Time Flies

I can't believe it's been almost a month since my last post. So much has happened it's hard to figure out where to start....

The CLAD exam is OVER!!!! Thank God for that. Why the California Teachers of English Learners (CTEL) would use a multiple choice test to determine the ability to teach English Learners is beyond me. That's exactly the kind of assessment we learned was not appropriate for determining a student's grasp of material. 60 hours of test prep for a 6 hour exam - how brutal! And to think that this is sanctioned by teachers - why do we do this to ourselves?

Once the exam was over it was on to the next hurdle of the summer - moving my mom from a 1 bedroom apartment to one room at an assisted living facility. Thankfully, this was her choice and the move was to what the facility calls a "cluster home" afiliated with the Jewish Home for the Aging. So my mom is in a 4 bedroom home that she will eventually share with 3 other women. She has her own bedroom and bathroom sharing the kitchen, living room and dining room. As I helped my mom go through her lifetime of "stuff", I'd send my sister updates. She found the humor in them and thought I should write a book - maybe once some time passes. We have decided that our inheritance rests in the box of paper goods stored in my mom's new garage - yes, she still drives at the age of 85. The number of boxes of ziplock bags, aluminum foil, wax paper and baggies she has rivals the papergoods aisle at the market - box after box after box. She'll have to live another 50 years to use it all up. It must be that generation - I think I've just finished using up the foil that my mother-in-law left when she died - and that was over 20 years ago! And shoes, in plastic boxes - cardboard shoeboxes weren't good enough. I think we "paired" down over 60 pairs to about 12. Each pair of shoes had to be tried on and of course there was a story to match. I think my favorite though had to be the plastic hangers, stored in plastic bags, waiting for clothes - 4 market sized bags!

So, she's moved and adjusting quite nicely. She was able to take her bedroom furniture and a good deal of kitchen gear - not that she cooks anymore. She'll finally have someone to clean the house weekly and help with laundering the sheets & towels. She can choose to eat her meals at "home" or in the dining room at the main facility. It's all about choices - thankfully, these were her's to make.

While going through all of her things, I was struck by how much we accumulate in our lives and that the responsibility to disperse those "things" will be left to someone else. I've already started to "weed" closets, drawers, and anything that isn't nailed down. I've also made the commitment to give those things I no longer use to others who will enjoy them now - they do no good to anyone stored in a closet or drawer.

Breathing Easier

School is out and it's time for some well deserved r & r. It's been a hectic year so far. The Teacher Librarians in our district have been fighting for our jobs since January. That was when the news of the California budget was released. I do not envy the Board Members and the daunting task they had to decide what to cut and what to keep. Last Tuesday, the Board adopted a budget. Well, what a Board Meeting it was. Thankfully our jobs are safe for this year - provided the State approves the budget as is. We have our work cut out for us - why we have to justify our positions is beyond me. We are very fortunate that we have parents & teachers who understand and support our library programs. The 6 Teacher Librarians in our district will work together to promote our programs and make sure that we are visible forces working for the betterment of our students, not just background support.

Tag Cloud Makeovers

One of the advantages of reading other blogs is learning about new web tools. Thanks to Joyce Valenza and her blog NeverEndingSearch, I've discovered Wordies and have made over my del.icio.us tag. The tags don't link to anything, but they are fun to make.

Facebook????

Ok, so I finally developed a facebook page - much to my daughter's dismay. I have found it is a great way to share photos with family and friends. I have posted and shared photos using Flickr.com, but have found facebook easier to use. It's been fun linking up with people I know. I'm not sure how much I'll really use this application and really don't get the allure. In fact, this video found on librarygarden.blogspot.com pretty much sums it up...

Update

It's hard to believe that months have passed since my last post. So much has happened - some good, some not so good. Be that as it may, it's time to catch up and even learn something new in the process. Our district has contracted with a web-development company to host all of the school web-sites. It's been a challenge to fit content into someone else's framework, but I do like the consistency in the teacher sites and the ease with which content can be created and posted. I'm looking forward to summer so I can spend more time on the site and get things really set up for next year. The district has also used tech funds to purchase new circulation software for the libraries, bringing us into the 21st century. After a long, exhaustive search, the 6 Teacher Librarians came to the conclusion that Alexandria best suited our needs. Most of us had it up and running early May. There have been some gliches (like slip printers that work with Spectrum but not Alexandria) but they are a part of the process and learning curve. All in all, I'm happy with the software decision, sorry I didn't listen to Kelly (a TL at one of the other middle schools) and order the bluetooth hand-held scanner, and looking forward to the end of inventory so I can really see what is happening to the collection.

