My Phone - the iPhone

After much thinking, researching and drooling, I finally purchased an iPhone. That was about 3 weeks ago. It’s funny. The day I bought it, I really didn’t have time to explore it. In fact, I couldn’t even make a phone call. Each day I’ve learned something new and discovered a new way to make this piece of equipment work for me.


The other day I went to the doctor and had to wait for a lengthy amount of time. Now I can enjoy doing nothing as much as anyone, but I had a great deal of work to do for school, including developing lesson plans. So I sat in the waiting room with my plan book and pencil. I got to the point when I needed to know the state standards to go with the plans. So I whipped out my iPhone, pulled up the DESE page and found the standards I wanted to use. I know that I could have taken notes on the computer, but I’ll freely admit that I wrote them in pencil on the paper. Not a remarkable use of technology, perhaps. However, what was significant was that I was able to use that time to move forward with the tasks I needed to accomplish despite the rearrangement of my schedule. Some people will tell me that it would have been better if I had just relaxed. Getting my work done while waiting gave me the opportunity to relax at home with people I want to relax with. More to the point, I was able to use the time wisely and avoid getting nervous, fidgety or mad.

I'm starting to understand more of what David Weinberger was talking about in Everything is Miscellaneous. (see my post Book Which Changed Everything) The opportunities for interconnectivity and immediacy are exponential.

Newbery Course with KT Horning

I haven't been blogging in the past six weeks. I just finished an online course through ALSC. The course, The Newbery Medal: Past, Present and Future, is led by the indomitable KT Horning. So instead of posting to my blog, I've been reading like crazy and posting to the course discussions.

I have wanted to take this class since I first heard about it. Several times I saw it listed and wanted to sign up so badly I could taste it. Each time the timing was unthinkable. This time I was not feeling much time on my hands. By all reckoning I was as busy as I ever have been. This time when I saw the course offering I thought “If not now, when?” So I signed up and had my mind expanded.

The cast of characters taking the course was rich and varied. The course is well planned out, the content is thoughtful and the experience has been really enlightening for me. Some of my long held beliefs have been shattered and new understanding is awakening in me. I am much richer for the experience. I would recommend this course to anyone with an interest in the Newbery Medal. I understand that the course will be offered again in the summer.

Between reading David Weinberger’s book in January and taking this course this month, my intellect has been stretched in new ways. It will take the rest of the year to digest and implement what I have learned. Meanwhile, I have a stack of books which have been waiting for me to get to them while I've been reading Newberys.

Teens Discuss Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Yesterday I had the opportunity to talk with two middle school students who had just seen Percy Jackson and the Olympians – The Lightning Thief. Both of these students were enthusiasts of the books. They have both read all the books in the series and the supplementary books. Multiple times. I have heard their fervor in looking forward to the movie. The level of anticipation for this event was extreme. Their attitude after watching it was… how do I say it nicely? Not so enthusiastic.


For a period of time which lasted for longer than the duration of the movie in question, these two intelligent teens deconstructed the film. They quoted specific parts of the book and how the movie reinterpreted the scenes. Well, they did not use those words. They did not always use words I can put in print. The changes in plot, age, hair color, scenery, character, personality and technological advances were all roundly abused. They were especially disparaging of Grover’s lack of Rasta hat and that there was no mention of enchiladas. I played the devil’s advocate and asked why they thought the film makers made the decisions they made. I posed questions of audience, economic considerations, and time factors. They rallied with their own opinions about why certain decisions were made, made assessments about whether the decision could be tolerated or not and ventured to suggest alternative solutions to the problem.

It was bound to happen. When you love a series of books as much as they do you are bound to have issues with any interpretation.

What struck me was how well they were able to perform the tasks outlined in our state standards for ELA (English Language Arts) particularly General Strand 26 – Analysis of Media. (see page 95 of the frameworks) They were doing a thorough job of analyzing media, plot, characterization, visual literacy and numerous other things I haven’t thought of. Too bad their teachers couldn’t hear them in action covering standards which they sometimes fail to come up to on standardized tests.

We are preparing our students with 21st Century Skills to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. Standards for the 21st Century Learner were designed to address this. So many of the very things we want our students to accomplish were played out in front of me. I found myself feeling confident that our youth can navigate these waters. In many cases they can do it better than we can, if we will only step out of their way and let them achieve. On their own terms. Which is what we are preparing them for anyway. Let’s face it. We are openly acknowledging that we are preparing today’s students for a world which is changing so rapidly that it does not exist yet. We are preparing them for careers which have not have been thought of yet. That’s what P21 is all about. So they need that independence of mind and the ability to make connections. The challenge is to guide in ways which encourage this type of conversation. I have not mastered this. Not yet. But I have taken up the quest.

