the daring school library blog

We've MOVED to EduBlogs!

2011-07-17T15:06:00.004-04:00

After
Because the HCPSS school district decided to block all Blogger blogs because of their Sexual Content policy..so we've moved to EduBlogs. Now usually I'm vexed with sites being blocked for any reason because I truly believe that life is not filtered so we should teach our students how to be responsible, discerning, & ethical in their search choices but in this case I do see their logic.

I've had this blog for 5+ years - It's a conversation between my students, community, and the world about our library program & practice. We highlight student achievements, new books, web 2.0 tools, QR codes, and the cool things we do in our awesome school.
YouTube blocks nudity & sexual content, why not Blogger? If Blogger just took the same tact "YouTube is not for pornography or sexually explicit content. If this describes your video, even if it's a video of yourself, don't post it on YouTube." Then all the educational blogs out there - including mine - would not be blocked. Also taking off the "next blog" button would be very helpful since some of the next blogs are NOT appropriate. I've been a Google educator since 2004 I love me my Google! I've been championing my district to have a Google Server & use the Educational apps! Now this.

The Blogger Content Warning does not say anything about age... just "I understand and wish to continue" or "I do not wish to continue" - This is just not good enough if a student stumbles across pornographic material WHILST researching in SCHOOL. If they at least had a warning about being over 18 then we could say the student - if they chose the content - was breaking the Acceptable Use Policy but as it's worded - no such luck. I can't even defend that. And my students deserve more.

If you can't change your business strategy in this matter - can you give me any advice on how to ask my District to consider unblocking our Library Blog? When a blogger designates their blog as having "adult content" can filters just block THOSE sites & leave other sites clear? I don't know much about that kind of higher level of coding or filtering (html sure but I'm really a software girl) but I can pass along any suggestions you might have.

UPDATE: From Nick, the Technology Security Analyst - Technology Department
Howard County Public School System

"Take a look at the server name that hosts your screen shot of youtube's policy (1.bp.blogspot.com). If you were to look at the server name of "questionable" content you would notice that the server name is the same. This is why we can not allow one without the other. The server name used to call adult content is the same as your non-adult content."
------
So apparently can't block the bad without blocking the good.

I ardently believe in teaching without a filter. Life is not filtered. We need to teach digital citizenship so that students can evaluate web content again with knowledge, discernment, & ethics. We also need to teach with effective classroom management. BUT websites have to meet us halfway and not make it REALLY easy to see & filter out pornographic content. Also, some districts are not there yet. I need ammunition or a change of heart on this issue.

'Cause really, isn't there just enough porn on the Interwebs as it is?

Thank you!
~Gwyneth Jones
The Daring Librarian

Well, I've given it a few months...hoping against hope that Blogger or Google would establish an .EDU server and so far, they haven't.......So the blog on EduBlogger will be the new home for this blog...AND...I've been accepted to the Google Teacher Academy in Seattle Washington this summer and maybe...there will be an appropriate and tactful time to maybe ask for Google to think about us educational bloggers! Please change your bookmarks, RSS feeds, & visit us at our new home!

New Urban Teen Novels and Pi!

2011-03-14T06:37:00.004-04:00

If you're a Bluford High fan or urban teen realistic fiction fan - you need to come to the Media center ASAP to grab one of these 6 new novels! Last year, only 2 Bluford High books were approved for Middle School - and of course I bought them both! This year we found 4 and got them all plus a new series called the Urban Underground.

A Boy Called Twister:
"Kevin Walker has a secret, and he hopes it will stay hidden when he moves to California from small-town Spurville in Texas." - School Library Journal Will he work out the conflict, will his deadly secret come out and more importantly, will his new friends support him or reject him? You'll have to read this to find out!
Outrunning the Darkness: #1 of the Urban Underground series follows the friends of Jaris at Tubman High School. "Jaris worries about his parents, who are experiencing marital difficulties, and his father's black moods, which the young man sometimes shares." - School Library Journal
A Matter of Trust:

"A well-written and easy-to-read book. The situations hold readers' attention and are ones teens relate to." -- A student review published in The Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy
Summer of Secrets:
"I like the Bluford Series because it is action-packed all the way through." -- Adam F., student reviewer
"The Bluford books are REAL. What you see in them really happens. That's why you can't stop reading." -- Phillip, C., student reviewer
Brothers in Arms:
"Martin Luna is in deep trouble. Just months ago, a horrible tragedy took his little brother, and now it threatens to take him too. Which way will he go?" You'll have to read the book to find out!
Someone to Love Me:
".... keeps you on the edge of your seat anxiously wondering what will happen next." -- A student review published in the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy

"My school is just like Bluford High. The characters are like people I know. These books are real." -- Jessica, K. 9th grade student

Check out these new books from Anne Schraff at the MHMS Library Media Center!

Oh, and HAPPY Pi Day!!!!

and i still LOVES our MHMS GT Dept. 3.14 Pi Vid from a few years back....still wished we ended with a Pi in the face....LOL

List of numbers – Irrational and suspected irrational numbers
γ – ζ(3) – √2 – √3 – √5 – φ – ρ – δS – α – e – π – δ

Number system Evaluation of π
Binary 11.00100100001111110110...[1]
Decimal 3.14159265358979323846264338327950288...
Hexadecimal 3.243F6A8885A308D31319...[2]
Rational approximations 3, 22⁄7, 333⁄106, 355⁄113, 103993/33102, ...[3]

(listed in order of increasing accuracy)
Continued fraction [3; 7, 15, 1, 292, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 3, 1, 14, 2, 1, 1, ... ][4]

(This continued fraction is not periodic. Shown in linear notation)
Trigonometry π radians = 180 degrees

How do YOU Celebrate Pi Day?

from wikipedia
graphics from Fort Math

Facebook, Farcebook, and Fakebook

2011-03-04T06:03:00.001-05:00

So we have a spankin new iMac computer lab in our building and I'm really chuffed! (British for flippin excited!) 30 brilliant new iMacs all lined up & shiny...ready work with my kids to create cool stuff with the kids! (and yes, throughout this post I'll be showing off the pics - your hard-earned tax money at work - please notice the hard to find laminated not mint, Think Different Apple posters stapled to the wall bought in 1999- don't hate!)
Facebook, Farcebook, and Fakebook Templates
Miss Wallen - one of our coolest teachers is using the iMac lab with her kids to do a mock Facebook page for Latin American Historical figures like Pizarro, Cortes, Bolivar, and Hidalgo with her 7th grade Social Studies kids!

Facebook Template

Using the downloadable template I shared from our favourite NerdyTeacher none other than Nick Provenzano the kids are using our databases and links Miss Wallen found to do their research and then become the character filling in the Facebook template.

What's so cool is they can write on their walls as if they or another historic character left a message such as: "I Founded a city...I'm calling it Ciudad de los Reyes, which means "City of the Kings" It's royally AWEsome...I'm a Winner!" Even though in real life Pizarro never learned to read or write... with this template kids can really get a different glimpse into his life, political struggles, adventures, and accomplishments!

My teacher librarian friend, Barbara Randolph, passed along a cool link to a Teacher's Discovery resources Blank Farcebook Poster Set of 30 for $19.99 - which can be laminated & written on with dry erase markers for when the computer lab is being used for month long standardized testing (starting next week!). Taking that idea...I've got it in me heid to create a comic life version - making several changes - I'm gonna call it Fakebook and post it to my Comic Tutorial gallery & ya'll can print em out for free! Stay tuned for that!

But I AM gonna buy from that company a really cool set of NOVEL CHARACTERS FARCEBOOK (TM) POSTERS SET OF 8 for...[gulp!] $39.99! Described as: "Characters from your favorite novels come to life on these Farcebook posters. Learn what book Ponyboy Curtis likes to read and what Frankenstein's monster's favorite song is. Does Scout Finch really belong to the group "the Maycomb Legal Defense Fund"? Is Odysseus really interested in spelunking? Find out these fun facts and more. Your students will recognize this format and will love finding all the hidden information. 11 x 17 inches each, printed on glossy card stock, middle school/high school. "
Check out that cool chick Juliet & her page...has she friended you yet?

When our 7th grade social studies kids finish the unit & we check out all their pages we'll be posting them on our learning wiki! I love the idea of these Fake Facebook pages for historical or fictional characters - it get's the kids excited - creates dynamite disposition to learning with total student engagement and is also relatable!

What do you think? Do you have any other resources or sites like these that use Social Media to tie into student projects? Please comment! Loves me some comments!
---
iMac lab photos by Gwyneth Jones

Congratulations Mrs. Singleton: Outstanding Educator - Teacher as Leader

2011-02-11T14:20:00.005-05:00

Congratulations to our own Beth Singleton, G/T Resource Teacher at Murray Hill Middle School has been recognized in the "Outstanding Educator - Teacher as Leader" category.

Mrs. Singleton will be honored at the reception in Annapolis on the evening of Feb. 16th, to celebrate February as Gifted and Talented Education Month in Maryland.

From a press release that was sent out by MSDE:

"The Maryland State Advisory Council on Gifted and Talented Education appointed by State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick will celebrate the Governor’s Proclamation of February as Gifted and Talented Education month at a reception on February 16, 2011 from 5:00 pm. – 8:00 p.m. at the Miller Senate Building in Annapolis. The proclamation affirms that Maryland, recognized as having the number one school system in the nation, now aims to reach world-class standards and must identify and nurture those gifted and talented students in all cultural groups who have the potential to perform at remarkably high levels. Approximately 300 persons are expected to attend the celebration, including legislators, educators, parents, students, and community members. An awards ceremony will recognize outstanding accomplishments of schools, educators, students, and community members representing school systems across the state."

Congratulations Mrs. Singleton - We're so proud of you!!

A Day Without Chemistry: Pirate Ninja Style!

2011-02-01T11:55:00.019-05:00

---A Video from the American Chemical Society

Our MHTV top story today made me have to get a little shady -access my inner Pirate and bring out my secret Ninja side- all for a good cause. Here at Murray Hill Middle School we LOVE Science! So it did not come as any surprise that our interest was piqued today when we found this great story on Student News dot net - a press release about a hot new animated video celebrating International Year of Chemistry - and it took a bit of finagling to get it (if you're interested I'll give the lowdown after the story jump) - but do know dear students & readers we are determined to go that extra distance for Science!

"Imagine a day without cars, electric lights, TV, telephones, safe food, water, medicine, clothing, your house, and other things that make up modern life. Do it, and you are imagining a day without chemistry.

Aren't you glad you live in a world with chemistry? February 1st is the kickoff of the 2011 International Year of Chemistry, so take some time this year to appreciate the importance of chemistry in your everyday life!" - by Adam Dylewski

Produced by the ACS Office of Public Affairs, Digital Services Unit
and the Younger Chemists Committee

Video Credit:
Concept and Direction by Adam Dylewski and Mick Hurrey, Ph.D.
Art Direction and Animation by Kirk Zamieroski
Sound Design by Adam Dylewski

Ms. Jones as a Pirate AND a Ninja for Science!
What it took to get to show this video to my kids and how I became more pirate than ninja today - for a good cause--- SCIENCE!

Like I said at EduCon (which was - AWEsome - more later!) Sometimes you have to be shady for a good cause!

You can't think OUT of the box if you're boxed in by filters & firewalls!

I went to the website American Chemistry Society webpage and got faced with the dreaded Locked NET Monster filter warning because the ACS decided to load their new video only on the YouTubes. DOH! So....give up? NEVER!

I used my Verizon Android Fascinate phone's 3G hotspot & bypassed our firewall to access YouTube to get the American Chemistry Society video! BAM!
Copy & pasted the URL to the video & opened keepvid.com to download BloopBloop!
Downloaded it as a medium quality .MP4 Zing!
Uploaded the video to my Flickr account - making sure to leave a comment on the ACS's YouTube account saying so & giving full attribution (of course!) Pow!

NOW teachers or schools wanting to show this cool video celebrating the International Year of Chemistry can do so (see embed code on my flickr under SHARE) --- never minding being blocked by the fliters - the message is the thing!

Comment I left for them on the YouTubes vid:

LOVE this! .....BUT....96.8% of schools have YouTube blocked...so, I couldn't show it to my kids to day on our live MHTV show without being a bit of a pirate. I used Keepvid dot com to download it - show my kids then upload it to Flickr to get the embed code for our MHMS Daring School Media blog...hope you don't mind!

~Gwyneth

the daring librarian
ps, i totally made up that 96.8% statistic...but like it's a LOT!

How to Be a Ninja!

How to use KeepVid Comic Tutorial to snag educational videos for the good of learning & instruction! (click comic for different size options - Creative Commons - FREE to download, use, share!)

Do NOT use this tactic to download the latest Justin Bieber video - that would be just.like.wrong.

PS. Reason 21.5 why I'm the DARING Librarian! Ka-Pow!

A Day Without Chemistry: Pirate Ninja Style!
Tags, Adam Dylewski, American Chemistry Society, chemistry, flickr, keepvid, science, youtube

MHMS (QRCodes) Rocks Your Socks

2011-01-05T08:39:00.009-05:00

(scan the code above for a secret message from Kasim)

So many of our kids have been intrigued & inspired by our recent QR Code adventures! Don't believe me?

One of our ace MHTV Reporters, 7th grader Kasim, on his own found this fascinating article & wrote a news story on it for our show today & he's our guest blogger!

Mega Introduces Mobile Technology

"In 2011 Mega Bloks will launch new QR codes on its product packaging and print advertising. Spanning its boys and collectors’ portfolio, the codes will first appear on Dragons Universe, Halo and the new Blok Squad range, and will then be rolled out to additional ranges.

The QR (quick response) codes allow consumers to instantly view product information, images, videos and instructions on a mobile page. This can be achieved by downloading a QR Code reader on a smart phone, which can then read the QR code on pack or in print.
In addition to new QR technology, Mega plans to refresh its microsites with a number of new innovative features. Kids will be able to view new 360° rotating product views, which explode showcasing the product build." - by Katie Roberts

In touch with one of the latest trends in media, Mega will also be introducing 30-second product videos onto its product pages bringing all the features of the product to life.
Here at MHMS we are planning to use these QR codes to send URLs and many other texts to use for educational purpose - Kasim

Source: Mega introduces mobile technology

Thank you Kasim! AWEsome job! I'm so tickled pink & proud of you!

In writing this post Kasim utilized maz technology integration skillz by using Google docs, Kaywa QR Code generator, & daring-do! Way to go!

Walla Walla Webcast With Jon Scieszka

2010-12-22T14:52:00.008-05:00

The super cool author of some of my most favourite books The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stoopid Tales & The True Story of the Three Little pigs will be holding a live webcast for kids in March! It's FREE to sign up (and yes, to my MHMS Kids, we're so there!) and uber cool author of Trackers & friend of the MHMS Media Center - (see his signed poster below!) Patrick Carman will be the host!
From the website:

"Walla Walla Kids Read will webcast JON SCIESZKA, one of America’s most beloved children’s authors. This FREE event is hosted by Patrick Carman. Consult the events page for exact times, then sign up below if you would like to broadcast the author appearance in your classroom or library. All presentations last approximately 45 minutes and are presented on the web as they happen"

Visit the site for FREE Downloads:

Learn more & Sign up your school today!

Which is your favourite Jon Scieszka book?

Which is your favourite Jon Scieszka Book?customer surveys

Walla Walla Webcast With Jon Scieszka

tags: Jon Scieszka, Patrick Carman, walla walla kids read, webcast

graphics & photos: © 2010 Walla Walla Kids Read

Cool QR Codes in the Classroom & Library

2010-12-16T12:20:00.004-05:00

In our hallway - promoting our Google Form Book Reviews!
QR Codes are popping up everywhere! On the back of my Sephora catalog, windows of shops, and in my library! They're already big in Japan - and now in New York & LA.

