tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78369296228195279432024-03-13T10:58:44.352-07:00Briscoe School LibraryMs. Woznick keeps you up to date on what's going on in the Briscoe Library.Alix Woznickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01135832070781130379noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7836929622819527943.post-83085315798760684742009-10-14T09:08:00.000-07:002009-10-14T09:08:48.252-07:00Weigh in on Summer Reading 2010I've got a working list going of <a href="http://www.librarything.com/catalog/BriscoeMS/summerreadingpossibles2010">candidates for the 2010 summer reading list</a>. Take a look and <a href="mailto:awoznick@beverlyschools.org">let me know </a>if you have others I should be considering or if you've read any books on this list and have some feedback for me. (I have not read them all!!) I'm inviting students to come to talk with me today, and am also inviting parents and staff to provide their thoughts and opinions as well. In addition, I always get great info from <a href="http://www.beverlypubliclibrary.org/">Beverly Public Library </a>colleagues and the staff at <a href="http://www.banburybooks.com/">Banbury Cross Bookshop</a> in Wenham.Alix Woznickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01135832070781130379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7836929622819527943.post-35463762097422480262009-10-05T18:26:00.000-07:002009-10-05T18:27:36.990-07:00Just Read: How Do You Spell g-e-e-k? by Julie Anne Peters<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I picked this up based on (a) the author and (b) the cover - it's definitely eye-catching. The author, Julie Anne Peters, also wrote <i>Define "Normal"</i>, one of the big hits of our summer reading the past couple of years. And the cover is definitely memorable! When I looked more closely, it was about 3 girls who are into spelling bees. I loved the movie <i>Spellbound</i> and also enjoyed watching <i>Akeelah and the Bee</i> (predictible but well done), so I figured it was worth a look.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/38040000/38043305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/38040000/38043305.JPG" width="137" /></a>OK, so that's why I picked the book - what did I think of it? It was pretty good. Not memorable, but a good read. The main character befriends a goofy looking/dressing new kid who's been homeschooled, and in the process her (former) best friend becomes alienated, although that's mostly her own doing (the friend's). A bit predicable, and I wished the book had been a little longer so there had been more time to develop the characters in more depth. I liked the spelling words with their pronunciation given, but that might slow down or frustrate some younger readers. The book is relatively short (maybe 125 p. or so) and readable, and since it's by Peters, it could appeal to some kids who are not huge readers, but they could find the somewhat obscure spelling words a bit of a stumbling block. Or maybe not - maybe they'll enjoy the word play. All in all - recommended, but maybe not heartily. Probably best for 5th-7th grade girls.<br />
</div>Alix Woznickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01135832070781130379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7836929622819527943.post-87283642988223664262009-10-02T08:08:00.000-07:002009-10-02T08:08:39.560-07:00October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://staysafeonline.org/files/NCSAM/NCSA_StaticBanners/20090713_banners/NCSAM-09-468x60_web.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://staysafeonline.org/files/NCSAM/NCSA_StaticBanners/20090713_banners/NCSAM-09-468x60_web.gif" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) is a national public awareness campaign to encourage everyone to protect their computers and our cyber infrastructure. </span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">The website <a href="http://staysafeonline.org/">StaySafeOnline.org</a> has information and lesson plans for parents and educators, as well as for businesses and other users.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://staysafeonline.org/content/protect-your-children">Protect Your Children</a> includes sections on safety and security, cyberbullying, and safe searching and monitoring.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><a href="http://staysafeonline.org/content/k-12-educators">The K-12 Educator section</a> has lesson plans, contest information, and reviews a national study about K-12 cyber security.<br />
</div>Alix Woznickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01135832070781130379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7836929622819527943.post-84106892878215786842009-09-29T19:28:00.001-07:002009-09-30T10:39:41.410-07:00Books into Movies<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Lots of children's and YA books have been picked up by Hollywood and made into movies. Here's a look at what's coming in the next few months:<o:p></o:p></span> <br />
<ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://wherethewildthingsare.warnerbros.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Where the Wild Things Are</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> is out Oct. 16. Based on Maurice Sendak's classic children's book, it's got plenty of hipster cred, with Spike Jonze directing, and starring all kinds of your favorite indie-film stars.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.thevampiresassistant.net/"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Vampire's Assistant</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> comes out Oct. 23. Based on a book from the enormously popular Cirque du Freak YA horror series, it is rated PG-13. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.twilightthemovie.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial;">New Moon</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">, the second in the Twilight series, is already creating a huge buzz. Out Nov. 20. