But where is the reading?

I think it is somewhat sad that reading (except for email and maybe educational activities) appears nowhere on this chart. I spend a good chunk of my day reading, and so do most members of my family--on-line, newspapers, books, etc.

Why isn't reading listed as recreational either? Sigh. Maybe I am a dinosaur after all.

SMART Board Lessons and the Media Center

Well, I am torn about this new piece of technology I have been working to learn and use this school year. On the one hand, the bells and whistles makes certain things really so much easier. I love using the lab's board to show on-line videos to a class, to demonstrate how to use a new website or kind of software, or to have students present their own research to classmates. But I also find frustrating the effort involved in putting out those gadgets and gizmos when simple classroom instruction might suffice.

That said, I have completed my lesson on "Ben's Dream" by Chris Van Allsburg that includes links to Google maps. I am sure that there are ways I could have made it more fun (a colleague suggested adding the views from the tops of the landmarks), but it works pretty well as it is.

It can be found at http://www.legacyheritage.org/SJED/?file=find_lesson under "Ben's Dream."

I welcome feedback and comments.

Muppets--Bohemian Rhapsody

I just couldn't resist sharing this video. It is a wonderful reminder of why I so loved the Muppet show long ago and far away.

Enjoy.

Surprised Reactions

A bit of wandering from my usual rants into a different one today--the importance of working to inspire and challenge gifted students. I am a reader of the blog "Unwrapping the Gifted" (which I highly recommend). Today the writer posted this video, which managed to move me to tears. Granted, I am home sick today, so my emotions are a bit closer to the surface, but this poem is amazing.






I hope that we as a culture move toward encouraging these wonderful students because our future depends so much upon them.

What is a Librarian's Job?

Okay, this is NOT a complaint. What it is, however, is a description of the various things I spent my day on. Some of them clearly fall under my other job--Special Programs--but I find that my days are not what many outside the field would envision.


Today I:

• worked on creating a template in Davkah (which supports Hebrew and English) for a booklet that will contain text and artwork by our 5th grade students when they read Torah for the first time.
• designed a Publisher template for an invitation to an event celebrating the learning of our 1st and 2nd graders--the illustration on the invitation will be created by the students using KidPix
• added a new category and link to our staff wiki to help teachers work with special needs students
  
• worked with a teacher and afternoon school principal on creating and finding materials to use on the SMART board--included teaching how to do a screenshot
• helped 5th graders use their personal log on for one of the first times
• worked with a teacher to create a few shelves of "good books" for 7th and 8th graders
• worked on a SMART board lesson on "Ben's Dream," a Chris Van Allsburg picture book
• planned my lessons for the week, which includes having 3rd and 4th graders begin to do basic research on some popular children's authors
• took down a display case on the Bubble festival which we did about 6 weeks ago

Gee, I'm tired just looking at the list! No wonder I come home and want to take a nap. I confess, if someone had told me 10 to 15 years ago that my job would involve so much time on the computer, I would have laughed. But I find myself energized by the interaction between reading and using technology--I enjoy the daily complexity I encounter. Now if only someone could invent a book that puts itself away....