Library Thing with Grade 7

If you've read any of my blog, you probably know that I'm crazy about Library Thing. Yesterday I finally had a chance to show it to some classes. I taught 2 sections of 7th grade Humanities classes how to create their library and put Library Thing widgets on their blogs. 

The beauty of Library Thing is that it's sooooo easy. To register, you just create a username and password. You don't have to give an e-mail address or any other information. It's super simple. I showed the kids my library and the Library Thing widget on this blog. They quickly joined Library Thing and added books to their library. 

My favorite part of the whole process was listening to the kids talk about reading. One boy yelled out that Tunnels by Roderick Gordon is the best book ever written! Everyone was remembering books they've read and giving impromptu reviews. It was fun to witness an enthusiastic discussion about reading that just happened on its own. If we had tried to orchestrate this type of conversation it probably would have been stilted and lackluster. Somehow the sight of the book covers spurred on a natural discussion about literature.

Next the kids browsed the different styles of widgets and added one to their blog. They looked really good! Lastly, we created a Group so they could see what the others in their class were reading. The classes can have online discussions about reading and literature. 

The Humanities teacher and I really enjoyed the experience. It seemed like the kids did, too. It was a simple way of combining literature and technology and to promote and celebrate reading.

Is Technology Rewiring my Brain?

I used to be able to watch a movie without falling asleep. Not anymore! Just sitting and watching a movie or TV zonks me out within 15 minutes. In fact, I'm blogging right now while watching Eagle Eye. I decided to watch it in the afternoon to hopefully make it through the movie. I thought I could do it. I wasn't tired when the movie started, but about 10 minutes in, I started nodding off. Brenna knows the solution - give me a laptop so I'm doing something interactive. It works every time. Right now I'm surfing the net, chatting with my sister in California on Facebook and writing this post while watching the end of the movie. Mission accomplished!

So why is this happening? I have a difficult time focusing on one task. I'd much rather multitask. It kind of bothers me that I need more stimulus in order to focus. It doesn't make sense, but it's my reality. I don't remember being like this when I was younger, but maybe I was. My husband is less of a techie and he prefers to focus on one thing at a time. He has a difficult time reading with the TV on or any other distractions. Is there a relationship between 

being a techie and having to multitask?

I've read a little about digital natives and how kids' brains are different now because of technology. I'm 42. Has technology rewired my brain? Is this a good thing? Today I was talking to Amanda DeCardy and she has the same experience. She needs more stimulus to focus on one thing, otherwise her brain wanders. I feel your pain, sister! However, we can both read and get totally absorbed. Why? We think it's because when you read, you get immersed in the characters, you are taken to another location and you're also creating a movie of the book in your mind. Reading is more interactive for us. 

Recently I've wanted to do a little experiment. I'd like to test how much I grasp in a meeting where I can't multitask. No doodling or messing around on a laptop. Then test how much I grasp when I can multitask. I feel like I remember more when I have more going on, but how do I know what I'm missing?!? 

Does anyone else have similar experiences? A couple years ago I jokingly started calling it Adult Onset ADHD, but maybe it's more that. Maybe technology is changing how I process. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Maybe it's neither. Maybe it just is what it is.

Mother/Daughter Views on Blogging

I just helped Brenna put links to Youtube videos on her blog. (Please visit her blog and leave a comment! You'll totally make her day!) She wrote a brief post about animal abuse as part of her "free choice" homework assignment. So instead of her teacher being her only audience, she sent it out to the world. An authentic, motivating experience for her. What a big difference from when I was in 5th grade! I would have turned in a couple of paragraphs to my teacher who would have given it back to me with the usual grammar and spelling corrections. Authentic? No. Motivating? The "free choice" aspect would have been a little motivating, but definitely not exciting.

I asked Brenna what she liked about blogging:

Brenna: "I'm always excited when I get comments from people I don't know, people around the world. And also, when I go to someone else's blog, someone out of the school, then they comment back and that's cool. I like blogs because they're like your own website and when I get comments that means people are coming to my blog and reading it. You don't know the audience, but their comments are usually positive. It's cool seeing other blogs and what they write about. Usually when you go to someone's blog you get to know their personality. You can also get your ideas down and people can come to your blog and tell you they like your ideas and then help you."