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814255/"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Lightning Thief</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">, the first book in the Percy Jackson saga, is due for a Feb. 12 release. It's got some of the same cool folks who are in Where the Wild Things Are - well, OK, Catherine Keener anyway. Plus bigwigs Pierce Brosnan and Uman Thurman, and Chris Columbus directs.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1196141/"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Diary of a Wimpy Kid</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> is out in April. This will be live-action - will it lose the charm of it's hand-drawn inspiration?<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Then there are the inevitable classics that have been trotted onto the silver screen for yet another turn. Does the world need </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/achristmascarol/"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Disney's A Christmas Carol,</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> due in November? Hard to believe the evil empire - er, the maker of American dreams - hasn't tackled this one yet. Jim Carrey stars, along with Gary Oldman (MUST be the ghost of Christmas Past), Colin Firth, and other names you may recognize. Tim Burton tries his hand at </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1014759/"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Alice in Wonderland</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> in March with Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, and Alan Rickman playing the Caterpillar. Then Ridley Scott tackles </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0955308/"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Robin Hood</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> with Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett in starring roles, due out in April. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
</div>Alix Woznickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01135832070781130379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7836929622819527943.post-169293838403261362009-09-23T09:54:00.000-07:002009-09-23T10:42:58.459-07:00Free Museum Day - Sat 9/26<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y5MMhcOSE4s/Srpck3ufT4I/AAAAAAAAAAc/sKMO_p6TUV4/s1600-h/museumday-logo-2009.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 73px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384718092978835330" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y5MMhcOSE4s/Srpck3ufT4I/AAAAAAAAAAc/sKMO_p6TUV4/s320/museumday-logo-2009.jpg" /></a><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y5MMhcOSE4s/SrpcWVMcGKI/AAAAAAAAAAU/RjrvnDle59M/s1600-h/museumday-logo-2009.jpg"></a></p><div><div><a href="http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/"><span style="font-family:arial;">The Smithsonian Magazine </span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">is promoting a </span><a href="http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/"><span style="font-family:arial;">free museum day </span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">across the country this Saturday, September 26. </span><a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/museum-search/?state=Massachusetts"><span style="font-family:arial;">In Massachusetts </span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">alone, there are about 50 museums taking part.<br /><br />First, </span><a href="http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/admission.html"><span style="font-family:arial;">download a card</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">, then bring it with you on Saturday, so that you and a guest can get free admission to any of the </span><a href="http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/venue.html"><span style="font-family:arial;">participating museums</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">A few that look good to me: </span><br /></div><div><ul><li><a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/venues/Beverly_Historical_Society_Museum.html"><span style="font-family:arial;">The Beverly Historical Society and Museum</span></a> </li><br /><li><a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/venues/The_Great_House_Castle_Hill.html"><span style="font-family:arial;">The Great House at Castle Hill </span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">on the Crane Estate in Ipswich</span><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/venues/Cape_Ann_Museum.html"><span style="font-family:arial;">Cape Ann Museum </span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">in Gloucester</span><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/venues/JFK_Presidential_Library_and_Museum.html"><span style="font-family:arial;">JFK Presidential Library and Museum </span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">in Boston</span> </li><br /><li><a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/venues/Lowell_National_Historical_Park.html"><span style="font-family:arial;">Lowell National Historical Park</span></a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/venues/Harvard_Museum_of_Natural_History.html"><span style="font-family:arial;">Harvard Museum of Natural History</span></a></li></ul></div></div>Alix Woznickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01135832070781130379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7836929622819527943.post-80757242329798859422009-09-19T17:25:00.000-07:002009-09-19T17:49:42.230-07:00Acquiring Used Books Creatively<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">It's easy to go online and buy new books from Amazon or similar vendors. And there are plenty of used books for sale online too - also through Amazon and other good used book sites. But there are lots of other ways to find and share used books. Each of these sites has a slightly different twist. And believe it or not, I found this list in a recent issue of Family Circle magazine!