+ year .3 employee of HCL. I have loved public libraries my entire life, since my big sisters would put me in the stroller & we'd go to the St. Anthony Park Library, down Eustis St. Hill and along the St. Paul sidewalks to the lovely Andrew Carnegie building. We spent many summers hours there. As I got older we would bike down for the afternoon and then stop @ Miller's Drug for a cherry coke, that is if we were lucky enough to have a dime. So when my kids were babies and we saw the new Brookdale Library being built in 1980 I thought it would be wonderful to work there as I was mothering at the time. So I applied for an evening & weekend position, which of course no one in their right mind wanted; & I got it. Thus began my public library career.

Currently public libraries in general are struggling to maintain service that everyone has come to expect. I would make sure all staff have the same level of customer service, which is my specialty & which by the way, I won an award for in the year 2000. It was the Customer Service Award of all things for HCL. I can't tell you the number of times I have heard another librarian say "No, we don't have it" & that ended the reference transaction. I also have customers say to me too many times to count, that they aren't used to the excellent service that I have provided. They're not used to someone working so diligently to find what they are looking for.

I couldn't have survived teaching for 29 years w/o the public library. Every new book. book on tape, audio tape &/or video I used was checked out from the library. When I needed to do a graphic novel unit, I checked out 35 graphic novels. When students want to read a book we don't have @ school, I check it out for them at the public library. I also assist teachers with their units by doing research for them using materials from the public library. The library has been an invaluable resource for me through the years & continues to be as well. I have even purchased sets of used encyclopedias for use at my school! I couldn't have survived on the northside of MPS w/o having used the public library.

No, I haven't used MnLINK with my students, but I have used it for teachers. Time is a factor, what I have found very useful this past year in particular, is being able to search in Destiny, our Follett circulation system for materials not readily available at either of my buildings or the public library. More often than not, a building in the district has just what a teacher wants. So I have been able to supplement curriculum in that way.

When students have a research project assigned, they need to know they must ask me for help immediately as timing with ILL's is such an issue. I can tell them if a book is in another local library system and can go to the system directly to try to access the book; which I have done quite successfully at times.

I use MnLINK weekly @ the public library. A big part of our job is training customers so they can work independently. I do get frustrated at times with all the searching. As a .3 librarian I don't often have the opportunity to attend training as regular staff does, so I miss out on alot of it. The tutorial will be extremely helpful. Thank you.

Exciting Day on the St. Paul Campus

2009-06-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

Did I mention in my previous email that this was an absolutely energizing fantastic conference? Everything discussed today applied to me and my position as a MPS Media Specialist. I should say applied to ALL of the MPS media people who attended the conference. The 2 guest speakers were absolutely fabulous! You know, I don't think I have been giving myself enough credit. I think I'm right on the edge of using the web 2.0 tools to radically change my teaching. Actually I think I have been moving in increments for the past 5 years when I started @ Jordan Park. My previous teaching methods simply didn't fit this northside K-8 building. I also hadn't taught middle school b/4 so I needed something "new" and more applicable for these high energy, low reading ability students. They needed a "hook" which I did find. But what we learned today is way over the edge so now we can help all learners win. I really like assisting them in managing their own information spaces. It was so fun to see how engaged the students were from both urban and suburban settings. They could readily explain what they had been doing too. I can't believe I hadn't in 35 years every heard of the periodical Teacher/Librarian and will subscribe to it immediately. I've been working too hard I guess. I need to not take myself so seriously. I have also been working Thing 2 today. I continued with some of the online work by looking at other blogs. I'm just making all of this too difficult for myself. I need to get reading some more! Thank you for a terrific conference - oh the food was outstanding as well. Very tasty and delicious, all for $40. unbelieveable...

Transformation from Within: Creating 21st Century Learning Commons

2009-06-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are again, learning in the summertime! We are at the U. of M. St. Paul campus today kiddy corner from where I became the Florist's daughter, learning about turning our teaching 180 degrees! And boy will I! I have been inspired by both Sandi Zwaan and David Loertscher. Wow, at break I'm going to see if I can buy the books! More in a minute....we're going on break now.

It's Friday Night & I'm Up to My Neck in Report Cards of all Things!

2009-05-22T22:22:00.000-07:00

Hello, so here we are on the downward stretch. Can you believe it? I feel like that hamster on the wheel we saw on Tuesday night, I just can't run fast enough. I always love our class night; but this session was especially wonderful because brave people shared all the incredible things they are doing with students. Yes, these examples are certainly plagarism-proof as well as fun, engaging, & very interesting to say the least. I also appreciated what was said about being on a journey and how we the students are all along the continuim of learning. That really made me feel good. Now if I can jut work on my other "Things" I'll be ok.

What's Next?

