For Whom the Bell Told: MA Bell's Blog About Librarianship and Technology

Wow! I Stumbled Upon Something!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:11:00 +0000

Recently I was in my home town library in San Marcos, TX, looking for an audio book to listen to on my drive back to my 2nd place in Huntsville. I came across a selection with an engaging cover showing a dog, a Southwest setting, and a pun. The word mystery was also included. That was enough for me. A mystery with a dog as a character? That was enough for me! The punny title was Thereby Hangs a Tail. I decided to give it a try.

Thus I found myself driving home the next day, alternately chuckling and laughing out loud. Chet, the canine half of this detective team, is also the narrator. He is very smart, incredibly brave, and completely devoted to his master, Bernie. But he is a DOG. He understands a great deal of what the humans say, but has trouble with idioms. For instance when a friend tells Bernie, "You look like something the cat drug in," Chet is mystified. How can that be? There are no cats around...Bernie is so big...

Coupled with the narration from a dog's mind, there is an engaging mystery about a kidnapping, murder, and some corrupt lawmen. Needless to say Chet and Bernie close the case, like always. The series that has four books so far. Along the way I felt like I was picking up some real insights into how a dog thinks.

Back in San Marcos this week, I picked up another book in the series, The Dog Who Knew Too Much. But I felt a little guilty for reading these light books when I could instead be reading some great YA titles. Tonight I decided to learn a bit more about the author, Spencer Quinn. That's when I realized I had stumbled onto something. Spencer Quinn is a pen name for YA author Peter Abrahams. He is well known and recognized for his YA mysteries including Reality Check and Into the Dark. He also writes under his real name for younger readers, with books like Quacky Baseball. I have to confess I have not read his books for young readers, but now I can feel a bit virtuous for enjoying books by an author known and loved by youngsters.

The Chet and Bernie books are tons of fun. There is enough "adult material" to satisfy adult readers, but I would have them in my high school libraries as well. Give Chet and Bernie a try and I do recommend the audio, read by Jim Frangione. You'll be doggone glad you did!

My love affair with mindmaps

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:25:00 +0000

I love mindmaps! My fondness for them started years ago when we called them writing webs, story webs, etc. and they were either distributed on memo sheets (remember them?) or teachers had students draw them. They were and still are great ways to organize thoughts. Then in the '90s I got excited about Inspiration software. I still think it is a great product, as is Webspiration. However, in hard times it is challenging to find funds for subscription software. Fortunately there are great alternatives that do not involve spending extra money:

Microsoft Office Tools have become so sophisticated that it is easy to use them to make mindmaps. If you use Open Office (also free), it has these tools too.
There are lots of free online mindmapping resources. Just do a Google search and see!I hesitate to give a list because there are so many, but I just came across a blog that is devoted completely to mindmapping:The Mindmapping Software Blog: http://mindmappingsoftwareblog.com/product-reviews/
Here is another good source if you are looking around for software to try: Adrian Bruce's How to Create Mindmaps Using Free Software: http://www.adrianbruce.com/computers/mindmap/mindmap.htm
Remember to search using both spellings, mindmap and mind map, and also graphic organizers.

BUT WAIT! You say...In these hard times I don't have enough computers for all my students to make mindmaps, nor do I have the time to book the lab when I have so much else to do! Well, this week I have been thinking about teachers and librarians in that situation. My concern led me to take a step back and look for hand-drawn mindmaps. Wow! I discovered that they have been continuing in popularity and even becoming an art form while I have been unaware of all this creativity! To me, having students do maps by hand is good for lots of reasons. It teaches them the same organizational skills as the online tools, it encourages them to be even more creative without the canned graphics, and it improves motor skills. Here are some sites that got me so excited about doing mindmaps by hand. I believe you could just show some examples (depending on the ages of the students) and let them go. Evaluating and sharing their creations will be even more fun than those made by computer. Here are some sites for ideas:

Mind Map Art: http://www.mindmapart.com/
Mind Map Inspiration (note this has nothing to do with the product): http://www.mindmapinspiration.com/
Idea Maps Photostream by Jamie Nast: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7232141@N07/
If you do a search of Flikr you will find more mindmaps, both computer and hand generated.
Additional searching will yield even more sites.

I know that after my revisiting the land of hand-drawn mind maps, I will be using them in my classes. Happy Mappy Days!

Why I Love Instagram

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 03:44:00 +0000

For starters, I love my iPhone. Anybody that knows me knows that. Instagram is an app originated for use with the iPhone though I hear it is or will be available for the Android as well. Also, I have a longstanding interest in photography. In a previous life I took some leisure courses in composition and 1070's era camera techniques. Several cameras later I ran out of time to continue nurturing my hobby. In recent years I came back to photography with a bit of a schtick, taking pictures of my Nancy Pearl Action Figure wherever I go. This is a lot of fun and caused me to start looking for shots where Nancy could be a fun focal point. Yes, some people thought this was a little weird, and one colleague even calls it...creepy. She has her own issues as well, though.

Anyway, several months ago I downloaded Instagram at the behest of a virtual friend from the iVote community, another phone app social networking group who like opinion polls. There I found a nice group of other iVote friends with whom I immediately became friends. Gradually I became hooked. Why do I like it so much?