</span><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;" href="http://booksfree.com/">BooksFree.com</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> works like Netflix. You pay a monthly fee to borrow new books or similar products. For $11/mo you can have two paperback books at a time. They also have children's books and audiobooks (on CD or MP3). Pricing varies depending on how many items you have at a time and what formats you want.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">A couple of swapping sites, </span><a style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;" href="http://americasbookshelf.com/">AmericasBookShelf.com</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> and </span><a style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;" href="http://bookmooch.com/">BookMooch.com</a><span style="font-family:arial;">, allow you to share the books right on your own shelf with others, and thereby acquire points to get books that others have in their homes. Costs are low. AmericasBookShelf has a small annual fee and you pay $3.50 for each book you "borrow", but this covers shipping costs. BookMooch is free, but you have to pay for your own shipping.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://betterworldbooks.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">BetterWorldBooks.com</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> is more like a typical used bookstore, where you can buy or sell used books. What makes them different is that they used money raised from the online store and books that are acquired through book drives to support literacy programs around the world. According to their site, they have raised over $7 million for literacy.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://bookcrossing.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">BookCrossing.com</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> has a more whimsical approach, sort of a </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.wheresgeorge.com/">WheresGeorge</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> for books. If you have a book to share, you can register it at BookCrossing and then leave it somwhere - in a coffee shop, in a hotel, on a coffee shop, at the gym. The person who picks it up can enter the number in to find out where it came from and you can track where your books go as they travel the world. </span><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Alix Woznickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01135832070781130379noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7836929622819527943.post-54298658811982966782009-09-16T10:41:00.000-07:002009-09-16T10:53:59.783-07:00Hispanic Heritage Month 9/15-10/15<span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br />Hispanic Heritage Month started yesterday, September 15, and runs through October 15. If you're wondering why it starts on September 15 and not the first of the month, the date was chosen because it is the anniversary of independence for five Central American countries, while independence days for some other countries follow soon after. Here are a few good resources to consult to learn more about Hispanic Americans, the Spanish language, quizzes and games, lessons, and more:<br /></span><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.factmonster.com/spot/hhm1.html">FactMonster - Hispanic Heritage Month</a> - information and games</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://heritagetours.si.edu/hhm.html">Smithsonian Institute - Hispanic Heritage Virtual Tour</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/hispanic/">Scholastic.com - Celebrate Hispanic Heritage!</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.nps.gov/history/Nr/feature/hispanic/">National Register of Historic Places - Hispanic Heritage Month<em></em></a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/007173.html">U.S. Census Press Release</a> - Hispanic Heritage - statistics and data on Hispanic Americans<br /></span></li></ul>Alix Woznickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01135832070781130379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7836929622819527943.post-37679597499520165782009-09-13T19:20:00.000-07:002009-09-16T11:01:53.139-07:00Summer Reading '09 done - Time to get ready for '10<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Briscoe held its annual Summer Reading "Book Clubs" on Friday 9/11. After some mad dashes through the halls, practically everyone in the building dropped everything for an hour to go to a room with other staff or students who had read the same book over the summer. Some of the most popular books this past year were <span style="font-style: italic;">Define "Normal"</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Things Not Seen</span> for the sixth graders, and <span style="font-style: italic;">Deep and Dark and Dangerous</span> for the seventh/eighth grade groups.<br /><br />Now th</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://content-5.powells.com/cgi-bin/imageDB.cgi?isbn=9781595141965"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 179px;" src="http://content-5.powells.com/cgi-bin/imageDB.cgi?isbn=9781595141965" alt="" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">at we're done with 2009's list, it's time to start looking ahead and finding new books for 2010. One I've re</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">cently finished that's already on my short list is <a href="http://www.allegragoodman.com/goodman-island.htm"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Other Side of the Island</span> </a>by Allegra Goodman. The book is set sometime in the future. It hints at a post-global warming world where the world is run by a giant "Corporation" and overseen by "Earth Mother." Honor and her family have been brought to an island where they must follow the rules - or they will disappear. Honor wants to fit in but her parents consistently spurn the rules laid out for them, which leads to trouble for them all. Utopia or dystopia? I hope Goodman gets cracking soon so we find out more about Honor and her family!