2009-05-17T21:51:00.000-07:00

Well I got all of those last week things done and now have to move on to 2 sets of parent surveys, IWB and MILI skill set papers, as well as 10 things for MILI, my IGP for TAP and last but not least report cards for 2 schools. The work load has been and is undaunting and overwhelming! At least I finished up my B&N Mother/Daughter book club today. We disbanded it as the girls are now 14 and just too busy; Sunday School teacher appreciation brunch, thank you gifts, and perfect attendance awards for students can also be crossed off the list. We are on the countdown now. It's rather scary; the amount of work that still needs to be done. I have a question. Do the skill set people need to make a video as well? I haven't been in lab this entire quarter due to the testing schedule at the K-8 school I'm employed with. Needless to say, it has been an extremely frustrating situation. Thx, over and out for another action packed week.

Life in the Fast Lane in MPS

2009-05-10T21:57:00.000-07:00

Yes here we go again, another school week. First off tomorrow I have to sit in on the K-1 grade level meeting. Then I have to administer the MCA science test to the 14 -5 th graders in the building after breakfast duty and working on the student survey piece of the PDP. Then I MUST work on the MDE report that is due tomorrow, May 11th. After that I have my 6th observation of the school year. Then after one more specialist class and school is over, I jump into my little car with 150,000 mi on it and drive to the Champlin Library for an evening of assisting patrons. Home is next with work on the ALC-OCR report necessary for all students enrolled in the after school program. I sure hope I can get it all done! And that's just Monday! Have a good week all.

Mailing all the testing materials back!

2009-05-06T17:35:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh! What a nightmare, no wonder testing coordinators go a "little" crazy during testing time! What a big job, from counting the test booklets, assigning them to each student, administrating the test, collecting all the materials and completing all the tasks necessary to send the tests back, both reading and math. I almost forgot to mention that all of this needs to be recorded by hand on Test Security Sheets so every test booklet is accounted for. I misplaced 2-3rd grade math booklets, but did "find" them this morning (what a relief that was)! Who gets accommodations, who takes the ELL MTELL online for math, who just needs a reading booklet, what grade writes directly onto the test and answer sheet, what new students need to be "bubbled" in, and on and on. What color shipping label to put on each box to send back, how to register the pick up online before 3 p.m. for next day pick up, (I missed the first date due to trying to do this too late @ night);what goes back into which box, what needs to be destroyed, what to do with the tests for students who have moved.....The amount of work is absolutely incredible. I worked on it for 12 hours over the weekend as well as going into school early. I have always assisted with the computer lab part of the test to make sure the technology works, the scheduling, having the screens on each computer, having lots of scratch paper available and all of that. I've never had to do the pre and post paper work before. I will always be sympathetic towards the testing coordinator from now on. Here's the corker - my building is very small. I can't imagine doing this for a large school or for an entire building of ELL students such as my other building. No wonder everyone looks SO tired and exhausted. What an incredibly stressful job. Now we just have the on line Science test on Friday. I hope everyone attend school that day so I don't have to schedule make ups. This too shall pass. Then it's on to the next thing, my last TAP observation tomorrow! Wish me luck.

Things, Things & More Things

2009-05-03T14:48:00.001-07:00

I'm desperate to work on all my things, but I just don't have the time. Now how frustrating is that? I wonder, can I get an extension on my things? I so badly want to finish them. I just need some time to be able to do them. I keep falling asleep at night, I just get too tired this time of the year.

Life in the Fast Lane

2009-05-03T14:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I heard today on the radio while driving home from my mother-in-law's pre fishing Mother's Day lunch (so the guys don't feel guilty) that Amber Dam from Barton Open is the new 2009 MN Teacher of the Year. She sounded young and I assume w/o children at home or dying parents to care for. That's nice, Mpls teachers deserve some recognition. I also read in Saturday's Strib that Tim Cadotte has been reinstated as Principal @ Burroughs. Thank heavens for that.
From now until the end of the year it certainly is crunch time. I have my last TAP observation this Thursday with the double 46 student 7th grade class. We're going to do magnetic poetry, you know words on magnets stuck to cookie sheets. After all I can't use the lab for a month due to the test coordinator's schedule. I have another observation at the other building the following Monday. You would think that after 25 years in the district I wouldn't need 6 observations in one year! I mean it's a little much.
The good news is I have next year all settled and don't have to take all the time to participate in Interview & Select. That is a relief. I haven't even been able to blog or do efolio with my classes as we haven't been able to get into the lab this quarter! It has never been this long in previous years. I've found this to be very frustrating when I had all these plans for new student learning. Well I'd best get at my lesson plans. Until next time....