I travel the world virtually several times a day. Bruno Nunez lives in Rio. Irish_Blue is, of course, from Ireland. Photojournalist is from Dominican Republic. Jsui is a law student in Boston, and somehow I feel a bit motherly toward her. I regularly communicate with these and more "friends" from Hawaii, all over the continental US, Canada, Amsterdam, and other places all over the world. Far too many Americans think the only place in the world to be happy is the USA. I revel in sights of people enjoying life and their pursuits of happiness across this wide world.
I see a wide range of photographic skills and styles. Some people like using editing filters and other apps to enhance their pictures. I am just starting to get into that. Others just point, shoot, and share. These pictures can have immediacy and candor that is quite striking. Several of my "friends" are teenagers and a couple of these are already experimenting with editing and composition. They might even be setting the stage for future careers, or if not certainly for lifelong avocations.
I get to see an amazing variety as far as the pictures' subject matter. Mac_cactus ALWAYS shares stunning shots of cactus. He has over 6000 followers and follows no one. M_gardenfav always posts pictures of plants. Mikeguevin takes stunning sky shots and landscapes. Alex D likes architecture, as do many other members. Tobaccio is into macro photography, especially focusing on liquids. Neimanji treates us to daily pictures of her amazingly compliant beagle who poses with great aplomb, always with a neutral background or setting. Her shots rival Wegman's! Bruno regales us with narratives that go along with pictures of Brazil and also of his world travels. Goldfrapp is a New Yorker and shares Big Apple shots. Fellow librarians will want to follow Buffy Hamilton. Lately she has been doing nature shots. Another active librarian is KarinLibrarian, my colleague and teen lit aficionado.
The biggest reason I love Instagram is that it causes me to look at the world in a different way. Instead of just walking by something that catches my eye, I now stop and take a picture. All I am using at this time is my iPhone camera. Because of Instagram, I now look at the world more closely and through different eyes. This is the most powerful aspect of Instagram, and the main reason I love it. It has changed the way I see the world.

PS I am including a shot I took the other day at the Houston Zoo. I was walking through a tunnel in the new African Forest section and passed under a hole through which the sky was visible. Before Instagram I would have just looked up and walked on. Instead I stopped and took the picture.

Attention Dog Lovers! Here's a Great Lighthearted Mystery Series for Grownups!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 01:07:00 +0000

Browsing the shelves at my local public library, I came across an audiobook that sounded fun--Thereby Hangs a Tail: A Chet and Bernie Adventure by Spencer Quinn. Little did I know I was about to become a fan of a new series. Chet, canine half of the detective team, narrates. Bernie, his softhearted but tough human companion, joins in to get the job done. Chet's take on the case, on humans, and on the world, is hilarious. I haven't laughed this much at a book since Jasper Fforde's The Fourth Bear. Sadly, Fforde has not added to the Nursery Crimes series since. I am so happy that there are already several other titles in this series so I have somewhere to turn when I finish this one. I'm just hoping my library has all of them. This book had me laughing out loud on my most recent drive between my two hometowns. Now I can't wait to make the drive--and listen--again. If you liked Hank the Cowdog, or even if you never read these kids' books, you will like this series. If you want a fun read or listen, check out these books. And get this: Chet has his own blog: http://www.chetthedog.com/tag/thereby-hangs-a-tail
Do yourself a treat and enjoy Chet and Bernie!

PS Jasper Fforde has a great website too: http://www.jasperfforde.com

My Writing Full Circle

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:45:00 +0000

Back in the 1990's and even early 2000's I was an avid computer user, but still could not compose and write online. I had to write a piece in longhand and then key it in, often revising as I went. This served me well. I wrote my entire dissertation this way. On one memorable day I got very inspired and literally wrote for hours, running all the ink out of my pen. I expect this would always be THE WAY for me to write something important. Then at some point I realized I was composing online. I no longer needed to write out on paper first, and I dropped the step. Yesterday I was writing a thank-you note, and I wanted it to be just right because it was for very special hospitality on the part of wonderfully welcoming people. I had bought a nice card that seemed to hit the right note. I decided that I wanted to be sure I knew what I was going to say before I put pen to card, so I composed the note online and revised. THEN I copied that onto the card without any cross-outs. After I finished, I realized I have completed a circle. Now I have to write on computer before I feel good about penning something important. Interesting.

Are You making New Year's Resolutions? I have ONE and It's Important!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:08:00 +0000

I follow Daily Infographic, and this is a great posting: http://dailyinfographic.com/new-years-resolutions-infographic?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DailyInfographic+%28Daily+Infographic%29
I am taking the advice offered and only making ONE resolution. I will accompany it with several things I HOPE I will do. Here is my one single resolution: SIT LESS--BE LESS SEDENTARY. This resolve actually is triggered by another recent Daily Infographic called Sitting is Killing You: http://dailyinfographic.com/sitting-down-is-killing-you-infographic. It hit me hard right before the holidays that I sit way too much, and I blogged about it then. This chart made me realize how very sedentary I have become. In fact I have to admit to being downright lazy. It's a nasty habit, I fear, and one that could shorten my life. The resolution chart's advice is to make the goal measurable, specific, and realistic so I am setting a bench line of 4 exercise days a week as opposed to my old 3, which I wasn't hitting anyway. Beyond that, though, I want to work on a habit to get up and move around more when I am working at home or in office. So when you see me in my office, nag me to get up and do a flight of stairs or something!

Here are two HOPES:
1. Be more regular with blog entries. Not setting a number but just putting out the intention for myself.
2. Organize my life--finances, home responsibilities, health maintenance, etc. Again no bench mark.

My final hope is that I make progress on these things! If you made resolutions, I wish you well with them too!

Happy New Year! My 3 Fave Apps of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 02:05:00 +0000

I might as well do it. I might as well start the year off with a blog entry. I started this blog because of a New Year's Resolution back in 2007. Since then I have had ups and downs, never quite reaching and maintaining the level of activity I resolve to attain. Last year I did well in the early months but then dropped off sharply as job duties eclipsed all other activities. But I am hoping to make THIS they year when I hit my stride and keep it going!