<br /></span></span>Alix Woznickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01135832070781130379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7836929622819527943.post-50179974727961563142009-09-09T07:04:00.000-07:002009-09-09T07:24:06.331-07:00Digital Bookmobile Coming Monday 9/14<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The Digital Bookmobile is coming to Beverly on Monday, September 14. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">The website says "The Digital Bookmobile is a community outreach vehicle for public libraries to promote downloadable eBooks, audiobooks, music, and video. Developed inside a 74-foot, 18-wheel tractor-trailer, the nationally touring vehicle is a high-tech update of the traditional bookmobile that has served communities for decades."</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.digitalbookmobile.com/images/nextstop.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 95px;" src="http://www.digitalbookmobile.com/images/nextstop.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >It will be at the Beverly Public Librar</span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >y from 10am - 4pm on September 14. </span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >I wish it could be there longer so more of our Briscoe students could check it out!</span>Alix Woznickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01135832070781130379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7836929622819527943.post-13688369009607633332009-09-08T08:24:00.000-07:002009-09-08T08:34:05.055-07:00How's your handwriting?<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Most kids get less practice with handwriting than they did in the past. Not surprising, considering that they will probably be using a keyboard or touch screen a lot and writing less by hand than earlier generations. But lots of work is still done by hand, particularly tests, and it's frustrating to all when students (and adults!) have illegible handwriting.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">A piece in the September 8 New York Times suggests that the old "Palmer" method of handwriting, and of teaching it is too difficult to do and to read, and suggests an alternate style. Inga Dubay and Barbara Getty, co-authors of a <a href="http://www.allport.com/Catalog_Category.aspx?catid=128">series of books on italic handwriting</a>, suggest "American handwriting is in a woeful state. But there is hope. We can stop mumbling on the page and </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/09/04/opinion/20090908_opart.html">become legible writers by going italic</a><span style="font-family:arial;">." Try it out yourself!</span><br /></span>Alix Woznickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01135832070781130379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7836929622819527943.post-32949583109110034322009-09-04T07:32:00.001-07:002009-09-08T08:34:44.700-07:00Books still rule in the subways of NYC<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia,serif;"><br /></span></div>The New York Times is running a story on </span></span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/nyregion/06reading.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">what and how people read on the subways</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> in New York. They're inviting people to post their subway line and what they read, so it should be fun to check back and see the info and graphic later.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 126px;" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/09/06/nyregion/subwaymap190.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></span></span><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My favorite part is in the section entitled "Readers in Training." Day campers, ages 5-8, who ride the subway regularly bring books with them and the rule is that if they get a seat they have to have a book to read. Although it also notes that "</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">even campers who had to stand took to their books."</span></span></span></div><br /></div>Alix Woznickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01135832070781130379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7836929622819527943.post-62156181725845924402009-09-04T06:00:00.001-07:002009-09-04T13:07:47.480-07:00A library without the books<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><div><br /></div>The Boston Globe's front page story this morning is about</span></span><a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/09/04/a_library_without_the_books/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Cushing Academy's decision to chuck their books</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> in favor of Amazon Kindles, computers, and coffee. (The reference desk will be replaced by a $50,000 coffee shop!) </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">While I applaud their courage to make a bold move and embrace some of the newly-available technology, I don't quite understand why it has to be an either-or situation. I do think that certain types of non-fiction information may be best found online, and there is a lot of value in providing access to fiction that rarely moves off the shelf, a lot is being lost here too. What you need is the right tool for the right job, and sometimes a print book is the right tool, sometimes it's a laptop, maybe sometimes it's a Kindle or iTouch or a photocopied page. Readers seem to agree, because as of 9am there were already nearly 100 </span></span><a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/09/04/a_library_without_the_books/?comments=all"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">comments posted</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Just because something's on a computer doesn't make it better - nor is it necessarily better because it's in print.