Relief Midst Chaos

2009-04-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

As Gilda Radner said: "There's always something." Now that the testing at one building is winding down and there is only one TAP observation left at the other building I have learned of my media allotment for next year! This is reason enough to celebrate!! To make a long story short, I will be .5 at the same two buildings next year!!! Hurrah, I am literally overjoyed and very relieved; I am almost giddy if I weren't so tired I would be. Do you know what this means? I don't have to redo my resume, make a portfolio, although I will save some of my students "best work" just in case for next year, search online for positions, prepare for interviews, dress up and go to the interviews, and worry and worry. This is something I am very good at - worrying, but I should know by now that it will all work out. It always does. The entire process is extremely time consuming as well. Now I just have all the other things to do to try to keep up.

When it's Springtime in MN I'll be testing you...

2009-04-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, when it's springtime in MN I'll be testing you & you & you...or so it seems. What a stressful past week; the MCA math test is going fine for 3rd, 4th, & 5th graders, the paper/pencil test, I only have a couple of absentees to make up test tomorrow, then it's on to the MCA reading test this week followed by the only science test for the 5th graders. There was only one glitch on the online MTELL for ELL students, but after a couple of frantic phone calls to REA & IT, the test "Magically" appeared. What a relief.
On the homefront we attended the first of three weddings we have been invited to on Sat. It was friend of Don's from his duck club, 2nd marriage for both. The mothers of the bride & groom, ages 87 & 81 respectively, each did a reading. It was quite moving, I don't think there was a dry eye in the church, I'll never forget that. Today after SS and church I picked up Cara & her Mom Dawn from Jordan Park and took them to the last day of Macy's flower show, lunch at Macy's and then to the matinee performance of the 42nd annual Wastebasket Revue! @ Park Center High School on Brklyn Blvd. It just gets better every year. Teachers from the Osseo school district put on this slap stick show to raise money for scholarships for students in the district. They have raised over $850,000. in that time. This year's theme was USO - Home Away from Home. We have attended since our daughter Carrie was in 2nd grade because her teacher was in it; that would be 24 years now. Both our older children received Wastebaskets - that's what the scholarship is called in the amount of $2,000. As you know every amount helps with that Augsburg/Concordia tuition. Then because I'm testing coordinator at one school and because the tests must be administered on the given days, which were April 15th & 16th last week & April 21st & 22nd this week, I must be at that building and get a sub for the other site which of course means wonderful lesson plans! So here I sit trying to accomplish it all again. But it's fine, I wouldn't change a thing.

It's a Blog eat Blog World or Thing 2

2009-04-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

Who would have believed it? I have turned into a blog addict! It's not that I post so much, but that I have been busy reading all my co worker's blogs. It is SO interesting to learn what they are doing with their students. I am determined to have each of my 46-Hmong 7th graders blog this 4th qtr. They can do it. It will really help them develop their English literacy as well as full sentence development. I think they will really enjoy this and have fun reading each other's blogs. In reading Kevin Hodgson's article entitled: "Bringing the World to My Doorstep: A Teacher's Blog-Reading Habits" I have realized how reading blogs as well as blogging has really changed my life. I feel that my teaching focus has sharpened. I appreciate what others are doing with their classes; I think up more creative activities piggy backing on my co worker's experiences. I love checking to see who has added to their blog, especially my daughter & son-in-law who began their blog on 7/4/08 in order to keep more in touch with family all over the US. After all this time, I am beginning to "get it". What we have been learning in our MILI classes is about the tools of the trade; RSS feeds, delicious, etc. so we can use these tools to not only make our lives easier through higher order organizational skills, but to also teach these tools to our students to help them better prepare for their high school years! When I read about what other teachers are doing, I gain confidence that I can also do these things with my very nice, agreeable willing to work students that I have known & loved for 5 years. Students can really make a difference through blogging as evidenced in the Darfur Project mentioned in the article. I still need to practice and get some of these things down better but I can now see how I can use online tools to become a better teacher. Hmm this is called "social media literacy", interesting. I heard on TV today that email is just so common nature. I guess it is, but it is more or less one on one, unless a person is doing a mass school/business email or a sales type of email. With blogging people can read current as well as older posts to get the big picture. A person can go back and reread previous posts. It can all be done online w/o having to print a thing. I like that as well. We can read each other's "Thing 1's & 2's" in order to gain deeper understanding. It's sort of like having a conversation but without being face to face or on the phone. We bypass the visual and get down to the cognitive. I like the quote from the "Summer Professional Development" article about how using an "RSS reader can save you substantial amounts of time & helps you stay better informed about the topics your favorite websites address." Now I can really use both of those items - time as well as being better informed. I remember a college prof. talking about media literacy the summer of 1976 when I was earning my technology certificate in the summer from the U. We've tried to teach media literacy to students in various forms throughout the years. I don't know how successful we have been. We as Media Specialists have had to wear too many hats to survive in this district. The buck stops with us. Having been involved with both TILT & MILI has really helped me to grow professionally. I really want to be part of MILI next year as well, if that's possible. I feel as if I am finally "taking off" and don't really want to stop. I need to continue with my learning until I feel more comfortable with it. Now I need to work on RSS readers. The best thing about technology is that there is so much free "stuff" for teachers. It is pretty incredible. I will have to readdress some of the questions in this thing after work tonight. Currently I envision blogs being used in education the way we are using blogs with each other. I have learned so much from the insightful articles from Exploradora and Information Woman as well as DWR and others. I have another pineapple upside down cake to take out of the oven. Stay tuned for part 2 of Thing 2.