On our Recent Arrival Display - Promoting this Blog!

They look cool, matrixy, and very graphic...
but what heck ARE they?
A Quick Response (QR) code is a two-dimensional or 2D bar code which can be interpreted by any mobile phone with camera capabilities. Unlike traditional barcodes, which feature a series of straight lines these barcodes QR Codes are laid out in a matrix and can hold much more information.
Through “scanning” the code by way of photographing it, and installing a a FREE APP or simple piece of software to your smartphone, anyone can access the information behind the QR which might contain images, easily launched website links, and text.

Simply use your smartphone's camera to scan a QR code (via a reader app, such as Barcode Scanner or QuickMark), and you'll instantly be rewarded with whatever content has been embedded in the code, whether it's a URL that you can auto launch to the site, a friend's contact information, or a text message.

QR Codes in the Classroom - and the Library! From a recent article I contributed to at the Innovative Educator blog - txtN N d library: Ideas for Librarians Who Want to Embrace the Power of Cell Phones (btw, feels weird to post this in the third person and do I use quotes if I wrote it?!)

"QR codes can also be used to conduct a treasure hunt of information in the school library. Middle school teacher librarian Gwyneth Jones, aka the Daring Librarian, uses QR codes to engage students in what she calls “digital discoveries.” Asking the students to bring their cell phones to the library, in small groups or pairs, the kids hunt for sneaky QR codes posted around the library (programed with a free QR code generator) to discover clues that can be scanned that lead to other clues - some asking questions, some that lead students to wiki or webpages with further information, some that require the students to perform a task to discover the final clue and the “treasure” which is a special key code to be submitted to a Google form. Once on the Google form wikipage students input the “key” to a drawing for a chance to win an iTunes gift card or a bundle of free books. Another use is posting QR codes next to book displays & pubic access catalog computers that lead students to wikipages where they can write and read student book reviews.

Because students work in groups or pairs, only about a third of the class needs Smartphones and because she’s done a student survey in advance she knows how much technology her students have. If necessary, being ever cognizant of the digital divide, Jones has purchased a couple iPod touch Generation 4 mobile devices that students may use in the library or check out to use at home with the preloaded Kindle app and several books, music, & library pics." - Read the rest of the article by Tamara Cox and check out her AWEsome Eliterate Librarian blog

Buying information for the iPod Touch 4th Generation
Now with FaceTime, Retina display, HD video recording, and Game Center.

Shopping ALERT! Amazon price beats Apple teacher discount!

An 8G Apple iPod Touch 4th Gen is on sale on Amazon for $215 last week... and the Apple Educator price was.....wait for it....$229! What the what!? So like I mention on my wikipage
check Amazon's price before you decide to buy - and remember the low price today could raise higher tomorrow - and vice versa.

QR Code Jewelry -
If I weren't so busy (and so indolent) I'd start a cottage industry of Customizable QR Code jewelry or buttons on Etsy.com. As it is - I bought the last one from BarcodeArt this morning. Heh heh. I have shopping issues.

QR Code Resources & Articles:

QR Codes Connect Students to Books featuring Geek Tribe member & cutie pie John Schumacher!
QR Codes in the Library: Use 2-D barcodes to offer the coolest services ever - by Geek Tribe member Christopher Harris @infomancy
QR Literature Quest: A high tech scavenger hunt to interest HS students in literature. via via Neil Krasnoff or @txlibraryguy
HOW TO: Use QR Codes for Small Business Marketing
What Is A QR Code And Why Do You Need One?
QR Codes - Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki

A Time to Give Thanks

It's true the more you give the more your receive... Since I've started sharing more...I've gotten more back. Thank you everyone who has so generously shared with me this year! Thank you students who voted for us for the Edublog nominatios...sorry, no we didn't win...but we loved having you visit us here & see more of what we do for you! Don't be a stranger & always feel free to leave comments with your screen name or first name!

In this season of light & giving- let's all please remember to be generous, supportive, positive, & INCLUSIVE of each other!
/lovefest bah humbug! LOL
------------------
Photo credits:
Calvin Klein billboard Mashable
QR Code on Door: Tailor Made Hotel
Flickr Creative Commons QR Code on a Stick - photo by See-ming Lee - Photo shop by me!
iPod Touch 4th Gen from Villa State
QR Code Custom button photo by BarcodeArt
Photo of the Philly Museum of Art - ME!

We've Been Nominated! Edublog Awards 2011

2010-12-06T06:36:00.016-05:00

Every year Edublogs, an international committee of technology educators opens up nominations for the very best blogs, wiki's, webinars, virtual world events, use of educational social media & more for that year. The hundreds of nominations are tallied up and a "short list" of nominations are announced for voting from the parents, students, teachers, public & community. There's no money involved..but it's a great honor! And we made it!

To be even nominated is an honor, flattering, and award enough - but what the heck, let's see if we can win this thing!

Vote for the MHMS Tech Wiki!
Click HERE to Vote for the Best Educational Wiki - Please Look & Vote for MHMS Tech Wiki - Visit the MHMS Tech Wiki which was started in 2006 and provides professional development technology help & tips for staff and visitors worldwide!

On an exciting side note....Vote for Ms. Jones!
Click HERE to Vote for the Best Librarian Blog - Please Look & Vote for The Daring Librarian
Voting Ends Midnight December 14th.
Thank you for your inspiration & support!

Ms. Gwyneth Jones - aka The Daring Librarian of MHMS Media for the past 14 years has also been nominated for an unprecedented 4 different awards -quick voting links below - your support & votes would be gratefully appreciated. Having Fun Voting? Ms. Jones is also nominated fro these AWARDS!

Only one vote per IP address counts - so voting from home is key! No registration is necessary and voting - using the quick links below - only takes a few minutes!

Click HERE to Vote for the Best Use of Video/Visual Blog - - Please Look & Vote for The Daring Librarian

Click HERE to Vote for the Best Webinar Series - Please Look & Vote for the TL Virtual Cafe
Ms. Jones is the TL Virtual Cafe Coordinator that provides FREE webinars to librarians & teachers worldwide on her own time.

Click HERE to Vote for the Best Use of a Virtual Network - Please Look & Vote for ISTE SIGMS
Ms. Jones assisted with the creation of the 21st Century Library Media Center Playground in Second Life on her own time.

Thank you again! YAY!

MHTV Celebrates the Maccabeats & Chanuka!

2010-12-03T06:44:00.010-05:00

or...It's a Maccabeats Chanuka!

Our middle school kids really got into the Maccabeats Candlelight (lyrics) video this morning on MHTV- our live TV news broadcast. In fact, people were singing it all over the school! I just had to share the Maccabeats because they are a bucket full of AWEsome! This music video re-mix mash-up teaches diversity, history, and pure potato latkes love! A great video to show your school to celebrate Haunnukah & teach multiculturalism Oh and FUN! YAY!

Our Lead Story Intro Script:
In our continuing celebration of Chanuka, the festival of lights, we bring you a special music video created by the Maccabeats, an a capella group from Yeshiva University.
Strongly committed to the "integration of traditional and non-traditional wisdom, the Maccabeats perform remixes of an array of Jewish, American, and Israeli songs." Here is their Chanuka mixup titled Candlelight. - (show video)

We couldn't help filming our TV studio kids as they spontaneously started dancing as we were playing this to the whole school (of course they were extra silly when we pulled out the flip cam!) But I think you can see that in this DC Metro school, kids of every race & religion enjoyed the infectious joy of this music video. Flip video footage by my MHTV Co-Executive producer, Gifted & Talented teacher, and fellow Geek Tribe member, Elizabeth Singleton.

The Maccabeats bring peace, joy, love, tolerance, and infectiously danceable songs & videos! Think of the Warblers on Glee but with a Yarmulke! - Gwyneth Jones (heh heh in case you wanna quote me!)

Download the Candlelight song on iTunes

Thank you Maccabeats & Uri Westrich!

ps. because Youtube is blocked in most schools could you please upload all your positive school-friendly & educational music videos to TeacherTube? Thanks!

UPDATES! From an email:

westdawg63

Re: Murray Hill Middle School says THANKS!

Thanks so much Gwyneth! It's really nice to hear things like that. I'll have to look into this TeacherTube. I never heard of it before.

Uri

Sent to: gwynethanne

YouTube UPDATE: We've had an amazing 490 views of the video above! Don't forget to leave your comments! : -) ~ms. jones

Related articles:
Hanukkah video helps Jews sing new tune
'Dynamite' Hanukkah Remix: Maccabeats Spoof Taio Cruz
Maccabeats's Hanukkah Song Becomes Online Hit

We're not the only ones talking about this awesome viral video! From Just Jared-

"A capella group The Maccabeats covering Taio Cruz’s song “Dynamite” with a Jewish spin on it!

“I flip my latkes in the air sometimes, singing ay-oh, spin the dreidel,” the group sings about Hanukkah. “Just want to celebrate for all eight nights, singing ay-oh light the candles.”

The Maccabeats, an all-male a capella group from NYC’s Yeshiva University, have already racked up more than 300,000 YouTube views for the video!

Last month, The Today Show anchors also recorded their version of “Dynamite” complete with beatboxing! -
Read more from Just Jared

Livescribe Pencast Book Reviews & More!

2010-12-02T15:09:00.002-05:00

Or...Craft Time with the Daring Librarian!
Ms. Jones loves gadgets! I've been talking about the Livescribe pen on my Gadget-A-Go-Go wiki & in presos at conferences for years now! Finally, I got one! Woohoo! ......now....what to do with it? Hmmmm SO many ideas!

Background information: the Livescribe pen will record audio and writing/drawing and can play back with just a tap of the pen. You can also send out the "Pencasts" as both audio and video recreation as you can see & hear in the example below.

How to Create a Pencast Book Review!
Now, I gotta say...this is a really cool idea but... it ain't that pretty! Any suggestions on how to neaten up the process would be appreciated.
How it works - you'll need:
1. Livescribe pen - I have a 4g (buying information)
2. Livescribe paper
3. Scissors & Tape
4. Created bookmarks or shelf-talkers (you can make your own or download mine from my wiki)

Think up a quick book review or read the blurb as you click the Record button on the Livescribe paper and write the word "HERE!" on the same special paper - Read out your review then click Stop when you're done. I had to try this a few times before I got it right. Cut out that piece of paper and write the other words around "Tap the pen (HERE!) to hear the Pencast Book Review" around it. As you can see my handwriting ~~sucks~~...isn't all that pretty. I cut out the playback buttons on the Livescribe paper except for the RECORD button (I was born at night, but not last night!) and tape the direction sheet to the inside front of the book. I also tape a Pencast Book Review bookmark to the inside back cover (so I can see which books have the reviews and which don't!) The pictures to the left are of the really cool graphic novel by Barry Deutsch called Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword - about yet another Troll fighting 11 year old Orthodox Jewish girl! A present from dear new Geek Tribe buddy & fellow Teacher Librarian Mr. John Schumacher of Brook Forest Elementary School in Naperville, Illinois! Nice!
I also taped a shelf talker to the book rack so when a book comes back that has the Pencast Book Review I can plop it there... the Bookmark says:

How it Works:
The student signs out the pen then wanders around our Library Media Center and when they see the bookmark they can tap & listen to a book review! The cool part is that the computer built into the pen remembers each diff piece of that special Livescribe paper and goes directly to the right review! But the not so cool part is that it's a lot of paper taped to a book with my funky handwriting! So far, the coolness part has won over my kids and I joke off my handwriting saying "I'm still practicing" or that because of keyboarding for the last 19 years I've slacked off with the legible penmanship.

I'm gonna have kids start recording these but I had to do a few as a practice...the fourth one is a blooper! No laughing! LOL Ok....snickering is fine.

Listen to the Pencast Book Review:

Hereville_Pencast_BookReview
brought to you by Livescribe

Pencast_BookReviews2
brought to you by Livescribe

--
Other Livescribe Library Ideas:

TV Studio Equipment! Record directions on the Livescribe paper and tape to different equipment pieces in the TV Studio!
Livescribe Library Treasure hunt! Research, follow the clues, tap and learn!
Walking Tour of the School! Tape these around on index cards with the student ambassadors describing that area or room - visitors or new kids can get a map of the school with the Livescribe Walking & Talking Points Tour© and listen as they explore the building!
Science & History Day fair exhibits... Can't give up the Trifold? I blogged about it a few weeks ago but how cool would it be if the student doing the research could explain each part of the display in their own words with a tap of the pen?

So for an investment of as little as $99.00 for the 2G to $159.00 you can get an interactive tool that literally speaks volumes for transliteracy!

(Two of my MHTV girls wearing our new MHTV hoodies!)

The Eddie Files: Save Live Action Math

2010-11-29T10:07:00.006-05:00

We're making room in the Media Center for new materials and a big stack shift because we have $5000 of new books (mostly fiction requested by kids & teachers) - and we're taking a hard look at what has not been used lately on our AV shelves and we're stuck on a GREAT series of Real Life Math action called the Eddie Files. We have 12 Videos: Each about 20 min and a full teacher's guide with lesson plans and the topics seem super cool! (see very bottom for series list) So the question is Math teachers....should they stay or should they go?

If they stay...will you try and use them? Give them a shot? They're VHS and a little dated, Ok....and the replacement set in DVD is $369....but we have them here...right now...for you...cataloged and just waiting to be discovered and used....OR should we weed them and make room for new materials. Oh and I checked...there's not an updated version...re-shot, re-casted, with similar subject matter.

Why Love Eddie and Ms. Tolliver?

"Through the eyes of Eddie, a fictional 6th grade student in real-life East Harlem math teacher Kay Toliver’s class, viewers discover how people use key math concepts and skills in the workplace. The series includes four “fileboxes” each with 4 episodes and accompanying teacher guide.

20-minute programs, each of which deals with a different topic of the elementary/middle mathematics curriculum. Through the eyes of "Eddie," a 5th grade student in the mathematics classroom of renowned teacher Kay Toliver, viewers find out just how people use key math concepts and skills in life and in exciting jobs.

Endorsed by NAESP, American Association of School Administrators, National Educational Telecommunications Association, NSTA. More than 20 awards, including Peabody and Parents' Choice Awards."

Four "Fileboxes," each with 4 episodes and accompanying teacher guide.

Welcome to Math #101
Eddie's first assignment in Kay Toliver's class is to find out about how people use math in their jobs.

Estimation #102
With help from professionals who use estimation, Eddie makes an educated guess about the number of dogs in New York City.

Geometry #103
Eddie learns how polygons are used to create everything from skyscrapers to collapsible spheres.

Fractions #104
Eddie discovers surprising things about fractions from a chef, a percussionist, and a sports photographer.

Hot Dog Heaven (Distance, Time, and Speed) #201
While Eddie looks for a lost dog, transportation professionals explain how millions of people move around New York City every day.

The Lucky Batting Glove (Statistics) #202
Eddie and Aunt Rosa discover the roles of mathematics in business and sports.

The Veggie Stash-o-Matic (Circles) #203
Eddie works on his assignment—inventing a machine—as designers and engineers share the practical uses of geometry.

The Fake Money Caper (Decimals) #204
To help Secret Service agents track down counterfeiters, Eddie consults with people who create and safeguard the money supply.

Sleep Like a Dog (Length and Area) #301
When Aunt Rosa's dog is cast in a commercial, Eddie learns how people who design and make television and movie sets use math.

The Big Concert (Patterns) #302
While Eddie is preparing for his school's holiday concert, he learns how musicians use patterns.

The Day Manhattan Ran Dry (Volume) #303
Eddie meets people who make sure Manhattan never runs out of water.

Eddie in Barbieland (The Counting Principle) #304
When Eddie is asked to shop for doll clothes for his sister's birthday, he gets help from his teacher and some toy designers.

The Lonesome Pine (Ratios) #401
With the help of foresters and engineers, Eddie looks for a place to plant a young pine tree in Manhattan.