And people from around the world ARE coming to Brenna's blog! I'm not sure why strangers are interested in what my 10 year has to say, but they are! She's had visitors from China, the US, Canada, Hong Kong and the Netherlands. Authentic? You bet! Motivating? Absolutely!

Although I've been a techie for a long time, I didn't embrace blogging at first. Jeff Utecht, now a tech integrationist at International School of Bangkok, introduced blogs to our school 3 years ago. Kids wrote about trivial things, like playing four square at recess. I didn't see the value. Yes, they were writing to the world, but no one was commenting and do you really have to tell the world when you win at foursquare? 

Now, 3 years later, teachers have discovered how to use blogs as an effective educational tool. Both of my kids have blogs that are used in almost all their classes. They even have posts written in Chinese! The only thing I can read of Brenna's Chinese post are the words Bobby and Benny. I have no clue what Bobby and Benny did, but 20% of the world's population can read her post!

Blogging has changed my children's education for the better. It's exciting to think what's next! I predict it's going to be social networks. Google Docs (social desktop publishing) is already happening and I think teachers will soon grasp the concept of using nings. I'm definitely not a technology visionary, but I'm going to watch those in the forefront to see how they use the latest technologies, especially nings. I need to remember how blogs evolved to be a very effective educational tool in a relatively short time. 

If I see a Four Square Ning, I know we're on the right track!

Griffin Evolve Speakers are Revolutionary!

My iPod speakers rock! If you haven't seen the Griffin Evolve speakers, check them out. No, the cube speakers don't float in the air, like you see in the picture! You put your iPod in the dock and then you can pick up and move the speakers around the room - they're wireless! It says you can have them 150 feel away. The speakers have an internal battery that charge while they're on the base.

I put them to the ultimate test on Saturday night. My friend had a girls' night party which ended with crazy dancing. Her apartment isn't huge, but my 2 speakers rocked the house! I had them at about 3/4 volume, which was plenty loud and the quality of the sound was crisp.

I had one speaker on top of the cabinet directly above the dock, about 6 feet high. The other was on a low table that was maybe 2 feet high. I worried that the speaker on the low table would cut out because there were a lot of people between it and the base. When I placed the speaker it cut out a couple times for a second or two. During the dance bonanza I went over to the speaker to check on it and it was always playing. If it did cut out, I didn't know about it and I don't think anyone noticed. My theory is that if it does cut out, it only happens for a very brief time and then finds a signal. In any case, they worked great.

If you're in the market for iPod speakers, give the Griffin Evolve a listen. We got ours at Target in the US this summer. The sound, convenience and size make it a fantastic buy.

Flipping Over Flips!

Big news! Flip has now come out with the Flip MinoHD! Woo-hoo! It weighs 3.3 ounces and holds 60 minutes of HD video on the internal hard drive. The original Flip is about the size of a cell phone and this once is thinner and lighter. Nice!

If you work in a school that doesn't have any Flip video cameras, beg, borrow (but don't steal!) to get one. Creating videos used to require a higher level of hardware, software and tech skills. Sure you might be able to check out a video camera from the library, but does your computer have a firewire port? Do you know how to capture the video? Flip video cameras take the hassle out of all that, so you can focus on the real reason  you're using it in the first place - to use video as a learning tool.

 

I was talking with Brenna's 5th grade teacher, Scott Hossack. They were doing a reader's workshop and the class was divided into 3 groups. He worked with one group and the other groups used Flips to record their sessions. He is going to watch the tapes and can then meet with those groups and give feedback. What a great use of technology! He was able to focus on the group he was working with, knowing that he wasn't missing the other sessions.

Flips are so easy, it's crazy. I've shown even the most techphobic teachers how to use these babies and he intimidation factor is practically at zero. Power on - press record - zoom in or out - press record to stop. That's easy, but really getting the video onto the computer is generally where it all falls apart. That's where the Flip shines. A cool little USB plug flips out the side and you just plug it in your computer and drag the file to your computer. Done. 

How Do They Compare?

Quality

I recorded the 4th adn 5th grade production of Romeo & Juliet on a Flip and on a Sony Handycam (traditional miniDV digital video camera). I thought the quality of the Flip video would pale in comparison, but it was the same. I couldn't tell which video came f

rom which camera. 