For a starting-off entry I asked myself what are some applications that I have found to be compelling and even addictive in the past year. Here are several. If you have not tried any of these, I offer them up for your consideration:

Dropbox: Why oh why did I wait so long to try this? I have been a constant user for several months now and don't know how I managed without it. I have the convenience of getting my files anywhere at any time, plus the security of knowing they are stored one more place for security--in the cloud. For some reason it gives me a huge charge to pull up my MS Office docs on my iPhone.
Instagram--This is my new favorite iPhone app. It combines social networking with love of photographers. I follow a mix of sincere amateurs like myself and professionals who share amazing pictures. We comment on one another's submissions. I am on this site several times a day. As far as I can tell it is strictly an iPhone app. It has reawakened my interest in photographer and refreshed the way I see the world. That's a lot for a free app!
Pininterest--Like a lot of folks, I find this site addictive. I have two boards that are active right now, and add to one or both almost daily. There are tons of great sites out there, and here are my two. I confess to being a bit proud of them:

Ma Bell's Medicine Show for Raising Morale: http://pinterest.com/drmaryannbell/ma-bell-s-medicine-show-for-raising-morale/
I Can See Clearly Now: Great Visuals: http://pinterest.com/drmaryannbell/i-can-see-clearly-now-great-visuals/
Both titles are pretty descriptive. With the first board, I started out collecting humor and then expanded to include sites that make me smile or just plain feel good. I have an ongoing interest in digital images and visualization, which led to the second board.
While I find it hard to blog regularly, I add to these almost daily. Go figure.

I keep thinking there are some others I really like, but these are the standouts. What about you? What apps or sites have changed how you think or do things this past year?

The Power of Images

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 23:52:00 +0000

One of my ongoing interests is infographics. I love the many cool informational images that are available on the web. I think they are great for working with students of all ages, both to show and share, and also to have them create their own. Today I was struck by the impact of one such graphic on me personally. There is a great site called Daily Infographic (http://dailyinfographic.com/), which offers just what it says. The one I happened upon is called Sitting Down is Killing You (http://dailyinfographic.com/sitting-down-is-killing-you-infographic). For some reason it really grabbed me and made me think about something I already knew...that I am far too sedentary. Because of this graphic I got out of my recliner on Saturday, the first day of Christmas Break. I mowed the grass and swept the walks. Then I took my good boy dog for a walk. I am almost positive I would not have done any of that if not for the graphic. That's pretty powerful! I think I feel a New Year's Resolution coming on...

With a Heavy Heart I Write to Defend Child Labor Laws

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 02:42:00 +0000

The reason I am sad is that it seems child labor laws in our country NEED defending. It appears that Newt Gingrich's cynical idea of striking down those laws is actually gaining some traction. This prompts feel I have to respond and try to explain why those laws must not be diluted, much less repealed. To my Facebook friends, I am just trying to explain what I tried to say there about child labor. Here goes:

I find it distressing to feel the need to explain why I think child labor laws should not be repealed in our country. To me, it is like having to explain why laws against fraud or theft should not be repealed. But we have a presidential candidate who says child labor laws are outmoded and should be eliminated. This is a verbatim quotation from Newt Gingrich’s description of his idea: “"It is tragic what we do in the poorest neighborhoods, entrapping children in, first of all, child laws, which are truly stupid," said the former House speaker, according to CNN. "Most of these schools ought to get rid of the unionized janitors, have one master janitor and pay local students to take care of the school. The kids would actually do work, they would have cash, they would have pride in the schools, they'd begin the process of rising."

Now, why is this a bad idea?
• Kids can already work at age 14. At the age of 11 they can have paper routes. They can also do agricultural work. So Gingrich seems to mean to “emancipate” younger kids than 14, or in the exceptions, the age of 11. Is this really what we want?
• Picture the end of a school day. The kids with parents who can provide for them welcome the bell. They are off for scout meetings, music lessons, soccer or softball or whatever sport they enjoy. If they are lucky, they are off for a little goofing off in the back yard before it’s homework. The other kids, the poor kids, report to a “master janitor.” They are in for several hours of cleaning up after their more affluent peers. No down time for them! No after school programs, computer clubs like the one I used to sponsor, or boys and girls clubs which now often serve kids regardless of income. No tutorials or other extra help offered after school. After all they have to work, right? THEN for all, there IS HOMEWORK after supper. Who will have the energy and wherewithal to do a good job on it?
• Oh yes, and maybe they can work in libraries. Of course. Because all librarians do is stamp books and then put them on their shelves. Those books get evaluated, selected, budgeted, acquired, processed, and promoted by… well by whom? And who teaches kids how to navigate in the sea of digital information in which we all flounder today? Far too few people know what a teacher-librarian does. To say KIDS could take on the job of teacher-librarian or, for that matter for custodian, is demeaning to the adults who work hard to do the best for the kids at their schools.
• If you don’t think this will result in a level of classism that is far more pronounced to what already exists in public schools, you are naïve. What is to stop the rich kids from purposely creating extra work for the poor kids? This is a likely and sad by-product.
• And what to the “rich kids” learn? They learn that there is an underclass that serves them, even from the earliest age.

Does this make me a liberal wingnut who wants to enable the poor to remain lazy and shiftless? I don’t think so. First of all, to say that poor people are in that state due to their own laziness is a cruel and cynical lie. Many people are out of work today due to our economy, remember? And many others are under-employed. I worked with kids in public schools for 25 years and I do not recall ever specifically remember knowing of a family of welfare cheaters. At the same time I knew plenty of poor kids and their parents.

