My Sketch Up Obsession

               Well here it is, Sunday. I hope you had a great week off and that you are ready for the home stretch. I thought I was going to spend my week playing with the new Mac Book Air that I received right before the break. (Thank you to everyone responsible for getting that wonderful new tool into my hands; from the Superintendent all the way to every tax payer, I hope to use it well). While I did spend about an hour or so getting familiar with it, especially the photo booth feature, I ended up turning back to my own laptop for all my personal uses.

One of these uses was teaching myself to use Google’s Sketch Up 3D design tool. I first mentioned Sketch Up in a post back on Novemer 16, 2008. At that time, I started the program and explored a few of the features, but I didn’t have the time or a reason for learning to use it. On several occasions, as I passed by the A wing, I have seen Mr. Cosgrove’s classes using the program, and it always appeared to be something that was a lot of fun. I just never seemed to need such a tool.

Then one day during vacation, my brother-in-law (who lives in the same town, but whom I never see because that’s just how it goes sometimes) stopped by, asking if I could help him draw a plan for his backyard deck. He carried with him the original plans we had made more than a decade earlier, after a holiday meal. I used to have some cheesy “design” program published by Better Homes Gardens and my brother-in-law still had the printout from that app. I told him that I would be happy to help him with his plans, but that I no longer had that software. This is when I thought of using Sketch Up.

               I downloaded the software, which took no time at all, and started it, thinking I would be able to use it with no tutorials or practice. Everything about the program was familiar; the work area/field, the toolbars, zooming in and out using the wheel on the mouse. After about ten minutes, however, it was clear that I did not know what I was doing. I was thinking and drawing as though I was using a flat two dimensional surface, and Sketch Up is a three dimensional tool. Frustrated, I turned to pen and paper and my brother-in-law and I drafted the plans for his deck the old fashioned way.

Later on that evening, I returned to Sketch Up, determined to learn how to use it. I watched the first two tutorial videos to learn the basics about navigating in the program and how to use the simple tool set. That was enough to get me going. At first, I was happy just making big boxes with uneven rectangles for windows. I learned that cut, copy and paste work pretty much the same, except that they occur in three planes, which can get tricky if you’re not careful.

After mastering the basics, I created the simple patio for my brother-in-law that started this whole learning adventure, but my curiosity was piqued. I started wondering what other things I could do. Could I make a “simple” map of the high school library that I could use in the future? I started imagining a 3D map of the LMC with all areas labeled that would let people take a “virtual tour”. What the hell, I thought, I’m on vacation. How much work could it be to make a simple map?

Needless to say, I ran into problems immediately. How big is the LMC? How tall are the doors? How deep is the pit? What are the dimensions of the pit? How big is the office I sit in every day? Suddenly, I had all kinds of questions to answer. Even if I knew all of this, how would I furnish the area? I still haven’t explored all of the Sketch Up drawings that are available, and anyway, I was kind of hoping to learn more about the software by building all kinds of things.

               That, however, became one of my problems. My obsessive compulsive side took over and I found myself designing everything from file cabinets and lounge chairs, to computers and eventually, giant robots. The more I drew and cut and copied and pushed and pulled and rotated and grouped, the more I wanted to do it.

What is mind blowing about the application is that you can be thinking about the layout for a 150′ x 125′ room one minute (that’s what I ended up estimating the LMC to be) and the next minute you can be designing the 1/4” RCA plugs for the computers that will sit on the desks. I’m still having fun playing around Sketch Up, and hope to complete the LMC library model to use for educational purposes. (At least that’s what I’m telling my wife every time she catches me “playing” around.) Have a great day, and hope to see you all tomorrow.

P.S. After working for hours and hours in a virtual three dimensional world, zooming in and out, panning around the x, y and z coordinates, it was weird coming back to writing a linear post.

Copyright © henry toromoreno, 2012. All rights reserved.

BONUS: My Secret Robot Project

 

 

April Quick Hits

Happy April Fool’s Day. No tricks coming from here, just a couple of quick hits for now.

