President's Day Resources and More

 

With Auguration Day in the rearview mirror it's time to focus on the next month's coming events. With both Abraham Lincoln and George Washington's birthdays coming up, it felt timely to share this cool Wakelet that I've created to link my teachers and students to the many resources available with a Social Science focus. 

This Wakelet features the digitized collection from the Library of Congress of our early Presidents' writings. I came across the copybook from George Washington's school days (pictured above)-- there are so many primary resources! I noticed one of Abraham Lincoln's early drafts of the Emancipation Proclamation is there, plus his first Inaugural address. Honestly, the Library of Congress is my go-to for so many resources. They have more than you can imagine. Check it out!

Books, books, and more books

 2020 is a year we won't forget anytime soon. For me, it started off the best of ways-- I was a reading machine. I could not stop reading. I read 61 books with 23 finished by March 13th. Once the lockdown started, my reading slowed to a crawl. I've set a larger goal for 2021-- 70 is a nice number we'll see. Enjoy these reviews, look for a new one next week! 

I started the year with the amazing, bizarre, and truly wonderful Dig by A.S. King. Dutton Books for Young Readers, 2019.

This book is utterly unforgettable, I feel like it has taken root inside me. What do The Shoveler, the Freak, CanIHelpYou?, Loretta the Flea-Circus Ring Mistress, and First Class Malcolm have to do with each other? These five teens are connected by blood yet they don't know it. Their family secrets have scattered them. These characters are all misfits and the strain of family complications keeps them in their place as outsiders. 

This book is the perfect blend of weirdness, deep pain, perseverance, and the connection that brings them all together. To tell you more would be to ruin it - trust me, it will be a book you will not forget; this one leaves a mark. 

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn, William Morrow, 2019. 

If you love a mystery/thriller with an unreliable narrator this one is for you. This debut novel by Finn (aka: Dan Mallory) is somewhat similar to The Girl on the Train and is equally engaging. In this case, the woman in the window is Anna Fox, a child psychologist. She suffers from agoraphobia and is completely housebound. She spends her long, lonely days counseling other agoraphobes on the internet, looking out her window, and drinking far too much wine. One day, she sees a woman attacked in the house across the street. But, no one believes her... This one is twisty and devastating at turns. The movie starring Amy Adams will finally come out on Netflix this year. 

The Topeka School by Ben Lerner; Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019. 

This one took me two full weeks to read--what a slog. A friend and I talked about it and she said the only thing she found interesting was how much of the book was from Lerner's own life than the novel itself. The characters were largely unlikeable and it all was very disjointed. 

Sadie by Courtney Summers, Wednesdays Books, 2018. 

This was my 6th read of 2020. Boy was it a wild one! This one takes two of my favorites and mashes them up spectacularly; true-crime podcast + mystery = a real page-turner. 

This novel features two sisters- Sadie (19) and her little sister Mattie (13) both born to their drug addict mother, Claire. Sadie devoted her life to raising Mattie-- her love for Mattie is a driving force in her life. When Mattie is murdered, something snaps in Sadie. She is now on a dangerous quest to find her sister's murderer and kill him. Their grandmother enlists the help of a radio host, and eventually, a serialized podcast is started as they attempt to save Sadie. 

This book is powerful and shows us just how horrifying the monsters in real-life are always scarier than those in fiction. Thankfully, these are fictional monsters but are all too real. This book doesn't leave you; this book features multiple triggers (pedophilia, child sexual abuse, and parental neglect. 

Bonus feature: the podcast is available online and gives readers another opportunity to feel this one in a powerful way. The podcast is the transcript lifted from the book. It's a fine addition/experience for this title. 

That's it for now-- I'm reading the much-lauded, Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker. This one is nonfiction which isn't my usual read, but Barack Obama had it on his Best of 2020 list. It's terrifying what families do to each other and how shame can break a person down. It shows how the stigma of mental health issues prevents proper care and absolutely plays a part in the dysfunctionality that is the Galvan family. Of the 12 children born in the 1960's, all 10 boys were mentally ill, most with schizophrenia. 

My next title will be fiction, that's a haven for me. The world today is more than real enough for me these days. 