OK so why am I against having kids work in schools and libraries? Well I am not, of course! As a classroom teacher I had student assistants at the junior high where I worked in Spring Branch. I have followed their progress into their adult lives. They were more than students to me, they were my special kids. The same held true when I was a junior high librarian. I was lucky enough to work in a school, York Junior High in Conroe ISD, TX, where I had 2-3 library assistants every period. At York, you had to prove you were worthy of being a student assistant. It was an honor. I interviewed my future helpers, who were top students and great kids. They were the ones who maintained our shelves and they were proud and diligent workers. Beyond that I had a library club. I started it in the first days of my new library job. We named it TLC, The Library Club. These were also kids who wanted to help in the library. They came in before and after school and during lunch. Further, I always asked to work with hearing disabled kids. They would come in with their aides and work. There were other kids working in our school in the counselor’s office, nurse’s office, and administrators’ offices. Anyone who does not know that kids daily perform valuable work in schools right now every day has not spent much time in a public school to see how it really works. But it’s not for pay and it should not be.

Another thing that was mentioned in the Facebook exchange was that we adults worked as kids and it didn’t hurt us a bit. Well, right. I worked in my family business from age 12. We all pitched in, with Mom and Dad working long hours in the kitchen after supper to crank out the documents, abstracts, for our title business…and I do mean cranking out. They used a manual mimeograph machine. We kids would clean the kitchen and help with other chores, As soon as I could type, I was working in the office. BUT I was also in scouts, the band, the pep squad, and clubs. If I had a big assignment due, I didn’t have to work. School always came first. Surely people can see the difference between this and the situations that will rise from the repeal of child labor laws?

The notion of repealing child labor laws is horrifying to me. If people really think this is OK, it means our country has sunk to a lower level than I ever imagined. It took years of hard work to enact these laws. Before that, children were terribly exploited. And by the way, kids are still badly exploited today, especially in our growing fields. To go back to the pre-Depression days when kids were widely employed in factories is not a possibility I ever dreamed would be presented by a political candidate. To know it is gaining some traction literally hurts my heart.

Wisdom of Kathy Schrock about Collaboration

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 20:37:00 +0000

For several years I have been, as my dad would say, "treatnin' to" write a book about the need for collaboration between school librarians and school technology specialists. Ever since hearing Marla McGee and Barb Jansen present about their book, The Principal's Guide to a Powerful Library Media Program, I have thought there should be something of that kind to advise librarians and tech teachers. The problem was...I had no answers as to how to make things better when there is not a good working relationship between the two entities. Finally I decided to propose the book anyway and find answers as I went along. I enlisted to wonderful colleagues, Dr. Holly Weimar and James VanRoekel, and we are hoping to conclude this project before too very long. I sought advice from the experts, mostly from those in the trenches. Today I also gathered up my courage and contacted some of my heroes. Within two hours I had a wonderful and very practical response from KATHY SCHROCK! Here is what she had to say:

“I would strongly encourage them to create a three-sided teaching model that includes the librarian, technology specialist, and content specialist in the development of the curriculum. "Library" and "computers" are not subjects, in my opinion. They are both very important components of curriculum that both allow students to showcase knowledge as well as become proficient in all of the 21st century skillsets.” She went on to say, “I would suggest a sit-down together, each listing the types of things they do with students, and first see the overlap. I am guessing that the librarian list, among other things, will include some type of information literacy model that is used to make sure students develop good questions, pick the appropriate resources, effective searching skills and critical evaluation of the information they find, with the addition of correctly citing the information. In addition, the librarians will talk about copyright, fair use, and Creative Commons and the respect for the intellectual property of others.

The technology specialists will talk about having students pick the correct tool for the job, whether on the computer or tablet, or Web-based. They might include tools that help students gather information and collaborate in real-time as well as the creation of project-based things that culminate in a movie or presentation. This group will also include the overview of publishing material with respect to font and color and how best to communicate using technology. They will include the fact they cover cyber-safety and identify protection and proper Internet etiquette.

The third part of the triangle that should be invited to the table is the content specialist (the classroom teacher). The classroom teacher should be one to drive the content of both of the other two, and work with them to development appropriate formative and summative assessments that both showcase mastery of the content as well as use of the technology and information literacy skillsets.”

Such a meeting of minds could not help but be beneficial to all concerned. Kathy is absolutely right that the third side of the triangular model, the classroom teacher, must never be overlooked. The librarian and technology specialist share the responsibility of supporting classroom teachers in all their efforts and needs from immediate quick answers to staff developments to collaborative projects. And it should be added that the real raison d’etre for the entire set of efforts is the students. I wish I had this back when I was in a school library and working with our technology specialist. Having a formal model and keeping the principal in the loop would have been very beneficial.

HELPING HELICOPTER PARENTS...AND THEIR KIDS!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 23:02:00 +0000

HELPING HELICOPTER PARENTS...AND THEIR KIDS!
I wish I was an every-single-day blogger like my hero Teri Lesesne. Or even three times a week as I have done for a while in the past. But I am not yet quite un-busy enough to get my act together for that. However there are times when nothing fills the bill for me like a blog post so here goes...and I am FARMING OUT THE REST! I had a wonderful response to a question last week and want to share it (with her permission). The question was...how do you help ratchet down the fear that helicopter parents have about their kids? The wise answer was from:

Lisa Hunt, NBCT 2005
School Library Media Specialist
Apple Creek Elementary
Moore, OK
lisa3moon@yahoo.com

And here is what she said:

Helicopter parents? I combat that in the way I run the library. Our students use self-check-out and it works. Students beginning in 1st grade learn their ID number, type that into the Circ Desk and check out their own books. I have a rug below the Circ Desk keyboard and we have a rule... one person on the rug at a time. I do this to begin lessons on Identity Security. No one needs to see the screen when someone is doing library business. One person on the rug and everyone else waiting patiently in line teaches students that it is wrong and rude to peer over someones shoulder as they conduct business, and society expects us to be able to wait patiently in a line for our own turn. Students need these lessons to do business as adults at an ATM, the Post Office, a bank, or any other place they conduct private business.