Speed

I dumped the 40 minute production of R&J on my computer in about 3 minutes with the Flip camera. I dumped the 40 minute production of R&J on my computer in at least 40 minutes with the Sony Handycam. Yes, it captures at real time. Also, I accidentally forgot to uncheck a box and the video was broken into 3 minute segments. Not what I wanted.

Zoom

You do sacrifice on zoom, though. The Flip only goes 3x optical, where traditional cameras go higher. I'm not sure how much they'll be able to improve in that area because you need a large lens to have a better optical zoom.

Size

3.3 ounces? Size of a small cell phone? Hello! You could pop this in your pocket and take it with you everywhere. Also, I recommend spending another 22 bucks on a Gorillapod tripod. You can put it on a table top or bend it around a street sign or, apparently, a surf board!

I hope Santa puts one of these under the tree for my family this year!

Library Thing Obsession

I've already blogged about Library Thing, but that was when I first discovered it. Now it's become somewhat of an obsession. My library is up to 108 books, but I know I'm missing quite a few. Dang! I wish I had kept that book diary like I always said I would! 

Today out of the blue I remembered a title that I read 3 or 4 years ago. I was so excited to get home and add it to my library. It's such a simple concept, but I'm hooked! I've also started looking at libraries of other people that have read some of the same books. While browsing their libraries I've found titles I've already read and can add to my library. I also see lots of great books that I want to read. I really need to get my hands on The Magician's Assistant and The Alchemist.

There's something about seeing all those covers. When you read a book, you make connections with the characters and even the author. You experience other places and situations. Seeing the cover brings it all back. A friend described it well when she said, "It's like seeing old friends!" 

Hey! I just thought of another title! That makes 109!

Stupid Box Jellyfish!

So I was really excited for our trip to Phuket next month - beautiful beaches, sunny weather, Thai food - paradise! I was also really excited to discover an e-mail from my sister-in-law in my Facebook Inbox. Hey! A message from Lisa! Rock on! 

Then it all changed...

Apparently there's an animal called a Box Jellyfish. Lisa told me that the intriguing looking boxies (see photo - gorgeous, eh?) are deadly and on the move. Well, the stinking boxies are already vacationing in Phuket. I guess they heard about the beautiful beaches, warm weather and Thai food, too. Who can resist green curry chicken? The deadly, gooey animals are on the east coast of Phuket and we'll be staying on the west coast. Do I want to spend my vacation worrying about a deadly swim? No thanks! I better get a plan B in case the boxies don't head back home to Australia or where ever else they normally hang out. Great. The one year I plan out our winter vacation early, it totally backfires. 

Stupid Box Jellyfish.

Sexy Technology

For some people it's blogs and wikis, Twitter and Thwirl. Sure I like all those things, but I have to admit sexy technology for me is Adobe Creative Suite! I'm all about layout and typography! Bring on kerning, tracking and leading, transparent color boxes and multiple layers. Give me free transform and the quick select tool any day!

Adobe Creative Suite 4 is out and I'm dying to check it out, but I can't afford it. I just signed up to be notified of when the trial versions are out. I'm sure it'll take me forever to download the trials with my slow Chinese Internet. Oh well. It's worth the wait.

Election Jitters

I've never been so nervous about an election before. I've also never been so disappointed and disgusted with an American President before. Thinking back to the 2000 election, where Gore got the popular vote, but lost the election, I can't help but think how that had a major impact on America and the world. The war, the economy, the divisions in the country...what would everything be like had Gore taken the ticket? I imagine it would be better than it is now, although unfortunately that's not saying much. 

Well, it's 7:30pm here, which makes it 6:30am in New York. In the next 14 hours I'll find out our future. I hope it's a good one for me, my family, America and the world. I hope it's change we can believe in.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Good!

So I figured out I'm a Jonathan Safran Foer fan. I read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close in a few days, which is my "vacation reading" speed, but I'm not on vacation! Was it better than Everything is Illuminated? I haven't decided yet. I liked some aspects of it more because it takes place in New York City and I grew up in New Jersey so I was comfortably familiar with the setting and some of the personalities. 

Foer wrote another original novel with an interesting plot and a cast of unique characters. Books are all about the characters for me and Foer creates people that I want to watch, listen to and learn more about. I find them very intriguing and enjoy learning about their lives. 

This afternoon I started The Rug Merchant by Meg Mullins. It must be good because all I want to do is finish this post and read!