Best YA Books of Decade 2009-2019

Longer Version

 

Keys to Success: the Freshmen Teacher Edition

Long, long ago in a classroom in Southern California, I began the next segment of my career as an educator. At present, I've been at VHS for 24 years. At that point, my new assignment was to teach freshmen Language Arts and I was thrilled; I love freshmen-- they are hilarious, generally energetic, and so much fun.
That first group of kids was everything I hoped to have in my class, and then some. Entering my classroom the first day was exciting-- I was ready to make connections, create a safe space for them, and teach them some of life's amazing lessons through literature. The kids were nervous as the first day of high school is for most students and I began my first day as I had the previous 5 years-- teaching kids about the Keys to Success using stories from life to help drive home the point that successful people have these qualities: Respect, Perseverance, Integrity, Honesty, Determination, Commitment, Positivity, Plan/Organization, Stick-to-itiveness Mindset, and Failure=Feedback.
Back to the present day, that amazing bunch of kids are now full-grown adults building beautiful, fulfilling lives.
Last night, I had the pleasure of meeting up with them at their 20th Reunion. It was so much fun-- lots of laughs, fun stories swapped, and a few tears.
More than a few told me that they had appreciated my efforts to help them, the lessons I taught, but most of all it meant so much that I cared for them. It was such a nice night. I'm so proud of all of you and thankful for your stories and good memories.
Thanks for the invitation! xoxo Ms. Steele

Summer Loving - Reading, Resting, and Relaxing (2 YA book reviews)

Library life can be hard, I find it to be a little lonely at times and challenging in ways others don't understand. Decisions are sometimes made that have an enormous impact on what I'm needed to do and it has been extraordinarily stressful this year. All of which brings me back to summer. Ah, glorious summer, the time to rest, relax, and restore my soul.
 At this point, I should add a sound effect of an old vinyl album being scratched-- relaxation and rest are the hallmarks of my summer (usually), but this summer started with a trip to Washington D.C. for the Annual Conference and visit with my sister-in-law. It was a wonderful visit, but I had to endure a 14-hour journey via Southwest Airlines. Thanks to some crazy weather in DC, I got to fly from home to St. Louis, an extra hop to Chicago as they canceled my flight from St. Louis, and then to Reagan National Airport. It was the longest travel day I've ever experienced (yes, longer than our trip to France in 2013)!
 I had a great time with my in-laws Sharon and Mark as well as my conference pal Heather. The week included tons of books, reading, the amazing Scholastic literary luncheon, a trip to the Urgent Care (sis fell and needed stitches), and a glorious return to the Library of Congress. It was a terrific time with great food, family, a good friend, and books!

Heather and I managed to find the time to visit the Library of Congress-- such a beautiful building. As always, I leave wishing we had more time to spend in this amazing building. Next time, I'm definitely going to go and do some research.
I will need to get a new LOC library card-- they're only good for two years. So, it's time for me to get serious about the book that's in my head and needs to be researched/written. 

The LOC ceiling- gorgeous stained glass. 

The Year We Fell From Space, Arthur A. Levine Books, October 2019. 

I've been reading up a storm, I always come home from Annual with great books. This year was no different. My favorite (so far) is The Year We Fell From Space by Amy Sarig King. This was featured at the Literary Luncheon hosted by Scholastic Books. It features Liberty Johansen, her family, and spotlights mental health issues in a way I've never seen before.
Liberty's family is falling apart, her dad moves out (ostensibly to get his head together) and ultimately disappears, her little sister retreats from life, and mom is trying to hold them all together.
This book, meant for middle grades, is excellent. It is so relatable and leaves an indelible mark on your heart and a desire to make the world safer for anyone struggling with mental illnesses.

I have so much respect for A.S. King as she spotlights the need to de-stigmatize mental health illnesses and addresses it head-on. It's time to save the lives of teens and others who are most vulnerable. This book goes a long way to helping with that challenge.

"Stop the silence. Crush the stigma." 

A.S. King, Twitter post 06/23/2019

Scars Like Wings, Delacorte Press, October 2019.

This novel by Erin Stewart is a remarkable debut. Her protagonist, Ava Lee, is known by many names-- the "burn girl," survivor, "the one who lived," orphan, "Freddy Krueger," and invisible. Well, the last one is exactly what Ava would like to be. For the past year, since the fire that killed her parents and Sara, her only cousin/best friend, Ava has been at home or in the hospital recovering from the devastating burns. Her home is now with her Aunt Cora and Uncle Glenn who lost their only child. 

Early in the novel, she strikes a deal with Aunt Cora to return to high school for two weeks. On day one, she meets the bold, brash, Piper and Asad the only people who will look her in the eye and treat her without disdain, disgust, or pity. 

As time passes, Ava continues to heal and has opportunities to find her "new normal," she learns to look up from the floor and be there for someone else. It's a book of overcoming, acceptance and learning to love what is rather than wanting what can never be again. This debut is one that will have you alternately cheering and tearing up. Ava and her friends are unforgettable. 

