How to restore Civil Society

Take a quick look at the link below - it is certainly food for thought.  Libraries are about SO much more than just a collection of books and magazines.  Today they are truly more about people and communities.  
Of course, they always have been, but in today's 'disconnected' world, they have the capacity to bring people and communities together - and in many ways, they offer a quiet haven in place of the hustle and bustle of today's uncaring world.  
And while 'disconnected' may seem like the wrong term - I do truly mean it.  Everyone is so 'connected' that they have no idea how to connect - with family, friends, people and community. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/08/opinion/sunday/civil-society-library.html

Week 10 - and 2 weeks break coming up.  Enjoy!

Carry on being awesome!  

In defence of Libraries

Take a moment and check out the link below.  

It's not just that I am biased (I am, of course) - but because it's true ...

https://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2018/sep/06/neil-gaiman-and-chris-riddell-on-why-we-need-libraries-an-essay-in-pictures

Have an awesome weekend!

Real or Fake news? Play the game!

Check out the link below to test the online game 'Factitious' - about being able to judge news articles for authenticity. I found this one on the Australian Teacher Librarian Network.
You read the news articles and then make a judgement call as to whether it is real or fake news.  I managed to score 87% in the 4 rounds.  

https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2018/08/factitious-game-testing-your-ability-to.html

Hint:  check the sources page BEFORE making your decision - that can help a lot.

National Science Week 2018

https://www.scienceweek.net.au/

 Next week 11^th-19^th August is National Science Week 2018.

The school theme is: ‘Game Changers & Changemakers”

And it is also the:

·        International Year of the Reef    (Coral reefs and the scientists who study them)

·        200^th Anniversary of Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’

·        40^th Anniversary of the first IVF Baby

Plus you have the opportunity to become a Virtual Reef Diver.  You are invited to become a citizen scientist and help to analyse thousands of underwater images of the Great Barrier Reef

Check out the link above and see what else is happening.  

Update on Project Loon

I have posted about this fascinating project before, and have added an update - so this is now the latest update on an amazing project designed to help connect everyone throughout the world. 

It is a project that been in progress since 2011 - and provided connectivity to schools and small isolated communities all over the world.  It has also been on hand to help with communication after natural disasters as well.  

Check it out:- 

https://loon.co/journey/

It isn't just about having the imagination to dream of it - but having the determination to see the project through and make it work. 

History and Lies

Check out this link from the Mindshift blog about history, lies and how history could be possibly be used as a weapon.  Thought provoking or what?

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/51857/lies-my-teacher-told-me-and-how-american-history-can-be-used-as-a-weapon

Australian Reading Hour

http://www.readinghour.org.au/

Check out the link above.  

On Thursday 14th September there is the Reading Hour - which is simple to take part in. Just drop what you are doing and READ for an hour.  This is open for everyone, adults and kids alike.  

Reading is truly important for both adults and children, leading to long-lasting identity formation and helping to set up success for the future.   Research also shows that reading reduces stress 68% more than by listening to music, going for a walk or enjoying a quiet cup of tea.

I wonder if it works just as well if you are being read to??  

Hello Semester 2

Well, I hope you all had a good break because - scary thought ... we are more than halfway through the year already!  Second semester is no longer hovering on the horizon - we've hit the deck running!  

The Library carpet was replaced with a vinyl flooring during the holidays, but somehow they managed to run out of vinyl BEFORE getting to my office.  Now the cupboards that were pulled out so the flooring could go down are sitting outside the door of my office, the drawers from the cupboards are in store rooms, or stacked in corners of my office waiting for the rest of it to be done ... and the stuff I carefully packed 'safely' away in said cupboards is who knows where!  And this includes my barcode reader!  (I should have thought that one through a bit better!!)

However ... you can't rush these things - and it will look pretty snazzy once it is all done, shelves moved, everything back in place - or a new place ... and maybe a compactus to store ALL sorts of stuff neatly away in the office.  

Term 3 always seems to be the busiest for the year and this one is no exception, it appears. Careers Expo, Sports Day, School Formal, Opera Australia .... and along with everything else happening, the Desert Harmony festival kicks off next week with a multitude of things happening throughout the town.  

Anyhow enjoy the start of Term 3 - and carry on being your usual awesome selves!

Web Links

Below are a couple of links to check out.  

Both are infographics, so hopefully should catch the students interest enough for them to at least take a look.  
The first one is tips for evaluating fake news headlines and the second covers Boolean commands for searching.  Boolean searches are shortcuts to find what you need quickly and more effectively, rather than wading through thousands, if not millions of sites, looking for that small nugget of information. 

http://www.easybib.com/guides/evaluating-fake-news-resources/      (infographic)

https://au.pinterest.com/pin/483644447453982190/   (Boolean Search Commands - Infographic)

Unusual Improbable Libraries

Libraries just don't seem to be dying out despite all the predictions otherwise.  In fact, they seem to be popping up everywhere in all sorts of places and styles.  

Check out the link below for some of the more 'improbable' libraries seen around the world. This has been taken from a book with the same title by English journalist Alex Johnson.  

It all goes to show that the Library is a very adaptable artefact that apparently has no intention of being killed off any time soon - and is a definite testament to peoples ideas and ingenuity.  

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/the-world%E2%80%99s-most-improbable-libraries/6483292

Enjoy the long weekend - only one more left in the year after this one so make the most of them. Judging by the weather, a good book or two and a great coffee or hot chocolate would probably be the way to go.

Ideas for the Library

As mentioned at the start of the year, a revamp of the Library has been discussed - especially after the carpet got flooded and needed to be removed. And it still smells damp and soggy in here! 

I have spent a little time playing with floor plans and ideas just lately - although we are still waiting for floors to be done, so we can move on.  Hopefully this will happen during the July holiday break.  However I am getting quite fond of the rustic cement flooring look, I have to admit. 

Anyway, it has occurred to me that maybe the question I really should be asking is: what do people actually WANT in this space?  Print? Digital? Space for classes? Other ideas? Do you even need a 'Library' as such - or could it possibly be reborn in some other way? Maybe you have some radical thoughts for a vibrant learning space?? 

Lots of resources in here are rarely used and often just seem to be taking up space or helping to create corners for students to lurk in - so maybe there is another way to utilise this area, as well as the resources, that will work for everyone ... and really, I can't always see the forest for the trees.  

There are some awesome ideas out there in the Pinterest world - although I suspect that we may also need a bucket of never ending cash to make some of them a reality.  

So ....... input and ideas please??

Infotopia Weblinks

Infotopia is an academic search engine providing trusted websites that have been previously selected by both Librarians and teachers for use by teachers and with students.  

As you would expect from something put together by Library professionals,  it covers a huge variety of subjects and areas, possibly making it one of the better sites for providing resources in schools and at home.

Below are a couple of links I have taken from the site for you to have a browse though and see what you think.

http://www.infotopia.info/

http://www.infotopia.info/citations.html

http://www.infotopia.info/games_educational.html

http://www.infotopia.info/mathematics.html

Weblink with Games for building empathy

I found this one on the Mindshift website, which covers a huge lot of articles and resources on education.  It could be worth a look.

https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2017/05/15/4-games-to-spark-empathy-building-in-the-classroom

And a cheering thought - we are into the second half of the term!!  A four week break coming up - we can do this!!

Carry on being awesome!