Tales from a Loud Librarian

I am off for two weeks. Usually, during this time I read up a storm. However, I have been doing more socializing than reading these days. It is something that I feel is important to my psyche. I brought home a huge stack of books from school. I figured that I would only read what really catches my interest. So if I start something and don't like it, then I have another to take its place. I read another Kathe Koja novel, Kissing the Bee . Love her work. Her books are short, but they pack a punch. I wish I could write so well. I am plowing my way through a fantasy called Flora Segunda  by Ysabeau Wilce. It came out about two years ago to rave reviews. Not too many of my students were interested, so I started reading it to see if it was a book that I could push. I just looked for the author's name on line and found out that there are two sequels! Anyway, the author uses a lot of made up words that stem from Spanish and English. at least I think that they do. I am feeling sort...

First we skyped in the library, then we used the brand new PolyCom system for a video conference and skyped all in the same session. Today four schools: Riverdale, Bonnabel, Grace King, and Patrick Taylor all participated in a video conference. The presenters were Scott Walker from WDSU television and Bill Symonds from Harvard University, formerly of Business Week magazine. Scott Walker was live at Riverdale. He spoke to the students about life as a broadcast journalist. Then Bill Symonds spoke about being a print journalist via a skype feed set up at Riverdale. After that the students from each school were allowed to ask questions. My students liked the Q and A best. The picture below gives the view that the students and presenters saw of Patrick Taylor via the Polycom system. That's me standing up and looking kind of goofy. Here is a shot of Scott Walker live at Riverdale and Bill Symonds on Skype. On Monday, my library book group used the new PolyCom system to talk ...

It has been two weeks since my last post. I apologize. I try to post at a minimum weekly. Let's see, first I had a birthday on the 2nd. It wasn't a milestone, so I won't mention any numbers here. Then I went to Baton Rouge for two days for LACUE (Louisiana Computer Using Educators) conference. I was disappointed with most of the sessions that I attended. I am so much more technologically advanced than what I was receiving at the sessions. I am not bragging, just stating the truth. Then I spent three days in bed with a fever. This past Saturday there was a flooding rain, and there you have the last couple of weeks. Along the way I finished Hate List by Jennifer Brown. I really liked the premise. The book opens explaining the May 2nd school shooting by Valerie's boyfriend, Nick. Did Valerie know about the plan or was she just along for the ride? We learn a lot about Valerie by the end of the book, as it is told in her voice. The novel alternates chapters from the ti...