Check back next week for more reviews. I love summer!

Renovation is Nearing Completion, Many Lessons Learned

THEN

              & 

                      NOW

We are nearly finished with our mini-renovation! Phew. It's been a long road-- it started 5 years ago when a newer colleague came to me and said she really saw my library and wanted to help turn it into a 21st Century space. This led to afterschool meetings with a few other teachers on campus to come up with an outline of what we wanted to accomplish.
First, we simply brainstormed. We just put a bunch of dreams on paper. First, new computers (both Mac and PC) to level the playing field for our kids who are affected by the digital divide by creating tutorials and help them earn their own devices, next we would expand our hours (necessitating additional staffing), free wifi for students to access within a 3-mile radius, and new modern soft seating. We priced it out and figured that $75,000 would help us get there.
Next, I set to work gathering the info needed to write the grant application. I wrote our first draft, shared it with the team. My colleague, Natasha, had several contacts that could help us get this grant request in front of some decision makers of a foundation. After numerous attempts and a re-write, the grant request was approved for 50% with the provision that we find matching funds.
That led to call a with a District administrator, I merely wanted to inquire as to whether we could get the District to match the grant. I figured that there was nothing to lose-- the answer would be no if I didn't ask. To my surprise, the answer was yes.
The District's "Yes" meant great changes to our vision and plan. Whereas Natasha and I were focused on bridging the divide, the administration had other ideas. Instead of the wifi, all new computers, and additional hours and staffing, we would receive a few cross-platform devices, numerous TV screens, a Google Jamboard (which is an awesome device), soft seating, and new tables and chairs. Additionally, we would remove our large circulation desk, and more than a few sections of shelving (along with the books housed there).
So, to make a long story short, we compromised (not really an option not to) and will have to write another grant to get the rest of what we envisioned. But, this next time we will enroll the administration in our vision (it will help that we won't likely experience a change in administration in the very near future). Second, I will better communicate my intentions and plans before I put all the work into it. Plus, I have a plan in case a grant is not immediately successful; it will be a lot of work. But, it will be worth it to see kids with the tools they need to further their skills and provide more career and college options.

Busy times

Crazy Busy Days
Like every other Teacher Librarian I know, it has been crazy busy this fall. I had hoped to blog more but, holy cow, it's been completely impossible this fall! The last 5 months have been so far BEYOND my norm.
Here are just a few things that happened:

1. The library was renovated in 4 weeks time.
2. We barcoded 18k textbooks- my administration gave me 3 days of pay...
3. New Orleans
4. Omaha for the College World Series (my team won! Go Beavs!!!)
5. Grandson's birthday- his first
6. We handled centralized textbooks for the first time in close to 40 years.
7. Half of our students did NOT attend registration meaning we had soooo many textbooks everywhere, and did I mention that summer school was in the library until August 13?
8. The renovation that was given 10 days time had no wiggle room for error - the bulk of the furniture didn't come until after the school year was 3 weeks in!
9. And, and, and... you get the picture. 

We are closing in on the renovation being completed, we still need our circulation desk(!). You can see a few pics on the Instagram account, Valencia Library & Tech Hub (@valencialibrarytech).

CSLA Presentation- 25 Tech Tools for Teaching & Learning
I used Book Creator for my presentation on October 13 (Thanks for the idea, Jane Lofton!), you may access it below. You may also access the sites via this Padlet. I will add a doc there that will have a plain list of the sites and extensions that I spotlighted at CSLA.

25 Websites for Teaching & Learning

Click to read this book, made with Book Creator

https://read.bookcreator.com

Changes, changes, and more changes!

Students de-stress by tackling one of our mini puzzles. (pardon the crummy pic- I took it through my office window). They were just so engrossed, I didn't want to miss it. 

 Change is the Word! 

Change is coming-- but, for the past 14 years, I have enjoyed having our preschool students come in and read, have storytime, and learn to love books and reading. 

 This year started as the last 14 years have begun-- me staring at a mountain of tasks with 3 days to get it all done. But, we all know that the mountain always changes as we make our way through the tasks. As soon as a few things are completed, more is added. Like all of you, we just plug away at it. So, the year started, I was excited to see what a new Principal would bring to the school where I've spent the past 23 years.

Things were humming along, changes were looming and that meant more work. But, all this was good stuff. A colleague and I had written a grant and finally gotten it funded!  Yay! The grant was for $35,000 and $35,000 matching funds from my school district. The district funds were used to purchase additional technology- one of my primary goals was to give our students an opportunity to use various platforms and be more college and career ready. We are developing a badging system and are looking for additional funds to purchase small devices so that students who complete the modules and work as a peer mentor can earn a device of their own.

