Whoville...

Sometimes I feel like the Whos in Whoville ... WE ARE HERE! WE ARE HERE!  ....wish we didn't have to shout :¤/

Out of context, this just sounds crazy. In context, it's the shout coming from every school librarians' brain. People accept the new technologies and all of their implications, yet they hold onto the stereotypical role of a school librarian. School librarians take the lead in educational technology and infusing it into student learning.

Here are some of the resources I've created over the years to help educate the educators and administrators about what school librarians do:

Many of the resources are linked through this page Ways to Collaborate with Your Librarian, but I've also linked the resources separately, too.

• Your Techbrarian: A Prezi
• How School Librarians Support Teachers
• When You Ask Me What I Do
• When You Ask Me What I Do: Steps to Take (open the speaker's notes)
• Teacher Tech Inventory Skills List
• AASL Standards for the 21st C Learner
• ISTE Standards for Students
• ISTE Standards for Teachers
• ISTE Standards for Administrators
• 
  

IMPORTANT: This is how we roll!

I am interested in finding out what teachers and supervisors who are not preparing to be school librarians receive as training regarding the collaboration process between school librarians and other classroom teachers. For example, do any undergrad or graduate level programs provide opportunities for pre-service teachers or supervisors to participate in guided collaboration experiences with a school librarian about topics such as

lesson or curriculum planning? shared planning time?

co-teaching experiences?

choosing appropriate teaching resources?

planning to teach research skills? critical thinking skills? problem-solving skills? information literacy skills?

incorporating technology for a product, not just as a tool?

librarians as a resource for professional development?

teachers’ roles in print and electronic collection development/curation?

One more thing regarding pre-service teachers and supervisors...

Regarding...

...to ascertain if there are any teacher preparation or supervisor preparation programs at the undergrad or masters level, which include a component that at least introduces these educators to what school librarians can do for them. This could be a guest lecturer session, a one-class lesson in a unit, an elective, anything that creates awareness (if not true understanding) of how school librarians make their jobs easier and more effective. 

If these types of programs or requirements exist, this is what I'd like to know...

• How extensive are they? 
• Who spearheaded their inclusion?
• Under whose jurisdiction is their implementation? 
• What librarianship information is (or isn't) being disseminated?
• Are the efforts being assessed and how?
• Who provides the instruction?
• At what point in the preparation program is this instruction given?

Day blah, blah, blah: NJASL VP

Two parts to this post: (1) I hope to be the kind of leader who makes decisions with all of my stakeholders in mind, and with them participating, if possible! (2) If I had to pick a platform for my 3-year term, it would be 

"...to ascertain if there are any teacher preparation or supervisor preparation programs at the undergrad or masters level, which include a component that at least introduces these educators to what school librarians can do for them. This could be a guest lecturer session, a one-class lesson in a unit, an elective, anything that creates awareness (if not true understanding) of how school librarians make their jobs easier and more effective."

Part  (1): I sometimes get 'playing the game' mixed up with other interpersonal dynamics. It could be called 'confidence' in some cases and 'insecurity' in others -- ex., do I just do what I think is expected of me, do I just do what I think is right, or do I check in with others for their opinions. This is really only an issue when I perceive myself to be an outsider. The following might sound harsh, but my perception often views my participation as the outsider of a good-ol'-girls'-club who are trying - at least on the surface - to bring in 'new blood.' Pollyanna hopes that's not true, and it certainly isn't fair to think that in a professional situation. However, I've been called "unfiltered," and I think that's what both attracts and repels people to my style. I'll have to learn to mesh bold with tact. I am a good compromiser, but I also am vocal about my opinions. I feel offended when other make decisions for me, so I pledge to try not to unilaterally make decisions for others.


Part (2): Ever since my library school days (yeh, way back in 2006 LOL), I've been disgruntled [I love that word :o) ] about the push nature of our field. With all librarians can do for teachers, why do we have to push our services onto them? Why do teachers and administrators and curriculum coordinators not clamor at our doors, pulling our services toward their plans, activities, and attempts at fulfilling the content standards? Why are librarian services not introduced to pre-service teachers and those pursuing their supervisory certificates?


A brief what-have-I-been-doing catch-up: 4/13/12 - I went with Mary M., Patricia T., and Suzanne M. to see Assemblywoman Celeste M. Riley, 3rd Legislative District (D-NJ) (C. M. Riley's NJ Legislature page). She is the Chair of the Higher Education Assembly Committee. We discussed two issues: Cumberland County libraries and the latest results of the NJ Library Study.

My Book Review: Narc by Crissa-Jean Chappell

·         Posted at http://pollyannapollyanna.blogspot.com; forwarded through Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/pseudandry , http://www.goodreads.com/pseudandry , and http://teacherlibrarian.ning.com

·         The review will first be posted the week of April 8, 2012.

