Do you know what “http-d” stands for? How about the primary use for the 224.0.1.24 IP address? If so, you might just be a bona fide tech geek. Test your mettle with this 20-question quiz and then brag to your friends (or not) about being a member of geekdom.
Go to
http://www.infoworld.com/d/adventures-in-it/the-2010-geek-iq-test-597
Have you seen Joyce Valenza’s post titled What Librarians Make: A Response to Dr. Bernstein and an Homage to Taylor Mali? This is quite an inspiring piece on the value and importance of librarians (in particular school librarians). Valenza’s post was written as somewhat of a response to an article written by Dr. Marc Bernstein that appeared in Newsday on November 24, 2010. However, Valenza’s post goes beyond a mere “response”. Valenza very eloquently states the purpose and function of school libraries, and why they’re a necessity in schools today. Her list of what librarians “do” and what they “make” is a nice reminder of the many hats librarians wear, and all they’re responsible for.
The following was submitted by a CMLE Scholarship recipient.
Submitted by: Wanda Erickson, Upsala Area Schools K-12 Librarian
6:30 a.m. came much too early for this night person! Two mornings in a row I grumbled out of bed to meet my ride (Deb Disher, Holdingford’s master Media Specialist) and beat the sun into St. Cloud. You will all laugh with me as I jerked awake Friday morning at 6:20, my alarm set for 7, because Deb was to arrive at 7. Some have a reading dyslexia; I have a math dyslexia.
But I try not to miss the MEMO Fall Conference and especially appreciate the multi-year contract in St. Cloud as it means I can attend more easily. Thursday evening’s vendor reception allows me to scout out the vendor area, talk to the various sales reps and begin to place my name in drawing bins. (Whom do I talk to about not winning anything this year?)
Buffy Hamilton, Cathy Jo Nelson and Marcia Thornton Jones jogged ideas through my brain. Participatory librarianship = a BIGGER vision! PR will not make you relevant; YOUR vision for how the library can contribute does! Develop 23 Things On a Stick for students and call it 5 Things In Our Pockets (put jeans pockets or old card pockets on a bulletin board-kids collect laminated activity cards when they complete each task-master Flip video camera, layout a poster, read an ebook, teach another student to request a title).
Assisting Joan Larson at the book tables in the past has whetted my appetite for more. This year I volunteered to help with the author visits and the book tables. What a wonderful time! I gathered information from the authors to disseminate to my public library staff, who invest Legacy funds in author and illustrator visits.
I am a Boomer librarian who is not transitioning easily to life in the cloud. I ponder the definition of library. Where do my libraries live and just exactly when did they transform because I missed it? Can a Skyped author visit really encompass the same energy as a F2F visit? Seeing Pat Bauer and Dave Geister in full costume cannot be reproduced. And, perhaps, there is no substitute for ‘real’ experiences. After all, I learned one can storyboard very effectively with post-it notes on a laminated piece of cardboard.
This free workshop will focus on:
Audience: Media specialists, librarians, teachers, paraprofessionals, student interns, volunteers
ELM + History Day + Time Management
Friday, November 19, 2010
Hosted by Minitex, CMLE and Rasmussen College
9:00 a.m. – Noon OR 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (your choice of time- sessions are identical)
Location: Rasmussen College
226 Park Ave. So. St. Cloud, MN 56301-3713
Fee: No cost, but registration is required at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/elmhistoryday
Expert Minitex Trainer: Jennifer Hootman
Need financial assistance to join us? There are two options…
1. MN Legacy monies are available to cover mileage and substitute staffing as needed. Lodging can be covered for those coming from long distances (200 miles). If you or members of your staff are interested in attending, please email JoEllen Haugo as shown below.
JoEllen Haugo, MN Legacy History Day Library Manager
Tel 952-847-8175
Email Jhaugo@hclib.org OR
2. Scholarships are also available to CMLE member libraries for expenses like mileage or to cover the cost of getting a substitute so you are able to attend. The CMLE scholarship application and guidelines are available on our website at www.cmle.org
The following report was submitted by a CMLE Scholarship recipient.
Submitted by: Debbie Disher, Holdingford High School and Elementary Media Centers
Balance is a matter of perspective and is temporary. We need to embrace the ups and downs and the wobbles.
Data collecting library statistics doesn’t have to be that difficult. Start simple! Do it on a monthly basis and then it won’t be so overwhelming at the end of the year.
“Real Men Read” program really can be done and doesn’t require special things. Using a regular digital camera, PhotoShop Elements or other editing software, a poster size printer (or a local print shop) and some willing men. I am now in the process of working with our photography teacher to have students do these as an assignment.
Things to consider with ebook readers: batteries, how to circulate, cataloging, siding audio with electronic text can be done. Great River Regional Library just started using overdrive.
Who will be responsible for teaching social networking ethics to students if we don’t teach it at school?
Web 2.0 tools that I need to take another look at included: Library Thing, Shelfari, and Polldaddy.
Thanks to the conference I am going to try to be a better blog follower. Plans to pursue: The Ubiquitous Librarian (Brian Mathews), Techno Tuesday (Cathy Nelson), The Unquiet Librarian (Buffy Hamilton).
Kelly Tenkely has a new Bloom’s Taxonomy visual that looks really neat. http://ilearntechnology.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Screen-shot-2010-08-31-at-11.36.54-AM.png
Two Youtube videos worth sharing with staff: Infowhelm and Information Fluency and A Vision of K-12 Students Today.
Great statistics were given in the session 21st Century Learner. Such as: A higher percentage of adults admit to sending and receiving text messages while driving than teenagers. Another thought that was shared is that our children are growing up in a world of filled with multimedia messages, yet they receive little if any training on evaluating and understanding these messages.
All in all, a great conference with many excellent sessions. Now to take the time to put some of these ideas in motion.