• CNN this week is going to have a series of programs about Kids and Race, hosted by Anderson Cooper. Race and racism has once again grabbed the headlines in national news, due in part to the Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida. Cooper and CNN had apparently planned this special, however, before that tragedy focused the nation’s attention on race, having commissioned a study over a year ago in preparation for this program. The show will air nightly the week of April 2 at 8 and 10 pm on CNN.
• Congratulations to my HHS colleague and fellow blogger, Darshan Thakkar, who just recently published two more books and has another on the way already. One of his blogs, Trends in Multimedia Instruction is included in our blogroll and is of course, recommended reading. His books, Web Based Machine Translation: History, Models, and Lessons for the Secondary Language Classroom and Remembering New Words in a Second Language, are available at the links provided. We look forward to hearing more from Mr. Thakkar in the future, and learning all we can from him.
• Google is so much more than just a search engine, but many people aren’t even aware of the many other things you can do with it. Our television and media guru, Mr. Brandon, passed along this find called The Comprehensive Guide to Google Free Tools for Teachers and Students, to me, and now I would like to share it with you. Among the many topics covered are how to use Google Sketch Up, Google Reader and Google Scholar. I’m not convinced it is the final word in all things Google, but it is easy to navigate and includes a number of short videos to cover each of the topics. (The author of the site and presentation claims to be a teacher in Canada and a computer enthusiast. I explored his posts for about an hour and have bookmarked it for future use.)
• Any casual reader of this blog knows how often I turn to TED Talks to share an inspiring or mind blowing video. TED Ed is an offshoot of this great site, aimed at a younger and perhaps less technically inclined audience. It uses more animation and visual aids than the usual “talk”, but I hope that makes it more accessible and fun to watch. In How Simple Ideas Lead to Scientific Discoveries, Adam Savage (co-host of Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters) demonstrates two breakthroughs in thinking that came from simple observations. While the channel is still very young and therefore limited in its collection, the other topics include such interesting titles as “How Containerization Shaped the Modern World” and “Evolution in a Big City”.
• Serendipitous YouTube Find, Leonel Toromoreno’s Art Studio @ Perkins Academy. I still paint, draw, sketch and doodle to this day because of the huge influence that my uncle, Leonel, had on my childhood. He was an art prodigy if I ever saw one, replicating the paintings of the Renaissance masters using what he could afford; pencil on canvas. I spent hours as a kid dressed in oversized clothing, modeling as a waif for his still life drawings. Today, like so many people in my family, he is an educator, sharing his time and his gifts with the next generation. I was excited to find the video linked above showing off some of the work he’s doing in his classrooms.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you found something worthwhile.

Copyright © henry toromoreno, 2012. All rights reserved.

The evolution of a conversation through the use of digital connections

               That is one long title. But then again, this is a long post. It’s also unusual in that it has many “authors” and doesn’t quite fit into any category. Still, I hope that if you are a reader of this blog, you will find something worthwhile by the end.

               Last week, something interesting happened via e-mail at our school. I asked a question, and I got many immediate responses. The “conversation” grew for a little while and then it was over (for the time being, anyway). It gave me much to think about, but I will save my observations for the end.

               First then, is the conversation in its entirety with all names removed (since I didn’t ask anyone for permission to reprint their email … and that is part of the point of this post). The digital conversation began with me sending out this e-mail to all HHS faculty and administrators:

• Hello All, I hate to be a bother, but I would really appreciate some feedback and other people’s perspective regarding how students are currently using our schools’ computers. / More and more I see students accessing their Facebook during school hours and this worries me for a couple of reasons. First of all, while FB may be a great socializing tool, but I have not seen anyone using it for any educational purposes. / Secondly, today’s students obviously have access to cameras right on their phones and can snap pictures and take video during the school day, which they can then post (almost immediately) on FB. This is not only a nuisance, but may also be an unwanted invasion of privacy for unknowing students whose pictures are being taken and posted. / Thirdly, many of the pictures that are already posted on students’ Facebook pages are personal and may be inappropriate for school use. Just today, I had to boot a kid off who was viewing his “album” which had many pictures of himself in a steamy bathroom, shirtless. / So, my question is …. would anyone care if we blocked FB from school computers? Is there a way we can do this from the server side …. Yes I know students can find proxies and other work arounds, but at least it will provide some obstacles for the less technologically inclined. / Thank you for your time and attention. / Henry

