One of the best things about a new school year is the opportunity to start off with some great new lessons for the library! At my school, students come to the media center as part of their "BEP" or "Specials". (After 8 years, I still cannot find out what "BEP classes" stand for so I have decided it means "Beautiful Excellent and Phenomenal classes.")
This year, I am excited about so many new things. Our 5th grade project for Museum in the Schools, where the students present their research projects at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, has some exciting new topics and changes. The research projects are going to have quite a bit more investigation and experimentation. Our library assistants will be having some new duties, and I will get to have one kindergarten, one fourth grade, and one fifth grade class come in every 8 days for a special media class! Once the school year gets underway, library centers will be established too.
This is going to be a great day!
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
When Technology Is Needed...
Technology is wonderful. The use of chromebooks at our school has been implemented in several classrooms although the media center uses older Dell mini laptops during classes. We love our technology.
Now that all that is said, I have learned a very important fact regarding the CHARGING of approximately 100 chromebooks for a teacher training session: be careful where you plug in all the carts! Last week I made sure all the large and small carts were plugged in so they would be fully charged for a Monday training. I double checked the "orange lights" showing they were charging and then...well, I never thought about checking them on Friday. It seems that too much of a good thing (like Chromebooks) can cause all the outlets on one media center wall to blow a circuit so none of the devices actually got charged.
Ooops.
Thankfully they only take about an hour to charge so the teacher training went off without too many hitches once the carts were spread among the remaining wall circuits in the media center. We DO love our technology!
Now that all that is said, I have learned a very important fact regarding the CHARGING of approximately 100 chromebooks for a teacher training session: be careful where you plug in all the carts! Last week I made sure all the large and small carts were plugged in so they would be fully charged for a Monday training. I double checked the "orange lights" showing they were charging and then...well, I never thought about checking them on Friday. It seems that too much of a good thing (like Chromebooks) can cause all the outlets on one media center wall to blow a circuit so none of the devices actually got charged.
Ooops.
Thankfully they only take about an hour to charge so the teacher training went off without too many hitches once the carts were spread among the remaining wall circuits in the media center. We DO love our technology!
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Introducing Duke and the Yet-To-Be-Named Bulldog!
Being in charge of the daily news broadcast at school has a lot of technological challenges, but those can usually be figured out with the help of tech-savvy fifth graders. The biggest challenge has nothing to do with computers, cameras, equipment, or even on-air personalities. No, the one thing that keeps me on my toes (and sometimes up at night) is the CONTENT.
That's right. Keeping it fresh for 185 days even though certain things never change. (Every Thursday is the Bulldog Book of the Week segment, for example.) This year, thanks to family members who travel a whole lot more than I do, we have not one, but TWO International Roving Bulldogs!
First, there is Duke. Duke is currently residing in Albuquerque, New Mexico with my brother and sister-in-law. They are taking him to London, to the Hot Air Balloon Festival, and many other places on their travels. Duke is very photogenic so we are looking forward to updates throughout the year on his adventures.
The other Roving Bulldog has yet to be named because the students will do that in a contest the first week of school. This lucky little dog is now living in Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City to be precise) and attending the American International School of HCMC where my sister is now teaching. So far this little bulldog has visited several places including the Mekong Delta (where it learned how to make coconut candy and drank honey tea), churches and temples, and the local market.
On the airplane from Houston to Tokyo.
Finally in Vietnam, and greeted by a familiar site!
Have a Coke and a smile! (Duong is a boy's name in Vietnam.)
That's right. Keeping it fresh for 185 days even though certain things never change. (Every Thursday is the Bulldog Book of the Week segment, for example.) This year, thanks to family members who travel a whole lot more than I do, we have not one, but TWO International Roving Bulldogs!
First, there is Duke. Duke is currently residing in Albuquerque, New Mexico with my brother and sister-in-law. They are taking him to London, to the Hot Air Balloon Festival, and many other places on their travels. Duke is very photogenic so we are looking forward to updates throughout the year on his adventures.
The other Roving Bulldog has yet to be named because the students will do that in a contest the first week of school. This lucky little dog is now living in Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City to be precise) and attending the American International School of HCMC where my sister is now teaching. So far this little bulldog has visited several places including the Mekong Delta (where it learned how to make coconut candy and drank honey tea), churches and temples, and the local market.
Here it is at the airport, preparing to leave the USA.
Starbucks really is everywhere!
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