Our school population is extremely diverse, we are an International Baccalaureate school as well as an AVID demonstration school (one of just 16 in the state of California), and we have every kind of kid in between. The word "diverse" hardly seems to cover our situation. Our IB kids come primarily from the more affluent part of our district and have all the tools they need and more to be successful, but the majority of our students are on free/reduced lunch and struggle financially. They come from hard-working families who are just getting by with multiple jobs and lesser education.

My partner in grant writing, Natasha Ulibarri (French teacher), and I really saw a gap in our programming and thought that by bringing our old Library Media Center to the 21st Century we could serve all our students and help bridge the gap. We are planning to write another grant to make the rest of that happen. With additional funds, we will be able to extend our hours and provide transportation for the students who need it most. They will get additional tech training and leave school with more skills readying themselves for positions that require keyboarding and proficiency with various technology tools and programs.

The plan also called for our students to assist in making the physical changes. The BITA kids came in and helped remove the shelving units to help us save a bunch of "shekels." They were also able to do it so that we will get to re-use the shelves in other spaces in the library and campus.

Now that you know the background, let's get back to the fall when everything was beginning to take shape. We had confirmation that the funds were coming, we shared our tech wishes, and waited for approval. My new Assistant Principal had a different vision for the space-- much, much different. He's a bigger picture guy-- he imagined several screens located around the space, a new/smaller circulation desk (relocated) and about 4500 fewer books in the library. I dreamed of new computers in the lab as well as the new tech center/pairs to provide the varied platform experience. He also wanted all new furnishings! POW! I was completely gobsmacked! That was miles away from what I had considered-- I never thought we would be allowed new furnishings just 9 years after the first mini-renovation (new tables/chairs, lighting, and carpet.) The new design calls for tables and chairs with casters to allow for quick changes of the floorplan for activities. (Below is just one rendering of thousands of possibilities.)

Purge-Fest 2018

So, that's the direction we are traveling. When I first arrived, I was terribly reserved in my weeding. as I'm not deeply steeped in nonfiction-- I know how to use it for research but my first love is and will always be fiction. So, how to go about weeding 4,500 books to make room for the new tech centers? As a veteran Teacher Librarian, I've honed my skills in weeding. I'm fairly ruthless-- if it hasn't checked out in 5 years it's likely going to be set free and re-homed. I had let the nonfiction section slide in many areas, but no more.
I love giving books away-- and let me tell you the students went wild!

The purging didn't end with books, we had many years of stuff to go through to make room. That included the sacred collection of National Geographic magazines. Our collection goes all the way back to 1907 and in the unbound section there were many duplicate issues! I gave away many duplicates to staff, but was left with a closet full of them. I saved the leather-bound years 1907-1953, but had to release the rest.

I also had classroom materials that I had saved through the various times my Teacher Librarian position was at risk. My library also serves as our staff club storage area-- we host a number of events for staff throughout the year and that means food serving utensils, paper goods, decor, and so much more. So, we had a lot to move out of here. 
                                                                                   

I didn't get rid of the items at left-- those went into my "treasure box." Some classroom decor and my first and second Nancy Pearl Librarian Action Figures. 


Over the years, I've been reducing the equip-ment as things become obsolete (it was just a couple of years ago that AP Spanish was still using battery operated tape recorders). I found and tossed many obsolete tech things in our back room - old manuals and diskettes from Windows 95.
Now, we are down to just a few random things-- I have a funny looking, electric book eraser that looks like it's from the 50's. I cannot bring myself to pitch that one. I even have a box of the erasers that fit into it.

Here's the blank canvas -- next fall it should look much different.

The last change is that our preschool program will be removed from campus and replaced with an education pathway. Students will instead be given the opportunity to work at the closest elementary, and middle school to learn about Teacher Education as a career. Sadly, this means I have just one more storytime with the munchkins. But, I am working on some nearby preschools and seeing if I can have them come in periodically. This age group is so fun to interact with-- those days are my favorites each month. They are so excited and have soooooooo much energy. 

Well, you're caught up now, although there's been so much going on and I didn't even scratch the surface. Check this space for more details and tech tips as I will be going like gangbusters in the coming months. 

