Module 2 - Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Citation: Viorst, J. (1987). Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. New York. NY: Atheneum Books.

Book Summary: Alexander starts his day off by waking up with gum in his hair, but that is just the beginning.  Things get progressively worse for him throughout the book as he has to sit in the middle seat on the way to school, finds out he has a cavity, falls in the mud, and gets in trouble at his dad's office.  He threatens to move to Australia, but his mom ensures him that bad days happen, even in Australia. 

My Impressions: I have always loved this book.  I think it is an easy book that kids can relate to.  Everyone has bad days every now and then.  The things that happen to Alexander throughout the story as he gets in fights with his brothers and his friend Paul tells him that he is his third best friend are common problems that children encounter.  This book helps children see that they are not alone and that things will get better.  The black and white illustrations are a perfect accompaniment to this story. 

Professional Review: Of all the books out there that deal with schadenfreude, none do it quite so well as Alexander. Now there’s a kid who just cannot win. If he isn’t losing his cash in Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday then he’s protesting a new living situation (not in Australia) in Alexander, Who’s Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move. Of course he started life in this book where everything that could possibly go wrong does. The perfect antidote to any adult that claims that childhood is one sweet, blissful, stress free ride of innocence and carefree days.

Dean, K. (2009, April). Top 100 picture books poll results. [Review of the book Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day]. School Library Journal.

Library Uses: This would be a good book to use with younger elementary school students to discuss feelings and how to cope when this aren't going their way. 

Module 2 - Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Citation: Barrett, J., & Barrett, R. (1978). Cloudy with a chance of meatballs. New York: Atheneum.

Book Summary: This book starts off with a grandfather telling his grandchildren a story about a land called Chewandswallow.  The people in the land of Chewandswallow do not have any food stores or restaurants.  They eat whatever falls from the sky.  Each day, the weather forecasters give the forecast about what food will fall from the sky next day.  Everything is fine until the food keeps falling from the sky and will not stop.  So much food falls that the people cannot eat it all and the town is a wreck.  The school has to be closed when a giant pancake falls on it and no one can get inside.  The people had to leave the town and set up a town made out of food in a new place.  

My Impressions: I remember reading this story when I was a child.  Kids today still love hearing this story about food falling from the sky.  The book has become even more popular after the movie version came out a couple of years ago.  This is a very creative story that allows children to imagine what life would be like if food really did fall from the sky.  

Professional Review: Gr 1-3-- In the town of Chewandswallow, the citizens enjoy the bounties of the skies, and open-roofed restaurants allow diners to catch their dinner. Unfortunately, the weather takes a turn for the worse, and there is no choice but to flee from the falling food. The detailed pen-and-ink illustrations begin in black and white, but as the tale progresses, colors join the black line details. A savory story to share over and over again.

Gallagher, G. (2006, July). [Review of the book Cloudy with a chance of meatballs, by J. Barrett and R. Barrett]. School Library Journal, 52(7), 45-45. Retrieved from www.schoollibraryjournal.com.

Library Uses: This is a great book for a story time with younger children.  Children could also participate in a writing activity where they write what happens to the people after they set up their new town that is made out of food.  

Module 1 - The Giving Tree

Citation: Silverstein, S. (1964). The giving tree. New York, NY: Harper & Row.

Book Summary: This book tells the story of a little boy who grows up and visits a certain tree each day.  He gathers leaves, plays games, climbs the tree, uses it for shade, and eats the apples produced by the tree. As the boy grows older, he falls in love and starts to visit the tree less frequently.  The tree calls out to the boy, now man, and asks him to come and enjoy some of the activities of his youth, but he responds that he is too big and instead requests money.  The tree gives the man her apples to sell.  When the man is a little older, he returns to the tree, this time needing a house.  The tree offers the man her branches to use to build a house.  After many more years, the man returns and wants a boat.  The tree allows him to cut down her trunk to build a boat.  The tree is reduced to a mere stump with nothing left to offer the man.  The aging old man returns several years later, and the tree informs him she has nothing left to give.  The boy replies that all he needs is a place to relax, and he sits down to rest on the stump.  

My Impressions: This is a very simple story, but I think it is a story to which readers can easily relate.  I like the simple illustrations and I think they suit this book well.  While it is written as a children's book, I think adults can appreciate this book more than children.  

Professional Review: The Giving Tree shares the story of a young boy and his lifetime relationship with a certain apple tree. But it is much more than that. It is also a story of giving (and taking or receiving), friendship, happiness, loyalty, sacrifice, gratitude, happiness, and most importantly—love. The tree ultimately gives everything for the boy without receiving much in return. The theme or message of the book has been interpreted in many different ways. It can be very simply understood by a second grader, or an adult can search for a deeper meaning.

Brodie, C. (2009, September)  The giving tree by Shel Silverstein - a forty-five year celebration.  [Review of the book The giving tree, by S. Silverstein].  School Library Monthly 26(1), page 22.