So, this expectation sets the stage. I also use Skoob the Shelf Elf as part of my library behavior program. His message demonstrates expected library behavior from the students. They work as a class to earn the Golden Shelf Elf certificates that I award (and additional recognitions.) I build cooperation and teamwork among the classmates when they come to the library.

Now, back to those Helicopter Parents. I've watched over the years as parents and some primary teachers are amazed at the behavior our students exhibit in "Their Library." The sense of ownership that students feel is the best part of how I run the library and that is why it works. Recently, our district opened a new elementary school that took 150+_of our students. That faculty "voted" that the librarian or clerk would check out books and there would be no self-check-out. ( I was incensed that my friend who was opening that library would allow the faculty to make such a decision, but she said she was going for unity.) Anyway, many parents (many of them volunteers in that library) complained that students weren't feeling the ownership of their library like "they had at the old school" and it was because they didn't independently check-out books and make their own behavior decisions when they visited the library. That was one year ago, and this year the librarian took back her domain and changed several things.

My point here is that my students learn independence and demonstrate pride in the way they operate in their library. Parents (and there have been many) and even some of my teachers have exclaimed "I love the way you allow students to have this control! It really boost their esteem to do their own business. I never thought my 7 year old was capable of doing something like this without adult help." I even had one teacher new to our building but with 11 years experience (other states and other districts) tell me, "I love the way you run this library. It is the most efficiently run school library I've ever used." For the first time in 5 years I have no assistant this year. Also, know that our district is a flexible scheduling district and library time is not part of the rotation.

Basically, I combat helicopter parent syndrome by building independent information literacy. I tell students in almost every lesson, "You are becoming good consumers of information, and you need these skills to survive!"

Onward and Upward

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 03:50:00 +0000

Yesterday was my birthday, and it was a milestone one. Nah I don't try to hide it even if I cannot quite say the exact number (rhumes with bixty hive). Neither do I plan to retire. My dad worked right on up to age 95 and only quit because his wheelchair was unwieldy in the office. He is my hero and I believe that, like him, I am not a person who would retire well. BUT I have taken a major step in the direction of a less stressful and tiring work schedule. As of September 1, I am no longer Chair of the Department of Library Science at Sam Houston State University. I am resuming my "old identity" as full time Associate Professor of Library Science. I am able to do this because my friend and colleague, Dr. Holly Weimar, has agreed to step up into the Chair's position. Last Friday was moving day. She moved into the 4th floor corner office with the great view. She will get to have the business cards with CHAIR on them. I am so grateful to her for taking on this largely thankless job. It does come with a decreased class load and a humorously diminutive stipend. Well maybe its not so funny but laughing about it helped me. I will go back to doing the things I really love--teaching, writing, and presenting. I will also serve as Assistant Chair and promise to help Holly at every opportunity. Maybe, maybe, I will also post to my blog more often! I am grateful to all the great folks in our department who supported me, listened to me vent, and went above and beyond the expected in helping with department initiatives, including our dramatic increase in enrollment in the last two years. Thanks everybody and especially Holly! The job has many rewards as well as headaches. I confess to feeling a great weight removed from my shoulders and I am humbly grateful for that.

Happy Birthday to Me!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 20:04:00 +0000

It's my birthday and I am all alone. My daughter is on a trip. I chose to stay off the roads over Labor Day because I always hate the holiday traffic. So here I am with just my dog and cat. One thing I tend to do on my birthday is remember past ones. I remember a backyard party with a pinata. Maybe my all time favorite memory is a surprise birthday party on my 16th. Another time, many years later, I looked up from the circulation desk in my library to see kids pushing a piano through the door. A wave of irritation swept over me because I had no notice of an event being scheduled that day. But then the choir trooped in and sang Happy Birthday. What a thrill! I remember black balloons on a couply of landmark birthdays. And I remember one sad day when I went to work and not a single person mentioned my birthday. My daughter was away at school and my husband was spending the week down in Houston. By the end of the day I was enveloped in gloom. I came home and checked mail. No cards there either. I had been surrounded by people all day but felt very, very lonesome.

Today I have not had any calls. No cards came in the mail, another sad reminder that Dad is gone, because he always sent one. BUT I am overwhelmed by an avalanche of great greeting! I have a wonderful collection of Facebook greetings and ecards. I have heard from old high school friends, many of them who were at that surprise party. I have heard from colleagues, students, and even some of my heroes! I do not feel a bit downhearted about my choice to spend this beautiful day relaxing on my back porch, enjoying incredible weather, and watching all the events in my back yard. I got my fountain up and going this morning after weeks of weather so dreadfully hot that I didn't have the heart for it. I am truly blessed to have such a nice day. And I am very grateful for social networking and specifically Facebook.