The Responses

• Ewww! Gross! I say block it from the school computers. Most students can access Facebook through their phones anyway. Facebook is not an appropriate tool for during school hours. Respondent 1
• I support Henry in this 100% and have been emailing repeatedly suggesting we block Facebook specifically, while keeping Youtube because of educational implementation. This is a huge distraction for the students. Sincerely, Respondent 2
• PLEASE block it. The kids are also using Tumblr. Respondent 3
• I am with Respondent 2 and Henry on this one ; ) Keep youtube, dump facebook. Regards, Respondent 4
• agree … Respondent 5
• Block FB …. There is no educational value of FB, just as you say , only dangers. I would never advocate cencorship, but I see this as different. YOUTUBE is a huge tool for me and does not compare, keep that get rid of FB …. Respondent 6
• I totally agree with you…. Respondent 7
• No on Facebook, not sure about You Tube …. Respondent 8
• While I agree that students probably aren’t using facebook for educational purposes I don’t think creating a more restrictive technological use policy is the answer. Especially when the district recently made a large investment in new computers, projectors, and tablets I think with the idea that as a school we would open up our uses of technology. I have read about teacher’s using facebook as a tool to keep the lines of communication with students open and I would rather that option be there for those teachers who might want it. / When I was in school kids sometimes would take a magic marker to a bathroom stall to say something unwanted and untrue about a teacher or a classmate. That is a nuisance and an unwanted invasion of privacy, but I for one am glad they kept the bathrooms open and the stalls up. / yrs, Respondent 9
• Good Idea. You can do it right away. I use Khan Academy that requires either a Facebook or gmail account to login but I can work around it. I never allow my students to use their Facebook login for Khan. We can get them Gmail educational accounts next year and that will work. Respondent 10 
• I totally support blocking Facebook. This is a constant problem. I agree with Respondent 4 that we should keep youtube, because it has a lot of educational applications. Respondent 11 
• we used to have effective filtering, however. when did the filtering policy change? If facebook is not being filtered what is? and how is the filtering determined? Respondent 2, (second response)
• Was the bathroom steamy or the pictures? Respondent 12
• OK, here I go …. / Facebook, like any other “tool” the student body is utilizing, has to be used correctly for it to: 1. work for its intended purpose or 2: be used safely. Training makes the difference.  / No, I’m not some crazy nut from X-town, where we all use ipads to go grocery shopping because we don’t know how to write anymore, I’m some crazy nut (yes from X-town) that secretly thinks Facebook, beyond our understanding of its intended use, is contemplating something much bigger and perhaps less palatable with all of the gazillion terabytes of personal data it’s mining from us and each one of our students… even when we’re sleeping… Being smart, and alert, is the best way to proceed… / Many Haverhill school department employees, from Technology to teachers went recently to the 1:1 Summit in X-town. I went too. They have many success stories to report with regards to how they have intertwined teaching with Social Media… My daughter’s English teacher has a twitter feed displayed in his room while a lecture is in progress which opens up dialog and interaction that is far more dynamic and energetic when used this way….Kids submit projects and homework on-line and through public DropBox folders… their resources have been pushed to the cloud and Google docs etc.. it goes on and on… / That said, we have NOT done a great job in educating ourselves or the student body in general, in how to use any of these new tools correctly, safely or for their intended use. / The question is this: do we not want the tool (Facebook) at all, or do we want it used appropriately? By appropriately I mean, NOT while you are SUPPOSED to be typing a paper or taking a quiz for example. This is a behavior issue, not a technology issue. Its the same thing with games of tetris, solitaire or Googling images of shoes! / My balance that I have struck is this: IF, and ONLY IF you have completed the required assignment here in the Computer Lab, and it meets my approval, THEN you may load solitaire, or play minecraft etc. I took 5 days to explain the network, the resources and the “toilet flush while showering” scenario to ALL of the freshmen.. ask them… and about the “unprotected sex flashdrive lecture..” we had a great laugh…or how on-line games suck water out of the pipes if we ALL do it ALL the time… They get it, and respect that, even if it doesn’t make me immediately popular. / The current HHS rule does not allow Facebook use currently. Since that’s the RULE, then I ask that the students don’t access it. Most of them know about our HTTPS workaround anyway that circumvented most of our filters or they will use their phones to access it anyway, so perhaps wasting our time enforcing this is becoming wasteful in and of itself… If we do allow it, as we probably will I suspect, we should be teaching the RAMIFICATIONS and RISKS that public social media contain as well as their benefits so they can use it safely and for its intended use. / A few ideas: Let students use their phones during lunch or in passing in the halls.. let them get their social networking off their minds, relieving the in-class pressure… remembering BAD BEHAVIOR is just that- you do something inappropriate (cyber bullying, sex images etc.), you will be dealt with. However, if you are posting to your Mom’s page that lacrosse practice was cancelled, or friend’s page that she should know there is a really hard test coming in Mr. so and so’s class, or ” the homework is page 344 paragraphs 2-11…I’m at the mall or I’d help you sorry”.. then we missed the boat.. / Lets INCLUDE training on social media like Twitter, facebook, linkedin and the like… lets DISCUSS the RISKS and REWARDS of these sites and services so we can be better TEACHERS and TRUSTED sources of information for each other. Then, those who abuse the privilege, or display nasty or inappropriate images will be dealt with… / My $.02 Respondent 13