</span></span></div>Alix Woznickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01135832070781130379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7836929622819527943.post-23744689488063555762009-09-03T17:47:00.000-07:002009-09-03T18:03:01.622-07:00Give the students what they want - or do they know what it is?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">An article in the New York Times was one of the most emailed and commented-on this past week. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: bold; "><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/30/books/30reading.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A New Assignment: Pick Books You Like</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">highlights</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> teachers who allow students to choose their own reading material in school. </span></span></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There are a few hundred comments, which are worth picking through to see different sides of the debate. I think there are some great points being made on both sides. On one hand, both good readers and those who are less enthusiastic benefit from being able to choose books they like. On the other, there is something to be said for having a shared cultural experience in school - and in our culture in general. Really, we need to make room for both ways of doing things. </span></span></span></span></span></div>Alix Woznickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01135832070781130379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7836929622819527943.post-43542816078502767592009-09-02T12:52:00.000-07:002009-09-04T06:09:58.934-07:00Used Book Superstore Sale 9/19<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The </span></span><a href="http://www.gotbooks.com/danvers.php"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Used Book Superstore</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> in Danvers has a sale coming up on Saturday 9/19. Prices are usually good anyway, but you can get great deals at their sales. Kids' books will be only 50 cents, other books $1, VHS tapes 75 cents, etc. They also have some DVDs and audiobooks on CD and cassette (remember those?).</span></span>Alix Woznickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01135832070781130379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7836929622819527943.post-22640335905236698222009-09-01T18:43:00.000-07:002009-09-04T06:10:16.692-07:00Summer Reading<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I'm pulling together all the lists of what everyone read over the summer so I can organize who will be assigned to which rooms. Teachers will receive lists shortly of what books their students are signed up for, and students should check those lists carefully to be sure they're accurate. If you read </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Tiger</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> you won't want to be sent to a room of kids discussing </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Define "Normal"</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">! </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Of course, I'm hoping that most of you (students, teachers and parents) read something other than the "required" reading. I love having time to read the newspaper - I admit to being a news junkie. I still love getting the morning paper and spreading it out while I drink my coffee. But now that I've acquired a laptop, I'm also hopping online in the morning and reading other papers and news outlets online - and hoping the papers don't go under with all of us reading them for free online :-) Some good books I enjoyed are: </span></span></div><div><ul><li><i><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Girl-Overboard/Justina-Chen-Headley/e/9780316011297/?itm=1&usri=1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Girl Overboard</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> -</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> YA book, about the daughter of a billionaire whose passion is snowboarding, but now that she's been injured she has to figure out a bunch of things in her life, including issues with family, friends, boys, and whether she'll ever be able to snowboard again.</span></span></li><li><i><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Finding-Oz/Evan-I-Schwartz/e/9780547055107/?itm=1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Finding Oz</span></span></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> - a biography of L. Frank Baum, the author of the iconic Wizard of Oz books. His life held a series of failures up until his early 40s, when the first Oz book was published. The book reveals some fascinating and surprising inspirations for many of the elements and characters in Oz.</span></span></li><li><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/When-a-Crocodile-Eats-the-Sun/Peter-Godwin/e/9780316158947/?itm=2&usri=1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">When a Crocodile Eats the Sun</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> - written by a journalist who grew up in Zimbabwe in the 1960s, where his British (or so he thought) parents settled after WWII. His parents are now aging and the country is becoming increasingly dangerous during the early 2000s, when this memoir is set. Family secrets are revealed, and the author grapples with his own mixed feelings about his home country, now that he no longer lives there himself.</span></span></li></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">What have you been reading?</span></span></div>Alix Woznickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01135832070781130379noreply@blogger.com0