The Green Thumb (Variables) #402
Eddie receives advice from gardeners and a farm manager about the sunflower he is growing for Ms. Toliver's class.

The Dessert Derby (Charts and Graphs) #403
Eddie's Aunt Ida follows professional advice and uses charts and graphs to compete in the East Harlem Community Center's dessert derby.

Take a Bite (Percents) #404
Eddie sees how Ms. Toliver's lesson on percentages applies to graphic design when his photo is chosen for a campaign to bring tourists to New York City.

Series listing from KET

Wikipedia is NOT Wicked!

2010-11-17T13:07:00.005-05:00

Hi, My name is Ms. Jones and I use Wikipedia.

There, I said it. Somehow that's pretty freeing! Wikipedia is NOT a dirty word. It's not Fartopedia or Poopopedia (heh heh, yeah..my middle school is showing!) It's Wikipedia (wiki in Hawaiian means fast...as in fast to edit, change, morph, grow, etc.) I really think we're doing a disservice not teaching you...our kids.... HOW to use it and how to cite it...as in - ummm selectively & with forethought and discernment. Sadly, I don't believe teachers & college professors are ready to wrap their mind around or admit recent studies that show: Wikipedia as accurate as Britannica.

Much like the Internets in general, (or the Googles, or the Facebooks, or the Twitters, or the YouTubes) many educators, librarians, and parents look upon Wikipedia with suspicion, sometimes derision, and occasionally with fear.

But who are we kidding? It ain't goin away folks! the Wikipedias are here to stay...It's an Internet Wonder of the World! And for gosh sakes, it comes up top 3 in just about any Google search you do. What? Ignore a good entry for a query? Really? Can you admit, you use it, too?

Using Wikipedia in 5 Easy Steps.

Use it for background information
Use it for technology terms
Use it for current pop cultural literacy
Use it for the Keywords
Use it for the REFERENCES at the bottom of the page!

Tech Terms Here: I mean, I love me my research databases! I do! Heck, I even made a animation video for them! I love you Gale/Cengage, Sirs, Worldbook, and EBSCO - I do! But if I look up Hashtag or QR code there, all I get are a few articles (one by my buddy librarian Mr. Chris Harris! YAY!) but no explanation. No definiton. No examples of real world use. That's just not good enough for you my dear students & readers!

But when you look up Hashtags or QR code in Wikipedia you get it ALL!

For more examples of how to use Wikipedia & how to teach it with our kids, see the Further Reading links below

Click for a Teaching Wikipedia At-A-Glance Comic Tutorial! (feel free to share this with the unbelievers, skeptical admins, and other peeps)

Oh and By the way...this blog posting caused me to work. Yeah, like do something I've never done before and it hurt a little.

Learning something new sometimes feels ouchy and uncomfortable. Because of this posting I created a Wikipedia editing profile and pushed myself to create a Wikipedia page for our school Murray Hill Middle School because I wanted to be there when you... my kids (or your parents) look for us on the Howard County Public School wikipage. Another step forward in Web Presence and Advocacy - & yes, Socialnomics: be where your customers are. But, I got stubborn and pushed through the uncomfortable feeling and Voila! It's done...Whew!

"The goal here is not to take Wikipedia as gospel but to use it to focus your research (via links, keywords and references) and get a little context (via background information). Focusing cuts down the time you spend on the project while context will get you a better grade for your effort." - by rebecca from Gear Fire

Further Reading:
Should I use or cite Wikipedia? Probably not.

4 ways to use Wikipedia (hint: never cite it)

Teachers: Please stop prohibiting the use of Wikipedia

Unnatural acts at Nature

20 Little Known Ways to Use Wikipedia

Study: Wikipedia as accurate as Britannica

The Wikpedia Gap - by Seth Godin

Rosenzweig, Roy. "Can history be open source? Wikipedia and the future of the past" Journal of American History, Volume 93, Issue 1 (June 2006) p. 117-144.

Schiff, Stacy. "Know it all: Can Wikipedia conquer expertise?" The New Yorker, February 26, 2006

And for balance:

Yes, students, there's a world beyond Wikipedia - via Lucy Gray - elemenous !

Photo credits:
Flickr Creative Commons:
Guy Fawks: by Stian Eikeland
Workbench mele By flattop341

Wikipedia Is NOT Wicked!
authenticity, Buffy J. Hamilton, fun, gale, howard county schools, Jimbo Wales, murray hill middle school, sirs, socialnomics, wicked, wikipedia

A Science Fair Revolution: Putting the Trifold on Trial

2010-11-11T06:40:00.003-05:00

(graphic by Tim Holt)

The digital shift revolution in educational practice isn't about throwing everything out that has been done before (sometimes to Ad nauseam) but to add projects & product choices that enhance learning and better demonstrate research assessments and the comprehension of data.

In other words: does a diorama and the science fair trifold with pasted on pictures & graphs really best show that the student has grasped the meaning and complexity of the research project. Really?

Several change agents in eduction are asking this question of late (including yours truly) and I would like to start that conversation here, too!
This also ties into the conversation Diane Cordell and I will be leading at EduCon in January (YAY!) The Power of the Product: Creative, Meaningful, & Daring Ways to Demonstrate Information Mastery : This conversation will create a shared list 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 (Google doc, Wallwisher, wiki, & Slideshare) will generate layers of sharing, producing, and value.

Diane Cordell - librarian, photographer, author of the blog Journeys and master researcher and brain trust that she is forwarded the blog of a great thinker Tim Holt from TX about moving away from Analog lessons to Digital lessons - see all28 pages of AWEsome PDF (wish I could embed it for you here!)

He also laments (ok, rants) about his annual call to arms to re-think the traditional science fair project - "Every Year at this time I rant about the need to get rid of science fair projects that rely on centuries old presentation methodologies and move our kids towards more of a, shall we say, modern approach?" - Tim Holt

Click the graphic to visit his site & watch the video. It's worth it.

Again, my stance is: don't rid of the analog - because we have to take into consideration access and the digital divide, but to add to it a menu of digital choices (and provide in-school creation time!) so that all our learning styles and modalities are taken into consideration.

Students...Parents...what do you think?

Not a sermon... just a thought!

Photos:
Screenshots from the video "A Vision of Science Fair Projects Today" from the Intended Consequences blog by Tim Holt

Power of the Product graphic by The Daring Librarian

Tags: diane cordell, digital divide, digital shift, educon, science fair projects, tim holt, the power of the product

The Bob Edwards Show Visits MHMS & MHTV!

2010-10-24T16:38:00.016-04:00

We were SO excited & flattered to host the Bob Edwards Sirius XM show a few weeks ago! They were doing a month long series called “Shhhh… Libraries at Work!” (of course I HATE the Shhh! part!) and chose Murray Hill Middle School to represent school libraries. They found us through my professional blog and the interview focused on the future of school libraries, digital literacy, creating a positive digital footprint, research strategies, creating student assessment products, audio books, and how we always push the love of reading to our kids!

In Part 1 (#6 on the iTunes list) you can listen to the Bob Edwards XM Show Podcast featuring MHMS kids, MHTV, & our school library! It starts with Mrs. Singleton's 6th grade reading & research class visited for seminar book selection & talked about the kind of books they like, transitions into our MHTV crew creating our news show, and finishes with ..Mrs. Cullison's class coming in for the Book Pass orientation lessons, and more about books - in all kinds of formats!
From his blog: "We start today’s show off with a visit to a model, modern-day school library. Gwyneth Jones, aka The Daring Librarian, has pulled out all the stops to make her library the coolest place at Murray Hill Middle School in Laurel, Maryland. And it’s hard NOT to feel excited about school libraries after spending a morning with her and the students at Murray Hill. Jones has embraced technology— even (gasp) television – to get kids interested in reading and learning. Forget the stereotype of a matronly, bunned, button-upped librarian trying to maintain silence and order —- Jones likes her library a little rowdy!"

But it's true, we have learning going on but there's also time for fun, teaching, research, & inquiry that is not always.... hmmmm silent!

Also during the interview I talk about our Playaway audio book program so I wanted to show a few pics of how cute these single digital audio books are!

Part 2 is #5 on the iTunes list and it's an interview with yours truly about school libraries and the importance of digital literacy and creating a positive digital footprint.

Ok...as a cringeworthy aside, after listening to both parts of the podcast I do realize I say AWEsome a bit too much! But gee, I mean we've got an AWEsome kids and an AWEsome school! So there!
A couple corrections: we changed our top news story that day to a cooler NASA one about the IBEX spacecraft that also meant we could play "She Blinded Me with Science" by Thomas Dolby song \\FTW!//, StudentNews.net is sponsored by Britannica NOT World Book (Oops sorry!) For the Book Pass: Power of Choice activity we didn't have a dozen books out...we had at least 200! (more than a dozen on every table) ...AND we only have 1 media specialist in our school (part 3 said we had 2) ...though my media assistant the AWEsome Mrs. Black and I have worked together now for 19 years, and really when it comes down to it...we're a true team it's like having 2 librarians! Woohoo!

UPDATE:
OhEmGee! Look at this email we got!
Hello, Ms. Jones! My name is Michelle Nichols, and I work for the Adler Planetarium in Chicago on NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) program. One of our VP's here at the Adler heard the Bob Edwards radio show this past weekend that featured you and your wonderful program to have kids report the news. I listened to the spot this morning and we were so proud that the news clip that the radio show used to illustrate the news program was about IBEX! The students got the science just right, too. We are thrilled that they thought that the story about IBEX's recent info release was worthy of inclusion in their program. They did a great job! Thanks, again, and please tell the kids thanks, also, on behalf of the IBEX E/PO team.
Michelle

Michelle Nichols,
Master Educator - NASA Forum Programs
The Adler Planetarium
1300 S. Lake Shore Dr. Chicago, IL 60605
Visit the Adler Planetarium Website
''

Final Note: Since we're sorta bragging here I thought I would share some exciting news with my students & community. I was chosen by Cengage Learning and School Library Journal to be one of 5 national library New Leaders Program for the SLJ Summit in Chicago. I was honored, humbled, floored, & flattered (and frankly gobsmacked!) to have been chosen for this award.
I'll strive to continue to be a library leader & change agent within my community and the nation. Click below to learn more or see my professional blog post. Thank you SO much!

Pay the Piper & Pass The Book!

2010-10-18T12:05:00.008-04:00

From Mr. Jewitt
Teen Specialist - Savage Branch

"2010-11 is the second year of Howard County Library’s Pass the Book initiative. Beginning October 18, we will once again be distributing specially marked copies of a YA novel. This year's selection is Pay the Piper by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple. As last year, we'll begin to distribute these books during Teen Read Week, beginning Monday October 18 - Mrs. Singleton will be our point of contact if you're interested in this special program!

Register the book’s number at hclibrary.org/passthebook/

Read the book & participate in challenges and quizzes on the website. Pass the book to another friend who will register the book again!

Readers can return to the website throughout the year to track where these books have traveled, and to participate in online book discussions, quizzes and other activities. This year we have passed copies of The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld to China, England, Ireland, Kamchatka, and Norway, and to seventeen states including Alaska. We’re excited to see where Pay the Piper will travel in 2011!

For more questions contact:
Mr. Jewitt - John Jewitt
Teen Specialist - Savage Branch
Howard County Library
9525 Durness Lane
Laurel, MD 20723

Ph. 410-880-5983
Fax. 410-880-5999
john.jewitt@hclibrary.org
www.hclibrary.org

Like Us! The MHMS Facebook Page & Concrete Digital Footprints

2010-10-02T21:44:00.035-04:00

We here at MHMS want our families and the community find us everywhere! We want to model savvy social networking practices... So with Dr. D's permission we started this Facebook page for our students, parents, & the community of Murray Hill Middle School! Please like us! But we also love & acknowledge all the alumni pages, group, & fan pages started by our AWESOME kids both past & present!
So please "Like Us" on the Official MHMS Facebook page!

The FB page features our school hours, links to our official school web page, digital photo galleries, wiki's, updates, and more!

Though this Facebook resource page was created for parents, students over 13 are welcome to like it, too. Or under 13 - with parent permission. That's COPA folks! Because please kids, we want you to be web savvy digital citizens. Yeah, yeah...I know, I blog a LOT about digital awareness....'cause it's like HELLO? Really Important! So here's more!

Start Your Positive Digital Footprint - NOW.

I've been teaching/evangelizing Internet ~~safety~~ awareness since 2000...I was first asked to do so by Maryland Public Television and then the Horizon Foundation...and through their patronage I created an early website called Internet Safety for Parents & Teens that covered a lot of common sense information about how to be more AWARE of the pitfalls and dangers on the Interwebs.

There is no safe, there is only AWARE

We have to encourage our kids to be self-aware of their own digital footprint. To be mindful of what they post and how they can cultivate a good positive Internet profile so that when they apply to college, or a job, they already know how they will be perceived by those people who will be digging for information ...and dig they will.

Though I really love the dollie pics above by jessi.bryan it's deceiving. What is posted - even once - can be found. Not likely, but yeah...it can. The tides and time of the Internets don't wash away all the bad mistakes. Now that's not to say it's not a GOOD idea to delete things that you regret posting - you should! I even sleep on something before I post it....I never post in anger or annoyance. I also don't want y'all to get paranoid. Just be aware of that BEFORE posting.

Footprints in Concrete - NOT Sand
As a kid, did you ever press your hand into a drying cement sidewalk?- ignoring all the caution signs and knowing full well that we shouldn't? Ever write your name, date, or sign it? (not me!) The Internet is sorta the same way.

Kids need to know that embarrassing or inappropriate pictures posted are there online and can be found. That texts and pics sent through the phone can be downloaded or passed on willy nilly. Now don't get me wrong...Social networks are NOT inherently bad and they're not going away - hence our new Facebook page ...it's more about using ethical & wise choices than being scared of the Bogey man out there - though they exist - it's more likely that teens will be harassed by other teens that they know than some stranger. Sad but true fact, teens who are at-risk in general will most likely be at-risk on the Internet.

Parents: What you can do

TALK to your kid, establish expectations, and tell them that you trust them but you also are cautious about what they share online.
Don't make the discussion combative, make it continuing & comfortable!
Make sure that ANY social network they belong to is set to private
Guide your kids foot (and hand) prints on the Internet by also not posting things you'll regret on FB or social sites. I've heard more than one sorry story where a parent had an embarrassing pic found by their kid! Eeeep! But - at least it's a teachable moment!
When in doubt, know how to check the history of your family & kids computer

Kids: What you can do

"Hemanshu Nigam, the chief security officer at News Corp. provides advice about the compassionate and kind use of social networking:
Post with respect: photos are a great way to share wonderful experiences. If you're posting a photo of you and your friends, put yourself in your friends' shoes and ask would your friends want that photo to be public to everyone. If yes, then you're uploading photos with respect.
Comment with kindness: compliments are like smiles, they're contagious. When you comment on a profile, share a kind word, others will too.
Update with empathy: sharing updates lets us tell people what we think. When you give an opinion on your status updates, show empathy towards your friends and help them see the world with understanding eyes.
from: Back-to-school advice for safe & ethical social networking - CNET News

Play the Friend Finder Game! Interactive fun game testing your social networking skillz!

Resources:

NetCetera - In Net Cetera: Chatting With Kids About Being Online, OnGuard Online gives adults practical tips to help kids navigate the online world. - created by the FTC -
For Parents, Teacher Librarians, & Technology Educators: AWESOME FREE Bulk Brochures & Bookmarks for home, schools & libraries!

Social Networking Sites: A Parent’s Guide
The Parents' Guide to Social Networking Websites
Social Networking Sites: Safety Tips for Tweens and Teens
Blog Sites, Profile Sites, Diary Sites or Social-Networking Sites
Safe Teens: Texting, Dating, and Safety

-----
Photos from Flickr Creative Commons: Cool River Blythe dollie photos by By jessi.bryan, Signed foot and hand prints found & photographed By ww_whist Jerry

HCL Homework Help & More!