A Wonderful Surprise

This year has been an incredible whirlwind! It might be the craziest year in my career - no easy feat, let me tell you! Between getting a small article in School Library Journal, 7 weeks of jury duty, a new baby on his way to our family (first grandchild), Mock Trial/FBLA challenges, and all the rest filling up my life it is hands-down the weirdest year yet.
Then this happened... I guess I should start with the beginning. Four years ago, I saw a Little Free Library; I was smitten. I simply had to have one. I looked around at plans, nagged my hubby, then had the bright idea to have the kids in our BITA (Building Industry Technology Academy) program build one for me. 

 

My Little Free Library has been such a bright spot in my life. Neighbors from near and far come by and have told me how much they love it! It has created a wonderful connection where there was once none. I have had letters dropped by, bookmarks, and books (of course). 

One day, we came home to some young kids and they had a red wagon; they had taken it upon themselves to tidy it up and suggest that I add another shelf. The youngest, a 5-year-old suggested that I build another one for little kid's books. 

There was an article in the newspaper which really drove up the numbers of people stopping by to check it out, everyone taking and leaving a book or two. It has been a wonderful experience. 

Most recently, I had to wipe out the collection and begin afresh. With all the rain this year in Southern California the library had sprung a leak and books had mildewed. So, we are rebuilding the collection but will have it ship-shape in no time. 

This week, our Little Free Library won an award! The Orange County Reading Association selected my LFL to win the Celebrate Literacy Award. Isn't that nice? It was such a nice way to end the school year.

 

Big Excitement and Fall Planning Begins

Off topic - Family Excitement (You can call me Nanny J)
We have our first newborn grandchild, meet Mateo Jesse- if you want to keep up with him, I've been sharing a pic a day using the hashtag #365daysofMateoJesse or #cheeksfordays. Those cheeks, I'm telling you.  For those stat lovers- he was born 6/29, weighing 8 pounds 14 oz, and measuring 21 inches, and a fine set of lungs. He is pictured below with him mom, Ali and me (bottom pic). Exciting times for us all.

Back to work-- 
 I'm sure if you're anything like me, summer is a time to catch up, get a little ahead (ideas/some execution). I've been focused on making new posters and memes for getting books cared for and returned in a timely manner.
I used Imgflip for this one:
Here's the latest



I found some great ones on Pinterest as well from the Library of Congress
Check these out-

Big Project Coming Soon-

Next up, we are changing our circulation system provider, the pain comes for us when we have to check out each book that is currently out. 😁 But I don't mind, the program we've used for years is TERRIBLE! I cannot even begin to explain how bad (another post, another day). 

No more time tonight for playing-- more soon. 

Creating Super Readers

     My school is incredibly diverse; it is almost like 3 schools in one. We have a very successful International Baccalaureate program, Valencia Academy (Technology magnet program), and AVID (big time- we were recently named an AVID demonstration school- only 3% of AVID schools receive this designation).   We serve the highest levels to brand new immigrant students and everyone in between. That is what I love about this school; we have so much diversity and we are giving our students a realistic experience of how the world is outside our walls! 
     One of our specialty programs is the on-campus preschool that gives our students the opportunity to earn certification in Early Childhood Education and the ability/experience to go into a preschool and work with children using their skills and experience upon graduation. 
     Now, back to those sweet and funny preschoolers; they are my favorite friends! They come in once each month to read with me and their big "buddies," this year's group has really developed a  deep love of reading. This year they have simply been AMAZING! Every visit is an utter delight! The kids simply L-O-V-E 💗reading! One little girl, Kiara, asks me nearly every time to read more books and longer ones.  One time she asked, "Why do you only read 2 books each time?" Why indeed! So tomorrow, I will be reading 3!.

     We will have our last visit tomorrow and I am surprising them with superhero capes because they are SUPER READERS! 
Emily Winfield Martin's book, The Wonderful Things You Will Be and Pinterest were my inspiration for this little bit of fun.  I used the plastic sheeting we use for our staff luncheon tables and cut vinyl using my Silhouette to make the capes more special. 
     The link (via Pinterest) from Mrs. Goff's blog, gave me further inspiration. I will be taking pics of the little SuperReaders and posting them on our Valencia Reads bulletin board. Then I will use the photo to create a certificate awarding them the title of Super Reader. 
     I will add more pictures tomorrow as we take over the world as SuperReaders! 

     Oh boy! That was AWESOME-- so much fun. They were so excited. I wore my own cape and they were so curious and cute! At the end of our three books, I had each one come up and I made a proclamation that each was a SuperReader and then placed the cape over their head. They just thought that was the coolest thing. 

