The Bionic Librarian

Maine State Library
MARVEL! Maine's Virtual Library
Maine Association of School Libraries
Maine Library Association
Maine Libraries
URSUS

The Troy Howard Middle School Garden Project

THMS Garden Project

Gardening Resources

Life & Learning in a School Garden

Active Games for Kids

The Alliance for Childhood has written Fool's Gold: A Critical Look at Computers in Childhood in which they question the early use of computers in the classroom. The concern is that computers take time away from important developmental needs of young children such as active participation in their environment.

What do you think?

Related Resources:

Physical Education Resources

Children's Games Around the World

Capacity Building: People & Conversations

"We're talking about a change in the culture of schools and a change in the culture of teaching. We know that when we think about change we have to get ownership, participation, and a sense of meaning on the part of the vast majority of teachers. You can't get ownership through technical means; you have to get it through interaction, through developing people, through attention to what students are learning."
~ Michael Fullan

We have to be careful with buzzwords. Thrown around without thought, they become perversions of their original meanings. "Professional Learning Communities" and "Capacity Building" are two such instances with which I am concerned. We have to be very careful that they have meat to them and are not merely empty structures driven by the status quo. More busy-work for teachers without intellectual freedom and openness to new ideas will not suffice. In my mind, the ability to listen and put ourselves in the shoes of others without being defensive is the key. We don't have to like what we hear, but everyone must be given a fair hearing. Only by having true conversations can we create cultures that are open to new possibilities.

To this end, I would like to suggest the ideas of Meg Wheatley, which I just came across this afternoon. Check out the reviews of her book, Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World Revised , for an outline of her ideas.

A couple other books by Wheatley:

A Simpler Way

Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future

Thoughts?

Tobasco Sauce

I always thought my father was a bit crazy to be putting Tabasco sauce on just about everything he ate. What was the old man thinking? It was definitely not anything I would ever do!

But I fear it has happened: At age 59, I have become my father. It all started with those fresh cucumbers out of the garden. It has become a tradition for me to create the most incredible, mouth-watering delicacy about this time every year . . . the cucumber sandwich. My ultimate recipe had always included fresh bread, real butter, salt, pepper, a few drops of sesame oil, and of course, cucumbers. In the frenzy of creating this gastronomic delight, I found that there was no sesame oil to be found. Enter Tabasco sauce and the rest is history: I can no longer stay away from the stuff! There seems to be an exponential improvement in anything I put it on. What can I say? Dad wasn't quite as crazy as I thought he was!

The question: Is this behavior a result of nature or nurture? Does my genetic makeup create a biochemical predisposition that is creating this craving . . . or is there some social/psychological connection going on here? ;)

Google Earth Sky

Wow! Google continues to amaze. This update of Google Earth is a must-have for astronomy teachers or anyone else who is interested in what is out there. Download the latest version of Google Earth to see what I mean. Who needs to go to the planetarium? And how can you beat the price?

For a companion, download Celestia as well.

Related: Solar System Resources

On the Deeper Basics . . .

What is important?

On the Deeper Basics…"'Why can’t Johnny and Susie read, write, and count?' is the mantra of school reform. To be sure, these prerequisite skills are essential for all future learning – and they are not enough. Where are the voices that fear as much for the deeper basics – the basics of the human mind, heart, and spirit? Why aren’t we at least equally troubled by why Johnny and Susie can’t think, can’t slow down, can’t reflect, can’t sit still, can’t imagine, can’t create, and can’t play? Why aren’t we deeply saddened that they can’t dance, or paint, or draw, or make up a story? Why aren’t we worried that they can’t cope with frustration and conflict? That it is so easy for them to be bored, cynical, and distrusting of adults and that it is so difficult for them to express deep love, trust, and compassion? Why are our hearts not heavy because their spirits cannot breathe, because they have not experienced the wonder and awe of the natural world, and because they do not know how and why they belong in the world?"

~Stephanie Pace Marshall

What do you think?

http://www.stephaniepacemarshall.com/aboutbook.html

http://www.stephaniepacemarshall.com/articles.html

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/078797501X/ref=pd_ys_cs_all_1/002-1225213-8313630?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155

First Year Teacher

" There can be so much tugging at your students' minds and hearts - troubled family situations, changing friendships, uncertainties, doubts, and fears. Be aware of them as a whole person." ~ Karen Katafiasz

It is difficult being a first year teacher.

My first year was way back in 1970. To say that my youthful idealism was tempered by the realities of the classroom would certainly be an understatement. There was so much I needed to learn at that time, but in many respects, it was a much simpler time. New teachers today have many more demands on them from day one.

