Websites of interest

I came across these websites on the Teacher Librarian's Listserv and thought that they may be of some use to class room teachers. They have been highly recommended by a number of teachers and library staff around the country, so are worth a look at least.

http://appsineducation.blogspot.com.au/ which is a site that looks at the apps on offer and posts a review about them. It says ‘One of the hardest things with using the iPad in the classroom is finding the time to go through all of the apps in the iTunes Store listed under the education banner. We have started to list some of the apps we've found under each of the Key Learning Areas.”

http://learningwithipads.blogspot.com.au/  - a blog by a Catholic school in Sydney about their experiences and ideas in using iPads with their students.

Well, last day of term is here and a weeks break is waiting for us all - but then Term 4 is looming on the horizon. 
So enjoy your week, relax, revive and of course, spend some time getting that life/work balance right and READING.

Who reads this Blog?

Just out of interest, I went through some of the statistics that are kept on the Blog to get an idea of usage.
I wasn't really suprised to find out that it doesn't get a lot of interest here, but what did intrigue me was when I realised that it does get well read by a number of overseas countries.

Apparently, for this week anyway, it has been used fairly well by China, France and Romania, with a smaller amount of usage by United States, Hong Kong and America. 

At least it is being used, I guess.

 

National Flag Day

National Flag Day
3rd September 2014
Australian National Flag Day commemorates the day in 1901 when the Australian flag was flown for the first time and celebrates the birth of our flag and its power as a symbol of unity, independence and optimism.
1901 was the year of Australian Federation, and the design of the Australian flag was picked from more than 32,800 entries.
For more information visit www.australianflag.org.au
 And just in case anyone is interested – tomorrow is National Chocolate Day

Year 10 Poetry

Mr Calyun's class have been writing poetry on issues that concern them.  Poem in your Pocket is a part of National Literacy and Numeracy Week, so below is a poem from one of the year 10 student's, who has given permission for us to publish his work on the blog.  Thank you Craig.

GRIEF

I see a person grieving
for some they have lost
Memories are forever
But, dying is the cost. 

Some people pass away
For they have grown so old
Their bodies once so warm
Have now turned to cold.

We should never sit in sorrow
But celebrate their life
Do not cry forever
But think and keep a smile.

 

 

Links for NLNW Activities

Just as a quick follow up to my post about National Literacy and Numeracy Week, please find a couple of links below with online games and activities that you may be able to use in your class.

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/students/events/pages/litnumweekchildren.aspx

http://missreynolds1234.blogspot.com.au/

Hope this helps in some way.

Global Read Aloud Day

While looking for other information for a student, I stumbled across this little gem.  Global Read Aloud Day - can it get any better?

Yes, it can - it is not just about picking up any random book and reading out loud - but it is about making connections, sharing ideas - not just with our school but across the globe in nearly 30 different countries, while enjoying the written word together. Along with the gift of our time as well.
(And I think we could include coffee and chocolate in here as well.)

Check out the link below for more information.  This event runs from Oct 6th through to November 14th, so plenty of time to get organised if anyone is interested. Have a look at the FAQ page for ideas.

http://www.globalreadaloud.com/

National Literacy & Numeracy Week

The week 25^th to 31^st August is National Literacy and Numeracy Week.
This year’s literacy activities include A Poem in Your Pocket and Read for Australia. The numeracy activity is called Reach for the Stars.

Read for Australia will provide all schools with the chance to participate in a simultaneous reading of the book Sunday Chutney by Aaron Blabey at 2 pm Friday 29 August.

The numeracy activity Reach for the Stars has the theme drinking water. Students will identify, count and measure the sources of water in their community.

Have a look at the websites below for more information and newsletters.

http://www.literacyandnumeracy.gov.au/
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/events/pages/litnumweek.aspx

And, although they have nothing to do with reading - at first glance anyway - two other days that are coming up soon are National Chocolate Day on the 4th September and International Coffee Day on the 29th September.  A nice hot chocolate or cup of coffee with a good book, really, who can ask for more?  Maybe we need some ideas for promoting the Library while celebrating these special days?  Can't be too hard, can it?

Train yourself to be Happy - really.

The latest offerings from the e_list.  Can you really train yourself to be happier?  Check out number 4 and find out.  The link for this site is at the bottom if you want to see what else they have on offer.  As I understand it, all of the sites they promote are free to use. 