Library Uses: This would be a good book for a story time.  The librarian could ask children about anything that is special to them in the same way that the tree is special to the boy in the story. 

Conclusion

What specific plans do you have for implementing technology in an educational setting as a result of what you have learned in 5720?

This class has taught me a lot about how to implement various forms of technology into the classroom.  For technology project 5, I created a glog on two-digit addition.  I have already been using this with my students and the kids love it!  Our second grade team has a blog and I figured out how to embed the glog so the kids can access it at home. Before taking this class, I was unfamiliar with Glogster EDU, but now I am already thinking of new ways to use this with my class.   I plan to create a new glog every couple of weeks to put on our blog.  I will find activities and games that go with the topics we are studying in class.  When I become a librarian, I play to use Glogster EDU to create posters about new books in the library.

I also learned a lot about how to create a quality slideshow presentation that will capture the attention of students.  I will be sure all the presentations I create in the future are visually appealing.  I enjoyed looking at  presentations created in formats other than Powerpoint.  Programs such as Prezio and Animoto have great features that are not available in a Powerpoint presentation.  Before taking this class, I was unaware that there were other options out there for creating presentations.

The Job of Organizing

Organizing books and materials used to be in the domain of professionally trained catalogers and indexers. Now, through Web 2.0, it is in the hands of everyday "folk." What are the implications of this trend for librarians? Also, for additional food for thought, go to your Delicious site and examine your list of tags. In your opinion, are these tags more or less helpful than traditional subject headings?

Before the creation of the internet, library catalogs existed to help users locate published resources in the library.  With advances in technology, we are no longer limited to searching for information in books.  We now have access to a seemingly unlimited number of electronic resources.  This has changed they way we look for information.  Instead of going to a library catalog to locate a resource, we can now go to a search engine such as Google to aid in our search.  Google has many advantages over a traditional library catalog, including relevancy ranking and spell checking.  When searching for a book, we can now go to websites such as Amazon,com to find more information and read reviews about the book.  I think these changes have made it easier for people to search for and find information.  While it is important for librarians to have a system for cataloging and organizing information, they have a responsibility to adapt the current system and make it more relevant and usable.

I think that tags on a Delicious site are almost more helpful than traditional subject headings.  Delicious tags allow materials to be labeled in more than one category.  Traditional subject headings force materials into one specific label.  The ability to assign more than one label to resources will make them easier to find in the future.  While some of the tags will only make sense to the individual who assigned them, many will also be helpful for others who are looking for resources on a topic.    I think it is a beneficial thing for everyone to be able to take part in organizing.  When everyday people are able to participate in organizing, it allows them to organize materials in a way that makes sense to them.  Some of the libraries methods for cataloging can be confusing for people who do not have a background in cataloging.  The methods other people come up with for tagging and organizing might make more sense to people without a library background and allow them to find materials more easily.  The downside to this is that each person will have their own way of tagging and organizing.  With traditional cataloging methods, there is a standard system for organizing materials that is universal.  There is also the possibility that things can be mislabeled. 

Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/Using Us

The title of the video that you were asked to view this week is "Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/Using Us." Referencing what you have learned about Web 2.0 through the readings in the Courtney text and through watching the video, why do you think that Professor Wesch gave this title to the video?

This is a great video that illustrates that while computers are very powerful, we are ultimately the ones who give them that power.  Technology is constantly changing and we are the ones driving that change.  People are always thinking of new ideas, as well as improvements that can be made to existing technology.  Digital media is now a form of communication.  It is not only a way to access information, but also a way to share and trade information around the world.  Computers and technology have become one of our main communication tools by using not only our voice through digital text, but also our images through photos, videos, and streaming media. We have gone from a complicated computer language through HTML to a more evolved and user-friendly system. You don't have to use the language of the computer to communicate your language through a computer.  The machines now keep track of each user's history and we are able to use the information to adapt technology to better meet the needs of the world. 

Handheld Devices

Recent advances in handheld devices have created exciting new ways to use technology in the library and the classroom.  Many factors must be considered when choosing how to spend a technology budget of $10,000 such as price, versatility, and ease of use.  

After researching and considering many different handheld devices, the Apple iPod Touch seems to be the most versatile of all the handheld devices.  The iPod Touch is more cost effective than the iPad and can do almost everything the iPad can do.  The lower cost will allow a greater number of devices to be purchased so that more students will be able to use the new technology.  The 32 GB iPod Touch costs $299, and an entire class set of 30 could be purchased with $10,000.  

The possibilities of how to use the iPod Touch in the classroom are endless.  It can be used to access the internet, as an ebook reader, and there are numerous educational applications available.  The iTouch can also be used to play audio books.  This is a great tool for struggling readers and can help with reading fluency.  

Teachers can create a Google Doc, and the students could use the iTouch to respond to surveys or discussion questions.  Students could post their responses to questions and respond to what other students post as well.  Many students will be more open in this type of discussion than they would in a traditional discussion.  This also allows each student a chance to respond while there would not be time for each student to respond during an oral discussion.