2010-10-01T07:46:00.003-04:00

Hey Murray Hillers! Do you have your library card already? you do? GREAT! If so, make sure you've activated your PIN number at any of the HCL branches (esp.OUR branch the SAVAGE Branch library!) Once you get your pin, you can get FREE Homework Help & More!

"Working closely with your school's media center, Howard County Library is a supplemental source of homework and research assistance. Our staff and resources are here to enhance your educational journey.

Online Homework Assistance
Students, Kindergarten though twelfth grade, and adults seeking to improve their skills, can connect with free tutors for assistance with math, reading, science, social studies, English/language arts, and writing. Both English and Spanish speaking tutors are available seven days a week from 2:00 pm until 11:55 pm. Special thanks to the Howard County Public School System for contributing toward the cost of this service. More about Online Homework Assistance ...

Databases
Howard County Library offers access to thousands of full-text journal, magazine, and newspaper articles through numerous databases. Generate ideas for science fair projects with Access Science, research ideas for History Day projects with History Reference Center, and access critical analysis of famous authors for English papers with Literature Resource Center. You also can search for colleges with Testing & Education Reference Center and take practice exams (e.g., SAT, AP) with Learning Express Library."

And don't forget our MHMS Research Databases on our Wiki! With links to even more HCL resources!

AskUsNow!"The Library offers an online interactive service which uses
librarians to provide research guidance, help navigating
the Internet, and answers to questions. Chat with a
librarian 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Online 24/7
service is now offered in Spanish!

¡Recepción a nuestro
nuevo servicio! Pregunte por favor ayuda si usted la necesita."

MHMS Listens to YOU!

2010-09-28T13:04:00.012-04:00

Murray Hill Middle School strives every day to put into practice our motto “excellence is our standard” and in doing so we need your help and your action! Utilizing Google forms, docs, and wikipages we provide many ways for you to feel connected to our school and to have a voice!

You suggest the books & we buy them!During your media center orientations you will hear more about contributing YOUR suggestions to our annual book order. But for those of you who are tech savvy, at home, you can Google “MHMS Learning” and our Learning Wiki comes up first! (OR you could click the link! LOL)

….there you will see the banner “I WANT THIS BOOK.” Click on that banner and you can add any books, authors, or subjects of books that you would like to see purchased for our school library collection. (Murray Hill peeps only...sorry world!)

You suggest songs & we play them!Like music?
While at the wiki you will also see a banner for our new MHTV Music Request Line where you can suggest Appropriate clean songs to play on our show.

Clicking on this banner will take you to a form where you can suggest songs with our MHTV guidelines. Basically, don't forget to check lyrics for language (no f-bombs, sh-words or b words!) and content (no drinking, drugs, overt sex, demeaning or prejudicial terms) ALL song must ultimately have a good & positive message!

You write the book reviews & we publish them!
Write a good book review and we'll publish it! You can also read book reviews that other MHMS students have written.

You need tech help at home & You got it!Printer run out of ink? Don't know how to save your DOCX to a DOC?

Who needs the Geek Squad when you have us to help you out!? Visit our Trouble Shooting Tips for Students (and parents & teachers, too!) wikipage!

Thank you for participating in our interactive wiki and helping us become a better school! Have any suggestions on how we can be more interactive with you, our school, and community? Please tell us by leaving a comment!

New School Year: New Books, Toys & Tools!

2010-08-29T12:21:00.010-04:00

Welcome Back Murray Hillers! And as the blog post title says New School Year & YAY New Books & Toys! I just ordered some new HOT books for you! Our regular big book order will go in mid-October (get your book suggestions ready!) but I can't wait for these titles. I want you to have them NOW!
You know I'm always thinking about cool books & stuff for you guys...so when I got to the airport after the ISTE conference in Denver the week after school left out - I sat next to this super cool teen named Allie I met - along with her book loving Auntie - she was raving about this book Incarceron and I took a pic of her holding it with my celly. I knew I had to blog about it on our MHMS Media Book Blog! Bought this book for our school library!

Oh! & Leviathan! - "Full of nonstop action, this steampunk adventure is sure to become a classic." - starred, School Library Journal
Steampunk rocks! If you haven't heard of Steampunk before it's a genre of Science fiction, AND type of music and a fashion aesthetic - here's a definition from :-Joshua A. Pfeiffer a.k.a. Vernian Process

"Steampunk simply embodies a time and a place. The time... the late 19th century. The place... a steam powered world, where air travel by fantastical dirigibles is as common as traveling by train or boat (or submarine). A place where national interests are vastly different than our own version of history. A place where the elegant and refined are as likely to get pulled into a grand adventure, as the workers, ruffians, and lower classes. A place where the idea of space travel is not so far fetched. A place where lost civilizations are found and lost again. A place where anything is possible, and science can be twisted to meet ones own ends." From: Aether Emporium

So bookwise, think Jules Verne meets H.G.Wells - with a pinch of technology and Science!

Speaking of NEW books - on pre-order are Hero by Mike Lupica and the latest Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth. We'll display it on the cool book pyramid once it comes in!

The other new books I got are two each of Mexican Whiteboy and We Were Here by Matt de la Pena, Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia, Homeboyz by Lawrence Stormer and Snitch by Allison Van Diepen. All of these stories are gritty reality teen dramas that are more fitting for 7th & 8th graders.

If you liked Monster by Walter Dean Meyers you'll like these!

Wanna help order new books?
Go to our wiki and help us!
Every year we order new books for YOU & every year we ask you what you want us to get for the MHMS Media Center...We'll still take your scrap paper suggestions for our Suggestion Bus but we're also taking suggestions here! YAY! Ms. Jones & Mrs. Black really LOVE to hear exactly what YOU want. Sure, we ask the teachers, too - but YOU are our FIRST and BEST customer! So tell us what you want and as long as it's approved for middle schools then we'll get it. Don't know the author but just the title? - we'll look it up! Is it part of a series? We'll try and get them all! Basically, help us spend the book money!

Now for TOYS (and Tools!)
I enjoy buying fun toys & display items for the circulation desk of our school library. The MHMS media center has a lava lamp, a plasma ball (so popular we have to clorox wipe that thing every other min!) and a host of bobble heads - all literary, of course!

Blue Planet Electra for $19.00
"Out of the box this hand-blown replica of the Earth in cool blue glass appears tranquil, but plug it in and witness the power of our planet as tendrils of electrical fury pulse through the interior, lashing at the surface! Place your fingertips upon the globe and feel the power as the mild current of electricity attempts to break through the glass."
Oh ahh and I also ordered the academic Explorer Globe to be placed next to our HUGE unabridged dictionary on the stand. YAY Learning!

Oh and speaking of toys? I also ordered some of those Silly Bandz as good answer swag because I can't give out Smartees anymore!

New Circ Counter Toys in Action! Blue Planet Electra!

PS.. My assistant is so very wonderful, talented, and long suffering (having to work with me day in and day out now in our 19th year together! LOL) that I sent her flowers on the first day back last week....still lookin good!

Where's Mr. Dickey?

2010-06-21T06:01:00.002-04:00

Where's Mr. Dickey? on PhotoPeach

Fun pics that show the fun personality of our fun admin, teachers & staff! (and yeah, that's 3 funs...cause we're a LOT of fun!)

Have a Great Summer!

2010-06-18T08:58:00.009-04:00

At the end of our 13th year here at Murray Hill Media Center we can now finally say to the kids we've been here since before they were born! LOL (EEP!) But really, so many amazing memories, so many wonderful families, awesome kids who come back and visit from high school, college, and beyond! Kids who have touched our lives and made a happy difference and it fills our hearts to think of the many more wonderful memories to come! [snif snif] OK...before I get maudlin here let us just say.....
Thank you Murray Hill Middle School community and Howard County!
Have a great summer everyone!!!
.... and READ! READ! READ!
~Ms. Jones & Mrs. Black

Bookfellas: Bring Back Your Books - Or Else!

2010-06-16T15:53:00.007-04:00

Bookfellas: Bring Back Your Books - Or Else!

I hope you don't have any overdue books!
Or the Bookfellas may just visit and
give a gentle reminder ...

This video is an oldie but goodie...all students appearing in this video have since graduated from high school! Yeah...this is how we rock the iMovie OLD SCHOOL STYLE!~
We had the situation before the Jersey shore was even an idea in some MTV programmers dream!

And this is just a joke, really! ...we don't have our own dark suited, guitar case carrying tough guys playing cards in the Library Media Center just waiting to go hunt down kids who have overdue books.....and then getting misty eyed when one comes back on it's own.

anymore.

bookfellas, books return, end of year, goodfellas, jersey shore, library media, mhms media

Justin Bieber Has Overdue Books!

2010-06-10T15:46:00.006-04:00

Whoda thunk it! Justin Bieber has a very important public service announcement to tell you abooot! (he's from Canada..they say aboot!) With a special guest! Please don't be "THAT GUY" and bring back your library media books!

A video created for MHMS students but anyone is welcome to embed or use! (the KIDS Made me do it! - and funny...none of them (unusually!) wanted to do his voice!?) What!? LOL

Another cool video created by MHMS Students...a second MSA Pep Rally Video!

photo credit:
Maclean’s Interview: Justin Bieber - The R & B sensation talks about Usher and Justin Timberlake, his mom and his fans, and what his swagger coach teaches him...

And to quote about that Swagger....which had me ROFLMAO

"Q: It’s been reported that you have a “swagger” coach. Can you explain to me what is that?
A: It’s pretty simple, it’s basically a swagger coach, he kind of teaches me, he helps me just stay swaggerific. I don’t know.

Q: What is it to be swaggerific?
A: You don’t know? I mean, it swaggers. It’s confidence, it’s style, I don’t know how else to put it. It’s swagger. It’s a word."

Music Credit: 14 seconds from iTunes

HCL: Summer Reading Club

2010-06-09T11:55:00.013-04:00

It's that time again! When the Howard County Public Library rolls out its fun and AWEsome summer reading program! And Mr. Jewitt and Miss Seipel visited our Media Center to talk about it LIVE! From the website:

"Beginning June 1, everyone in Howard County, babies to adults, can read for fun and earn prizes! Read or listen to books from pre-selected reading lists, or choose your own books, magazines, and newspapers. Just kick back, relax, and Make a Splash about summer reading! Sign up online or at any branch.
Make Waves Teen Summer Reading Club
Our goal is to keep you reading this summer. Your goal is to earn book bucks!

Instructions
Earn "book bucks" for time you spend reading. Collect prizes for reaching goals of 50, 100, and 200 book bucks. When you earn at least 200 book bucks, you are eligible to participate in the Make Waves Readers Raffle.

Sponsored by Friends of Howard County Library.

You can read anything!
You may read books, magazines, graphic novels, newspapers, and websites. You may also listen to audio books. Check out a list of books for Middle School and High School students developed by Howard County Library's teen specialists in conjunction with the Howard County Public School System. You may earn book bucks for up to six hours of reading each day.

To get started, register at the information desk at any Howard County Library branch. We'll give you all of the materials you need to get started: a reading log, a review card, your first five book bucks, and a starter prize!

Submit Reader Reviews online or download Reader Reviews to submit paper copies at any branch.

Last day to earn book bucks and enter the raffle is August 14. Raffle winners contacted after August 18.

Instructions for the Make Waves Raffle are available translated into Chinese, Korean, and Spanish.

This year the fun is even better than EVER! With a great collection of prizes JUST FOR SIGNING UP! And after that, the prizes you can win for just spending time reading is AWEsome! Sign up at our local Savage Branch Library or online!

To get the Summer Reading List visit the Savage Branch library or our MHMS Learning Wiki to download the .PDF!

Savage Branch
9525 Durness Ln
Laurel, MD 20723
Phone: (410) 880-5975
TTY: (410) 880-5979

Mon. - Thurs.	10 am - 9 pm
Fri. - Sat.	10 am - 6 pm
Sun.	1 pm - 5 pm

Edward Says: Bring Back those Books!

2010-06-07T08:26:00.006-04:00

Edward knows the importance of keeping an intact library....as we all know throughout the years he has been an avid reader...thus he patiently urges Bela to be responsible and bring back those books.

Now...i've ranted before how annoying and MarySue i think Bela is...sorry hon....but here's the whining clumsy little thing who still can't quite get the hang of returning those Library Media Books!

the first movie was created by the talented husband & wife PSA duo...Mr. and Mrs. Mike Hobson Media Specialist, Oakland Mills MS

the second movie was created using Blabberize by Ms. Jones -

bella, blabberize, books back, edward, end of the year, library books, media books, twilight

Tech Trouble Shooting Tips for Students, Parents, & Teachers

2010-05-14T14:31:00.007-04:00

Every week we have kids come to the library media center, flash drive in hand, eyes wide and panicked because their computer or printer didn't work the night before and the paper is DUE TODAY!

And though 99% of the time we can help them - how much less stressful would it be if you had solid tech tips to finish, save & print that report or assignment outside of school?

Visit our MHMS Learning Wiki for step by step directions (with pictures!) on how to email your teacher your work digitally if you find your printer out of ink at 10pm, how to directions on how to save a .DOC (and NOT a .DOCX) and other great techie trouble shooting tips!

First suggestion: Email your work to your teacher! Visit the Murray Hill Middle School Website and follow the directions below (click to go to wikipage)

My Printer Isn't Working Home! What do I Do!?

I can't open my report!

I don't have Microsoft Office on my computer!

Saving Word Documents for use at Work/School

Keeping Your Computer Clean of Viruses

Making a PDF

Free Antivirus/anti-malware from Microsoft

And giving credit where credit is due! ....ALL of these great directions bar one (the email comic of course!) were created by the AWEsomely talented Instructional Technology Facilitator Mr. Tony Smith of Eastern Wayne High School, NC blog Tech Tips for You Thank you for your amazing ability to write great PC directions that even a Mac grrl like me could understand! YAY!

girl with computer photo used with permission by snailwithatophaton

tony smith, eastern wayne high school, tech tips, docx, google docs, printing

Tweet and Blog for Ed Tech May 12!

2010-05-10T06:33:00.000-04:00

Tweet and Blog for Ed Tech May 12!

From ISTE:

Funding for classroom technology is in jeopardy! We're calling on educators across the US to tweet and blog for education technology funding on Wednesday, May 12.

(this is my blog...sadly, Twitter is blocked at my school)

President Obama's budget for FY11 provides no direct funding for education technology programs. Instead, it zeros out the Enhancing Education Through Technology program, the only source of direct support for ed tech in many states and districts.

Congress doesn't have to agree to the President's budget recommendations.

Help your senator and representative understand what's at stake! On May 12 tweet, retweet, and blog your support for $500 million in FY11 ed tech funding. Mark the date on your social media calendar!

Watch the ISTE Connects blog and Twitter stream for more information on how educators can work with innovative tools to make our voices heard.

For more information, contact Hilary Goldmann (hgoldmann@iste.org), ISTE’s director of government affairs.

Let's go Peeps! Fly Tweet, Fly!

Hispanic-Latino Luncheon

2010-05-10T06:23:00.007-04:00

The talented and generous chefs and parents of our Hispanic-Latino community treated us to an amazing lunch on Friday for teacher appreciation week!!

Not to hurt any feelings, I must say it was
ONE of the BEST. Lunches. EVER.

Our wonderful parents pictured here with Mrs. Mehae Roldán, our
Hispanic Achievement Liaison

Ohhh Noooo! The last of the Mole de Pollo!~
Though I know i could never compete with our resident experts, here's a recipe for that delicious dish!

Nom nom! Muchas gracias por un almuerzo increíble! Todo estaba delicioso y nuestros padres son generosos y talentosos!

here's the link to our online Smugmug Digital photo gallery!