I like the quote from the "SUmmer Professional Development - Pt. 1 - RSS

Week off for Break? or Tick Tock Time Marches On....

2009-04-07T06:26:00.000-07:00

Who says having a week off actually means time off on break? Yikes, it's already Tuesday. Why does "break time" just fly by? So far I've sung in 2 church services, attended 2 funerals (luckily I could attend), gone to 3 dr. appts, and had my 2nd flat tire replaced. The 2nd flat tire is still residual from the damage done to the first flat tire pot hole blow out incident in February. So what's left? Today I have the lily delivery to elderly relatives in So. St. Paul; oil change; one more dr. appt. (it's all maintenance & upkeep now) and a quick stop at the store formerly known as Dayton's, 8th floor Bachman's flower show. I'm bringing my camera and will try to add pictures to my blog. I also finished my grades for the last 8th grade class last night. Things 2 et al are also waiting not to mention house cleaning and all the Easter baking but that comes later in the week. Actually I could use another week. Andy wants to go to my parents house in Lauderdale and get the vise but I have a plan for that one. I'll do that on Friday if he will go to the Como Park Conservatory with me. We always used to do that when the kids were little. Oh I also have to work 2 nights @ HCL - one down one to go. Wisely I took off Saturday as I have been doing this entire school year. Good luck to everyone else on wisely using their break time as well. I also want to get to "Raisin in the Sun" @ the Guthrie, but it's almost impossible to park with a Twins Game going on at the same time. Tick Tock the clock Ticks Away and so it goes it's the balancing act of time.

Frustrating Weekend in Libraryland

2009-03-29T21:06:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it, I have SO much school work to do and I'm so focused on my "Things" and I didn't get any of it done because I had to work all weekend at the library. Usually I handle it better than I did this weekend. I have 115 middle school grades to work on at one building and am the test coordinator at the other building. I didn't even get to Cub and am doing the wash as I write.

Here's the change I've noticed at the library in the past 28+ years. When I started @ Brookdale when it was brand new the first time in 1981 all the paperbacks & AV (videos, books on tape) were all shelved on the same shelving. Then as the library grew, we got those twirly paperback racks known as "spinners". They were great for browsing, especially for boys who do contrary to popular belief "choose a book by its cover." I could almost always get boys to choose a paperback off the spinner racks. Time went by and change slowly happened as it does in Libraryland. The AV was not only separated but shelved separately according to it's genre and also had Dewey call numbers. It was easy to find and use. Twenty-five years passed quickly. Then we get a flash in the pan library director who said this was her "dream job." Too bad it turned into our worst nightmare! Anyway she doesn't like paperback racks and wants ALL materials back on the shelf. Great amounts of weeding go on, knowing these materials can't ever be replaced due to lack of budget, too costly to replace or out of print or genre. All spinner racks disappear. I try to buy a few for school. I am scoffed at & refused, so instead they sit in some warehouse. Then the terminology changes. We no longer serve patrons, we serve customers - except they don't buy anything. We are no longer an agency, we are a library, how bizarre is that? So what were we before? a brick building? We no longer take reserves, we place information requests. For example, "Your information request has been successfully placed." When I say that patrons look at me blankly and usually mutter some version of "huh? what did you say?" We no longer carry videos or books on tape. We have CD's and DVD's that are organized by categories such as Drama, Humor, Children's, R&B, Jazz. There are no Dewey numbers, so we have to go through the entire rack rather than just quickly thumbing to the correct call number. After barely 3 years the "flash in the pan" flies to Boston and we are left in a huge mess, dragging another urban library system up the bumpy political economic road - and it's not paved with gold either.
To quickly recap what I did at work: Sat. conducted the last family storytime session, changed the March display to the April display, helped numerous people with tax forms, answered too many questions to remember, took my drycleaning in @ lunch, weeded the 600's with the new weeding list that I made the previous Monday evening & walked around numerous times pushing in chairs, straightening, helping people print, find books, helping with computer log ins, etc. Today wasn't quite as busy, but it was a repeat of yesterday except for the storytime session. I feel like I need tomorrow off to recupe plus the reports aren't done and the testing schedule isn't made not to mention Thing 2 isn't finished either. It's almost too frustrating to bear.

Blog, Blogging, Bloggest!!