Everything is Illuminated

I just finished Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. Wow. Truly wow. I haven't read such an orignal, interesting, intriguing, thought-provoking book in a very, very long time. It's not the type of book that flows easily, in fact at times during shot-gun dialogue where the main character was translating between English and Ukrainian, I was confused as to whom was actually speaking. The time period also changes causing me to make a mental shift. However, it's one of the few books that I will eventually read for a second time. This is the type of writing that will make other books seem ordinary and droll.

Part of the book is written by Alex, a Ukrainian teenager, whose English is unconventional and I'm sure he always writes with a thesaurus nearby! Passages made me laugh out loud! It was fun to figure what words he really should have been using. "It was rigid to converse." Huh? Oh! "It was hard to talk about it,"!!! He is also a funny, compassionate character, bragging about his nonexistent sex life and showing such pride in his younger brother, Little Igor.

But the book isn't just a comedy, it weaves in family history, love stories, heart-wrenching decisions and Nazi invasions. At times it got so intense, I had to put it down and take a little break.

The thing that really got me about the book was how raw and original it was. It was like listening to a very early Springsteen song - passion and energy pouring out in his voice, lyrics, his person. Foer was only 24 when he wrote Everything is Illuminated. Raw talent full of passion. It's amazing that someone that young can write like that, but maybe only someone that young can write like that. Springsteen is much more refined now. He's still passionate and full of energy, but it's different. Experience and maturity has changed his style. 

I haven't read Jonathan Safran Foer's latest book, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I'm curious to see what affect experience and maturity has had on his writing. I hope time and experience haven't polished his edges and muted his imagination.

Korean Pride!

Today was UN day at school. My 10 year old daughter Brenna was really excited about dressing up in her American garb. She also wanted to wear something Korean, but we didn't have much - a We Are Reds bandana was about it. On Wednesday a Korean mom and friend, In Young, came into the library. I asked if she had anything Korean that Brenna could borrow for UN Day. I was thinking maybe a T-shirt or Korean flag earrings or something. 

This morning she brought in the most beautiful, traditional Korean dress and GAVE it to me for Brenna. I was stunned!  She had it custom made for her daughter, but it doesn't fit her anymore. In Young picked out all the fabrics and she still remembers her daughter getting measured for the special dress. The dress was obviously very special to In Young and I was honored to be the recipient of such a special present.

Brenna is very proud of being Korean. She loves Korean food, even though it doesn't contain bacon!!! When I showed her the dress her eyes lit up. She couldn't believe it was for her. She opened the box on the bus ride home to get another peek. She showed it to friends on the cramped elevator. She tried it on and proudly looked in the mirror. She happily smiled for pictures. She tried it on again when her Korean father got home and walked across the hall to show the neighbors. 

The dress is much too big for Bren right now, but both she and the dress are gorgeous. How fantastic that she has such pride in her heritage and how generous of In Young to give her such a special present.

Facebook Spreads Like Fire

A friend of mine finally set up a Facebook account. She not a real techie and was one of the last hold-outs from my group of friends. She joined at 6:29 and already has 11 friends. Her list of friends includes family and friends in Canada, along with local friends here in Shanghai. In a matter of about 2 hours, she connected with people on 2 continents - writing posts on walls, chatting, adding friends. 

I bet she'll double or triple her friends in the next couple days. I'm sure she'll see loads photos of her nieces and nephews in Canada, her friend's wedding this summer, another friend's baby in Colorado, photos of a trip to Europe...the list will be endless. I wonder how many chats she'll have in the next week?

I didn't join Facebook right away because I was just too busy to add one more "thing", one more obligation to my life. I heard people at work talking about poking people or getting slapped with a fish and that didn't interest me at all. Actually, it still doesn't! I rarely do those gimicky apps on FB. I don't play super hero games and send people digital plants. I'm actually a Facebook dud, in that regard. (Although I did send my husband a Slurpee gift since we used to go on Slurpee dates when we were poor college students!) 

However, I'm a Facebook diehard now. For me, Facebook means connections. I login and quickly know what people are up to, just by looking at their status. I can view pix and comment on them quickly and easily. I recently became Facebook friends with a friend of mine from high school. We both graduated from The American School of the Hague. She's Australian and we hadn't been in touch in over 20 years. I just looked at her photos from her trip to Phuket where she put a snake around her neck! Now that I have time for!