Thanks to all of our Amazing Parents!

Decoración (Decoration)
Amparo Lawson
Ilana Flores

Ensalada (Salad)
Maria Elena Fonseca - salad
Eva Cortes - pico de gallo
Mehae Roldan - pasta salad

Comida (Entrees)
Debby Hernandez - tamales de elote
Angela Hernandez - pupusas, tamales, quesadillas
Maritza Benitez - pollo (chicken)
Ilana Flores - mole con pollo (chicken mole)
Mehae Roldan - 1 main dish
Teresa Rosario - arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas)
Flora Navarrete - relleno de carne de res
Eva Cortes - tortillas
Mercedes Herrera - hard taco shells
Iris Diaz - arroz con habichuelas, fricase de pollo
Lucia Palacio - pupusas, curtido
Barbara Rivera - arroz con gandules, pernil (rice with pigeon peas)

Servir (Serve)
Lubia Mijangos
Flora Navarrete
Ilana Flores
Lucia Palacio
Iris Diaz

Bebidas (Drinks)
Lubia Mijangos
Mercedes Herrera - agua (bottled water)
Flora Navarrete - fresco de frutas (homemade fruit drink) ((MMMMMM!~!~! AWEsome!))

Limpieza (Clean up)
Ilana Flores
Flora Navarrete
Eva Cortes

Utensilios y Platos (Utensils etc)
Amparo Lawson
Elsa Granados - platos, servilletas
Eva Cortes - comal/servilleta
Flora Navarrete - comal

Postre (Dessert)
Carolina Villarroel - sweets
Eva Cortes - arroz con leche (rice pudding)
Flora Navarrete - camotes con miel (sweet potatoes with syrup)
Mayra Argueta - ensalada de frutas

Congrats MESA Science Team!

2010-05-01T18:14:00.004-04:00

Mr. Chrzanowski report that our MESA team competed in 4 events with the following results:

Basswood Bridge: 1st Place
Wind Energy: 1st Place
Effective Communications: 2nd Place
Scratch Banner: 2nd Place

Overall: 1st Place in the middle school category (!!!!!)

They will also represent Howard County in the state MESA day on May 3. So again, please congratulate them and wish them luck for the next level.

Ed

Edmund A Chrzanowski III
8th Grade Team Leader / Science Teacher
Murray Hill Middle School

YAY! Science! rocks! our MHMS kids rock! Congrats everyone!

¡Spanish Salsa Social!

2010-04-21T09:53:00.010-04:00

On Tuesday afternoon, 35 students and faculty participated in the Spanish Social. Grace Badillo (BAL-di-YO), international dance educator and choreographer came and conducted her Musicality in Salsa class. Basically participants ate, danced and won really great prizes. We have a Salsa King, Queen, Princess, some cool cats and 1st place award were given in technique and performance.

Grace had one thing to say over and over again about the participants, ¡Awesome!

as reported by our very own....Señora Lisa-Ann Mertz

Students were given Instructional CD's in beginning intermediate and advanced to take away with them!

For more information visit the Dancing With Grac e website!

Photo Credits: Kid photos by Mrs. Mertz & Grace Badillo pics and logo from the Dancing With Grace website

The Walk Toward Excellence

2010-03-31T15:32:00.004-04:00

GoAnimate.com: MHMS: The Walk Toward Excellence by gwyneth

-
The excellent deets:

What: April Gladness Walk-A-Thon
When: April 16th April Gladness Day!
Students who collect pledges more than $20.00 will receive a FREE limited edition MHMS April Gladness T-Shirt.
The 5 students with the highest donations will receive a catered luncheon with Mr. Dickey during April Gladness and will lead the Walk-A-Thon with Mr. Dickey!
All pledge forms must be turned in by April 14th
Get your pledge form at lunch!

I'm ready to Walk Toward Excellence, are you!?

Book Review Challenge!

2010-03-23T10:31:00.005-04:00

Write a Book Review - Read a Book Review!

This Book Review Challenge is going out to ALL Grades but 8th Graders get first crack at it!
Write a GREAT book review - Get a chance to win an iTunes Gift Card, FREE advance copy books and and other random stuff i think is cool!!

Write a LOT of GREAT reviews get an even bigger chance at Winning!
The more good reviews you write, the better you have at winning.... as they say for the Maryland Lottery... You gotta ~~play~~...write to win!

How it works:

For every good (not a one liner lame "i'm just doing this to win" review! As if!) book review I'm gonna put your name into the drawing win! So the more good reviews you write the more chances to win! Winners will be drawn and announced on MHTV!

Books must be available from the MHMS Media Center -- not sure? Check our PAC to see!
Murray Hill Middle School Library Collection Search

Visit our MHMS Learning Wiki (or here!) to write & submit an online reivew

and read published reviews!

Be sure to spell check, follow the directions, use appropriate language and grammar and have fun! Of course i'm not going to publish your *real name* on these reviews - so come up with an appropriate screenname!

Give us your personal book review and win!

Participate for a chance to win FREE Advanced publisher books, iTunes gift cards, and other random stuff i think is cool!

Write a Book Review TODAY!~

Want to WATCH a Book Review? - My Teacher-Librarian friend Mr. Yeargin does book review VLOGS called Read This Book! now, Ms. Jones is WAY to shy [cough cough] to do this - but hey! if anyone of you guys wants to i have my flip camera ready and rarin to go! LOL
Ms. Jones

Pssst! Teacher-Librarians and other book lovers!
Creating this was a SNAP! I just created the form in Googledocs and used a preset theme!
Voila!

Inspired by my media friends:
Kathy Glasscock
Tim Grafton
Mike Hobson
and
Adam Yeargin

Rap You Mad Pi Day Love

2010-03-14T13:54:00.014-04:00

Happy Pi Day!

When searching for a new video to play on MHTV for Pi Day tomorrow (& day old pi is still Mmmm Mmmm good!) i stumbled across the above video from uber cool math teacher, Nathan Shields at Fort Math....or the Math Department of Fort Vancouver High School in Vancouver, WA. And it's a whole lot of AWEsome!

Can't watch the above YouTube vid cause it's blocked for you at school? Watch it and download it here!

and i still LOVES our MHMS GT Dept. 3.14 Pi Vid from a few years back....still wished we ended with a Pi in the face....LOL

List of numbers – Irrational and suspected irrational numbers
γ – ζ(3) – √2 – √3 – √5 – φ – ρ – δS – α – e – π – δ

Number system Evaluation of π
Binary 11.00100100001111110110...[1]
Decimal 3.14159265358979323846264338327950288...
Hexadecimal 3.243F6A8885A308D31319...[2]
Rational approximations 3, 22⁄7, 333⁄106, 355⁄113, 103993/33102, ...[3]

(listed in order of increasing accuracy)
Continued fraction [3; 7, 15, 1, 292, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 3, 1, 14, 2, 1, 1, ... ][4]

(This continued fraction is not periodic. Shown in linear notation)
Trigonometry π radians = 180 degrees

How do YOU Celebrate Pi Day?

from wikipedia
graphics from Fort Math

Academic Excellence the Video!

2010-03-14T13:33:00.002-04:00

Several MHMS kids talk about academic excellence and what i means to go beyond average and what it feels like to succeed! Great job, kids!

Jacqueline Woodson Visits Howard County

2010-03-11T14:40:00.008-05:00

Noted (& super COOL!) Author Visits Books Alive!

Books Alive host Barb Langridge interviews author Jacqueline Woodson about her career as an author of books for children and adolescents. Woodson is best known for book "Miracle's Boys" which won the Coretta Scott King Award in 2001 and her Newbery Honor winning "After Tupac & D Foster," "Feathers" and "Show Way." Her work is filled with strong African American themes and generally written for a young adult audience.

Newbery Honor book recipient Jacqueline Woodson is the author of 25 books, including 8 picture books, 6 middle grade books, and 11 young adult novels. Her novel After Tupac and D Foster was named a Newbery Honor Book. WITS Founder Marvin Hoffman in the Houston Chronicle writes, “Jacqueline Woodson is a phenomenon. Her picture books and chapter books emerge at a stunning rate and grow richer and deeper with time.”

From Miss Jones:

This is worth watching, kids...I've seen this lovely author speak before and she's a whole lot of AWEsome! Very cool, refreshing, smart, and totally tuned into today's kids & teens! If you ever wanted to write a book...WATCH this show!

Books Alive is broadcast on Sundays at 6:00 pm, Tuesdays at 11:00 am, 2:00, 7:00, and 10:00 pm, and Saturdays at 10:00 pm. on HCPSS TV, channels 42 (Verizon) and 95 (Comcast).

photo credit: from Ms. Woodson's author website

Academic Excellence

2010-03-03T15:19:00.003-05:00

(click for the gorgeous full size image)

The kids of MHMS talk about Academic Excellence...
The Movie is coming! Here's a Sneak Peek!

Letters for Libraries: Advocacy and Action!

2010-02-22T08:47:00.007-05:00

Letters for Libraries: It's Not Just About Books.
Funding for school libraries and funding for other student literacy programs (like the National Writing Project) is being threatened both federally and in states across the country. In the 21st century information environment, our students deserve and need your help in keeping their library/information literacy programs strong.

Join us for a National time of Letter Writing...NOW!

Please, If you're reading this...the time is now....

Commit to writing 3 emails or letters to Congress, the Department of Education, or your state legislature regarding library and other literacy funding.
There are links and information below to help you.

Issues:
Background information (Joyce Valenza)

Write your congressman:
Write your Representative
Write your Senator
Write your State legislator

Write the Dept. of Education
**AskArne@ed.gov**

"Improving Literacy for School Libraries will no longer be available. The FY 2011 budget absorbs this grant program, along with a variety of others, into Effective Teaching and Learning for a Complete Education. The FY2011 budget describes the competitive distribution process for the newly lumped together monies:
. . . the plan includes a restructuring of ESEA program authorities to fundamentally change how the Department operates by increasing the role of competition in awarding Federal education funds, focusing more on programs achieving specific desired outcomes, allowing for expanded State and local flexibility to achieve those outcomes, and reducing the number of programs administered by the Department of Education. For example, the reauthorization proposal would consolidate 38 existing authorities into 11 new programs that give communities more choices in carrying out activities that focus on local needs and that are achieving results. The new programs would emphasize competition, or an increased performance focus in formula programs, while ensuring that geographic location will not dictate results. These expanded funding streams will eliminate inefficiencies at the Federal, State and local levels, allowing grantees to focus on improving outcomes for students and allowing the Department to focus on providing strong support and directing funding to proven or promising practices."

What will be lost:

List of libraries the "Improving Literacy" grants have helped

Kuspuk School District in Aniak, Alaska serving students in 8 rural areas is using the grants to hire a full time certified librarian
Blytheville School District in Blytheville, Arkansas is using the grants to help students in rural steel-mill communities by adding library staff and adding online resources for over 900 students.

Langston Hughes Academy Charter in New Orleans, Lousiana is using the grant to hire a full-time librarian and build a centralized computer lab area for students
Copenhagen School District in Copenhagen, New York is using the grant to provide internet access for a rural community with limited internet resources and create a "Library without Limits."

Galveston ISD in Galveston, TX is using the grant to restore hurricane damaged libraries and upgrade library collections
Lakeland R-III School District in Deepwater, Missouri is using the grant to bring technology to their rural students including providing multiple laptops for each library, adding a computer lab and whiteboard technology, and adding both a librarian and library assistants to the staff of each school.

Many of the other grants ask for the ability to provide longer library hours, summer hours, parental use of libraries, family literacy events, professional development on collaboration for librarians, and addition of books or technology for libraries in rural areas or impoverished areas. Many of the libraries lack computers completely, or have outdated, poor quality equipment, and books are outdated. Several of the grants revolve around special literacy and reading programs implemented in districts to raise student achievement scores and literacy."

from Carolyn Foote and the new Letters from Libraries wiki and please read her eloquent blog posting:

The issue isn’t “books”"

Where she shares: "In fact, an article in this week’s Education Week, “”Libraries Seek Relevance Through Virtual Access” which features a number of vibrant library programs proves that true."

From a recent letter from the ALA:
Out of Work Librarians Need Your Help NOW!
Take Action!

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced yesterday that he will bring the Senate's $80 billion version of the Jobs for Main Street Act or the "jobs bill" to the Senate floor sometime next week.

Libraries are not in this bill, and it is more important than ever that you call your Senators and encourage them to include librarians in the $20.5 billion section that is being used to hire and retain teachers, police, and firefighters.

Also, if you are in a state where librarians are represented by a union, please have your local union contact your national union to contact the Senate.

Please call your Senators today at the U.S. Capital switchboard 202-224-3121
Libraries are as essential as schools and public safety and help the economy by helping people find jobs. Yet library jobs are being cut - and, now, not included in this jobs bill. It is vitally important that librarians be as vocal as these other public employees. The reason they are getting funding in this piece of legislation is because they are calling their congressional offices more often and in higher numbers than we are.

Your grassroots efforts are critically important. The omission of librarians in the jobs bill is in addition to the troubling news this week that President Obama's budget proposal freezes the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and consolidates the school library program with literacy programs in the Department of Education. These cuts will lead to a loss of jobs and a loss of services that our communities cannot afford to be without.

Please call both of your U.S. Senators to ask each of them to request that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), include the hiring and retaining of librarians in their jobs bill.

This bill could come up at any moment and it is critically important that you contact your Senators' offices immediately and tell them to push the above Senate leaders to include librarians in the jobs bill. Don't just call once - keep calling until we succeed. Make sure to tell your senators what your library is doing to help people find jobs.

We cannot let this legislation pass without the inclusion of library employees. We have no chance of getting into this legislation without your calls and emails - and the support of all senators!!

Resources:
NCTE's 'resolution" on supporting school libraries.

ALA: Arne Duncan Talks about the Role of Libraries in Economic Recovery

labels: action, Advocacy, ALA, Carolyn Foote, Joyce Valenza, school libraries

Write a Book Review - Read a Book Review!

2010-02-04T09:43:00.010-05:00

Write a Book Review - Read a Book Review!

Hey there MHMS peeeps! I've started up something super cool i just gotta tell you about!

You know how when we do the Book Pass lesson at the beginning of school i have the 8th graders do Post-It shout outs on fav books? well, we're taking that to a whole new level with book reviews!
Visit our MHMS Learning Wiki (or here!) to write & submit an online reivew

and read published reviews!

of course i'm not going to publish your *real name* on these reviews - so come up with an appropriate screenname!

we've just started this so please don't let my review be the only one there! it's LONELY!
once we get started we're gonna have a drawing for prizes on book reviews for a chance to win FREE Advanced copy books, iTunes gift cards, and other random stuff i think is cool!

Write a Book Review TODAY!~

Want to WATCH a Book Review? - My Teacher-Librarian friend Mr. Yeargin does book review VLOGS called Read This Book! now, Ms. Jones is WAY to shy [cough cough] to do this - but hey! if anyone of you guys wants to i have my flip camera ready and rarin to go! LOL
Ms. Jones

The 'true story' of how Dr. King kept Uhura on Star Trek

2010-01-31T19:59:00.003-05:00

In celebration of Black History Month I have to reprint this story that brings tears to my eyes every time....

Savas Abadsidis recently interviewed Nichols for Planet Waves and posts what he's calling the "true story" of how that fateful encounter took place, in her own words.

We've pasted Nichols' full comments below.