2009-03-25T22:42:00.000-07:00

Yes here I am desperately trying to work on "Thing 2", but all of my homework/class preparation work gets in the way. I am beginning to become obsessed with Blogging, who would have thought. In the beginning I thought I wouldn't ever have anything to say, much less who could possibly want to read it? Well it just so happened that our daughter & son in law began a blog on July 4, 2008! Hmm...I thought, a blog, blogging how interesting. So I had their excellent blog to think about and get ideas from...but I still can't put pics in my blog. So Karen Lee & I looked at my tabs. I have Template where I should have something else, but I forget what it is right now. Lee seems to thing I need this particular tab in order to add any of the extra things her has. Pls advise. Thx so much!

On the Road Again

2009-03-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

I started riding my bike when I got one at age 10. My Mom worked at M. Wards in the midway area; she found one in the bargain basement. My parents were over protective as they were in their 40's when I born, and neither one of them had ever ridden a bike. They felt that at age 10, I was more responsible and wouldn't kill myself. Hwy. 280 was under construction at the time. We could zoom on our bikes all the way down to University Ave. & back to Lauderdale. It was great fun, the new concrete was so smooth and conducive to riding at great speeds, plus there was no traffic. Unfortunately our fun ended when Hwy. 280 opened. In those days if a kid wanted to go somewhere you either took the bus or rode your bike. Your dad had the car at work, so that wasn't an option. We rode our bikes to Como Park for picnic lunches, we rode our bikes to the St. Anthony Public Library for books and then stopped @ Miller's Drug Store on Como & Doswell for a 10 cent cherry coke or phosphate @ the soda fountain. We even rode our bikes to Apache Plaza or Har-Mar to shop. I also had to ride my bike to my first 2 jobs; when I was 16 & 17 years old. I was a shelver for the Roseville Dist. #623 summer reading program for 8 yrs. Each of the 10 elementary school libraries was open 2 hours once/wk for book checkout. My job was to shelve the books back @ each of the libraries. We went to two schools/day, 5 days/wk. Of course I couldn't get into Driver's Ed. until August so naturally I rode my bike that summer! The next summer I started as a clerk typist evenings at CW Transport a local trucking company on Fairview Ave. I rode my bike there as well after the shelver job. Then I begin riding my bike to the U. for the next 6 years and have been basically riding ever since. For college graduation my finance bought me a lovely deep yellow 5 speed Raleigh Sprint from the Bike Shop in Dinkytown. This is the bike I ride today. After all those years of riding the old M. Wards bike (13) my Mom put $5. on it and sold it just like that! I just got 2 new tires and brake pads 2 weeks ago and was able to go for 2-6 mile rides this past weekend on the Raleigh. The guys @ Eric's Bike Shop keep me on the road. They often tell me they wish their Moms would ride bike for exercise. They fill my tires with air and give me a reflector when I lose mine and/or advice as needed. These days and for the past 12 years since my Mom died, I ride laps around the Maple Grove Junior High parking lot as well as the local Catholic church. This is so safe, no sand, no traffic, not much wind and lights at night. What more could a person want? When our kids were young, I rode all over Maple Grove with the three of them, to this practice and that. I started each of them in the baby carrier. The dr. yelled at me when I rode while pregnant after 5 months. Recently, in some of my best years I have ridden 550 - 650 miles, but for the last 3 years I've only ridden about 270-320 miles in a season. You should try it, it's a great free way to exercise plus it clears your head and helps a person focus.

Thing 1!

