I'm on an Animoto Roll!

Last year, I saw a piece of art that one of Betty Ahearn's students at Westmere Elementary School had done in connection with a Knuffle Bunny lesson. In the fall of 2011, I did a Mo Willems unit with my second graders.  We read all the Knuffles, watched the video narrated by Mo and Trixie, and made our own illustrations.  The students glued crayon cartoon characters -- self portraits, Spongebob and other friends -- on a black and white photo of the library.  Here are a few of the creations.  Thanks for a great idea, Betty!
Knuffle Bunny Illustration Project

Thing 2 at last

Children's Literature Connection
Here's a  video highlighting some recent and not-so-recent activities of the Children's Literature Connection.

Thing 3 and Digital ADD

I've avoided Twitter for a long time, preferring to keep up with people and news through my iGoogle pages and Facebook. I've done it, though. I've signed up for Twitter and am following some of the same people whose blogs I read.  One of my colleagues has been tweeting enthusiastically for quite a while so I'm following him, too.  I'm one of those old-fashioned critters who doesn't have a smart phone so I do my social media reading on my home computer-- even though the requisite brevity of tweets seems best suited for phones..  Now I'm overloaded with tweets.

As you read blogs and tweets and those old-fashioned email messages, do you feel the weight of information overload?  Today I read an email message that Dee sent with a link to this Common Core post:  http://www.schoollibrarymonthly.com/articles/Kramer2011-v28n1p8.html   That led to the ALA crosswalk of Common Core and information literacy standards.  That led to the ZooBurst 3D pop-up books site. I haven't done my Thing 2 assignment so I started playing with ZooBurst.  Then I checked Facebook (because it was open) and  a friend's posts about ALA Midwinter. I looked at Twitter and saw some of the suggestions my first grade colleague recommended.  I moved on to some blogs...aarrghhh!  I think I'm suffering from digital ADD!

Why don't I just read my most recent Horn Book -- in print?      

Stalling on Things

I'm procrastinating on Thing 2 -- indecision, technical issues with recording for Photo Story, and vigilant filter issues with some of the tools. (Sigh)  Yes, I'll get it done -- and Thing 3, too.  In the meantime, enjoy this etsy link that shows an extremely cool Christmas gift from my cousin:   http://www.etsy.com/listing/59409227/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows

Goodnight iPad

Check the new and noteworthy section of "books" for the online version of Goodnight iPad by Ann Droyd. Enjoy!
http://www.wegivebooks.org/books

What a Wonder!

I finally read  Selznick's Wonderstruck, and it's wonderful!  Have you read it -- and the afterword?  I now must re-read From the Mixed-Up Files...  to find the references the author says he placed in the story. This entry from the Classroom Bookshelf blog is chuck full of great ideas for using the book with students:  http://classroombookshelf.blogspot.com/2011/12/wonderstruck.html.

And now on to digital storytelling!

Fierceness and the library fashion police

I often read Joyce Valenza's Never Ending Search blog.  Joyce’s posts both inspire and intimidate me.  How can I ever be as up-to-date as she is?  How can I overcome my natural reticence and conciliatory nature and become the leader I should be?  Joyce's post about fierceness at the beginning of this year was a wake-up call:  http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/neverendingsearch/2011/01/02/2011-the-year-to-be-fierce/  I wish I could say that I exercised my fierceness in 2011.  Well, maybe a little – but not enough. Luckily, the time for 2012 resolutions approacheth!  

I thought back to Joyce’s post Friday morning as I put on my blue book earrings from Ten Thousand Villages for the first time.  They're real books crafted in India and filled with pages written in Sanskrit or Hindi -- I think.  I have not a clue what they say.  My daughter gave them to me for my birthday several months ago and told me I needed no special occasion to wear them.  After all, I work with elementary school kids and attempt to hook them on reading. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I thought of that January blog post:  "You can’t be fierce in a holiday sweater.  No one values comfort more than me, but I know when to pull out the LBD and the pencil skirt, the very cute power jackets, and yes, even heels when it matters."  I'm so un-fierce that I had to Google "LBD."  I don’t own a pencil skirt.  What would the library fashion police say about my decidedly unfierce Ms. Frizzle-esque earrings?  I suspect that after they turned off the sirens and stopped laughing at the funny books dangling below the salt and pepper hair, they’d admit there’s a time for playful fashion, too, especially when it arouses kids’ curiosity and engages them.  Lots of my students (teachers, too) commented on my cool earrings and wanted to try to read them.  The third graders who’d just finished a unit on India were particularly intrigued.

I know that participating in Cool Tools will increase my technological expertise.  It’ll keep me connected with all you friends and soon-to-be friends out there so that we can share questions and great ideas.  It may even increase my FQ (Fierceness Quotient.)  Sadly, it probably won’t do a thing for my fashion sense.  

Hmmm, I wonder if I should wear the globe or the Santa earrings tomorrow.  Nighty-night!