Since my last post, my co-TL, Jane & I were able to coerce one of the TOSA's (teacher on special assignment) to start on Classroom 2.0. She has set up her blog and offered the tutorial throughout our district. Quite a few teachers are taking advantage of the program. Having completed the tutorial, I am now a cheerleader. Being one of the cheerleaders gives me a chance to follow those exploring these tools, read their reactions to the web 2.0 tools and comment on their musings. I have found some of these tools invaluable and use them everyday, other applications need a second look. Isn't that what summer is for.....

Week 9, Thing 23 - In Closing

I can't believed I've finished! And just under the wire. I know now that this isn't the end of my discoveries, just the beginning. When my daughter became a Bat Mitzvah, I told her that it was not the culmination of her Jewish education, but the beginning. I feel the same way about this tutorial. My goal is to incorporate many of these tools into my daily life. Now on to your questions -


What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

As I looked back on what I've learned, it's hard to imagine my life or work before being introduced to these tools. Creating an avatar was fun, but del.icio.us, Flickr, RSS and Zoho have become a part of my daily routine.

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

Just by nature of the work that we do, we are lifelong learners. This program gave a direction to my learning. It allowed me to take charge of my learning and at my own pace. There are tools I started using right away, and some I put on hold for another day. On my list are a number of to-do items -
Start another blog using it for booktalks, or maybe use a wiki for my students to add books they have enjoyed
Include podcasts - written and delivered by students
Encourage teachers (and help them) to use wikis for their assignments and to collaborate with each other
Use LibraryThing to keep track of books I've read and books I've added to our collection
Use Flickr & mashups to add interest to my presentations and handouts
Create an interactive website that my students will find user friendly and intuitive

Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

What surprised me most was the ease in which I could explore something and use it immediately. Zoho is definately a "take-a-way" that I didn't expect. I found it amusing that I had been using a number of web 2.0 tools, but didn't know it. Being able to explore these tools more fully gave me a better understanding of their uses and better ways to use them.

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

The only thing I would suggest is to encourage participants to explore blogs of those who have completed this tutorial. I found those blogs an invaluable source of information. I enjoyed the comments from the cheer team - especially when I figured out how to respond to their comments.

If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?

Absolutely - and without trepidation! Bring on the web 2.1 tutorial!

How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote CSLA learning activities?

Thank you School Library 2.0 Team for the opportunity to participate in this program, to stretch my brain and kick me into the 21st century.

Week 9, Thing 22

It is unbelievable what can be found on the web. It really is the "world wide web". I had so much fun exploring WPL, I lost track of time. I especially enjoyed the OLPC (one laptop per child) collection of 1000 eBooks for children. To be able to find illustrated text online by Kate Greenaway, Grimm's fairy tales and Baum's Wizard of Oz books is priceless. I have a number of the Oz books that were originally my dad's. Hard to believe they were written around 1916 - almost 100 years ago! And now I can view them on the web. Will wonders ever cease!?! I still don't think I want to curl up with a good ebook, but I can see their use in academic settings. My 6th graders were writing stories loosely based on existing fairy tales. WPL would be a great site to link to my website for that activity.

LibriVox was also fun. I was able to listen to "The Lost Princess of Oz" - at least the first chapter. I have a number of audio-books in the professional library. My teachers like to use the audio version for some of our core novels. I've also tried to encourage the special ed students to use audio books or download the audio file from iTunes. They just have to make sure they have the full version, not abridged. Apparently, if I download the file from iTunes (paying for it, of course) and share my account, the teachers at my school would be able to play my files in their classroom on their laptops. It's worth a try, I just have to figure out the copyright issues.

One more note regarding delivery of novels. This morning, on NPR, Liane Hansen was speaking with Scott Sigler. They were talking about podcast novels — books delivered first by audio, in serial form. Since I can't figure out how to embed the podcast of their discussion into this blog, follow this link to NPR to hear what they had to say.