·         Short summary from http://www.netgalley.com:

Title:		Narc
Publisher:		Flux Books
Pub Date:		August 08, 2012
ISBN:		9780738732473
Author:		Crissa-Jean Chappell
FICTION - JUVENILE:		Other Realistic Fiction
Extent:		288 p

"You're going to hate me forever when you learn my secret."
Seventeen-year-old stoner Aaron Foster was offered a choice: go to jail or turn undercover narc to find the dealer who's funneling drugs into Miami's Palm Hammock High School. But Aaron has never been good at getting close to people. He's human wallpaper, a stoner wastecase who's obsessed with video games and street magic.
With a cop from Narcotics breathing down his neck, Aaron gets himself invited to parties where the deals go down. To get close to the school's biggest players, Aaron lies to everyone-most of all, the cute but troubled Morgan Baskin. With the Everglades party on Halloween night-and a planned drug bust there-just days away, Aaron realizes that he's falling hard for Morgan . . . and trying to protect her could cost him everything. 

__________________________________________________________ 

       I read this on a Kindle. That’s why I know that, when I was 44% of the way through, I almost threw in the towel. It wasn’t until I was 71% through the story that I began to have interest in Chappell’s characters. And I made it through to the end. Chappell redeemed herself; the book had a satisfying ending.

        In the beginning I found myself quite – very – extremely – confused by the setting of the story. I wasn’t sure if I had by accident skipped pages, forgotten what was happening, or was intentionally being befuddled as part of the author’s intentions. I also wasn’t sure if it was the setting that threw me off or if it was the progression of the plot. Initially, each scene introduced a new character, so I was then having difficulty placing characters into perspective with regards to their purpose to the storyline. Although the author introduced new characters, I didn’t feel like I was getting to know them, to understand their development and connection to the plot.

       

As far as motifs go, Chappell included two. The first was magic, magician-like magic. Coin tricks and levitation. The second was pigeons. Roof-top “sky rats” with babies. These two themes flowed well throughout the story and were not distracting; however, I do not feel like they were developed sufficiently enough to create thorough analogies to Aaron’s predicament. Aaron’s father, a war photographer, had recently died. Both from grief and from struggling to keep finances and family together, his distraught mother provided ineffective parenting. Aaron felt like it was up to him to protect his younger sister. (I believe the pigeon motif was intended to portray Aaron’s family dynamics.) Aaron’s other predicament involved the narc position that he agreed to assume in order to protect his younger sister, Haylie. It would take all sorts of magic and sleight-of-hand for Aaron to maintain his role of narc, especially since he began to have feelings for some of the people he would have to include in the potential bust, Morgan and Skully.

        Chappell’s writing accurately portrayed the wildfire nature of online social network posts, emails, phone photos, and instant messages. She used this phenomenon well to create the teenage interactions that allowed the story to progress the way it did. Aaron used the lack of privacy the Internet provides to research his potential targets for the police, to follow what people said about him during the story; he also used it to save his personal, unsent thoughts and tried to remove his history. Teen readers will relate well to Chappell’s use of the Internet as a conduit for the advancing action of the plot.

        Chappell finally created true plot tension towards the end of the story when the bust was supposed to go down. She allowed the reader to doubt the efficacy of Aaron’s plan and his ability to keep himself and his friends safe. Their quirky, unexpected rescue by some locals provided some tension release, while the reappearance of the police because of his narcotic agent-issued cell phone beacon adds back the realism to their dangerous situation.

        Ultimately, I enjoyed the ending because it did seem like it could happen. Aaron knew he couldn’t safely hang around his high school any more, so he got his GED instead.  Conveniently, his mom finished her schooling to be a nurse, which provided a plausible relocation for Aaron’s family. Aaron had one last chance meet-up with Morgan, and she turned out to have integrity, which made Aaron’s efforts all worth it. I’m glad I didn’t give up 44% of the way through the story, and I’m glad I got to experience Aaron’s vindication. All of this, nevertheless, did not make up for the whole book for me; I will probably not make this book part of my collection development plan.

http://www.evernote.com/shard/s172/sh/2affb962-79b6-4b20-bb6a-1255f776cd22/52504c2f10513f4fc116bb98981b52da

Day , oh whatever... Lol... NJASL VP

The list-of-things-to-do to start a conf. for NJASL is 18 months out. That would make it July, 2012 to begin. Verbally, it has been suggested to start immediately; the first meeting date suggested to even begin discussing changes to the conference's format is in June. Yes, there are things I do not know that should make things all okay if there are people who do know things and they're comfortable with waiting. Patience is a virtue, Pollyanna!

I've been contacted by a meeting planner through an old friend not affiliated with NJASL. Her organization assists the organization planning the conference for free. Apparently, she gets paid by the conference venue. Not ready for her yet since the planning committee isn't going to even meet for two months ladeeda....

Book Review: Zero by Tom Leveen

·         Posted at http://pollyannapollyanna.blogspot.com; forwarded through Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/pseudandry and http://teacherlibrarian.ning.com

·         The review will first be posted the week of April 1, 2012.