I am not one of those naysayers who want to claim social networking isolates people. This gloomy description still pops up despite a very credible PEW research survey to the contrary. I did a quick search and found that there are still people out there making this claim. Here is the wackiest article I could find:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1149207/How-using-Facebook-raise-risk-cancer.html

ANYTHING can be done in excess. I have had students who READ constantly and were very isolated from their peers. I had a friend whose husband got obsessed with playing darts in bars. They divorced over that. Another guy got hooked on playing those games where you snag the toys with the little crane. Shopping is fun but too much of it can break your pocketbook and your marriage.

As for me, I just want to say thanks for all the wonderful messages! I treasure them one and all. I have actually lost count of how many I have received, but counting would be a little obsessive anyway, huh? So thanks again to all my online friends. I am off to buy myself something online for my birthday...

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 00:53:00 +0000

This will be a brief entry but I cannot resist saying good-bye to a very special person on the SHSU campus. Normally my entries are not directed just to students and faculty, but I feel compelled to celebrate the career of Dr. Alice Fisher, Chair of the Department of Health and Kinesiology at Sam Houston State University. Alice became my mentor as I stunbled through my first year as a department chair and remained my go-to person through the next two years. Now she is taking a well-deserved retirement. There were tons of wonderful things said by colleagues, both in the video we prepared for her and in person, but I just want to add one more fond farewell. I have never worked with a more generous, positive person. Her example has been a motivator for countless students and colleagues. One of the last comments shared at her reception today was from a member of her faculty. He said..."In all these years, Alice has NEVER DISAPPOINTED ME." That comment is what I think makes this worth publishing to a wider audience. What a thing to be able to say about someone, especially someone who has had

a position of leadership. It is too late for me to earn such an accolade, but I will continue to remember her example as long as I continue teaching, and indeed beyond that. And remember Alice, I DO have your cell phone number!
PS That's Alice on the right with our new Department Chair, Dr. Holly Weimar, on the left.

Three Cheers for Higher Education

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:11:00 +0000

It's that time of year again...students and educators at all levels are gearing up for the 2011-12 school year. If your local school has not started already, it will likely have its first class day tomorrow, at least in Texas. SHSU starts a week earlier than some universities, but the startup is looming for all of us. Yesterday I went to Freshman Convocation at Sam Houston State University. The coliseum was crowded with students, faculty, and parents. There was a bit of pomp and circumstance with faculty in regalia and a formal beginning to the event. Then we heard from our university president, and the student body president, and ended up with the Alma Mater. The band was there with usual exuberance. It was a beautiful (if sweltering) evening with supper served for all afterward. I enjoy this kickoff event every year even though our department only serves graduate students. It's a great time of coming together to share our loyalty to, as our previous President Gaertner used to say, "this grand old university."

As I was sitting in the audience, I could not help thinking of Western Governor's University which touts a 2 1/2 year bachelor's degree for $15,000. This school has recently received a lot of attention in Texas due to "Governor" Rick Perry's endorsement. It allows students to work at their own pace and use "life experience" as part of their studies. I wonder about that. When I showed up in Waco for my freshman year at Baylor, I had precious little life experience to prepare me for anything other than being a highschooler who worked for her daddy on Saturdays and during summer vacations. I worry about what these students will NOT get, both in and out of the classroom. One strength of colleges like WGU is said to be that they will allow "non-traditional" students to get educations. Maybe so but I know that SHSU has a great track record in this arena as well. I am proud of the fact that over 70% of our graduates are the first in their families to receive bachelor's degrees. In addition to campus life, I cannot help suspecting that actual instruction will get short shrift also. Students will not have much contact with their professors, who will teach large (think triple digit) online classes. An article I read last week shared the fact that grading of work has been contracted out also. So the student cannot meet or converse with his instruction (yes I know there will be videos and audio presentation) and will not benefit from that person's insights for grading. And of course THAT means that assignments are likely to be the type that can be machine graded. Yes I know almost any subject can be taught online. Our MLS is online but we do also offer face-to-face instruction resulting in hybrid courses. Studies show this is a great model.

I think our newly minted Bearkats will benefit from their time on this beautiful, friendly, and historic campus. And I applaud their families for supporting them as they work toward their goals. I worry about an anti-education, especially higher ed, strain that is showing up in our state. I hope we have this problem worst of all states because I would hate to think anybody else was worse off than we are. I will comment further on this concern in a future entry. But rest assured, your state universities are not ivory-towered academic theme parks with slacker intellectuals who bask in their offices and call that "research."

Just the Facts, Ma'am...Just the Facts.

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 00:09:00 +0000

This is a serious posting, but I want to start with something that will make you laugh out loud. Many readers are surely too young to remember the classic TV show Dragnet. I did not see the movie that came out several years ago but there is no one who could play Sgt. Friday like Jack Webb. Stop what you are doing and view this skit with Jack Webb and Johnny Carson. Oh and, it doesn't matter if you never even heard of the show. Just do yourself a favor and go to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pWBJiW0Xpo

Now for the serious part...Today a student contacted one of our professors with a concern about our program. A friend told her that the Sam Houston State Department of Library Science was not accredited and that she would never get a job with our degree. This friend had attended another program in our state. I sincerely believe the friend was trying to be helpful and was passing on what she had been told. But it is not true and needs to be refuted. To that end I would like to share several points:

1. SHSU has the correct ALA (American Library Association) accreditation for our program. We are rated exemplary, and our program is used as a model, by AASL (American Association of School Librarians). AASL is a subsidiary of ALA. This is the entity that accredits single-purpose programs like ours that prepare school librarians. So we ARE accredited by ALA for that purpose.
2. We are also rated exemplary by NCATE, National Council for Accreditation of Teachers of Education, a rigorous process that extends accreditation to American Colleges of Education.
3. Our program is highly regarded by Human Resources personnel across Texas. I often get calls for recommendations for jobs from administrators in all parts of the state, including districts with other programs in or near their own cities. Even in these hard times we have placed a number of graduates in new jobs for the coming school year.
4. Our graduates are extremely well known nationally and internationally. Several that come to mind immediately are former students of mine, Naomi Bates, Teresa Schauer, and Analine Johnson. Other grads are district library coordinators, like Ric Hasenyager, and Brenda Huston. I should add I only named a few who instantly came to mind, but are representative of many other distinguished graduates. We have graduates serving on state and national library association committees, which obviously would not happen if they were not qualified.
5. Our faculty is highly regarded across the state, nationally, and internationally. I would send you to search in particular for the long-standing faculty members: Dr. Teri Lesesne, Dr. Rosemary Chance, Dr. Joanna Fountain, and myself.
6. Our program is thriving. We graduated 94 brand new school librarians this August and have an enrollment of around 300 students. We are also the longest running library science program in Texas, having been founded in 1929.

Yes, I am biased but I also want to be honest. I think true representation is an ethical imperative and would never misrepresent our program or anyone else's. If someone wants to be a public or academic librarian, I truthfully tell him/her that one of the three general MLS programs in our state might be a better choice. I send students to UT Austin, UNT Denton, and TWU, also in Denton. I really believe that Sam Houston State University's Department of Library Science is an exemplary program. But don't believe me...believe the accrediting agencies.

Newswordy

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 04:43:00 +0000

Newswordy gives a vocabulary word from that day's news, It gives the definition and then the quotation where it was used, the context of the news story, and other quotations using the word. This is a great twofer for teachers and librarians: current events and vocabulary in a nifty mashup!

http://newswordy.com/

WOW, Double WOW, and OH BOY!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 23:58:00 +0000

I just spent a delightful 30 minutes exploring some sites with amazing photography. The start was a link that was on a page where I was really looking for something else. It pointed me to something called 31 Pictures at a site called Inspiredology. There I learned that 31 Pictures is an annual contest held by National Geographic with 31 winners. Here is the site I found and get ready to say WOW!
http://inspiredology.com/31-national-geographic-photography/

I couldn't help but notice that these shots were from 2009 so I went looking for--and found--2010 winners at this site and prompted me to say WOW AGAIN:
http://inspiredology.com/national-geographic-photography-contest-2010/

I did not find a 2011 collection so surmise it has not been concluded yet. But I was then curious about the host site, called Inspiredology. So I backtracked to its site and now have a whole raft of OTHER pages to explore by this creative design company. The link is self-evident but here it is anyway: http://inspiredology.com/

The ways these pictures and pages could be used with students are only limited by your imagination. I know I would have loved something like this when I was in the classroom teaching creative writing.

Love this Lovely Site

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 03:10:00 +0000

I really love to learn from my students. This site was shared as part of my Internet for School Librarians site. And to think she is practically my neighbor! Gail Lovely is an IT teacher and presenter, and her site is Lovely Learning. It is a very nice collection of resources for educational technology. Title: Lovely Learning of course!
http://www.lovelylearning.com/

Cool Blog Entry Using Cool Tool

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 03:11:00 +0000

Thanks so much to the inimitable Cathy Jo Nelson for sharing this via Facebook: http://yourteacherlibrarian.wikispaces.com/Are+You+Ready%3F

And it was made with ANOTHER cool tool. I am looking forward to playing with this as soon as I finish grading for this semester. It is called Thinglink: http://www.thinglink.com/

Just One Cool Site Today...

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 05:35:00 +0000

But it lists a bunch MORE cool sites. I saw several listed that were new to me. The title of the site is Edudemic. Here is the main URL: http://edudemic.com/

Here is the page with a bunch a of neat links...but explore the whole site!
http://edudemic.com/2010/07/the-35-best-web-2-0-classroom-tools-chosen-by-you/

Cool Sites for Today

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 20:47:00 +0000

I am grading student work, an activity I really enjoy. One of my requirements when I make up an assignment is to be sure the response will be something I enjoy grading. I think this can be achieved without much difficulty if I just ask students to perform interesting tasks. One thing I learn from students is great new sites. Here are the ones I picked up today:
1. Capzles--http://www.capzles.com This site allows you to make timelines. They can include video clips, photos, text. I am already thinking how great this site would be for students writing travel journals!
2. eduTecher--http://www.edutecher.net/ This is a great clearinghouse for all things Web 2.0. I had to force myself to continue grading and not go off on tangents exploring the many great resources and links.
3. Doodle.ly-- http://doodle.ly/ This nifty little tool does just what you would think!
4. Ducksters--http://www.ducksters.com/
This is a very cute directory site for kids with lots of good links and a safe search window.
5. Easy Kid Recipes: International Recipes for Kids--http://www.easy-kids-recipes.com/international-recipes.html

Kick-Starting My Blog Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 21:51:00 +0000

Next January I won't have to think too hard to come up with a New Year's Resolution. I can just use this year's. My resolution was to post daily to this blog. I know lots of other people do this, and I gave myself an easy way to succeed by saying that just posting a link and a short blurb would suffice, with longer more thoughtful entries to be added when time permitted I had a perfect record all through January. But that was a long time ago. Indeed January seems like distant past for reasons other than my blog. It was the beginning of a semester that presented more stress and worry about schools and finances than I can remember in my life, and frankly that's a long time. All during fall 2010 we were told that the State of Texas was in great financial shape, due to the wise conservative leadership of "Governor" Rick Perry. He managed to defeat a good and decent man, Bill White, to gain another tem as governor. Almost immediately we were told that calculations were incorrect and that our state had joined just about everybody else in hard financial times.