• sounds good, Respondent 14 
• Well what quick action! FB and Youtube are, among other sites, now blocked with no override as in days of old. I hope that youtube is quickly restored. Otherwise, how bizarre it would be to coax us old dinosaurs into using projectors only to prohibit the web’s major source of educational video clips. Respondent 13 (second response) 
• I agree. Keep youtube, dump facebook. / Youtube has some great educational videos. I use it all the time. Respondent 15
• Let us keep it. I have a page (just for school) that has assignments, deadlines and information on it for my kids. They get a notice when there is a change or when the assignments are published. It helps to reach them where they are paying attention. It has helped with their parents, too. / Best, Respondent 16 
• I do not believe in blocking any sites except the explicit sites that can be blocked separately. We should all have the ability to block individual students NOT the whole student population. All students are at times distracted; ask them once to get off the site and then block them from the Internet. I find this very effective. I know we do not all have the use of LanSchool or other computer classroom management software, but maybe we should look into that and training teachers on the ability to block individuals (this can be the web or an application–(game)). Thank you. Respondent 17 
• I am total agreement with Respondent 14! It’s not the tool that is the problem, it is our training and use of the tool that needs addressing. Respondent 18 
• Respondent 14 and Respondent 10 have advocated well for keeping Facebook. 14 did a bang-up job of defining the issue as a behavioral problem rather than a technological problem, thus arguing for a solution based on educating students around use and misuse of FB during school hours. 10, as English teachers can be, was instructive by illustrating the reactive impulse to block Facebook with his allegory involving the ‘bathroom stall’. Unresponsive Debating Teacher, where the hell are you? This needs to be the topic of your next debate! My position: After reading what 14 and 10 had to say, I am technically with them, but I have some major reservations and here they are: / While we certainly should welcome any ‘appropriate use’ of FB during school- that is, any use for educational purposes. The trouble is where, when and exactly how do be begin educating students on the behavioral topic of use vs. misuse? Perhaps a better question, however, is; should we choose to undertake such a goal with the entire student body? Time and effort spent during the school day educating students on responsible FB use is time and effort taken away from other educational topics. / One might easily argue that most students actually possessing the readiness to receive such instruction on ‘Appropriate FB Use VS. Inappropriate FB Use During School Hours’ and respond positively already demonstrate the target behaviors, maturity and skills we would endeavor to teach. The most Chronic FB misusers are arguably students without the maturity or respect for education to even consider the possibility that they would respond positively. / If we keep FB access open to students on school computers, the problem of monitoring students and separating use from misuse remains and is open for as an opportunity for many students to lie or misrepresent information about what they are actually doing on FB and basically manipulate any good intentions we may have. / I say we block facebook from school computers, and handle the issue of appropriate vs. inappropriate use from the angle of the personal devices. Obviously many students have FB apps on their phones and, right or wrong, openly use this capability during school. (For example, perhaps we could allow students to use text or FB communication from a hand-held during class if a student asks permission and states the purpose of communication.) / We can and should support appropriate FB use during school hours. However, what we permit students to access on our server is our choice, and that access should remain at our rightful discretion. Before we open the floodgates, I think we need to think carefully about what we have the resources to handle! Respondent 19
• I personally don’t use Facebook; too many problems, especially for public employees. Go ahead and block it. As for Youtube, we should be able to use it for our classes. There should be some restrictions however, especially for students. Respondent 20 
• can we all revisit this discussion at a faculty meeting? Sincerely, Respondent 2 (third response) 
• Thank you all for your feedback …. obviously I’ve touched a nerve (I’ll take a picture of it and post it later on FB) …. I hope that no one thinks I am in favor of blocking YOUTUBE … I even wrote a blog post advocating that we keep and use it for it’s many resources. / Facebook, however, is not the same kind of tool as far as I am concerned. But thank you all for the comments … it definitely deserves further consideration. / Henry