"I hope you will get the story right this time, because for some reason, no one has ever gotten this story right,(laughs). I, after the first season, because my heart was still on Broadway and the performing arts part of me, the musical performing arts of me was yearning to leave. I never intended to be an actress other than in the theater. So for me, TV and movies, that was something to help me get from here to there. And so it was a shock for me to be cast in Star Trek. A shock and a joy. I was performing in England at the time of the inception of the show and my agent tracked me down in Paris and told me that they were doing a show called Star Trek, assuming that I'd know what that was. Because I'd been in and out of the country for so long.
Now I'd known Gene Roddenberry since he'd given me my first TV starring role in a show that he'd done called the 'The Lieutenant'. And he was one of the first people of that stature that gave me encouragement. He called my agent and said can you find Nichelle, because I need her for a role in this show and wherever she is, get her back here because I want a woman head of a department on the bridge. He changed the role from a man heading communications on the bridge and he wanted a woman of color. He wanted me and I came back and got the role. So the first year went by, and I enjoyed doing the role, to me at that time it was very challenging [laughs] but I played my role to the hilt, being the head of communications and all that and by this time the show had aired and I was starting to get notice and on the side I'm singing at places and people are hearing me and calling and I'm thinking, "Oh this is my big break! I have to leave this little show and go do it! I was thinking Broadway here I come!'

And so I went on a Friday evening shortly before the end of the season to let Gene know that I wouldn't be returning to the show, he looked at me like I was crazy, "YOU CAN'T LEAVE," but he realized how serious I was and he knew I was passionate about singing, and he said, "I know what your dream is and so forth but don't you see what I'm trying to do? He said take the weekend and think about my decision and how important this show is and how it was a first and if I leave, well he didn't know what to say, but he said take the weekend and that way I could take the time to really think about what we just said and come back Monday and we would talk about it and if you really want to leave then, you'll go with my blessings, but realize I want you to know that what we are doing here is really historic. The next night was Saturday and I was due to be a celebrity guest on a dais at an NAACP fundraiser at UCLA.

One of the organizers came up to me and said that there was someone who wants to meet you; and he says that he's you're best, biggest fan and I'm thinking it's a Trekkie! [laughs] and so I said certainly and I got up and turned around and maybe 10 or 15 feet coming towards me I see Dr. Martin Luther King and I remember thinking whoever that little fan is, he's going to have to wait, because here's Dr. King, who walks straight up to me with this big, magnificent smile on his face and says, "I'm the fan!" because I'm sort of looking around for someone else, and he says, "I am your best fan, I am your biggest fan!" and I... I was at a loss for words, and if you know me, I am never at a loss for words.

I just couldn't say a thing and he began to tell me how important my role was, what an inspiration it was. And you have to understand we were in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement, people were regularly being attacked by dogs, and marchers were being hosed on the television every night, real life things, and here I am in this futuristic thing on TV and he was so complimentary, he told me "I was so important and the way you have created this role," and I am just looking at him and looking at him and I remember I just kept hoping he'd never stop talking. Because his voice is just... you know the voice. And I finally just start saying, thank you so much Dr. King and I am shaking his hand and still shaking from nervousness and I said thank you so much and I am really going to miss my co-stars.

And at this his face totally changed, and he said "What are you talking about?!" and so I told him I would be leaving the show, because; and that was as far as he let me go, and he said, "STOP! You cannot! You cannot leave this show! Do you not understand what you are doing?! You are the first non-stereotypical role in television! Of intelligence, and of a woman and a woman of color?! That you are playing a role that is not about your color! That this role could be played by anyone? This is not a black role. This is not a female role! A blue eyed blond or a pointed ear green person could take this role!" And I am looking at him and looking at him and buzzing, and he said, "Nichelle, for the first time, not only our little children and people can look on and see themselves, but people who don't look like us, people who don't look like us, from all over the world, for the first time, the first time on television, they can see us, as we should be!
As intelligent, brilliant, people! People in roles other than slick tap dancers, and maids, which are all wonderful in their own ways, but for the first time we have a woman, a WOMAN, who represents us and not in menial jobs, and you PROVE it, this man [Gene Rodenberry] proves and establishes a precedent that validates what we are marching for because three hundred years from today there we are, and there you are, in all our glory and all your glory! And you CANNOT leave!"

And I did not leave.

I went back on Monday and told Gene that if he hadn't replaced me and still wanted me to stay that I would and I told him what Dr. King said, and I'll never forget him sitting behind that big desk that he had and he said, "so that's your decision?" And I said I'd like my letter of resignation back please and I told him what had happened while meeting Dr. King, and I don't know if you know what Gene looked like, but he was a big guy and was like 6'3" with that hawk nose and a great sense of humor and this brilliant mind and a futurist and-whatever great things you heard about him are just a small part of what that man was. I looked down at him sitting behind his desk when I told him the story and I finally shut up, and a huge tear is rolling down his cheek. And he said, "Thank God someone understands what I am trying to achieve." And he reached down into his drawer and pulled out my letter of resignation and handed it to me, it had already been [laughs] torn up."
The 'true story' of how Dr. King kept Uhura on Star Trek

DLE and the Wise Society Raise More Money

2010-01-27T12:28:00.003-05:00

The DLE and the Wise Society Haiti fundraiser raises even more money to help those in great need! Congrats kids on all your hard work!

Donate to the American Red Cross , phone users can text the word "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10," and when prompted, hit "YES" to confirm the donation.

The donation is added to the cell user's bill, and receipts are available.

Other text-message codes for donations include:

Text the word "YELE" to 501501 to donate $5 to the Yele Haiti foundation.
Text the word "HAITI" to 20222 to donate $10 to the Clinton Foundation Haiti Relief Fund.
Text "HAITI" to 25383 to donate $5 to the International Rescue Committee.
Text "HAITI" to 85944 to donate $10 to the International Medical Corps."

from the article Mobile giving to help Haiti exceeds $7 million

Martin Luther King, Jr: A True Servant Leader

2010-01-18T19:43:00.007-05:00

As an educator I was touched today by this article from Mr. James Perry candidate for the Mayor of New Orleans:

"Among the most important lessons I've learned from Dr. King is the example of servant leadership. A servant leader is one who offers an inclusive vision; listens carefully to others; persuades through reason; and heals divisions while building community.

It is easy to spot servant leaders. In a room where others are jockeying for attention, they are the ones listening to someone others might consider unimportant. When faced with a problem, they look for solutions that benefit everyone. When something goes wrong, they take the blame. When things go well, they share the credit. They tell everyone the same story, even when it is inconvenient or difficult. They know that they don't have all the answers, so they seek advice from others. They work hard and inspire others to do the same.

Martin Luther King, Jr. is an example of a servant leader. His life shows the extraordinary power of servant leadership to radically transform a nation.

Our communities and our country need servant leadership more than ever. Deepening economic woes threaten the American dream for far too many working people. Racial divisions are embarrassingly persistent in too many aspects of our economic and social lives. Political despair is battering the uniquely American optimism that has made us a great nation.

There are precious few servant leaders in our current political environment. Many elected officials are more interested in personal power, individual legacy, and financial gain than in the sacrifice and commitment that servant leadership requires."

From the Huffington Post

WOW.....does that not say it all?

As an educator, we have the honor to teach the next generation of servant leaders....it is our job and privilege to instill in them the passion to effect change and the empathy to think outside themselves. All educators....indeed, all school staff....must work together to teach teens that taking responsibility for our lives gives us total power in creating the kind of life we want for ourselves. Yup....taking personal responsibility and thinking of the community.....and you know what? After seeing my Murray Hill Middle School kids last week rally around raising funds for Haiti Relief?...I think we're doing pretty darn good! But we can always do better!

I wish I was more eloquent....here...but wait! These dudes are!

“Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment, and learn again to exercise his will – his personal responsibility.”
Albert Einstein

“It is a painful thing to look at your own trouble and know that you yourself and no one else has made it.”
Sophocles

“A sign of wisdom and maturity is when you come to terms with the realization that your decisions cause your rewards and consequences. You are responsible for your life, and your ultimate success depends on the choices you make.”
Denis Waitley

from 7 Timeless Thoughts on Taking Responsibility for Your Life

MHMS Helps with Haiti Relief

2010-01-15T09:52:00.011-05:00

i would like to commend the hard (and fast!) work of our Distinguished Ladies of Excellence & the Wise Society, lead by Mrs. Abrams and Mr. Williams respectively, organized our students to start a Red Cross fund drive for Haiti Disaster Relief....

here are some more pictures of good works and good people in action!

Our Mrs. Peay says "Help is on the way!"

for all the pictures (non posterized) you can see them on our Smugmug Digital Photo Gallery

How can you help? Text your donation!

"Donate to the American Red Cross , phone users can text the word "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10," and when prompted, hit "YES" to confirm the donation.
The donation is added to the cell user's bill, and receipts are available.
Other text-message codes for donations include:
Text the word "YELE" to 501501 to donate $5 to the Yele Haiti foundation.
Text the word "HAITI" to 20222 to donate $10 to the Clinton Foundation Haiti Relief Fund.
Text "HAITI" to 25383 to donate $5 to the International Rescue Committee.
Text "HAITI" to 85944 to donate $10 to the International Medical Corps."

from the article Mobile giving to help Haiti exceeds $7 million

Dr. J says "Help is on the Way!"

Buffy the Filter Slayer

2010-01-13T09:38:00.002-05:00

"Fight the Filter" ISTE Sigms 2nd Webinar!
Wednesday, Jan 13, 2010 at 8 pm E.S.T., 7 pm C.S.T., 6 pm M.S.T., 5 pm P.S.T Presenter: Buffy Hamilton

Want to start your new year off by making a positive difference in your library program? Join ISTE SIGMS for our second FREE webinar on January 13 at 8 pm E.S.T. when Buffy Hamilton, The Unquiet Librarian, will share her ideas on "fighting the filter."

Directions to join the SIGMS webinar event
1. Check that your computer is set up for Adobe Connect by visiting Adobe Connect Pro Connection Test
2. Use this URL to enter the webinar room 10 - 15 minutes before starting time: http://Montgomery.na4.acrobat.com/SIGMS
3. Enter as a guest and type your first and last name.
4. Here is a link to a Visual Quick Start guide (pdf) to help you if this is your first webinar event.
https://admin.adobe.acrobat.com/_a227210/vqs-participatemeeting/

Internet Awareness and Social Networking

2010-01-11T09:46:00.015-05:00

(click here or above for video - i had it embeded before but it was on auto-play and it drove me bonkers!)

I blogged at the beginning of the school year about ethical social networking habits and I want to share a new resource with you so I'm going to re-post it cause it may have gotten lost in the back to school info....I've been saying it for years but it bears repeating - in regards to the Internet:
There is no safe, there is only AWARE

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature.... Life is either a daring adventure or nothing": Helen Keller, The Open Door -1957

I've been teaching/preaching Internet ~~safety~~ awareness since 2000...I was first asked to do so by Maryland Public Television and then the Horizon Foundation...and through their patronage i created a website called Internet Safety for Parents & Teens that covered a lot of common sense information about how to be more AWARE of the pitfalls and dangers on the Intarwebs. Again, the subject i think that is foremost now is not Safety but Awareness. We have to encourage our kids to be aware of their own digital footprint. To be mindful of what they post and how they cultivate a good Internet profile so that when they apply to college, or a job, they know how they will be perceived by those people who will be digging for information ...and dig they will.

Kids need to know that embarrassing or inappropriate pictures posted are there online and can be found forever. Social networks are NOT inherently bad and they're not going away...it's more about using ethical & wise choices than being scared of the Bogey man out there - though they exist - it's more likely that teens will be harassed by other teens that they know than some stranger. Sad but true fact, teens who are at-risk in general will most likely be at-risk on the Internet.

Parents: what you can do at home

have the Internet connected computer in a main room of your house...like the kitchen or living, or family room
if you have kids who have laptops and a wireless router, keep the router in your bedroom and disconnect the router (unplug & remove) the power cord at bedtime.
late night texting is also a concern - if this is a problem re-charge family cell phones in YOUR rooms overnight
know what usernames your kids use on facebook, twitter, myspace, etc. ask to see their page...then ask to see their REAL page!
make sure that ANY social network they belong to is set to private
know how to search the history of your kids computer

More things to think about:

"Hemanshu Nigam, the chief security officer at News Corp. provides advice about the compassionate and kind use of social networking:
Post with respect: photos are a great way to share wonderful experiences. If you're posting a photo of you and your friends, put yourself in your friends' shoes and ask would your friends want that photo to be public to everyone. If yes, then you're uploading photos with respect.
Comment with kindness: compliments are like smiles, they're contagious. When you comment on a profile, share a kind word, others will too.
Update with empathy: sharing updates lets us tell people what we think. When you give an opinion on your status updates, show empathy towards your friends and help them see the world with understanding eyes.
from: Back-to-school advice for safe & ethical social networking - CNET News

Play the Friend Finder Game! Interactive fun game testing your social networking skillz!

Talk to your kids about the risks.
Explain that online information and images can live forever. It can be very hard and sometimes impossible to take down information that is posted, and photos and information may already have been copied and posted elsewhere.
Tell your children not to post any identifying information online. This includes their cell phone number, address, hometown, school name, and anything else that a stranger could use to locate them.
Explain that anyone in the world can access what they post online. Tell your children that some college admissions boards and employers are checking social networking sites before they admit students or hire people.
Remind your children never to give out their passwords to anyone but you – not even their friends. Explain that if someone has their password, they could post embarrassing and unsafe information about them on their personal pages and even pose as your children to talk to other people.
Make sure that children understand that some people they meet online may not be who they say they are. Explain that on the Internet many people are not truthful about their identity and may even pretend to be someone else. It’s important to stress that young people should never meet people face-to-face that they met online.

from the Parents' Guide to Social Networking Websites

The Guidance dept. and i will be holding a parent information night about cyberbullying and Internet awareness later this year....stay tuned!

Other Resources:

NetCetera - In Net Cetera: Chatting With Kids About Being Online, OnGuard Online gives adults practical tips to help kids navigate the online world. - created by the FTC -
For Parents, Teacher Librarians, & Technology Educators: AWESOME FREE Bulk Brochures & Bookmarks for home, schools & libraries!

Social Networking Sites: A Parent’s Guide
Social Networking Sites: Safety Tips for Tweens and Teens
Blog Sites, Profile Sites, Diary Sites or Social-Networking Sites
Safe Teens: Texting, Dating, and Safety

The most effective & reliable Internet safety filter is an
involved, informed & aware parent
and an educated & ethical kid.

A Creative & Festive Hallway Display!

2009-12-18T13:15:00.011-05:00

The talented 7th grade students of Mrs. Lewis' Reading classes really out did themselves with their creative book covers this year! Here are the pics of their fine work!
Be sure to stop by the Library Media Center before break and pick up a couple of books! You never know with this snow coming when you'll be wanting to curl up with a good book over the holiday break!

Mrs. Lewis gives the poster one last final adjustment before stepping back and admiring the work of her amazing students! With 3-D special effects and creative construction these kids really took book covers to a new dimension of AWEsome!

Miss Jones is so proud to have such an amazing display outside the Library Media Center!

It’s Xtranormal to Blabberize & GoAnimate!

2009-12-17T13:09:00.019-05:00

Marketing is not a dirty word. Sometimes we do great things in our school, classroom, or media center but we forget that people just might not know about it. The community loves to hear what schools are doing and it’s great that we can reach out with a cool message to the community and to our kids in an appealing way. Animation does that!

Promoting your school or library media center has never been easier. Using quick, free, and easy animation studios technology educators and teacher librarians can create engaging videos to market their classrooms, media center, databases, research resources, special programs, and their love of learning to students, teachers, and the community. Combining easy animation with a wiki, website, or a blog your message will captivate your audience and reach beyond the brick and mortar walls of your school.

Focusing on three easy to use products this post will give you a quick introduction and hopefully inspire you to try your hand at easy animation. The slant of this posting is to create animations for kids but not with kids. Some of the content on these sites are user created and therefore a bit questionable, inappropriate, (like Beavis & Butthead fart & scatalogical type jokes) and just a bit immature.