A combination of factors kept me from keeping up my blog but I think one was pure discouragement. It is hard not to feel beat down when your hard work is devalued and your profession is under fire. The strong anti-higher education mood in Texas, on top of the radical cuts to K-12 schools, made for a gloomy outlook on my part. Beyond that, I was not feeling up to par and was barely keeping up with my responsibilities as a professosr and department chair. But enough of that! Crying over spilt milk or oil or Bluebell ice cream or whatever we are currently spilling in Texas will not make things better.

Thus I am officially kick-starting my blog today. Will I be posting every day as per resolution? Well I hope to come close! And so, for the 3rd time in 2011, I am instigating a do-over and hoping to make the resolution stick this time. This entry is long and way too much about me so I will close with a cool link. I shared this one via Twitter and Facebook earlier this week, but if you haven't seen it, take time to enjoy. It does put my piddling blog into perspective. The title is The Scale of the Universe and it lives up to this lofty title:
http://uploads.ungrounded.net/525000/525347_scale_of_universe_ng.swf

Texas School Districts Fighting Against the Governmental Assault on Public Schools

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 00:40:00 +0000

I started working on this post over a week ago. Time is way too scarce these days. Still I want to tell the story. About 10 days ago we had our bi-annual Teacher Job Fair and Sam Houston State University. The coliseum floor is filled with tables and displays from area school districts, and the aisles are crowded with graduating and newly minted teachers. There are giveaways, sign-up sheets, and lots of bright and shiny faces. I find it touching to watch the hopeful applicants wait their turns to visit with prospective employers. This time the feeling is bittersweet. For the first time ever, I wonder if all grads will find jobs. I worry that if they do, they will be faced with oversized classes and undersupplied classrooms. Seems like all of the sudden, after the November 2010 elections, we learned that the economy was NOT hunky dory in our state. After hearing our “governor” brag about how his leadership kept us from being “like California,” we learned the real truth of his words. We are different all right…we are worse off. I know these young grads are well prepared. Our programs are exemplary. Just ask our accrediting body, NCATE. We are a model of what a College of Education should be.

While I am bragging, a word about my niche, the Department of Library Science. NCATE likes us so much that we are on their website as an example of how a program should present itself. Also…YES FOLKS…we have ALA accreditation. Our program is single-purpose, preparing school librarians. Our AASL accreditation is the appropriate one for such a program and we are rated exemplary there too. Our MLS grads are sought by districts all over the state. But if I’m worried about those new teachers, I am even more worried about our new librarians. Because our state is suddenly declared in a fiscal state of emergency, with lots of scare talk and no real facts from our “representatives,” there is a lot of fear for our schools, K-20. I should add that graduate programs are in some ways even more threatened.

Thus with a measure of consternation, I walked the aisles of our event and talked to the HR representatives and administrators from districts large and small, urban and rural. I asked each person I met these questions: “Are you staffing your libraries with certified librarians? Are you trying to maintain these positions?” The first 2-3 people I approached shook their heads no. I don’t remember all the districts with that response, but know that two were Hearne and Splendora, where some or all positions were actually cut before this year. Then a funny thing happened. I started to get positive answers. Each encouraging conversation left me feeling a bit more hopeful. Many educators said they were holding fast and not jumping the gun. They hope, as do I, that things will not be quite as bad as the rumors. Others went so far as to say they would not cut librarians in any case. Yes, they might have to cut aides and other positions, including one district that is drastically cutting assistant principals, but I was heartened to hear the courageous and thoughtful words of so many. By noon I had talked to reps from THIRTY DISTRICTS who are fighting to keep their librarians. I want to send a public shout-out to the districts listed below. They are in no particular order. Some are small, some are large, and demographics vary widely. But they share the attribute of trying to put kids first and not make the easy choice to cut positions.

One of the best conversations I had was with a young man from Lamar Consolidated ISD. He was very proud of his district and had high praise for the district uperintendant. Anyway, this young man told about long meetings to discuss budget cuts. He said every single time they talk about an adjustment, says, “Is this a quick fix or a real solution. We are not going to pass any quick fixes that we’ll regret later.” I even stopped in my tracks and wrote down those words so I could quote them accurately. Kudos to this district and its leaders! And hooray for all the other districts that are fighting what seems to be an all out assault on public education in Texas.

Here is the Honor Roll of districts giving me reason for hope. If one is yours, thank your decision makers and encourage them to continue fighting the good fight. Here they are:

Conroe ISD
Huntsville ISD
Mesquite
Diboll
Houston ISD
New Caney
Bryan
College Station
Galveston
Ft. Bend
LITTLE ROCK ARKANSAS—I was pleased to see them at our event.
Aldine
Katy
Deer Park
Spring Branch
Anderson-Shiro (keeping their one K-12 librarian, an SHSU grade)
Royal
Sweeney
Cypress Fairbanks
Lamar Consolidated
Nacogdoches
Cedar Hill (did cut some elementary librarians along with AP’s and counselors but hoping to restore)
Huffman
Crosby
Texas City
Brazosport
Dayton
Alvin

If you are a Texan, you will see that most of these districts are from Southeast Texas, though some are from the Dallas area and there were the nice folks from Arkansas. I would love to hear about other districts that are trying to stand firm against the assault on our schools.

Repeated Posting of Previous Message

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 22:21:00 +0000

NOTE: Due to some formatting errors, the previous posting appeared twice. I have deleted the 2nd rendition, but am leaving this behind because of the comments attached.