My Observations

               We live in an age of gathering and analyzing numbers, so here are some. There were twenty (20) respondents in a faculty of about 150(?) … (I tried looking up the exact figures at the Mass DOE site an ended up lost for about two hours online looking through other things I discovered serendipitously, so I went with a nice ballpark figure). Since I asked the question, that started it all, I included myself as a “respondent” which means that 21 of about 150 (or 14%) of the “faculty” gave some feedback; were a part of this conversation.

               Of those who had something to say on the topic, 13 (62%) were in favor of blocking Facebook, 5 (24%) did not want it blocked, 1 comment was vague, 1 comment was unrelated, and the questioner was counted as “other”. There were 12 females and 8 males that responded. The longest (wordiest) responses were penned by men, while women were more likely to include references to other respondents’ comments. The longer entries argued for considering keeping Facebook and teaching responsible use, instead of simple filtering. 

                Interestingly, even though the conversation was had over a school e-mail system, most respondents followed the rules of standard, written English in order to convey their ideas. Whenever observation of these rules were relaxed, they tended to be minor changes, acceptable for electronic communication, but not once did anyone use an acronym like IMHO or SMH. So, what does this all mean?

                For me, anyway, it means that we need to have more conversations about the technology that has become a regular part of our lives. Obviously it is impacting the way we “do schooling”, how we communicate and the way that we spend our time. It is both a great nuisance and an amazing tool, and the most critical variable is the user.

                 As a librarian, as a recovering English teacher, as a lover of the written word, perhaps I am afraid of the easy allure and the irresistible charm of the visual image and the pulsating beat. (Even as I am writing this, I am listening to talk radio online and have a television on mute playing a repeat of The Big Bang Theory (a show I don’t like very much at all) in the background). I understand the power of pop culture, especially today, because it has really become the glue for a whole generation.

                But Facebook isn’t the problem. Neither is Tumblr or Twitter. For many kids (and even some adults) the problem is as simple as Lady Gaga vs. Logarithms, Wiz Khalifa vs. World War II review, I can haz a cheeseburger cats vs. rewriting an essay for the fourth time. Entertainment versus education. Whenever I can choose between doing a crossword puzzle and trying to write a new post, I usually do the puzzle. Thank you for stopping by and I hope you join the conversation.

Copyright © henry toromoreno, 2012. All rights reserved.

Web Tool Roundup

               It’s been a while since I last shared information about online tools. I am an avid user of Open Office, Audacity and GIMP, all of which are free software available online and comparable to their commercial counterparts. I also mentioned CeltX, a writing tool that helps you organize larger works like books, plays, and screenplays, but which truthfully, I haven’t used much since downloading.

               My interest in finding out what else is available now was piqued by a clever version of Bloom’s Taxonomy that I happened to find thru Google Images. While I am familiar with a few of the tools pictured, such as YouTube and wikispaces, there are a number of others that I have never heard of, but look promising as classroom tools. What follows, is my quick tour of six of these tools, beginning at the bottom of the pyramid and climbing upwards. Of course, I also provide a link so that you may explore them for yourself. 

REMEMBERING/ Wordnik: As online dictionaries go, wordnik is an interesting version which includes definitions from five other sources, including the American Heritage Dictionary and Wiktionary. It also offers examples of the word defined, used in sentences from various quotes including contemporary uses.