Here are some links that might be of assistance in helping first year teachers:

New Teacher Resources
Back-to-School Resources
Classroom Management Resources
Behavior Management Resources
Mentor/Coaching Resources
Process Skills Resources
Hot Links for New Teachers

Questioning Information

“Information is a source of learning. But unless it is organized, processed, and available to the right people in a format for decision making, it is a burden, not a benefit.” ~ William Pollard

Lots of information out there. Do we give everything the same weight? Who is presenting the information and from what perspective do they come? How do we find out more about the creator? How do we give credit? How does copyright law fit into the picture?

Below are some links to resources that might help in answering some of these questions:

Resources for Evaluating Information
Plagarism Resources
Who Is It?
Alexa
Wayback Machine
Logical Fallacy Resources
MaineLearns: Copyright & Plagiarism
Citation Machine
How to Write a Bibliography
Evaluating Web Pages

Any to add to the list? Thoughts, suggestions, recommendations?

Discover Information Literacy

Web 2.0 The Dark Side?

In the Bangor Daily News of August 13th, there is an editorial entitled: Amateurism Goes Big. The editorial discusses Web 2.0 as the “birth of a revolutionary new era of cultural democracy,” and “ marking of the end to elitism and gatekeeping and a reliance on the wisdom of the masses.” It also urges us to be cautious.

As we move into an age where items such as YouTube, MySpace, Wikipedia, and the downloading of music becomes more common, and we depend on Google to locate information we need or entertainment we want, we need to become careful as citizens and educators. We also need to pass this caution onto our students.

The quality of some of the information on the Internet should be called into question. Are all the facts in the Wikipedia article really correct? Are the first five listings of my Google search the best information about my report? Does the YouTube video of the candidate’s mistake or outburst make him or her less of a person?

Andrew Keen, the author of a book, “The Cult of the Amateur: How Today’s Internet is Killing our Culture,” that is cited in the editorial. He gives us this warning, “Parents and teachers and individual users of the Internet must seek out trustworthy sources and beware of hidden propaganda and deception. The Internet is here to stay, but it must be approached with skepticism and watchfulness. Just as the experts and the gatekeepers have their faults, so does the wisdom of the masses.”

As educators, we need to stress Informational Literacy. The resources of the Internet are a source of information and entertainment. We need to be sure that as consumers of the Internet that we are cautious about the information that we get from the Internet. We also need to be cautious about what we put out on the Internet. It needs to be fair and we need to remember that once something is online it doesn’t go away.

Things to Think About:

1. What are the good and bad points of Web 2.0?
2. How do we teach students about Informational Literacy and testing information on the Internet?
3. How do we teach students to be responsible about what they put on the Internet?

Links:
Editorial in the Bangor Daily News of August 13, 2007
http://bangordailynews.com/news/t/viewpoints.aspx?articleid=153049&zoneid=34

Amazon.com link to Andrew Keen’s Book “The Cult of the Amateur: How Today’s Internet is Killing Our Culture.”
http://www.amazon.com/Cult-Amateur-Internet-killing-culture/dp/0385520808

Time

"Time and tide wait for no man. A pompous and self-satisfied proverb, and was true for a billion years; but in our day of electric wires and water-ballast we turn it around: Man waits not for time nor tide." ~ Mark Twain

To paraphrase the Rolling Stones, "Time is on our side." Or is it? How should we handle time?


Chris's Virtual Online Collection of 'Flash' Time Pieces
NLVM Clocks
Timeline Resources
Calendar Resources
66 Best Quotes on Time Management
Quote DB: Time
The History of Time
BBC: Walk Through Time

ACTEM MAINEducation 2007 Technology Conference

ACTEM presents "Learning in a 2.0 World" on October 11-12, 2007, at the Augusta Civic Center. Details

Technorati Tags: ACTEM MAINEd07

21st Century High School Teacher Tools & Resources

There will be a series of MLTI regional leadership team meetings on the new high school laptop initiative. Details

2007 MAMLE Conference

Highly recommended for all: The 2007 Maine Association for Middle Level Education Conference. October 18-19 at Sugarloaf. Details

"Building Bridges: Creating Change for a Common Good"

The 41st Annual NEEEA Conference, Sept. 14-16, 2007 at Camp Matoaka in Smithfield, Maine. Looks fascinating! Details

Building Bridges

"Without a narrative, life has no meaning. Without meaning, learning has no purpose. Without a purpose, schools are houses of detention, not attention. This is what 'End of education,' is all about." ~ Neil Postman

Building bridges that last is a complex matter. A great deal of knowledge, testing, and trial and error often come into play. But in the end, we all want bridges that will endure and be dependable. This is true with physical bridges, such as the new Penobscot Narrows Bridge, as well as metaphorical bridges, the kind that link people and ideas.

How do we build bridges from 20th Century learning to 21st Century learning? Between the past and the future? How do we really connect - with respect, integrity and long-lasting collaboration - to come to terms with the changes that are taking place?

I would suggest that a start might be for us to take time to reflect on education metaphors. Beneath all our words, how do we really feel about the learning process?

Got a good metaphor for education?

What else is needed to build a good bridge to the future?