Back in the day (1996) I used Theatrix Interactive’s Hollywood High to create animations and it was a whole lot of awesome! The company went bust a few years ago and it’s now out of print but it was fun and easy to use. Fast forward about 10 or so years and I stumble across Go!Animate.com and WOW! It was like a souped-up, super-charged online and FREE version! I was in animation heaven!

Using just drag, drop, click, and type technology the learning curve for this product is sweet and comforting. The best part is that you can bring in your own graphics and pics in to use as backdrops, heads, and hand props!

The design dashboard is super friendly and you can easily see all parts to your video. If you've ever worked with iMovie this is going to look very familiar! I quickly created a short 28 second video promoting my library media center for my blog, wiki and website…after that, I was hooked!
GoAnimate.com: MHMS Media Center Adventures! by gwyneth

Do you have your own avatar? You can also make a comic version or avatar of yourself to use in your animations with Character Creator and the first one is FREE. If you've ever made a Nintendo Mii character it's a lot like that. Hint: you can’t edit your character later so make your choices carefully! (which explains why i have tacky gold shoes and a bad lipstick color!) Here's a helpful blog posting, the official blog, and some video tutorials to help! I got so jazzed about this site I made an Animation Studios & Sites Introduction wikipage for this and the other products mentioned in this posting...using LOTS of screenshots!

Another very cool thing about Go!Animate is the easy ability to embed and share the vids on your social networks and websites AND when you go back to edit the videos later (this is great for me because I'm constantly tweaking & changing things later or if I find a typo!) is that your embedded video is your latest cut… no need to re-embed it! That. Is. Sweet.

For elementary techie teachers & media specialists there's a more kid friendly version of GoAnimate called Domo Animate where there are preset backgrounds and the characters are super cute.

A few things I’ve learned about GoAnimate:

• Upload the largest resolution background pics for best performance. Go!Animate works with Flickr to import photos for use as backdrops but it seems to only take the large size and not the original. What can I say? I'm a resolution snob.

• Extend the scene length for better reading...the default is 2 seconds, you can override it to 4 seconds...but I find that with two speech bubbles per scene having it be 5-7 seconds is more comfortable.

• Add special effects sparingly: They’re cool but they sort of overwhelm a scene.

Some of the options at Go!Animate cost points: "You can use your GoPoints to acquire special premium characters and props on the platform." You can get points by sharing your videos or referring friends.

Join Go!Animate then Cut & Paste the following “Pssst! Gwyneth told me about the FREE 10 character credit offer on ISTE Connects! Thank you! – Your member name” email that to support@goanimate.com and in a few days you’ll be credited! Sweet!

Blabberize is a really cool site where you can upload a picture, select a mouth on that picture, and record some sound to make that picture talk. It’s an easy and fast way to podcast!

Xtranormal is a free animated movie generator featuring drag and drop animations, automatic lip synching and international voices. It allows you to make movies in minutes by simply typing in your scripts. They’re tagline is, “If you can type, you can make movies.” This online movie making tool allows users to create animations complete with backdrops, simulated voices, and camera angels to perform scripts you write and edit online. To quote the website Lifehacker, it’s “a seriously addictive sandbox for crafting miniature dramas, comedies, or whatever you can tell your little actors to do.”

It takes a few minutes to render between previews but when you’re ready to save it the finished product looks sleek and slick. You can even publish it directly to YouTube with the click of one button.

A few things I learned about Xtranormal:

• Spelling words phonetically or in an odd way sometimes sounds better: such as anim ate vs. animate and wick kee vs. wiki
• To shorten unnatural pauses between words, hyphenate (teacher-librarian)
• Capitalizing after any punctuation mark increases the pause between words
• Capitalizing the first letter after a hyphen slightly increases the pause between words (teacher-Librarian)
• Capitalizing intra-sentence letters allows you to emphasize certain syllables (comPlexity is sometimes overRated! )
• Capitalize ANY words you wish emphasized (use Restraint, capitalizing Every word would be the same or Worse than leaving them as they Were!)
GoAnimate.com: Beam Me Up Databases! by gwyneth

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

Ideas for use in the school or media centerse animations to promote:
• Virtual tour of the school - then dub voice over in several languages! Example
• Back to school night
• Science fair
• History Day
• Summer Reading List/Program
• Public library card drives
• TV studio or TV production
• Public service announcements
• Banned books week
• Research databases
• Recycling or green projects
• Book Fair

Classroom ideas:
• Science! Create a zoo where animals talk about their habitats
• Social Studies: Represent important historical figure and have that person summarize his/her accomplishments or point of view
• Art: An introduction to a famous artist using original paintings with cartoon docent.
• English & Reading: Book talk from a characters point of view
• Math: Have a famous mathematician explain a solution to a math problem
• World Languages: Use it to create a dual language presentation for a foreign language or ESOL class
• English & Reading: Vocabulary building
• English & Reading: Poetry or creative writing presentations

Now that you’ve gotten a little amuse-bouche of animation why not give it a whirl? Come up with a purpose, write a script, sketch a storyboard, and dive right in! I’ve even designated a Go!Animate video School News for Teens! TV Show Opening that's FREE to SNAG! I've given permission to copy so that you can copy and play with it! Also, all the Xtranormal vids you can just click REMIX and like an open source video make changes, save, and rename it as your own! Live long an Animate!

For more information, feel free to check out my Animation Studios & Sites wiki page and follow me on Twitter! @gwynethjones

Be a Blabbermouth!

2009-12-17T12:50:00.006-05:00

Blabberize is a really cool site where you can "upload a picture, select a mouth on that picture, and record some sound to make that picture talk." It’s an easy and fast way to podcast! And though it's super easy there ARE a few tricks....Here's how it works:

Find a picture...i recommend an animal, cartoon, historic painting, etc. using real people or kids for some reason looks creepy to me...except for those Twihard peeps (OK, those mary sues were creepy to start with!)

Browse to upload the picture. You have to have the pic on your machine, you can't supply a url to a jpeg.

Crop the pic to be used by moving the sliding dots so that the portion of the pic you want to work with is selected.

Add a mouth to your picture...it starts as a big blob...but move the dots to reduce or enlarge to fit the mouth at the seam. Making it bigger than it needs to be makes it better...it's funny when the whole chin goes up and down.

Once you have your mouth re-sized to fit click the right arrow to go on to the next step.

Record the sound for your video by using either your built in microphone, uploading sound you've already recorded or record using your phone.

Click Allow to allow access for the Adobe flash player settings. I've only ever used my microphone and it works great! I've also used a USB microphone for better (louder) sound quality.

Click the red record button to start (you'll see the green volume line going up and down) Each scene only has 30 seconds of record time, so I suggest writing out a script and practicing first. I also use a boom box or a laptop with iTunes to play background music..cause this isn't high tech here...this is easy, quick and dirty. Play what you just recorded and click OK when you're satisfied that.

Now you can either make another scene, or go back and edit and re-record what you just did. Choose carefully because after the final save, you can't edit and change it later, you gotta start from the beginning.

Describe your Blabber! Give it a catchy name, write a short description, and add related tags so that people searching can find it. You have a choice for making this a private blabber or mature then click save. Again, because this site is very user intensive there are inappropriate and immature products to be found...direct supervision or using this to promote your program is recommended.

Click Share it and you'll get your embed code!

Grab that code by copying it all and pasting it wherever you want your vid to show up! It's that easy! Enjoy Blabberize for the fun that it is...but don't expect it to be more than it is - there are premium features that they say are on the way....stay tuned for those!

Twihard Fans! If You Liked Twilight You Might Just Like These Books!

2009-11-19T13:56:00.018-05:00

Whether you are Team Jacob (YAY!) or Team Edward (Boo!) --OK, ok - i'll stay out of it...But Vote on the PollDaddy Poll below! Twihard fans must have read ALL the books by now....or you should have! And with New Moon to open tomorrow you may be hungry for more bloodthristy reads...and that's where i come in! Muuwaaa!
The following suggestions are available in our Library Media Center.... unless your GF or BF has checked them out! Not sure?
Double check using our online PAC System!

Blood & Chocolate ~ Annette Curtis Klause
Ms. Jones says: Maryland author and visitor to MHMS a few years ago...... writes a dark story that is exciting and a sure page turner! Not for 6th graders or little brothers or sisters, this scary story has all the angst of high school with places mentioned that you'll recognize as a Marylander!

from Amazon: "Blood and Chocolate chronicles the longings and passions of one Vivian Gandillon, teenage werewolf. Her pack family, recently burned out of their West Virginia home by suspicious neighbors, has resettled in a sleepy Maryland suburb. At her new school, Viv quickly falls for sensitive heartthrob Aiden, a human--or "meat-boy," as her pack calls him. Soon she is trying to tame her undomesticated desires to match his more civilized sensibilities. "He was gentle. She hadn't expected that. Kisses to her were a tight clutch, teeth, and tongue... His eyes were shy beneath his dark lashes, and his lips curved with delight and desire--desire he wouldn't force on her... he was different." But Vivian's animal ardor cannot be stilled, and she must decide if she should keep Aiden in the dark about her true nature or invite him to take a walk on her wild side."

Blue Bloods by ~ Melissa De La Cruz
Ms. Jones says: I so Heart this series! I've read both and can't wait for the third AND fourth! If you like NYC, private schools, snotty rich people (getting put in their place!) and fashion mixed with vampire horror and history...this series is for you!

"De la Cruz has revamped traditional vampire lore in this story featuring a group of attractive, privileged Manhattan teens who attend a prestigious private school. Schuyler Van Alen, 15, the last of the line in a distinguished family, is being raised by her distant and forbidding grandmother. Schuyler, her friend Oliver, and their new friend Dylan are treated like outsiders by the clique of popular, athletic, and beautiful teens made up of Mimi Force, her twin brother, and her best friend. What they have in common is the fact that they are all Blue Bloods, or vampires. They don't realize that they aren't normal until they reach age 15. Then the symptoms manifest themselves and they begin to crave raw meat, have nightmares about events in history, and get prominent blue veins in their arms. Their immortality and way of life are threatened after Blue Blood teens start getting murdered by a splinter group called the Silver Bloods. This novel constantly name-drops and is full of product placements, drinking, drugs, nonexplicit sex, and superficial characterizations, but the intriguing plot will keep teens reading. De la Cruz's explanation for the disappearance of the Colony of Roanoke is unique and the idea that models don't gain weight because they are Blue Bloods rather than anorexic is unusual."–Sharon Rawlins, SLJ

Vampire Kisses ~ Ellen Schreiber
Ms. Jones says: haven't read this one myself but i heard it's really good...read it and tell me what you think!

"Raven, 16, doesn't fit in at school or home. This goth-girl is obsessed with vampires and when a new family moves into the old town mansion, she is convinced that the son, Alexander, is a vampire. The story swirls around and through sibling rivalry, peer relationships, friendships, and love. Raven is a feisty protagonist with a quick wit and a real sense of self. She defends herself and her friends, often besting her peers with humor and a quick tongue. As her connection with Alexander deepens, she comes to understand her family better. It is through his shadowy character that readers are kept off balance. Schreiber weaves a tale that is more about acceptance and friendship than about vampire behavior and culture, and sustains a tone that draws readers to the characters rather than to horrific plot developments that would keep them reading. There is far less intensity than in Annette Curtis Klause's Silver Kiss (Laurel-Leaf, 1992) and less moodiness than that found in Amelia Atwater-Rhodes's Midnight Predator (2002) and Shattered Mirror (2001, both Delacorte). While the ending isn't tied up in a neat and pretty bow, it fits the style and tone. All in all, a good read for those who want a vampire love story without the gore." SLJ

Demon in My View (Den of Shadows) ~ Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Ms. Jones says: OMword i love ALL her books! and we have nearly every one! she started writing these when she was just in high school but she has really gotten the tone right for a well crafted, engaging story...i say read 'em ALL!

"he teen queen of horror fiction Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is on the prowl again! Continuing in much the same vampire vein that established her reputation, the young writer's sophomore novel also includes a touch of autobiography. Jessica Allodola is a high school senior who pens vampire tales under the pseudonym Ash Night. (Hmmm, sound familiar?) Because of her funereal clothing and cynical demeanor, Jessica is shunned by her sunnier classmates. No matter, she prefers the company of the undead she creates on her laptop, anyway. But Jessica is shaken when a creature from her novel, the suave vampire Aubrey (who fans will remember from In the Forests of the Night) shows up as a new student at her school. Not knowing whether he plans to seduce or harm her, Jessica plays a dangerous game of cat and mouse with Aubrey as she tries to discover the secret of his existence. As she delves deeper into the midnight world of her own novels, she encounters other supernatural beings, like Fala, an evil Egyptian vampire, and Caryn Smoke, a teenaged good witch. When she finally unearths the shocking truth that explains the tangibility of her imaginary world, Jessica must decide if she loves that dark world enough to leave the light forever. Atwater-Rhode's writing, while still showing strong traces of Anne Rice and Stephen King, is maturing nicely as she cleverly constructs this story within a story. Her vampires, while thousands of years old, have adolescent mood swings and tempers, which will sit well with the under-16 crowd. Demon in My View will undoubtedly find its way into many backpacks and Trapper Keepers. (Ages 12 to 15) --Jennifer Hubert"

and for both Guys and Gals might i suggest the Cirque du Freak Series!
Ms. Jones says: Amazingly scary from the first couple chapters! I met the author and he was delightful and a bit macabre! ....Try these books but you GOTTA read 'em in order...really!

"A boy sneaks out to an illicit freak show, and his life becomes entangled with a vampire spider-wrangler. "The author mines the exploitative history of early 20th-century sideshows to create an artfully macabre 'Cirque du Freak,' " wrote PW.

Okay okay.....Still want to read Twilight series? But don't have the hard copy on hand?

Twilight full text: http://www.wattpad.com/103133
New Moon full text: http://www.scribd.com/doc/12991956/New-Moon
or if that doesn't work, http://www.wattpad.com/81624-New-Moon-by-Stephenie-Meyer (but the punctuation on this version is messed up)
or if you prefer PDF, http://api.ning.com/files/fckEFz8yUcsjcqC5rcFKy5NQqMTiR3DYoj94Co3JJ2XbtHqF9SCftup4*zTDyEx8enS8HhQBZzqRFhpcMXBmimSahpQW7wOL/StephenieMeyer2.NewMoon.pdf
Eclipse full text: http://www.scribd.com/doc/11218705/Eclipse (but the line breaks on this version are kind of annoying)
I also found this one: http://krfilm.net/f/viewthread.php?tid=36251&extra=&page=1
(neither version is ideal, but if formatting is so important to you go out and buy the goddamn books!)
Breaking Dawn full text: http://www.wattpad.com/93442-Breaking-Dawn-by-Stephenie-Meyer
Midnight Sun draft: http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/pdf/midnightsun_partial_draft4.pdf
this list from the Smart People Who Like Twilight Blog

According to Mashable, Twilight New Moon Social Media Mania Nets 81,000 Tweets Per Day! Yes, dear reader... New Moon has gone totally viral!

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/video.

Applications for Media Student Assistant Due Soon!

2009-10-28T10:20:00.003-04:00

Poor Clank can't be a Library Media Student Assistant, but you can!
We need enthusiastic and hard working students to help out in the Media Center during seminar classes. If chosen, you will check out, shelve & straighten books. You will also work on special Media events, run deliveries of books & materials to teachers, and help kids find books!

If this sounds like a job you can and WANT to do, please pick up your application in the Media Center, fill out both sides - answering ALL the questions and get two signatures (one from a parent/guardian and a recommendation from a teacher) and turn it in by this coming Tuesday.