UNDERSTANDING/ Bubbl.us: As a student I always loved graphic organizers. Anything that could make note taking more entertaining was a plus as far as I was concerned. Even today I occasionally rely on a good Pro/ Con list, an outline or a web map. Bubbl.us is easy to learn, easy to use and like the best tools on this list, does not require you to register for anything. I was able to learn how to customize my graphic organizer in about ten minutes, and best of all, you can export the final image as a  JPEG.

APPLYING/ Scribble Maps: As its name suggests, this online tool allows you to add your own “scribbles” to any map. Using Google’s mapping tool as the background, scribble map gives the option of drawing over a geographic, satellite or hybrid map. You can add symbols and notes, and can even upload your own images to personalize any map. There’s nothing to download and you don’t have to register to use the tool, unless you want to save your creation. You can, however, print without saving, which is a plus. 

ANALYZING/ Create a Graph: This online tool, which is hosted by the National Center for Education Statistics, has been around since 2005 and it really is pretty elementary in its presentation and capabilities. With that said, it is still a wonderful introduction to the main types of graphs and charts used to illustrate and analyze data. No registration is required to use the tool, and the information can be printed or saved in a variety of formats, including the familiar PDF and JPEG.

EVALUATING/ GapMinder: Hans Rosling made a fascinating presentation of just this kind of information mining technology in one of the TED Talks recommended on this blog. Now this is available online for teachers and students to be able to look through and make sense for themselves. All kinds of information such as, Adults with HIV, Causes of Death, Foreign Aid Received and more, is available for use in many ways. Students can view the information in Spreadsheet form, download the data or “visualize” the data online.

CREATING/ Make Belief Comix: Illustrations don’t come easy for everyone, and this little program allows those less artistically inclined to be able to create a “comic” strip. Easy to learn and simple to master, this online tool is not a high end creation tool, and will not make anyone the next Seth MacFarlane or South Park creators. I could imagine it being used to create political cartoons for social studies classes or as a way of illustrating foreign language exercises. Entiende?

 Thank you for your time and for stopping by. Have a great Sunday and enjoy the game.

 Copyright © henry toromoreno, 2012. All rights reserved.

Super late February post

               Even though this is a leap year, which means that I had an extra day in February to write a post, I missed writing anything new last month. I haven’t done that very often on this blog, but occasionally I do miss a deadline (there’s no deadline here … there’s no one here, but me). Having a snow day, however, forced me to admit that it was time to get something new up. To make up for the missing post, I offer you a potpourri of sites, insights and personal highlights, in no particular order.

• The Winter 2011 edition of the HHS student literary magazine, thinker, is completed and available. Contributors and editors receive a complimentary copy and we ask all others to contribute a dollar for the magazine. Currently we are trying to raise money to purchase digital cameras for the lit mag, as we currently rely on student and faculty cameras. Copies of the magazine are available at the library. The Lit Mag also has a blog (that needs to be updated … and will be soon) where you can find most of the work in the printed version. Over time, that site should become an impressive digital archive of our students’ creative talents.
• We are looking for submissions for the Spring 2012 edition of the above mentioned lit mag. We ask that teachers keep us in mind whenever they see a good piece of writing or artwork anywhere in the school. Many students don’t even know that we have a literary magazine and that we are trying to expand both our audience and the range of the work represented. We’re not just looking for poetry and short stories, we would like to see more essays, plays, graphic adaptations, and other forms of expressions. Submissions can also be sent to my school email at htoromoreno@haverhill-ps.org. Digital submissions are preferred.
• I want to thank Mr. Levine’s “Debating Critical Issues” class for the invitation to participate in their intellectual jousts. I have been really challenged by the issues themselves, often finding myself having to defend positions with which I do not agree. The discussions however have reminded and reinforced in me the conviction that education is more important than ever. The range of topics we have covered (drinking age, Columbus Day, internet privacy, school uniforms, etc.) illustrates the number of decisions we have to make as citizens. Being informed and understanding why we should or shouldn’t do certain things is the most important thing we can do as free people.
• Something I learned from participating in the debates was more information about The Keystone Pipeline. I was supposed to defend the building of the Keystone Pipeline, and I did find a bunch of information that suggested all sorts of economic and diplomatic reasons for green-lighting this project. I only did about an hour’s worth of research and during the class debate, I admitted that I did not know much about this subject. No one told the story the way that Garth Lenz shows what is really at stake when we make key policy decisions that impact the environment. (There’s always a TED Talks isn’t there?)
• The LMC would also like to remind everyone of our small, but expanding, Professional Development collection. While we’ve purchased most of the books, many teachers have also contributed titles from their own libraries, and we want to thank them for thinking of us. Some interesting titles we have are The Obvious Child: Studies in the Significance of Childhood, Frogs into Princes: Writings on School Reform, and See You When We Get There: Teaching For Change in Urban Schools.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you had a safe and productive snow day.