Neil Postman suggests in The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School that we need new "narratives," that the old ones worked fine in their time, but that new ones are needed for the future. He offers 5 possibilities and argues that we need a context in order to have a coherent system that is not to being driven by technology, but rather by people.

Can I sell you a bridge?

Speaking of building bridges, check these resources out:

Bridge Building Resources

Collaboration Model

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” ~Ryunosuke Satoro

I just completed four days at the SAD#43 and SAD#21 Technology in Curriculum Workshops and thoroughly enjoyed it. Evidence of collaboration was everywhere. It was a time when two districts combined their resources and allowed teachers to choose from a cafeteria menu of tools, but more importantly, allowed them to work on curriculum projects that might be enhanced with technology. There was plenty of technical support and expertise to provide the partipants with the help as they needed it. Kudos to Technology Director Wally Devoe, Curriculum Director Gloria Jenkins and others for making this a powerful event. The enthusiasm was evident.

These districts respect their teachers by allocating funding for staff development that builds capacity and encourages conversations on classroom practice.

Where else is this happening?

Survival

Kids love survival stories, and they love to have someone read to them as well. You really can't go wrong with these books:
Lost on a Mountain in Maine
Hatchet
Island of the Blue Dolphin

Check out Novelist and NoveList K-8 at Maine's Virtual Library (MARVEL) for a wealth of information on books, authors, themes, and activities.

Here are some related resources:

Wilderness Survival Resources

Survival Video

Read Aloud Resources

Children's Literature Resources

Book Report Resources

Equity

I live in the Town of West Paris, population around 1700. In the village is very small library that is in the form of a miniature castle made from fieldstones found in the area. Although the space is severely limited within the library, thanks to the MSLN it has the capability today to access information that very few big city libraries had just a very few years back. We have many to thank for this wonderful availability of resources. Strike a blow for equity. Anyone can drop in to make use of the wired computers as well as the wireless connection. Add to that the wonderful resources of MARVEL (Maine's Virtual Library) and even our poorer citizens have the potential to be empowered by the immense knowledge provided by our tiny community space.

Do we appreciate it?

Automation

"It takes a village to raise a child" - African proverb

My nephew will be a sophomore at UMO in the college of engineering this coming year. This summer he has worked for a Maine firm with about three dozen engineers specializing in automation. An example of their work is the automation of a small hydro-electric dam north of Rumford. The owner of the dam can now completely control all aspects of the dam from his laptop as he travels the world. There are many sensors that tell him exactly what is going on and allow him to make adjustments from wherever he is.

They have asked my nephew to return next summer, work on school vacations, and even work on projects as he might have time during his studies at the University. What the owner found especially beneficial about him is that he not only had excellent computer skills, but that he had very effective people skills.

The point that I want to make is that my nephew got an excellent, well-rounded education in the Mountain Valley Schools.

Beyond family support and not to dismiss his hard work and perseverance, he had great mentors, such as Wally Devoe, MSAD#43 Technology Director, who offered opportunities to be involved in the school networks, and others in that district who encouraged him in music and sports. This influence cannot be overestimated. Josh had the opportunity to work with laptops his entire time at Mountain Valley High School and just might be a precursor of the talent that will be unleashed from Governor Angus King's vision for creating a new economy in Maine.

In the same vein, I visited Marie Keane's elementary classroom at the Crescent Park School in the Telstar School District where students were powerfully involved with the Lego Mindstorm program. While there are some who might think of it is just playing around, it was instead a process that involved incredibly high-level thinking skills in order to solve real problems. Students created machines with sensors and used the software to build programs to direct them. Good Stuff! Where might these students be in the years to come from this top-notch influence?

Links to check out . . .

Logo Resources
http://region6.mainelearns.org/resourcesformaineteachers/index.html?137

Ed Latham's NetLogo Workshop & Resources
http://region1a.mainelearns.org/netlogostart.html

Robotics Resources
http://region6.mainelearns.org/robotics.html

Artificial Intelligence Resources
http://region6.mainelearns.org/artificialintelligence.html

Taking it a bit further . . . .

Some Ethical Questions:

Should we create intelligent robots?

Is the creation of an intelligent robot an act that only God should do?

Will there need to be some regulation about the creation of robots?

Will intelligent robots take away all forms of human employment?

Where are humans to derive their meaning and purpose in life?

If in the future machines have the ability to reason, be self-aware and
have feelings, then what makes a human being a human being, and a robot a robot?

If you could have a robot that would do any task you like, a companion
to do all the work that you prefer not to, would you? And if so, how do
you think this might affect you as a person?

Are there any kind of robots that shouldn't be created? Or that you
wouldn't want to see created? Why?

Automation and the development of new technologies like robots is
viewed by most people as inevitable. But many workers who lose their jobs consider this business practice unfair. Do you think the development of new technologies, and their implementation, is inevitable? What, if anything, should we as a society do for those people who lose their jobs?