Thursday, June 7, 2018

Facebook and Twitter


Facebook School Library Pages
I examined several Facebook school library pages and found several ideas I wanted to incorporate in my Facebook library pages.  Most posted intermediately with a reminders about overdue books, book fairs and happenings in their library.  I researched different types of school, most Facebook school library pages were at the high school level.  I was particularly interested in the elementary level.  There was not a lot of responsive activity particularly with the high school level.  A few likes per post if any at the higher level and not many comments.  The elementary library school pages had the most interaction and shares.  The Mallett School Library page incorporated a button feature to learn more about the library and its programs, I will use this feature on my library page. They included a newsletter tab, I thought I would be able to include my Smores if I followed their model.

I believe there is advantages in creating a Facebook school library page but feel the younger the student is, the more the parents will be interested and interactive.  I have found on our Facebook school page, we have have excellent responses particularly when you included pictures or some type of graphic attached to the post. I surmise about parents of younger students being more interested based on interaction of our school page and personally experience with my own children.  My son has a lovely library with over 2400 students in his school but I don't even know if they have a page.  If there was pictures and articles about my kid, I might be more interested.  I believe that parents want to see their kids in the post or they will not follow as closely.

My Facebook School Library Page: FE Library

Sources:
Facebook School Library Pages:
Library - Lumberton Primary School
Library Northside Elementary School - AISD
Mallet School Library
Terry High School Library


Twitter
The tweets of the educational technology leaders varied in content.  The tweets ranged from educational resources, educational app, curriculum, articles that included technology, library functions and resources, social positions, personal life and school connections. These leaders are informative and have rich content. I will continue to follow them throughout my careers.

  • Jim Lerman @jimlerman had wonderful content mainly with links to articles regarding the digital age and education.  He also had tweets with resources of technology in education including apps/curriculum and helps.
Jim Lerman @jimlerman




  • Kathy Schrock @kathyschrock, she had content from her blog Katch of the month, tabletop texting, many education and computer apps, importance of vocabulary, learning more about incorporating technology in the classroom including app connections and 3d printing.  She is knowledgable in her field and has notes from her professional development seminars.  She includes valuable articles from other sources along with a few personal tweets.
Kathy Schrock @kathyshrock








  • Linda Braun @lbraun2000 has many retweets that are library related, activities and happenings throughout the country.  She retweets from YALSA regularly particularly on trends, libraries and national interest. Linda Braun was a former YALSA president and is passionate about the needs of teens and how libraries can intervene and make a difference.
Linda Braun @lbraun2000 





  •  Joe Fahs @mpondu has an excellent twitter feed.  His content is timely and has great connection for the librarian or anyone interested in technology and education.  He has a variety of content from personal, social, sports and education.  He tweets about privacy, digital apps, educational tools. I particularly enjoyed his retweet on the Smithsonian Learning Lab, a unending trail of information.  The Smithsonian has links for collection images, and articles pertinent to issues in education, popular culture and technology.
Joe Fahs @mpondu






  •  Gwyneth Jones @gwynethjones has a good twitter feed that mostly reflects the content of her blog.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I think Gwyneth is amazing and would love to go to her profession development classes.  She covers and retweets issues related to the library, her blog and post wins from her library. Ms. Jones has content specifically for her families but also for other interested in the topics she blogs and teaches.  She is an excellent example on how a school librarian can to connect families, students to the library and thus the school. She includes emojis, memes and pictures of her students that joins her community whether at her school or a larger following together.
Gwyneth Jones @gwynethjones






If you are interested, you can follow me @MsMlovesbooks16 .  I am still building my feed and haven't posted regularly.  I will do better, at least this semester. I have found there is usually a certain social media site that one gravitates to - my 18 year old son tends to communicate mostly on Snapchat and some on Instagram.  My early twenty something daughters use Instagram and a little Twitter.  My 20 year old has refused to create an account on Facebook, probably because Grandma is on there too. (This is important when thinking of our students' likes/dislikes). Needless to say, I have many accounts on varied social media sites as I connect with my own children.  We should be conscious of what avenue our target audience will gravitate to and use.