Copyright © henry toromoreno, 2012. All rights reserved.

Recommendations for Black History Month

               I’m usually pretty bad about remembering the different themes for each month. When I was in high school, I don’t think we celebrated April as Poetry Month or March as Women’s History Month. Even though National Hispanic Heritage Month was approved by LBJ and expanded to a 30 day celebration by Reagan in 1988, I never heard of it when I was a student. As a librarian, though, I’m supposed to keep a track of such things and find useful resources to share with staff and students. Here then, are some recommendations for Black History Month.

• Library of Congress:  The nation’s library is always a great place to start whenever you’re looking for information and resources about our own past. The first thing I noticed is that it is no longer called Black History Month. It is now the clunkier, but more PC, African-American History Month. One of the more interesting (and deeply saddening) links on the LOC website takes you to a database that catalogs more than 35,000 Trans-Atlantic slave trips. Worth examining to contemplate the sheer numbers involved, not just in terms of time, but in terms of lives. Also worth noting on the site, is the For Teachers section, which includes ready to use lesson plans and student activities. 
• Biography.com: Unfortunately, this website and its accompanying television station are obviously geared towards profiling celebrities who are famous as actors, singers, and entertainers. Besides profiling the inspiring and timeless stories of Samuel L. Jackson and Will Smith this month, Biography will also feature Barack Obama and Frederick Douglass, among others. Check local listings for other specials running this month. The Biography Classroom link also provides some school appropriate materials. 
• Gale Free Resources: Here you’ll find about 70 short biographies for an interesting list of African Americans, both past and present. Included are familiar names like Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Thurgood Marshall, as well as such contemporary celebrities such as Kanye West, Jamie Foxx and Queen Latifah. 
• Thinkfinity.org website. This website is hosted and organized by Verizon, a private telecommunications corporation, but its content providers are such non-profit, government agencies as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Among the events it recommends are a National Youth Summit webcast which will happen live on February 9, 2011 at 12:00 pm Eastern. Registration for the event is FREE. 
• Poetry Foundation’s Poems to celebrate Black History Month. Having just been one of the judges for the Poetry Out Loud contest here at our school, I was reminded again of the power of a good poem. At this site you’ll find a small but good selection of writers, past and present. 

 

BONUS: Mini Movie Review: Red Tails

 You would think that a story about the Tuskegee Airmen, Black World War II fighter pilots, would be just the kind of thing tailored for someone like George Lucas. Not many people after all are more qualified to shoot airborne fight scenes than the maker of the Star Wars franchise. Despite supposedly working on it for more than twenty years, what ends up on the screen is a mess of a movie, unsure if it wants to be a period piece, a war movie or a romance. What I imagine ended up on the cutting room floor (the stories about the families stateside, the struggles against racism in the military and back home, the history of Tuskegee itself, the role that black women played during the time) are all left tragically untold. Surely, Lucas and his financial backers must have believed they could sell more tickets by taking the story in the direction they took it. What they lost, however, was a greater opportunity to tell stories that needed to be told and that people would return to over and over again.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you found something worth sharing.

Copyright © henry toromoreno, 2012. All rights reserved.

Thank you for another great semester

              I love being a high school librarian not just because I am surrounded by great reads, but because I get to interact with so many teachers and students. While I may not have a classroom setting to work in daily, I am privileged to be invited to participate in a variety of classes in big and small ways, and I am always happy to help as I can.