When I asked them whether they want to see the next movie in the series, as they assured me there would be one, they both gave an emphatic “Yes”. They are eager to begin the act of analysis and curious to see how the film makers will tackle the challenges they have presented themselves by messing with the story as outlined in the books. Do I have confidence in these youth? A resounding yes and I am just as interested in seeing how they navigate the challenges of their story which will be messed with by the advances in technology which will surely come.

Book Which Changed Everything - Everything is Miscellaneous

I finished reading Everything is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder by David Weinberger last week and am still reeling from the paradigm shift it caused in me. Weinberger suggests that many of the ways which we have learned to organize information are imposed upon on by the material nature of physical objects. When letting information loose in a digital atmosphere it is freed of the limitations unleashing an entirely new set of organizational possibilities. To say this book was transformative does not even begin to touch the way in which it challenged my long held, strongly defended, stubbornly clung to beliefs. The possibilities are exhilarating.

New books in the library

The books I ordered have arrived! They are lovely. Sometimes it just feels so good to look over the purchases and know that the decisions were good ones. I always love getting new books and showing them off to students. Sometimes, it seems like every book is a jewel and each one fits a special area of the school curriculum or social needs so perfectly it brings tears to your eyes. This year was like that. As I pulled the books from the cardboard boxes I felt that all the work I had put into selecting the ones which would serve us well paid off. I’ve already started my list for next year.

On Friday I had a “Sneak Peek” for teachers to come and see what’s new in the library. Last time I did this there was very little response. This time I was more proactive – emails to all staff, a follow up flier in their boxes and an announcement on the intercom at the end of the day. Not only that, I offered refreshments, games and prizes.

One of the games I prepared was a Caldecott guessing game. When I submitted the purchase order for Jerry Pinkney’s The Lion and the Mouse last year it had not yet won the Caldecott Award. So I chose three other new books to display with Mr. Pinkney’s book. Teachers had to guess which one was the medal winner. It was fun to watch them. Several of them huddled together whispering and trying to come to a group decision. One teacher picked up The Lion and the Mouse and kept saying over and over again “It has to be this one.” This teacher complemented me on choosing books which mimicked former award winning selections. She was convinced that I had done this thoughtfully. In truth, I just grabbed three reasonably beautiful books. More than half of them chose correctly.

It was good to hear the teachers squeal with delight, grab a book and express that the book fills a need they had. One teacher was overcome with the giggles reading Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas by Cynthia Rylant. Another one accosted every person who came through the door and insisted that they immediately read Mama Says: A book of Love for Mothers and Sons by Rob D. Walker and lushly illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. By the time the afternoon was over there were at least five people who intended to go out and buy a copy as a gift. I was glad when one of the teachers made a point of telling me how glad they were that I had purchased a number of Grace Lin’s picture books including Dim Sum for Everyone. It seems they are just what she needed.

The books will start going out today. Can’t wait to see the kids’ faces when they see them.

ALA Conference in Boston

Yesterday I went to the American Library Association Midwinter Conference which is being held in Boston. It was my first ALA conference. My original plan had been to be there to soak up every single minute of it, but life got in the way. So yesterday was it.

This was my first view of the exhibition hall:

I hit the ground running and didn’t look up for an hour. I’d made it down half a row. There was so much to see, so many new books to sample, myriad ideas for using materials we already have or soon will, that it was impossible to see it all.

While I was at the conference I learned that AASL has voted to use the term “school librarian” to refer to librarians working in schools. I understand that the decision was not taken lightly and that many hours of debate went into the decision.

The experience of going was just what I needed. I met new people, found books which are just the thing to fill a need in our library back home, was inspired by new ideas I saw and generally got charged up and re-inspired. Coming home, taking the things out of the bags and organizing them made it fresh all over again. I’ve returned with new ideas for how to use Ellison Die Cuts, a variety of prizes to motivate students, and plenty of advance copies to read.

It was a wonderful day.

60 posts or bust

I’ve started out the year on the wrong foot. I neglected to do an end of year post (despite the fact that some significant things occurred in my life). That’s not all. I never pulled together my list of hopes for 2010.

Call me a late bloomer. This year I am aiming to complete 60 posts. Along with that, I hope to make at least 60 comments on other people’s blogs. Lurking is my modus operandi, but I am ready to change that. Frankly, my hope is that I will surpass this goal early in the game and wonder why I set the mark so low. I find I am much more productive when there is some kind of a challenge. These two goals are not the sum and total of my goals for the year. Far from it. They are a good place to begin, however. So 59 more posts and 60 comments are in my future.