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Teacher Tech at Break-NECC Speed

because of NECC, Joyce, and all i learned, and all the friends i made and i met...from the hallways to the Second Life Playground...the Twitter backchannel...it all inspired me to ....start (yet another) blog! Library Media Tech Musings this is where i shared some of my musings and lessons learned from NECC....such as: "Our plates should be small but our appetite LARGE for new technology" please visit and let me know your thoughts...and see you at AASL in Charlotte! DEADLINE for EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION is Tomorrow!
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Let Them Read!

Children become confident readers by becoming comfortable with what they are reading. For some kids this happens early in their school careers. For others, it takes more time. Confidence comes before good reading. If the material a child is allowed to read is censured then we may be limiting the joy a child finds in reading and it's possible they may never become a joyful reader. I had a teacher ask me last year if he should let a non reader-a student who didn’t like to read-do a book report using the child’s choice of books - “Captain Underpants.” I resoundingly said yes.Children should not be reading adult material but there is absolutely nothing wrong with Captain Underpants, comic books or any book a child picks up and takes a joy in reading!My 16 year old daughter began reading for pleasure when she discovered the Captain Underpants books. I was so happy I bought every book in the series. After Captain Underpants she moved on to R. L. Stine. I think she was trying to drive me crazy, but none the less, we built our library of R.L. Stine. When her teacher told her she couldn’t read R. L. Stine…well, you don’t want to hear that parent teacher conversation. My daughter’s favorite author is now Maya Angelou. If a child wants to read, let them read whatever they like as long as it’s not illegal!A child reads books they are capable of reading. No one wants to read a grade level book more than a child does. Peer pressure exists even in the library. I've had many students over the years walking around with a book that they couldn't read, but it was socially acceptable. One little boy would sit and appear to be reading just so he fit in. When he came to my room, he'd take a deep breath, put the book down and get a book he could actually read. In my room he could read for pleasure without fear of being judged by his peers. Eventually this young man was able to read the books he really wanted to. It just took him a little extra time.I couldn’t have been happier than when one of my fourth grade students, hearing impaired, with a learning disability, and English as a Second Language Learner, came to me and asked to read me a book. She’d been reading this book on her own every chance she got and I noticed she’d been keeping it in her desk in my room. We sat, me in my teacher chair, her in the blue student chair, and she read “Go Dog Go,” by Dr. Seuss. When she was done she looked up at me with such happiness and pride in her face. I could have cried. I gave her the biggest hug and she hugged me back even harder. She excitedly took the book back to her general education classroom to read again to her classroom teacher.Confidence is what it takes to be a good reader. If a child doesn’t like to read, open up their possibilities. Make the books they read their choice. Then, don’t make any judgments. Just let them read.
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Hello everyone, With summer upon us, I offer you some light but interesting reading. From the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest website: An international literary parody contest, the competition honors the memory (if not the reputation) of Victorian novelist Edward George Earl Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873). The goal of the contest is childishly simple: entrants are challenged to submit bad opening sentences to imaginary novels. Although best known for "The Last Days of Pompeii" (1834), which has been made into a movie three times, originating the expression "the pen is mightier than the sword," and phrases like "the great unwashed" and "the almighty dollar," Bulwer-Lytton opened his novel Paul Clifford (1830) with the immortal words that the "Peanuts" beagle Snoopy plagiarized for years, "It was a dark and stormy night." The 2009 winning opening sentence: "Folks say that if you listen real close at the height of the full moon, when the wind is blowin' off Nantucket Sound from the nor' east and the dogs are howlin' for no earthly reason, you can hear the awful screams of the crew of the "Ellie May," a sturdy whaler Captained by John McTavish; for it was on just such a night when the rum was flowin' and, Davey Jones be damned, big John brought his men on deck for the first of several screaming contests." David McKenzie Federal Way, WA Other 2009 winners by category: http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/2009.htm
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The 21st Century Information Fluency Project is offering a new self-paced online class devoted to Website Evaluation using investigative search methods.This is the first time we've offered a self-paced course designed to meet your on demand learning needs. In this course you work at your own pace in a media rich interactive environment hosted at our Moodle based online learning site.This self-paced class challenges you to evaluate websites using an extensive toolkit of investigative methods. Each interactive tutorial includes a mastery test to help you lock in valuable skills.* Start with a performance based pre-test.* Progress at your own pace learning using 9 different interactive multimedia tutorials.* Check your understanding with skills specific mastery tests.* Conclude with a performance based post test.* Earn a certificate for 8 CDPUs.* 8 hours of instructionEach investigative method includes interactive tutorials, flash based training games and a mastery test. Successful completion of this course earns you a certificate for 8 CDPU's.Interested in the Class? Open for Guest Viewing! Login as Guest!Video Overview: Investigative Search 20/10Investigative Search: Prezi Flyover (the un-slide show)Sincerely,DennisDennis O'ConnorE-Learning Specialist :Information Fluency Partners
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Hello!

Hello there, Professor! It's Erica Greenblatt, one of the students in your class. I am thoroughly enjoying my time here, and look forward to the rest of the class.
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