(Hey, she just got another friend! That's 12 and counting. Not too shabby for a tech novice!)

Tweet me!

I recently got a Twitter account. Then, of course, I had to install Thwirl so I could get tweets all day long. I've entered the world of twittering, twirling, tweets. My mother would be so proud! She'd be totally confused, but proud nonetheless!

I started following people with similar interests - mostly librarians and tech people. I follow colleagues and friends, too. I love getting tweets from my peeps! People started following me. Most I know, some I don't. Twitter makes it really easy to network, in an almost creepy kind of way!

My tweets pop up with a gentle "bing" sound, alerting me that someone has something really important to say. Something they have to share with all their followers. If they've written it and sent it out, it must be worth my time. "Just had a cup of coffee. Needed the jolt." Hmmm. Not what I expected. 

Hence, I have a love-hate relationship with Twitter. I have to sift through a lot of useless messages to get a golden tweet that actually has good information. But they're there, if you're willing to sift through a little digital chit-chat.

I joined Diigo because of tweets. I watched a video about school reform and checked out a virtual library when people I followed sent informative tweets. Twitter was invaluable during the Learning 2.0 conference. When someone would create an "unconference", they would send a quick message with the details. "Librarians unconference at 11:30. Meet in front of the MS building." Twitter is the perfect tool for this situation. Excellent use of technology.

The golden tweets keep me coming back for more. I guess I'll keep sifting out the coffee talk!

Single Mom and Cell Phones

Well, Mike went to Chengdu on a school "China Alive" trip. He'll be home on Friday evening. So I'm a single mom for the week. Not as fun as it sounds! The morning dance of getting everyone ready for school is different without a dance partner. But modern technology keeps everyone in touch. I texted him this morning to grumble when the school bus didn't show up and he texted me before he went for a spicy dinner. I'm sure he'll text "good nights" and "I love you's" to me and the kids before the day is done. How nice to be able to stay connected so quickly and easily while we're far apart.  :o)

Library Thing!

I was reading TLC = Tech + Library + Classroom where I learned about Library Thing. What a cool sight! You can add books you're reading and have already read and they show up with the cover of the book. You can get recommendations and reviews for similar books or connect with other readers with similar taste. I'm obsessed with adding every book I've ever read! My library continues to grow and grow. I'm not sure I'll use the chat feature, but I'm already reading reviews and recommendations for book that I want to read. Great site! Thanks, Tara!

How Life Can Turn Upside Down in No Time At All

Jolly

Sometimes life shows you who's in charge and, no surprise, it's not me. I often discover this truth when things don't go my way or turn out the way I anticipated. Life is unfair. I've heard that since I was a little girl. My parents weren't trying to be mean, they were just stating facts. Most of the time, the unfairness is annoying, but tolerable. Last week "unfair" took on a whole new meaning. 

Jolly was my library TA for 3 years. She was fun, positive, intelligent, hard working, kind, helpful - the list of positive adjectives can just go on and on. She smiled and laughed more than anyone I know! She was fantastic to be around. We never had a disagreement or even an uncomfortable moment. If we had a problem, we brain stormed solutions and picked the best one. Problem solved. 

Jolly passed away 2 weeks ago, very unexpectedly. It doesn't seem like it's been 2 weeks already. Just by coincidence, I've been out of the library for much of the 2 weeks. I had Critical Friends Group training and then we were on vacation. Being out of the library and keeping my mind on something else has helped me through. Tomorrow I'm back at work, in the library, without Jolly. It'll be a tough day. Grieving isn't a fun process. I hope that time really does heal.

Blog Dilemma

I can't figure out if I should be creating a personal blog - talking about my life, my family, what's important to me - or should I stick with professional topics and talk about books and technology. Who's really going to read this? Will I have an "audience" that anxiously waits for my every post? Probably not. I should assume I'm writing for myself, as a form of express and cheap therapy! 

If I'm writing for myself, I don't want to box myself in, so I'll make it a personal blog. I can write about books and technology in a personal blog, but I can also write about the funny things my kids do or what's happening in my life. There! My first blog decision has been made. I feel better already!

I can send the links to my family and friends and see if anyone has the time to see what I have to say. Do I have much to say? I guess I'll find out!