·         Short summary from http://www.netgalley.com:

Title:		Zero
Publisher:		Random House Children's Books
Imprint:		Random House BFYR
Pub Date:		April 24, 2012
ISBN:		9780375869211
Author:		Tom Leveen
FICTION - JUVENILE:		Arts & Recreation: Performing Arts Family & Everyday Life: Social Issues Family & Everyday Life: Love & Romance
Extent:		304 p

Nothing to do. Nowhere to go. No one to talk to.

     For aspiring artist Amanda Walsh, who only half-jokingly goes by the nickname Zero, the summer before college was supposed to be fun—plain and simple. Hanging out with her best friend Jenn, going to clubs, painting, and counting down the days until her escape. But when must-have scholarship money doesn't materialize, and she has a falling out with Jenn that can only be described as majorly awkward, and Zero's parents relationship goes from tense to relentless fighting, her prospects start looking as bleak and surreal as a painting by her idol Salvador Dali. Will life truly imitate art? Will her new, unexpected relationship with a punk skater boy who seems too good to be real and support from the unlikeliest of sources show Zero that she's so much more than a name.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TOM LEVEEN is a native of Arizona, living within sight of Camelback Mountain his entire life. He has been involved with live theatre as an actor and director since 1988, and has been the artistic director and co-founder of two theatre companies. Zero is his second novel. You can visit Tom at his Web site: TomLeveen.com.

____________________________________________________

Dali & punk rock & college, oh my!

I didn’t like the beginning of this story until I read…

“Moist,” I call.

“That’s kind of a gross word, you know!” Dad shouts, laughing…”

In a lunchtime discussion I had with my colleagues a few years ago, I found out that some of them were skeeved out by the word ‘moist.’ It was fun to find out that, what I thought was a local hang up, crossed geographical boundaries. Since the mood around the main character, Zero, had lightened up, I, too, was able to lighten up to the self-deprecating 17 year old. 

Leveen portrays Zero as insecure but hopeful, as many just-graduated-from-high-school young adults are. In a Rory Gilmore Girl-esque manner, everything Zero has done until now hinged on her going to the art college of her dreams. But when scholarships don’t allow that to happen, Zero experiences a disquieting, shifting perception of herself. Having so many different monikers reflects her situation well; Zero is also called Amanda, Amy, and Z.

Confusing what she sees when she looks into posters instead of into mirrors for her reflection suggests the person she sees or doesn’t see. The reader further finds out that she has misperceptions of herself when her boyfriend, Mike, repeatedly tells her that she is nice-looking, and her mother buys clothes for her that are flattering – clothes that she never would have thought of choosing for herself.

It’s obvious that Leveen has done a lot of research for this book. What I thought were made-up names for punk bands and rockers turned out to be a conglomeration of real bands and people. After a brief excursion into the research myself, I found the following true references in Zero:

1.     Nightrage is a Swedish/Greek/Scandinavian death metal rock band 2001-2011

2.     Gothic Rainbow is a 1997 novel labeled “fairiepunk”

3.     D.I. Southern Cal band 1982-present & Casey Royer is real

4.     Ghost of Banquo a.k.a. Re-Enter Ghost of Banquo – British metal/scream/techno band 2007-08

5.     Pathos – thrash metal/progressive from Sweden since 1995

6.     Black Phantom [Crusades] – indie post-punk (2002)

7.     Minor Threat – hard core punk 1980-1983 & Ian MacKaye is a real person

8.     Jane’s Addiction & Perry Farrell

9.     [Red Hot] Chili Peppers

I made the not-so-giant-leap assumption, then, that Leveen’s artistic references to Dali, Monet, Renoir, Matisse, Warhol, O’Keefe, Cassatt, Seurat, and Delacroix are also well-researched. Leveen uses the abstract and Gestalt-like artistic styles of Surrealism, Impressionism, Pointillism, and Cubism to emphasize the incomplete or fuzzy view Zero has of herself, her friendships, and her future.

I like the implications one can make from the juxtaposition of a punker with an artist. Stereotypes of intelligence, talent, aesthetics, and taste challenge the reader to become more involved with the book, especially if one does not have more experience with these topics other than pre-conceived notions. Teen readers do not have to know a great deal about either topic to retain interest in Zero’s societal challenges and self conflicts.

Leveen elevated the book’s appeal for me mostly because he wrote a story with an ending -- a believable, authentic ending that developed naturally from the experiences Zero endured. In spite of not being explicitly told about Zero five years from now – and that’s not what I would have wanted as a reader, anyway -- I was not left wondering why Zero made the decisions she made or how she was going to fare in the future. I was satisfied with Zero’s character development, and that’s a great thing to be able to say about a YA book.

Note: The sex, drugs and punk rock in this book more than allude to under-age drinking and a lesbian relationship. Both subjects belong in this soul-searching story.