*I enjoyed this project and learned how to use HTML a little, which feels like a win.  #happyreading
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Saturday, June 2, 2018

Blogs and Blog Readers

Feedly


I chose Feedly as my preferred Blog Reader.  As I was reviewing different Blog Readers, I was looking for a RSS Reader where I could create my own personalized feed.  In Vicky Cassidy's article The 12 best RSS Reader Apps to follow your favorite Blogs, Sites and Feeds, she clearly deciphers many options of RSS Readers. Cassidy explained the features of each app along with the cost and graphics.  Feedly met all the needs I was looking for in a RSS Reader namely creating my own personalized feed.  It is easy to navigate, free and had an easy to install app on my phone.


5 Blogs to Follow


The Adventures of Library Girl  

I have followed Jennifer LaGarde for about a year, I found her while working on another school project.  She has excellent varied content, from her profession development, articles and ideas.  LaGarde has a passion for books and the library, she shares her heart and wins in the library. Her graphics and relatability drew me to explore her blog further.

Free Technology for Teachers written by Richard Byrne
www.freetech4teachers.com 

Richard Byrne has superior content with many different areas to explore.  He teaches about technology but also shares how to incorporate technology in the classroom.  He has tabs for iPad Apps for School, Practical Ed Tech, Google Tutorials, Creating Blogs and Websites, Video Creation among a myriad of information.  Byrne also blogs regularly on technology and educational topics.  I chose to follow him for the depth of material included on his site.  I want to incorporate more technology in the library classes and connect my staff with ways to include technology in their teaching.  I will highlight this site during professional development and in Smores I share with my campus next school year.

The Daring Librarian
www.thedaringlibrarian.com

 Gwyneth Jones has amazing articles with rich depth from her experience as a librarian and presenter.  She uses pictures and graphics along with her articles explaining and sharing practical knowledge to librarians.  Jones is interesting and has the reader wanting to learn more from her thoughts and ideas.  One blog that was of particular interest to me was: How to be a Teacher Librarian Rockstar, she writes that she tries to work hard, be reliable, be reflective and be positive.  These principles are core beliefs of mine in librarianship.  It is up to the librarian to bridge the gap with staff and students working hard and using positivity to influence others.

AASL Blog (American Association of School Librarians)
www.knowledgequest.aasl.org

AASL Blog has a wealth of scholarly articles/blogs written from a professional perspective.  The American Association of School Librarians advocates for school libraries and through their articles challenges librarians to be future ready and forward thinking.  The AASL provides good research to share with administrators and inspires librarians to be advocates of their library.  The blog's articles are diverse in content equipping librarians with knowledge.  I chose the AASL Blog because of the variety of information provided by this blog.  The articles are concise and further my understanding of librarianship.

Step into 2nd Grade
www.stepinto2ndgrade.com

Amy Lemons has an essential blog to follow, her projects are remarkable.  Step into 2nd Grade, is not grade specific, any educator could glean from the amazing content Lemons provides on her blog.  She has blog posts, curriculum connections, freebies and materials to shop.  The look of the blog is relevant and eye catching. The big question when looking at her blog is, "When does she have time to create and blog?".  The blog is rich in content but easily to navigate and will spark creativity in those that follow her.  I have following Amy Lemons since I was in the classroom and I have found many of her ideas ignite a new perspective and imaginativeness. The graphics and her materials are kid friendly and beautiful.   I would recommend this site to any elementary educator and those wanting to seeing excellence in creativity.


My Tumblr link:




Sources:

Cassidy, V. (2017, July 27). The 12 Best RSS Reader Apps to Follow Your Favorite Blogs, Sites, and Feeds. Retrieved June 2, 2018, from https://zapier.com/blog/best-rss-feed-reader-apps/

LaGarde, J. (2018, April 04). How to be a Teacher Librarian Rock Star. Retrieved June 2, 2018, from https://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/2018/01/how-to-be-teacher-librarian-rock-star.html


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Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Blast From The Past

How do these books stand the test of time?  Authors from the past who are still relevant.  How do these books continue to address contemporary issues? Is there any content that might be outdated? If so, what?
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Almond, D. (2008). The Savage. Cambridge, Massachusetts:  Candlewick Press.

Blue Baker has lost his dad and is being bullied by Hopper.  Due to his dad’s death, bullying and concern for Blue he is sent to a counselor.  She encourages him to write or draw.  Blue starts to write but he does not share his story and drawings which are in graphic novel style are intermittent with the story of his life.  The Savage is a wild boy that lives in the wilderness, through the Savage, Blue is able to articulate his pain and what he would really like to do to Hopper. When it comes to the climax of his story where the Savage will kill Hopper, Blue realizes he can’t bring himself to kill Hopper even when he could.   Hopper knows somehow that the Savage and Blue  are connected which causes him to leave Blue alone. The line of fantasy and true life are blurred but through the process Blue comes to term with the pain within him.