 

Two-fer Tuesday- 2 Book Reviews and a Book Challenge Update

Like most of you, I'm juggling what seems like a million and one things--house renovation (15 years overdue), craft room purge (ridiculously difficult), library life, my last child moving out, a visiting sister who views me as her personal tech support, a need to work out in direct opposition to what I want to do, and a new grandbaby coming into the world.
Like you, I'm squeezing in some books. Today's offering is double the fun:
The Impossible Fortress, Simon and Schuster, 2017.

I've been listening to this one on audio and it has been great. I'm incredibly fond of all things 80s, well maybe not my crazy poofy, permed hair or some of the ridiculous outfits we wore back then. But, it was the dawn of a new era for me. I was introduced to the world of computers. It was so amazing to be able to type a paper one time and save it instead of having to re-type drafts over and over again. If I go back to the very early 80s and late 70s, I can remember the Commodore 64. Oh man, I wanted one of those sooooooo badly. Perhaps that is why I am loving this book, The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak. The book features Billy (aka Will) Marvin, he's a 14-year-old boy who is part of a trio (Alf and Clark fill out the crew) enthralled with girls, boobs, and getting their hands on the copy of Playboy featuring the letter-turning goddess, Vanna White.
The boys scheme unsuccessfully and are stymied at every turn. Finally, Alf  turns to notorious town bad boy who has a plan. But, they need the security code to the stationer's store this brings us to Mary the stationer's daughter. She and Will share a love for games, coding, and computers. They work together and enter a game design contest.
I won't tell much more as you can discover this gem on your own. I really enjoyed this book-- the teen voice seemed very authentic to me. It took me right back to that awkward stage of questioning myself nearly every second of the day. The characters are multi-dimensional and interesting. There are some downright laugh-out-loud funny moments, some truly cringe-y moments that make you feel just like you did as an uncertain hormonal, pimply-faced teenager. It is a glorious coming of age mashup bringing new love, the 80s, and tech together. This is a worthy effort and I'm happy to have another book to hand to my techy kids and friends.

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart, Delacorte Press, 2017. 
I eagerly snapped up this ARC at Midwinter Conference in January. I looooove Lockhart's books; her last book, We Were Liars, kept me entertained with all its twists and surprises and ultimately wanting more.
Her latest features Jule, a girl on the run. From what/whom it isn't immediately clear. In fact, not much is clear. Jule is a very unreliable narrator. You never know whether she is telling the truth. But, isn't that what you love about the unreliable narrator?
The book opens with Jule in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in June 2017.
Lockhart unwinds the story bouncing around from place to place and various times. She successfully keeps her readers guessing.
Jule befriends the privileged Imogen (Immie) and slowly inserts herself into Immie's life.
It's got layers upon layers of lies with shades of The Talented Mr. Ripley. E. Lockhart has written another page turner with a narrator that I'm not sure I like. She's broken and bent on being her own superhero. I'm pretty sure I will have to re-read to gain clarity on this one. (Maybe I'll re-read after I finish the 2017 Reading Challenge.)
 
Update: How is your 2017 Reading Challenge going? Me? I've read 8 books since January! I know there are a lot of book-a-day folks out there, but I'm not one. I'm not counting picture books either, although I did pick up The Secret Pizza Party, (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2013) by Rubin and Salmieri-- the same guys who wrote and illustrated Dragons Love Tacos!  So cute!

So far, I've satisfied my Reading Challenge with these books:
#2 A book recommended to me:  A Man Called Ove, by Backman.
#4 Nonfiction title: Hillbilly Elegy, by Vance.
#6 A book published in 2017: Genuine Fraud, by Lockhart.
#12 A novel that deals with diversity: Hidden Figures, by Shetterly.
#18 An audiobook: Sharp Objects, by Gillian Flynn.
#20 A book I would recommend: Six of Crows, by Bardugo.
#25 A laugh-out-loud/funny book: The Impossible Fortress, by Rekulak.

So, 7 down and 18 to go before January 30, 2018. I'm in good shape.       

Two-fer Tuesday- A book for your old-school loving gamers and a fraud in plain sight

Like most of you, I'm juggling what seems like a million and one things--house renovation (15 years overdue), craft room purge (ridiculously difficult), library life, my last child moving out, a visiting sister who views me as her personal tech support, a need to work out in direct opposition to what I want to do, and a new grandbaby coming into the world.
Like you, I'm squeezing in some books. Today's offering is double the fun:
The Impossible Fortress, Simon and Schuster, 2017.