2009-03-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it Ann? I'm reading! After my 2nd-6 mi. bike ride today I was determined to get started on "My Things." Having been hit by a brick wall of school work this year, I have been barely able to keep up in an insane double assignment. Even the TAP Coach commented that I have an insane schedule this year. Too bad I was the last to realize it. That said, I immersed myself in the Web 2.0 world this afternoon and evening. I reviewed the 8/08 powerpoint by Ann, I read the New York Times article, "Truth: Can you Handle it?" looked up the ALA site which was no longer available and watched the Teacher Tube video. So here's what I think. I can relate to both the school and public sector of librarianship. For the past 28+ years I have worked as a Reference Librarian with the Hennepin County Library System. I have manned a 24/7 public library information line. I have participated first hand trying to scan the available information on a subject quickly as well as accurately to convey said information to a waiting patron b/f they become frustrated with the wait time & disconnect the transaction. It's not as if we haven't seen "it" coming. By "it" I mean the transformation from book information or knowledge (the correct answer) to the use of online resources. Slowly over the past 3 years reference collections throughout the county have been weeded and not updated. More and more sources are available online. Wise teachers do limit the number of online sources a student may use. They usually come to us for the rest - a book, magazine article and/or encyclopedia or other reference material. I rarely use animal reference books, but I do still use Zoo Books; we don't even have the MN Statutes or any of our business Reference materials. All of it is online. I remember the first time a student told me they got their information from wikipedia! I was in disbelief! Three years ago we began using Moodle in classes from Hamline. It was quite a concept to grasp. Now Moodle is old hat. I feel the same about all of these technologies. I was just too overwhelmed with work to think too much about them at first. Now I am beginning to "see" how all of these "things" fit together - sort of. I'm still not as savvy as I would like to be, but I'm so much further along than I was 3 or 2 or even one year ago. Here I have been sitting @ this laptop since early afternoon, that would have been impossible just one year ago. I would either have to stay very late in the evening @ Jordan Park working on all my school work or sit up at the Maple Grove Library for as much time as I could during the library hours of 10-5 on Sat. & 12-5 on Sunday. I function so much better & with such frequency, it has been life changing. I couldn't exist as I do now w/o my laptop. Albeit, when the computers are down @ the public library, I am usually the only one who knows where the drawing books are (741.5) or can find butterflies (595.7) or whatever. Dewey Decimal still reigns supreme in some cases - it's an information vs knowledge thing.
I appreciated the information in the article. People do believe what they want to. I gather information through my text book, online academic magazine articles and additional required reading. I read it all, highlight the important parts, take notes, synthesize it and then write. I have a tendency to believe students just look something up on Google, oftentimes just copy it into a word document and then turn it in. I teach research, I teach citing sources, I teach how to make a bibliography. I don't think students really care; perhaps they pretend not to be able to comprehend. I make graphic organizers, I use the "Manual or Handbook for Writers" as a guide. At this point I'm not sure if the defn. of Information Literacy is adequate. I have the ability to solve problems and answer questions using information and technology but I don't think students do. I also understand the ethical/legal issues surrounding access and use of information, but even though I teach copyright, I don't think students care. They just want to finish the assignment so they can do what they want to do. Even though students know they are not allowed to play games during media class they are constantly flipping back & forth between the assignment and their email or music. It usually gets worse this time of year. No matter how hard I try to engage students, I find this to be the case for some students, especially the huge double classes of more than 45 students in a class. I want my middle school students to be able to use both print as well as online resources. I will know I have done a good job if my students have a good general foundation from which to build upon in high school. I will continue to work with the definition of information literacy as we continue our MILI coursework. My understanding and attitude has changed greatly toward the 2.0 tools since we have begun our journey. I feel like a sponge, I just can't soak up this new learning fast enough! Sometimes I need to hear it more than once and I can't always remember everything, but I am trying my best! Stay tuned for more posts. Over & out on Thing 1.

Mystery, Destiny & the Economy

2009-03-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

I have been running a mystery book club for senior citizens at the Champlin Library for four years now. It has been a delight; in addition to reading 8 mystery titles annually we have our fall kickoff with a guest speaker; William Kent Krueger, the Crime Wave, Erin Hart, the editor of Mpls. Magazine who wrote the book about the T. Eugene Thompson murder of his wife to name a few. The last meeting in May we discuss that month's selection over dinner at various restaurants in the area. For the past 3 years I also arrange a field trip to the Show Boat, or Theatre in the Round in July or August to view a play with a mystery theme. I also host a Mother/Daughter book group at the Barnes & Noble in Maple Grove. I have conducted this book group for either 5 or 6 years. We've also had alot of reading good fun with lots of treats from the Cafe. Luckily &/or sadly, this book group is disbanding after our May meeting. It seems the girls are all 14 now and just have other interests. This is totally fine with me. We all enjoyed the book group while it lasted. Previously to that I ran M/D book groups at the Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park & Champlin Libraries for approximately 3 years during the summer.
All the Media Specialists in Mpls. have been learning and working with our new checkout system "Destiny" from Follett. We are much more used to it this year and keep diligently learning new things about this system. Thanks to Diane W-R who is like the energizer bunny when it comes to keeping us all up to date; she continually teaches even more about the system so we can become a "community of experts" when it comes to Destiny.
We as Media Specialists are a blessed and lucky group. For the most part we have full time positions but the parents of the students we serve, do not. I have always supplemented my teaching with the "extras" I have needed to make my lessons go over the top with the props, food, music I have needed. This past year seemed to be no exception: I spent $1,415. which is down from the $2,100. I usually spend and have spent in the past. What's so amazing to me is that during this time of recession or whatever they are calling it, is basically no different from how I have lived my entire life. My parents were in their 40's when I was born so I was raised with those same depression era values from the 30's. Nothing ever changes, it seems our generation will always be the generation of hard work and no money!

Podcasting is Fun!

2009-03-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

We had alot of fun tonight making our school podcast! It has been SO interesting to view everyone's blogs. I'm really enjoying reading them, too bad I am having trouble with mine. Tonight HIA Mathman was helping me. We discovered that rather then having a layout tab I have a template tab. We tried changing my background thinking this was the cause of the problem, but my problem still remained after we had changed it. So now I am left wondering how to fix this .

Yes, I agree the Mpls. staff blogs are really taking off! We thought we wouldn't ever have anything of interest to blog about - well I here I am chatting away. I guess we midwesterners are a tight lipped bunch, but once we feel comfortable with a new skill, we are ready willing and able to fly with it. I remember feeling the same way about Moodle 3 years ago. I just need some quiet time to work on this.