Stay tuned to MHTV for updates to see who has been chosen! Good luck!
~Miss Jones & Mrs. Black

Did You Know 4.0 and The Future

2009-10-27T21:23:00.002-04:00

In 2007 i blogged about the first Did You Know by Karl Fisch for my you....my kids, parents, teachers & community... because when i saw it (the first one) it rocked my world!

back then it was MySpace that could have been the 8th largest company....Facebook wasn't even invented yet...nor Twitter!...so much has changed...but sometimes i feel like we're not moving fast enough to get the right technology into the hands of our kids...then trust them enough to teach them how to ethically use it. teaching kids that they need to be ETHICAL and AWARE of what they do on the intarwebs ...what their digital footprint is and what kind of footprint they're leaving (in words and in pictures)....and how people will go back and see the doofy stuff they post 5, 10, 15 and 20 years from now.

don't get me wrong: i totally respect the 2000 FTC Children's Internet Privacy Act! heck, i quoted it on my 2000 Internet Safety for Parents & Teens webpage! but things have changed DRASTICALLY since then! i'm just saying....we can't bury our head in the sand for much longer... the internet is not going away...and though i preach the use of the Databases and i uphold my county rules...i think we're doing our kids a disservice by not teaching precise and savvy Google searches or using some of the Google products and how to be smart on the social networks....cause parents...they're there already!
and though i'm a rebel, kids in many ways.....i still maintain my Back-to-school advice for safe & ethical social networking.

Gearing Up for AASL

2009-10-24T17:47:00.003-04:00

GoAnimate.com: The Unconference@The Blogger's Cafe by gwyneth

hey kids! Miss Jones is off to Charlotte, NC in a week or so to present at the American Association of School Librarians conference. This national conference brings together over 4,000 school librarians is held every other year and i'm honored to be presenting several times and to be named as one of the official bloggers. (no pressure there! LOL)

so anyway...just wanted to let you know that i go to these conferences to learn, share, and bring back cool ideas (like the Book Pass Reading List initiative) and new things to make our Media Center one of the best in Howard County...or heck...Maryland....wait!
why not in the US of A!

Pass the Book Website!

2009-10-19T09:39:00.007-04:00

As mentioned in my post last week, the pass the book event is here and its site has now gone LIVE!

from the official website:

"Beginning October 19, 2009 be on the lookout for specially marked copies of The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld. Books are available at any Howard County Library (while supplies last) or from your friends who will Pass the Book. If you receive a specially marked copy of The Secret Hour, read it, register it, and pass it on to another reader. Return to the website throughout the year to track where your book has traveled and participate in online challenges. Howard County Library's Pass the Book is sponsored by Friends of Howard County Library.

Midnighter Lore: Monday October 19 at 7:00pm

Join us for the official launch of Pass the Book, and brush up on Midnighter Lore at Howard County Central Library. Create codes, ciphers, and secret writing, then pick up a copy of The Secret Hour to read, register, and pass to a friend. Ages 11-15. Please register online or by calling 410.313.7800.

The Author: Scott Westerfeld

The Midnighters series comes to you from the mind of author Scott Westerfeld, who you may know from Peeps, the Uglies series, and So Yesterday. Westerfeld’s latest novel is Leviathan, a novel that pits the Darwinists against the Clankers, and asks “Do you oil your war machines, or do you feed them?” Watch the book trailer, and come back here soon for a full review."

Neil Gaiman and Twittering the Exquisite Corpse

2009-10-13T14:59:00.011-04:00

So, yesterday i got really excited about the Neil Gaiman Twitter writing opportunity the Exquisite Corpse..I instantly thought of our Writers Guild and how they could have really gotten involved with the writing experience. However, Twitter is now Blocked in HCPSS. (yes, thanks to the NEW Dickensian interweb policies of my county Twitter has now been blocked --we're going backwards not forwards, it seems...i guess no more Teacher Tuesdays at lunch for me sharing ideas with other tech peeps! :-( Doh! /rant)

anyway.... no, an Exquisite Corpse, is not about a pretty cadaver...

"An Exquisite Corpse is an old game in which people write a phrase on a sheet of paper, fold it over to conceal part of it and pass it on to the next player to do the same. The game ends when someone finishes the story, which is then read aloud."

we also did the same thing with drawings in the back seat of the family wagon during long road trips....sorta like before mad libs...

2 B, or not 2 B, that is the question. OMW, LOL!

"If only the Bard were lucky enough to have had a Twitter account. Since he didn’t, we’ll just have to rely on BBC Audiobooks and fantasy writer Neil Gaiman to bring us the latest development in Twitterature. Yesterday at noon, the Coraline author tweeted the first sentence in an interactive storytelling experiment, with the hope that fellow Twitterers (Twits?) will pick up the thread and spin the rest of the story 140 characters at a time. The final product will eventually be compiled into a short story, recorded as an audiobook, and made available on iTunes for....hello....FREE! ((of course we'll give you either a link or an embed script when it's released...or you may wanna bookmark BBC Audio) - Twitter an Audio Story with Neil Gaiman!))

It’ll be interesting to see if average Twitterzens will be able to maintain a functioning narrative in this mass game of exquisite corpse, or if it will inevitably devolve into “And then a comet hit the planet and everybody died!” or “A giant POO POO-monster came out of nowhere and swallowed dear Emily whole,” as mine always did. Some hope can be gleaned from the recent success in London of the Royal Opera House’s first tweet-based opera, Twitterdammerung, which actually got some decent reviews. We lose Miley, but gain Wagner. Seems like a fair trade.

Tweets probably won’t be replacing conventional book-writing anytime soon, but it is an interesting glimpse into the possibility of open-source literary collaboration. Will BBC be able to separate the tweets from the chaff, or will we perhaps realize that all that Twitters is not gold?"
Keith Staskiewicz - EW

Finally to quote a tweeter named Smirkette: "Neil Gaiman is such a rockstar. I love how much he's embraced social media, and I can hardly wait to hear how this turns out."

& Neither can i! What do you think? Is this a promotional stunt or a best practice of Web 2.0 use of the technology craftily interwoven with interweb savvy?

GoAnimate.com: MHMS Media Adventures!

2009-10-12T14:27:00.004-04:00

GoAnimate.com: MHMS Media Adventures! by gwyneth

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

GoAnimate is WAY cool!..but be warned..before you use this with kids... there are areas that have some questionable content....so, for elem techie teachers & Media Specialists to use with their students there's a MORE kid friendly version of GoAnimate called Domo Animate where there are preset backgrounds, characters and where kids can't upload created backgrounds or content (that could be inappropriate or copyright grey)....check it out!

For Media Specialists making animations for special events, programs, or products i suggest using regular GoAnimate.com where you can Photoshop, iPhoto or Comic Life backdrops using your own graphics & digital pics!

PSST...PASS THAT BOOK!

2009-10-12T10:25:00.010-04:00

PSST...PASS THAT BOOK!

Beginning October 19, be on the lookout for specially marked copies of The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld.

Read the book. Register the book's number at hclibrary.org. Pass the book to another friend. Return to the web site throughout the year to track where the books have traveled, and participate in online book discussions.

For more information go visit the HCL Pass that Book Website or contact Mr. John Jewitt john.jewitt@hclibrary.org

Miss. Jones Writes:
This reminds me of a website i've been involved with for many years called Bookcrossing.com Same idea....here's how it started from my first posting on the BX site in 2005:

Journal entry 6 by gwynethanne from columbia, Maryland USA on Monday, April 25, 2005

this book was the first MC Beaton i ever read....i picked it up in the sheraton inner harbor hotel a while ago, staying there for the MICCA technology conference and having finished the book that i had brought (what horrors! ) i was itchy for a new one. i spotted this book on a library table near the elevator....i picked it up stealthily...looking furtively up and down the hallway...should i take it? not having a book is torture!...i HUNGERED for a new read. i took the book with me and read about the bookcrossing program....grinning with relief that i had not purloined someone's tome, i kept it and read it. and this one was delightful book! i'm going back to the sheraton for the same conference soon and i'm gonna re-release the book back out into the wild! i hope the next person likes it as much as i did...AND if you haven't read MC Beaton....read the Hamish McBeth mysteries..they are cozy little books that feel as comfortable as a good warm wool sweater with a dram of whiskey! thanks keycollect and fiction!.....and the journey goes on! being a school media specialist maybe i gotta get some bookplates of my own now! ....first book? jack finney's Time and Again! ~gwynethanne

and well, that's how it started. ...since then i have purchased (for a nominal fee) the special bookplates & post-its start up kid... and have released books into the wild. i don't leave books outside..but usually in hotels when i travel for educational technology or library conferences

...here's a bit more from the website:

Read, Recycle, & Release with BookCrossing!

"Welcome back to BookCrossing, where books have adventures of their own. BookCrossing is earth-friendly, and gives you a way to share your books, clear your shelves, and conserve precious resources at the same time. Through our own unique method of recycling reads, BookCrossers give life to books. BookCrossing books are not stagnant dust collectors, but living entities travelling the world as true BookCrossing emissaries. Our books find new readers and introduce them to the wonders of BookCrossing."

from a blogger:

"BookCrossing,com is an awesome site. If you have a book and you want to share it with the world, or if you just don’t want it laying around anymore and can’t bring yourself to toss it, then you can register it on bookcrossing.com. Once it’s registered you leave the book, somewhere, ‘in the wild’. Since the book is registered on the site, you leave a specific description of where you left it, then when someone is looking for that book or genre in your country, they can track it down, notify the site that it’s been found, read it, then leave it somewhere else to be found again. Such a “make me smile” concept."

so Pass that Book in Howard County and if you like that....join Bookcrossing.com and pass books around the WORLD!

Welcome Back to School 09-10!

2009-09-22T16:08:00.006-04:00

YAY!...It's a new year and i'm SO excited to see all the new kids coming to MHMS!!...Welcome 6th graders AND welcome to any transferring 7th and 8th graders!

A Message of Hope and Responsibility

I was very inspired by President Obama's message to students this year! In my opinion, no matter what political side you're affiliated with, it really was a message of hope and responsibility, a teachable moment for social studies classes, and an uplifting and motivating message for kids of all ages.
---

---full transcript here----

Back-to-school advice for safe & ethical social networking

"Back-to-school time is an excellent time for kids, parents, and teachers to think and talk about the safe and appropriate use of the Internet and social-networking tools."

I've been teaching Internet Safety since 2000...I was first asked to do so by Maryland Public Television and then the Horizon Foundation...and through their patronage i created a website called Internet Safety for Parents & Teens that covered a lot of information about how to be more AWARE of the pitfalls and dangers on the Interwebs. The subject i think that is foremost now is not Safety but Awareness. We have to encourage our kids to be aware of their own digital footprint. To be mindful of what they post and how they cultivate a good Internet profile so that when they apply to college, or a job, they know how they will be perceived by those people who will be digging for information ...and dig they will. They need to know that embarrassing or inappropriate pictures posted are there and can be found forever.

Parents: what you can do at home

have the Internet connected computer in a main room of your house...like the kitchen or living, or family room
If you have kids who have laptops and a wireless router, disconnect the router (unplug & remove) the power cord at bedtime. late night texting is also a concern
re-charge teen cell phones in YOUR rooms overnight
know what usernames your kids use on facebook, twitter, myspace, etc. ask to see their page...then ask to see their REAL page!
make sure that ANY social network they belong to is set to private
know how to search the history of your kids computer

More things to think about:

"Hemanshu Nigam, the chief security officer at News Corp. and MySpace offers some Online Safety and Back to School advice especially suited to youth who use social-networking services like MySpace and Facebook (MySpace is one of several companies that provide financial support for ConnectSafely). He starts off with the usual Internet safety advice: "Don't post anything you wouldn't want the world to know" and "don't get together with someone you 'meet' online unless you're certain of their identity." Then, perhaps a bit uncharacteristic of his background as a former federal prosecutor, Nigam also provides advice about the compassionate and kind use of social networking:
Post with respect: photos are a great way to share wonderful experiences. If you're posting a photo of you and your friends, put yourself in your friends' shoes and ask would your friends want that photo to be public to everyone. If yes, then you're uploading photos with respect.
Comment with kindness: compliments are like smiles, they're contagious. When you comment on a profile, share a kind word, others will too.
Update with empathy: sharing updates lets us tell people what we think. When you give an opinion on your status updates, show empathy towards your friends and help them see the world with understanding eyes.
from: Back-to-school advice for safe & ethical social networking - CNET News

Talk to your kids about the risks.
Explain that online information and images can live forever. It can be very hard and sometimes impossible to take down information that is posted, and photos and information may already have been copied and posted elsewhere.
Tell your children not to post any identifying information online. This includes their cell phone number, address, hometown, school name, and anything else that a stranger could use to locate them.
Explain that anyone in the world can access what they post online. Tell your children that some college admissions boards and employers are checking social networking sites before they admit students or hire people.
Remind your children never to give out their passwords to anyone but you – not even their friends. Explain that if someone has their password, they could post embarrassing and unsafe information about them on their personal pages and even pose as your children to talk to other people.
Make sure that children understand that some people they meet online may not be who they say they are. Explain that on the Internet many people are not truthful about their identity and may even pretend to be someone else. It’s important to stress that young people should never meet people face-to-face that they met online.

from the Parents' Guide to Social Networking Websites

The Guidance dept. and i will be holding a parent information night about cyberbullying and internet awareness later this year....stay tuned!

Other Resources:

Social Networking Sites: A Parent’s Guide
Social Networking Sites: Safety Tips for Tweens and Teens
Blog Sites, Profile Sites, Diary Sites or Social-Networking Sites

Bookfellas & Bookfoo! Video Blasts from the Past!

2009-06-10T15:39:00.003-04:00

here are two of our most popular videos that i use at this time of year...digitally converted ((thanks Beth Singleton, GT teacher and iMovie maven!!)) and now available on TeacherTube.
Bookfellas...don't mess with these guys...bring back your overdue books...OR ELSE!

all of these kids have graduated High School now....[smiles fondly] Awwwww!!!!

Zach G. & Matthew G.

Mike S.

Bookfoo! Through our A+ partnership with the Howard County Public Library the MHMS video production team was chosen one year to make the middle school Summer Reading promotion video for the ENTIRE state of Maryland! Because of movie copyright (i tracked down permissions for each one or only played -30 seconds) we chose to make the video very RETRO!

Edward Helps Bella to Return Those Library Media Books!

2009-06-04T12:01:00.008-04:00

Return Those Books: a PSA from Bella & Edward

2009-06-02T08:59:00.005-04:00

created by the talented husband & wife PSA duo...Mr. and Mrs. Mike Hobson
Media Specialist, Oakland Mills MS

Summer Reading & Bookmark Contest!

2009-05-31T09:27:00.007-04:00

Hey! This is Murray with a message about the Middle School Summer Reading List to hear it click the triangle arrow thingy above my head!

Then download the lists using the link to the link below to take to the Savage Branch of the Howard County Public Library so you can read some books this summer!

Ask your English & Reading Teacher for Your Fancy Graphically Enhanced List!

Go to our Wikipage to download the XLS list of books!

When you're at the Savage Library enter the Book Mark Contest ....
Here's a message i got from them about it:

"In conjunction with this year's Summer Reading Initiative, Howard County Library announces our first annual bookmark contest. Please encourage any interested students to take part. Materials are available online or at any Howard County Library location.

Let your imagination soar when you enter Howard County Library's Bookmark Contest for children and teens! The contest is open to all children in Kindergarten through 12th grade who live or attend school in Howard County.

Draw a bookmark design on the entry form and return it to any Howard County Library branch by Friday, July 10, 2009. Bookmarks will be judged on originality, design, and reproducibility. The winning bookmarks will be printed and available at all Howard County Library branches beginning September 2009. Students who create the winning bookmarks will be invited to the A+ Celebration on October 27, 2009.
One entry per person. Please see the entry form and contest checklist for full details."

Oh and the List Mr. Jewitt shared with you is there on the wiki, too!
Pics from the Summer Reading List Presentation:

Murray peace out!