I've been listening to this one on audio and it has been great. I'm incredibly fond of all things 80s, well maybe not my crazy poofy, permed hair or some of the ridiculous outfits we wore back then. But, it was the dawn of a new era for me. I was introduced to the world of computers. It was so amazing to be able to type a paper one time and save it instead of having to re-type drafts over and over again. If I go back to the very early 80s and late 70s, I can remember the Commodore 64. Oh man, I wanted one of those sooooooo badly. Perhaps that is why I am loving this book, The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak. The book features Billy (aka Will) Marvin, he's a 14-year-old boy who is part of a trio (Alf and Clark fill out the crew) enthralled with girls, boobs, and getting their hands on the copy of Playboy featuring the letter-turning goddess, Vanna White.
The boys scheme unsuccessfully and are stymied at every turn. Finally, Alf  turns to notorious town bad boy who has a plan. But, they need the security code to the stationer's store this brings us to Mary the stationer's daughter. She and Will share a love for games, coding, and computers. They work together and enter a game design contest.
I won't tell much more as you can discover this gem on your own. I really enjoyed this book-- the teen voice seemed very authentic to me. It took me right back to that awkward stage of questioning myself nearly every second of the day. The characters are multi-dimensional and interesting. There are some downright laugh-out-loud funny moments, some truly cringe-y moments that make you feel just like you did as an uncertain hormonal, pimply-faced teenager. It is a glorious coming of age mashup bringing new love, the 80s, and tech together. This is a worthy effort and I'm happy to have another book to hand to my techy kids and friends.

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart, Delacorte Press, 2017. 
I eagerly snapped up this ARC at Midwinter Conference in January. I looooove Lockhart's books; her last book, We Were Liars, kept me entertained with all its twists and surprises and ultimately wanting more.
Her latest features Jule, a girl on the run. From what/whom it isn't immediately clear. In fact, not much is clear. Jule is a very unreliable narrator. You never know whether she is telling the truth. But, isn't that what you love about the unreliable narrator?
The book opens with Jule in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in June 2017.
Lockhart unwinds the story bouncing around from place to place and various times. She successfully keeps her readers guessing.
Jule befriends the privileged Imogen (Immie) and slowly inserts herself into Immie's life.
It's got layers upon layers of lies with shades of The Talented Mr. Ripley. 
E. Lockhart has written another page turner with a narrator that I'm not sure I like. She's broken and bent on being  

Fake News and a New Tool to Fight Misinformation

Today's topic-- 

(Before you even read further-- is the Statista infographic (above) real or fake?)

I am so excited about a new tool that I discovered over the past week! Like many of you, I have been incredibly concerned about Fake News and its pervasiveness in our tech lives. That led to me thinking about and how to teach skills that will help combat the problem. 
Upon my initial search, I found some good work being done by Melissa Zimdars, Associate Professor, at Merrimack College. Her article, 'False, Misleading, Clickbait-y, and Satirical “News” Sources' (published with a Creative Commons license) is a great place to start. She breaks it all down into 4 categories:

• CATEGORY 1: Fake, false, or regularly misleading websites that are shared on Facebook and social media. Some of these websites may rely on “outrage” by using distorted headlines and de-contextualized or dubious information in order to generate likes, shares, and profits.

• CATEGORY 2: Websites that may circulate misleading and/or potentially unreliable information

• CATEGORY 3: Websites which sometimes use clickbait-y headlines and social media descriptions

• CATEGORY 4: Satire/comedy sites, which can offer important critical commentary on politics and society, but have the potential to be shared as actual/literal news

 Often, articles and online items will fall into multiple categories.

The big bonus of Professor Zimdars' work is her comprehensive list of Fake News websites. At today's viewing of the list, there were 921 sites listed! She categorized them according to the following labels: 

Website Labels for OpenSources.co:

Fake News (tag fake): Sources that entirely fabricate information, disseminate deceptive content, or grossly distort actual news reports.  

Satire (tag satire): Sources that use humor, irony, exaggeration, ridicule, and false information to comment on current events.  

Extreme Bias (tag bias): Sources that come from a particular point of view and may rely on propaganda, decontextualized information, and opinions distorted as facts.

Conspiracy Theory (tag conspiracy): Sources that are well-known promoters of kooky conspiracy theories.

Rumor Mill (tag rumor): Sources that traffic in rumors, gossip, innuendo, and unverified claims.

State News (tag state): Sources in repressive states operating under government sanction.

Junk Science (tag junksci): Sources that promote pseudoscience, metaphysics, naturalistic fallacies, and other scientifically dubious claims.

Hate News (tag hate): Sources that actively promote racism, misogyny, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination.

