Teen Tech Week 2012 was Tech-tacular

I think that this was the best Teen Tech Week (TTW) ever. I enjoyed all the activities, and I think the kids did too. Let me give you a daily wrap up of each event. 

MONDAY:

I thought that I would start TTW with a movie and popcorn. That way if students forgot that it was TTW, they could visit the library for a special event that needed no preparation. I didn't ask anyone to sign up for the movie. I just held two showings so that every interested student would be able to view it. Below is a shot from the Oscar winning animated short, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore created by William Joyce

The kids really were enamored with the movie. The theme is so pertinent to show in a library. It is all about the power of the story, and it begins in the French Quarter only a 15 minute drive from school. 

TUESDAY:

I had to convince them that it would be a good idea, but I got Jon and Pamela Voelkel to skype with us. They were reluctant because they didn't know if the medium would work for their type of presentation. The Voelkels have visited PFTSTA twice. The first time we were taken by storm when they arrived larger than life with their two daughters in tow. They bring the Mayans to life in words, song and pictures. The second time we were prepared for their antics, but it was equally as much fun. I thought a skype session would be a great venue. They prepared their room with some fake trees, so it looked like they were sitting in a forest even though it was a winter wonderland outside their window in Vermont. One of our students is of Mayan descent, so he came to tell the Voelkels some stories from his father. They shared some history of Mayan technology. There were lots of questions about life in the days of the Mayans and their books. 

Book 2 in the Jaguar Stones series by Jon and Pamela Voelkel
(You can find PFTSTA mentioned on the last page of the acknowledgements)

Pamela tweeted out about the skype session and had taken a picture of me after we were done with the students. I take lots of pictures on our end of every skype session. This was the first time that I got to see me on the other person's end. 

WEDNESDAY and FRIDAY:

On Wednesday and Friday, students signed up to create a Mech. I found the templates on-line. There were 27 choices. The students picked the one they wanted to create, and I had it printed and ready to go when they walked in the door. This created a big mess, but it was also a big hit. We don't do many crafts in our library, so this really was a treat. 

Each Mech had to be cut with scissors and an exacto knife to get the notches  

This colorful Mech was made by Tyler Libert

This is what the tables looked like after the students left the library for 4th period

THURSDAY:

I found this idea on Twitter. Someone had tweeted a picture of book spine poetry. I thought the students would have fun making their own poems. Again the library was a mess when the students left, but we had a blast. Want to make your own book spine poetry? Try it during National Poetry Month in April. 

An example of the poetry that the students created

Many of the books were used multiple times because their titles lent well to a poem

It was an exhausting week, but I think it was a success. Find more photos posted on the library website.