The Savage is beautifully written and shares the heart of a broken boy and family struggling with loss.  Almond’s use of intertwining the story of Blue and the Savage together is compelling and painfully identifiable to those who have gone through loss. He shows the beauty of writing as a way to channel feelings and hurt.  We all have a bit of Savage in us that wants to act out to those that have mistreated us.  This book stands the test in time, it is as relevant today as when it was written.  Blue’s conflicted emotions  points to the issues of loss, pain and bullying are addressed in this book. Almond created a book unlike a traditional children’s book that is darker but speaks to our feelings and hurt as we experience Blue’s emotion. 


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Peck, R. (1976). Are you in the house alone? New York: The Viking Press.

Are you in the house alone?  written in 1976 tells of a story of a girl being stalked in high school. Gail, the main character is in love with a boy and best friends with Alison. Gail’s town has many types of classes within their community; Alison’s boyfriend is within the most exclusive of groups and very wealthy. Even after repeated notes, anonymous calls to harm her, Gail decides not to tell anyone.  Alison sees the notes but tells her to forget it. Gail is attacked and her perpetrator is very familiar and rich. This book explores the aftermath of rape and how society treats the rapist that is privileged.

This book stands the test of time in that it reflects certain parts of society and the relationship between the classes.  Several news stories of rich young men committing crimes against women and being disregarded as serious criminals come to mind while reading this book.  It shows Alison’s dilemma of being questioned about the rape and forced silence among the police as well as peers  and family  even after tremendous evidence. The police trying to shift the blame to the victim and her boyfriend and protect the guilty. I would hope that is not as prevalent today with the medical field and police more aware and sensitive to victims of rape.  Reflecting on small town politics and have and have nots, I am afraid this dynamic happens more than we realize.  Statistics on college campuses reflect the outrageous numbers of rape and a culture of cover up.

I believe this book address contemporary issues of rape, a culture of silence and blaming the victim.  Also, a continued belief that  a woman that is raped and stalked somehow asked for it by the way she dressed or not taking the proper precautions.  The adage of boys will be boys and privileged white males are a problem still needing to be addressed further.  Throughout the years, author Richard Peck has reflected society and the culture of the day in his writing.



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Across The Pond

Is there anything that sticks out in these that Americans would have trouble with?  Any terminology or slang that would trip up an American reader?
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Townsend, S. (2004). Adrian Mole and the weapons of mass destruction. New York: Soho Press, Inc.

Adrian Mole is a 34 year old, who has a son in the military another in Africa and is drowning in debt.  It is set in 2002 to 2004.  This book is the sixth in a series about Adrian Mole throughout his life. Adrian is hopeless in life in general and is drawn to an awkward woman, Marigold who has a weird unconventional family.  The more he tries to end the relationship, the more they become involved.  He still keeps in touch with his old high school friends and what is happening in their lives.  He is still in love with Pandora, a beautiful high-ranking government official.  His friend Nigel is his faithful friend and experiencing blindness.  His friends and outlandish parents warn him about Marigold and he promises he will break up with her for good. Her half-sister, Daisy is alluring and Adrian enamored with her but still attached to Marigold.  His son and his friend are shipped out to the front and face danger every day. This book continues the saga of Adrian Mole with humor and shaking of one’s head  as Adrian continually gives into his reckless desires and his inability to take control of his life.

This book is funny and an easy read.  Adrian Mole is a pathetic but loveable character that seems to always make the wrong choice. He is an everyday man that has identifiable ways that are easy relatable to the reader or someone in their life.  Even though the story with his son being in Iraq is minimal, Townsend writes with heart and shares the parents’ nervousness about their son being at war.  I believe this book is more relatable as an adult novel rather than YA because of the age of the character, frankness of the language and continual sexual experiences. The author does a good job of including characters from previous books from his school years. Even if this was the first time the characters were introduced to the reader, they were likable and interesting.  I was not familiar with this series and now would like to start the journey with Adrian, friends and family from the beginning.  There was not anything that stuck out in the terminology and slang of the book that American readers would have a hard time understanding.  A lot of Adrian’s feelings and thoughts about the leadership during that time mirrors how many Americans felt with their leaders and about the war.





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