Clickbait (tag clickbait): Sources that provide generally credible content, but use exaggerated, misleading, or questionable headlines, social media descriptions, and/or images.  

Proceed With Caution (tag unreliable): Sources that may be reliable but whose contents require further verification.

*Political (tag political): Sources that provide generally verifiable information in support of certain points of view or political orientations.  

*Credible (tag reliable): Sources that circulate news and information in a manner consistent with traditional and ethical practices in journalism (Remember: even credible sources sometimes rely on clickbait-style headlines or occasionally make mistakes. No news organization is perfect, which is why a healthy news diet consists of multiple sources of information).

Unknown (tag unidentified): Sources that have not yet been analyzed (many of these were suggested by readers/users or are found on other lists and resources). Help us expand our resource by providing us information!

Note: Tags like political and credible are being used for two reasons: 1.) they were suggested by viewers of the document or OpenSources and circulate news 2.) the credibility of information and of organizations exists on a continuum, which this project aims to demonstrate. For now, mainstream news organizations are not included because they are well known to a vast majority of readers.

Great stuff, right?! 

On Twitter, the good people on NPR shared a story that really intrigued me and led me further down this path and to my new favorite tool. 

My excitement is off the charts! I'm starting up with the News Literacy Project's Checkology tool tomorrow with my library students. 

The program is free for the rest of this school year. I will revisit this tool in the coming week once I've had a little time to play with it. But, I thought I would share today so that more of us can help get our kids on track with news literacy and fact-checking. If they don't learn to separate fact from fiction this world will be in real trouble.

Tips for managing Tech - my love letter to you

Today’s post is my valentine for all of you, it addresses the task that at times is beyond overwhelming; I’m talking about keeping up with TECHNOLOGY. I find it near impossible – but, I saw this great graphic created by the amazing @SylviaDuckworth and it is a perfect reminder for all of us who strive to be on top of our technology game. 

   The first tip is key, let’s face it there are not enough hours in a day to keep up with it all. So, don’t try. The second tip, is the key—use social media to keep up with latest trends and tools. Personally, I find Twitter to be a great source of info regarding technology. Follow tech people who are doing things you admire. Technology is fun and enhances education.

  

Here are a few I like to follow on Twitter: the incredible @sylviaduckworth, @efitz_edtech, @MsMarshallCMS, @Hamm_Ed, @TheWeirdTeacher, @MsVenturino, and my good friend Naomi Bates @yabooksandmore. These people are critical to my tech practice. I gain valuable ideas and connect to great tech tools that make me look like a rock star with my teachers and students.

   Another great source of new tech trends are your students and teens! They are on trend before it even becomes a “thing.” 

Numbers 2 and 3 really go together like PB&J, tech in education, or Buzz and Woody in Toy Story. The third tip also serves as a needed reminder to share our tech tools – I find that when I share, my Personal Learning Network grows and I learn even more through the collaborative process.

   Number 5 is huge! One of the big pitfalls, is that we tend to try too much all at once. For me, it works best to try something new, play with it awhile and see where and how it is best used before adding new tools to the mix. Another reminder I like to make in my workshops is that you need to use the new tool within a few days. It’s definitely a use it or lose it thing. I’ve gone to some incredible workshops—taken copious notes annnnndddd walked away with every intention of coming back to it only to forget and leave it behind… 

   There are some incredible tools out there—but remember to make sure the tools are relevant to your students and what you are teaching. Using a tool for the sake of using it, is not best practice. Any tool you use should have a specific purpose. When we use a tool in a way that brings meaning, we help our students learn more deeply. 

  

Keeping track of tools is a challenge (Tip 8), curation doesn’t have to be a chore. It can be as simple as setting up an IFTTT (If This, Then This). Every time I email myself a tweet, it goes into a Google Spreadsheet. The possibilities are endless.

   Tip #10 is awesome and overwhelming at the same time. I love conferences! The connections and collaborative nature of conferences make them a must for your tech practice. But, be mindful of the other tips, use your time to make connections with others, and share, share, share! 

   Lastly, start a blog or something that will give you a space to share your success. I am so glad I did, it has been a great tool for keeping me on track with my tech practice. It has also given me opportunities to connect with other Teacher Librarians and Librarians around the country/world. 

   Happy Valentine’s Day friends! I hope you are feeling the love today. 

PS-- The latest issue of School Library Journal has my article on the benefits of having a coloring station for students to enjoy. Cheers.

Big thanks to @SylviaDuckworth for the use of her amazing sketch.