               Thank you to Ms. Medvetz and Ms. Sullivan for asking for assistance for their classes’ English research papers. Both teachers require students to have print and electronic sources. Rather than having students rummaging through the library stacks, however, they have the LMC prepare a cart with the best, most current books and magazines in our collection. Students are still free to look for themselves through our shelves, but with so many good online resources available, most students don’t.

               One thing teachers might not know, is that once a cart is prepared for a particular topic, we scan the books into our Follet’s software where we create a category, such as PRO/ CON Topics or Novels About Math. This can be printed out as a reading list for students, and can be amended as new titles are added.

               In checking on a link for E-Library, Ms. Medvetz discovered that it was broken, and we had to turn to other databases. Ms. Sicard (my trusted aide) found a good alternative in Gale Student Resources, a database I never mention. We also reminded Ms. Medvetz of Pro/Con.org, a site run by a non-profit organization whose mission statement says, “”Promoting critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship by presenting controversial issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, primarily pro-con format.” 

               Ms. Sullivan’s class was rewarded by Ms. Sicard’s persistence when she checked the E-Library link again and found that it was now working. In order to access these subscription databases, students need a library card from the Haverhill Public Library, so we always remind students to apply for one. (All you need is an ID and proof of residence). 

               Another way I got to participate with a class this past week was by being invited (along with History teacher, Ms. Jones) to debate one of Mr. Levine’s classes. Wednesday through Friday during 4^th period, groups of three, four and five students did a wonderful job presenting opening statements, rebutting counter points and examining tough questions that we confront as a society. Among the topics we covered were, “should children’s beauty pageants be banned” and “should Columbus Day be recognized in the United States”? To prepare for the debates, the students used many online resources including a site recommended by Mr. Levine himself, and hosted by the international debate education association. Needless to say, we will be adding it to our blogroll. 

               I also want to thank Ms. Nunez-Donnelly for her recent visit and for helping us recycle our People in Espanol magazines by repurposing them as authentic examples of Spanish language in print. When her classes recently visited the LMC to do research, she noticed that People in Espanol was among the periodicals which we receive. Since we no longer archive print periodicals, Ms. Nunez-Donnelly asked that we pass along the magazines for classroom use. The articles in the magazine are perfect for practicing Spanish as they tend to be short, high interest and non-technical in nature.

               We do keep a few back issues of other magazines, as space allows, and classes often use these for art projects and/or presentations. Ms. Nieves in F22 (aka, in-house) also gets a bi-weekly delivery of older magazines for students to read. When they claim to have no homework or classwork to make up, she encourages them to find something interesting to read. Considering that we pass along back issues of magazines such as Mad, Motor Trend, Seventeen, Hot Rod, Entertainment Weekly, Discover, Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone and ESPN, they should be able to find something to spark their interests. 

               Whenever possible, I try to copy and share interesting articles with teachers, especially those who frequent the LMC and discuss their classroom interests with me. Among the articles that I passed along recently are:

• Elite Athletes Have a Brain for the Game (Science News Magazine): Studies show that what separates the best athletes from the rest of the pack is usually a case of mind over matter. Practice, focus and attention are all variables for how an athlete performs, and in the end it really is in their minds.
• Self Control Pays Off Says Study (Science News Magazine): According to this article, patient children can be identified as early as age three. Turns out the quiet, aloof ones might be on to the secret of success.
• 50 Best Restaurants in Boston (Boston Magazine): While the print article is pretty good, the online equivalent has great pictures of delicious food with the restaurant information (I know, your smartphone also has it). What a great list to have the next time your field trip just happens to be in Boston.
• Friending Atticus Finch: English Teachers’ Perspectives on MySpace as a Contemporary Framework for Literary Analysis (Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy). What better demonstrates the quick pace that technology is moving at than having an article published in 2011 talking about MySpace? By the time the JAAL starts writing articles about using Twitter at school, it’ll be so yesterday. 

                In closing, I’d like to again thank everyone that uses the LMC and its many resources, especially the two humans who staff the place. Nothing makes us happier than seeing the place being well used and feeling like we could help you all in your academic pursuits. Thank you for stopping by. Have a great day and a great new semester.

 Copyright © henry toromoreno, 2011. All rights reserved.