6 apps that train your brain

1:     Elevate sends you games designed to improve your most needed cognitive skills

2:    Lumosity increases memory, attention, flexibility and speed with a daily training program

3:    Neuroscientists designed the games on CogniFit to improve memory and concentration

4:    Train yourself to be happier with Happify

5:    Eidetic helps you memorise things

6:    Fit Brains has over 360 unique training games and puzzles

http://the-e-list.tumblr.com/

Semester Two

Welcome back to Semester 2, and it is end of week three already.  It is amazing, and a little scary,  just how quickly this year is flying by, isn't it?

All of the new magazines have started arriving and are out on the shelf.  Hyper and Wacky but True seem to be the most popular with the students.  Come and check them out.

I have managed to scrounge up a few 'Choose your own adventure' books to add to the collection as some of the students are right into them.  At the moment I am trying to keep hold of them long enough to catalogue them, while students are hovering, asking 'are they ready yet?'  I think I have had a win this time around, but we may need more to keep everyone happy here.

Quick question- does anyone have any work or similar that they would like to put up on display here in the Library?  If so, please see me, as we have a blank canvas here at the moment.  (And I am a little worried that I may have to get creative myself.  Scary thought.)

Also, if there is anything that you think we may be able to help you with, please come and have a chat.

Wishing you all a nice, lazy weekend - preferrably with lots of reading thrown in.

Reading Hour and Holidays

August 19^th from 6-7pm is the day and time set for The Reading Hour, which is an event that grew from the National Year of Reading 2013. William McInnes has been announced as the ambassador for the 2014 event.
 
Check out this link for more information:

 

http://www.love2read.org.au/
 

This could be an ideal time to promote reading in the classroom or at home. Personally, I would think that it doesn’t have to actually run from 6pm onwards, but at a time that is convenient. Maybe a read-in evening, a shared story-telling activity, a morning or afternoon tea with pages read from favourite books, a book and bookmark swap…. anyone have other suggestions? Maybe we could make this a Library event?

 
On a high note, I have recently had a win with getting a handful of very reluctant readers with their noses in books. They hadn't come across 'Choose your Own' novels before, and it looks like we are going to need some more because they have read almost all we have in the Library - in the last 3 days! Lots of time has been spent sprawled on my office floor reading and sharing books, or searching the shelves for more books.  And isn't that what it is all about?

 With school holidays coming up in a couple of days, and cold, windy, miserable weather outside, it sounds like it is the perfect time to snuggle up with a hot chocolate and a BIG pile of reading material. Get some of that work/life balance happening and enjoy some downtime. 

Wishing you all a wonderful mid-year break, and let’s do it all again next semester.

The e-list Site

http://the-e-list.tumblr.com/

Some of the recent lists that have appeared on this site include:

• 4 tools to save your notes, resources and for inspiration
• 9 Youtube channels to keep you informed
• 4 one-app wonders - all your apps in one app
• 4 ways to store your documents securely in the cloud

The link is above so take a few minutes and have a look around.  You may find something that is of use to you.

Have an awesome day.

My Job

How I see my Job:
The main job I do is not about books, or research or inquiry. The job I do is all about people and it is about helping people. It is about making a connection with people so they trust me enough to enable me to help them. My job is to try and make sure that I am interrupted all day, every day by people who need my skills, my expertise, my problem solving, my suggestions, my conversation, my smile and sometimes my hugs. And maybe even a firm voice once in awhile.

How you see my Job:
??????????

 It is rather suprising really - when you think of librarians/library technicians, you think of books. However, over the last 30 years spent doing this job, both here and at the Public Library, I have come to realise that books are only a very tiny part of that, and who knows, maybe they are mainly there as the conduit needed for me to be able to do the rest of my job, as I see it anyway.

So my question for today is..... how do you see my job?  Am I providing what you need? What else could I be doing to make the Library work better for you?

New magazines

We have changed some of the subscriptions to the magazines in the Library.  There are a few new ones coming in and a few that were not being used have been deleted. Doing our best here to keep the collection current and interesting for everyone.

Added to the collection is:  'Hyper', which is a gaming magazine along with "Histricool', 'Vegie Patch' and also 'Wacky but True'. 
Amazingly, Tennant Creek even gets a mention in the 'Wacky but True' magazine - come and check it out!