I also really appreciate what Karen said in her Friday MILI wiki. The seeds are planted, they are germinating and will blossom and grow next school year. The tasks won't seem as daunting as they currently do. I can understand that. I would really like to create blogs with my 40-6th graders, my 46-7th graders and my small 27 student 8B class. I think they would enjoy it. They are constantly surfing the net and listening to Hmong music during our assignments. They may as well put their skills to constructive use. Thx again for a great class tonight!

Barbie Turns 50!!

2009-03-12T21:10:00.001-07:00

On a lighter note, my mother didn't allow me to get a Barbie doll 50 years ago because they were too mature for me and now 50 years later I missed the $3.00 price @ Target again!!! I guess it wasn't meant for me to own a Barbie. She's still too mature for me. I was just reading a blog from a Mpls teacher who is having 112 students blog! If we finish spreadsheets and before we go to efolio I think we should give it a try. I do need to become more proficient/confident before I attempt this, Mr. Thao and Jeannie could assist if need be. I just didn't want Barbie to be forgotten.

Yikes, Not Again! Where does the TIME go????

2009-03-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged since February 4th! First I couldn't get into my blog for 2 weeks, then every time I sit down, I fall asleep! This is incredible, so one flat tire later, midquarter grades, TAP, IGP's, lesson plans, PD and POL, CALT testing I can't keep up!!! Now on top of everything both my schools want me .6 next year! What to do, what to do. I have spoken with one principal who is willing to put me @ .5. I have emailed the other. I have been with the program of one building for 5 years and love the staff and students. I am new to the 2nd program, but I feel a great need to be there. I know what happens won't matter 100 years from now, but it is the here and now that concerns me. I have had incredibly wonderful support from IT Services at every level from every person involved this past year. Without their support life would have been much more difficult - almost impossible at times. It seems this process of decision making comes earlier every year. It is so difficult and heart wrenching. Even though I know it is all about the position, and not the person in the position, change is difficult. Students at both schools have been asking me if I will be back. Students in the 7th grade at one building tell me I must be back for their 8th grade year. At the 2nd building K-3rd graders look at me adoringly and with so much trust telling me about the little things in their lives and what they liked about the book they checked out last week. This too shall pass. And then there's my blog. I just don't have the time to devote to it that I would like to. My co worker in this class has made so much progress! We are so busy we hardly have time to greet each other in passing. He tells me adding things is easy. So he says. I guess I am more the type of person who needs to be shown things, but I am good at following directions. I just need some uninterrupted time. I will have to carve some out from somewhere! Goodnight.

Here's the Link

2009-02-04T21:34:00.000-08:00

The address to our daughter & son-in-law's blog is http://www.scocar.blogspot.com. It's fun to see what their live in Logan, Utah is like. Now that I am feeling somewhat more comfortable with this tool, I need to begin working on my 10 "Things." Good night everyone out there in blogging land!

Blogging on my Mind

2009-02-04T21:17:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm finally getting the hang of this, believe it or not, I'm really enjoying it! It probably helps that our daughter & son-in-law started a blog this past July 4th & I have gotten used to reading it as well as looking forward to their next post. I am very careful, by the way, not to comment as I am after all; a Mother-in-Law! I you have a minute and are interested please look it up. I will add the address: So I have been thinking about all of this and wondering if my middle school students @ HIA or the Hmong Academy as we say, would enjoy trying out blogging. I'll talk it over with my team as they are both middle school teachers and see what they think about it.

I am beginning to embrace the "new" technology and look forward to trying new things. Only problem is that I forget if I don't use it frequently - such is the case with "Wordle." I learned it, tried it, thought how much my students would love it, and then over Christmas break forgot how to do it! I need a refresher on that. I guess I am "playing on the computer" as the students at school so frequently beg to do.

I also think that I don't give myself as much credit as I should. I am doing so many different things and feel so much more confident about my skill level than I previously did. But that's not to mention that I still makes tons of mistakes and forget how to to things. Part of that comes from having to go to 2 such different schools this year which is by the way; the 6th time I have had to do this in 25 years. When I think back to how and what we used to teach in media class and what we currently teach, it really boggles one's mind.

I Guessed Wrong Again!

2009-01-31T21:07:00.000-08:00

No Wabi Sabi didn't win the Caldecott Medal this year. I was absolutely, positively sure it would as it is the "best" book I saw in 2008. The Caldecott Award is given for the book that most aptly integrates story and illustration into one smooth work with the pictures continuing to tell the story where the words stop. That is the explanation I have always given to students when explaining this particular award to them. It is also the explanation Dr. McClaskey gave in his Children's Book Illustration class at the U. so many years ago. I had seen this year's "winner" both at Children's Book Week this fall and in November at the last Kerlan event I attended. I asked Dr. Karen Nelson Hoyle who she thought would win the Caldecott this year and she nailed it with "The House in the Night" by Susan Marie Swanson, a MN author & illustrated by Beth Krommes. This title is very reminiscent of "White Snow Bright Snow" the 1948 winner by Roger Duvoison. One of this year's judges for the Caldecott said how the black charcoal illustrations perfectly matched the story...so I guess this title did meet the qualifications for the award, but I personally like Wabi Sabi illustrated by Ed Young so much more.
The Newbery winner "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman received so much more press than the Caldecott. Gaiman was quoted as saying that he was totally surprised as this title has already sold over 71,000 copies and was on the New York Times best-seller list for 15 weeks! It appears Mr. Gaiman doesn't know the qualifications for winning. I thought "The Underneath" by Appelt might win, but I wasn't as sure as I was with Wabi Sabi. His "Coraline" comes out as a movie on 2/6 & it has already been decided that this title will also be made into a motion picture. Both the Newbery & Caldecott winners, remarkably; are from the Twin Cities! Mr. Gaiman is originally from Great Britain but has lived here for the past 16 years, while Susan Marie Swanson lives in lower St. Anthony Park just off Como Ave. less than a mile from the fairgrounds. So that is good. Minnesota is a great place for writers - it must be all the cold weather we have to endure.

Eve of the Newbery/Caldecott Awards 2009

2009-01-25T17:33:00.000-08:00

Yes, here we go again. I still get excited about the annual ALA awards for the "best" children's books. No matter how long I've taught or what we are called now, I am still a children's literature expert at heart. It's what life is all about for me. I have my personal collection of autographed books going back to 1967. Twice I've been correct in "choosing the winner" before the announcements. I'm pretty good at it. I had a terrific teacher, Dr. Harris McClaskey at the U. way back in the...well never mind about that. I took 5 classes from him, I loved the storytelling and children's book illustration classes the best. Through Dr. McClaskey's classes I became aware of my love of children's literature. I did three big projects in the Kerlan Collection as well as wrote my M.A. paper on the Kerlan Award. Then in the late 1980's I quickly took all of Dr. Odland's classes b/4 she retired. I received two compliments from her which to this day still mean so much to me. One day in class she said that she never really liked school librarians, but that she has come to change her mind about one of them, who she felt was pretty outstanding. Then she looked right at me. I felt very honored. The 2nd time I received a compliment from Dr. Odland was quite a bit later at the annual Children's Book Week dinner at the U. She was by this time in quite advanced stages of her disease; was in a wheel chair and could barely speak. She motioned me to come closer and whispered in my ear: "Are you still that good school librarian?" With tears in my eyes, I told her yes, I was and am still working hard at it. I haven't often felt very successful about my profession. Far too often I fell beaten down, it is difficult to remember the ideals I used to have. But anyway, tomorrow is a new day. I am most confident that Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein, illustrated by Ed Young will get the Caldecott Award it is absolutely exquisite! I'm not quite as sure about the Newbery Award. Some say The Underneath by Kathi Appelt will get the award while others say Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor will win. It is now a matter of time. What is exciting is that there is now a link to the ALA Award ceremony in Denver so I won't have to wait to see all the "winners". I will forward it on to all the marvelous media specialists as I have done for the past 25 years. I'll let you know if I was correct this year.

Back to School

2008-09-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go? It is always such an adjustment to get back into the regimented school schedule. Every year it becomes more difficult, but then I have had to either move 1.0 or .4 or .6 to another building for the past 6 years in a row. This year was no exception, except that I can't remember what I packed where! Things are changing so quickly, and we have to have so many different pswds, that it is virtually impossible to remember them all. Good luck here we go again!

Summer Olympics

2008-09-14T20:02:00.000-07:00

I have always loved watching the challenge involved for the participants of the Olympics. The opening ceremony was phenomenal, but after Mr. Bachman's stabbing in Beijing, China, my joy for the participants turned to fear for them instead. I am happy and proud of Michael Phelp's new world records. His success turned out to be the highlight of this Olympics. I was so interested that I even looked up Mark Spitz' records from 1972 to compare the two of them. His records held for 36 years.

I also enjoyed watching the sprinters on the track - some of them literally just flew! Many new world records were set. In our obese society, it's wonderful to watch such fit athletes challenging themselves.

Coreen Blau Blogging on a Wednesday afternoon in Mpls.

2008-09-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

Here I am starting my own blog! I can see blogging as a terrific tool for our HIA students to practice English. They are required to speak in complete sentences. This will be a great way to see them in print. As a lifelong learner, I continually challenge myself to be the best I can be. We as media people can help each other through our blogs. I felt a "rush" of excitement all day today during training. I worry about having enough time to maintain a blog.

Welcome to my blog!

2008-02-21T17:57:00.000-08:00

Here I am trying to make this blog.