Our first step with FollettShelf

Follettshelf is off and running here. We are a K-8 public school. I chose to have our first shelf target our 6-8 graders with an eye of adding the 5^th grade very soon.

The pluses are that students can select their choices from any Internet connected device. To get all the current bells and whistles of FollettShelf they need to read off a computer or laptop (any platform). They can read from mobile devices but in the ebook format. Very doable just fewer features. An android app is coming in Dec. (Thanks Michelle Luhtala). Can the ipad app be far behind?! What I like about FollettShelf the most right now is that it allows our library to be open 24/7 all year long. No closed doors over breaks and the summer. I have gotten my LA and Reading Specialist excited about putting the summer reading choices on there, the state award books (Caudill here in Illinois) and popular summer titles. Other pluses include no overdues or overdue notices, no drowned books in backpacks or lost in lockers.

The minuses are that the model is still one title one reader so you have to purchase multiples for small group reading circles, very popular titles etc. The ebooks are less expensive than hard covers but pricier than paperbacks. Reader’s advisory will be more challenging. You lose that one on one time where you pull things off the shelf and talk with your students. You lose having cover art catch their eye and spark a conversation. But there are always gives and takes with each new step in the library tech world. What you lose in one area, you gain in another. It’s all exciting and

I am heavily promoting having my students help build this collection. I already have them doing this for the wood pulp and glue collection. I want them to feel ownership of their school library. So, I have forms at the front desk for suggestions and they can also email me or post to my blog.

My vision is still any device any download. I truly believe that is coming sooner rather than later because of all of you amazing library people are out there pushing what we know our students need and deserve.

Hey this PLN stuff really works!!

I am just starting to get the feeling that my PLN (personal/professional learning network) is taking off. I recently got connected to some wonderful people such as librarian http://iheartsbooks2.blogspot.com and her other blog http://iheartsbooks.blogspot.com plus an awesome tech person teaching in Thailand http://mscofino.edublogs.org.

These are examples of the wealth and breath of excellent professionals out in the world, near and far ready to grow, share and make a difference with students for every one's future benefit. When the focus is on learning, you cannot help but make progress.

Been busy!

Since I was last here I took an online course on Internet searching (advanced type of thing), attended a webinar on academic cell phone uses, took a workshop on the Illinois school library standards (ISail), read loads of professional writing in loads of forms, had several committee meetings, and kept reading novels for my LTC. A great deal of this personal learning was due to my PLN, not to be redundant. So, I did not get a chance to post to this blog.

All this leads me to believe that keeping up with our profession these days is not for the faint of heart. Anyone who thinks that teachers have their summers off, has not been around any lately. I suppose if you are in the business of training lifelong learning, you are in need of doing some yourself. What the heck! Keeps ya young!

So this is not a total waste of reading, if you have not yet added this blog to your RSS reader you should consider it: http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com

Nothing like a bit of heat!!

Well, summer has arrived full swing with the solstice!! As transformers pop off like old fashioned flash bulbs, I am reminded of the 1965 Blackout that affected 25 million people.  I was studying for an American History test when my desk lamp began to flicker.  Fairly soon all the lights were gone in the whole city.  Even Manhattan can become eerily quiet when there is no power. My dad, college brother and I went outside and walked to Broadway from our Riverside Drive apartment building.  It was one of those moments in your life you never forget.  No street lights, no ambient light and no noise all the way down the long avenue.  Typical of New Yorkers, loads of people were outside as well.  Everyone was friendly and talking softly but there was no panic. I wonder if that same reaction would be possible today?

The LTC - rz doorz iz alwyze oppnz

So about those inventories!? We have 22,000 barcoded items in our LTC. The last time I did a complete inventory there might have been a few less and no I will not say when that was exactly. Let me just inform you that we had less than 1% loss that we could not account for such as a the dog ate it, I left it on the plane, it's at my dad's house, the maid puts them weird places, my little brother is reading it talk to him, etc. Now that I have a "Pocket Circ" that actually runs (thank you JH, you know who you are) maybe I will do another one...in sections!

Is LTC LOL? You tell me!!

Well, over the weekend I had a chance to tell my son that a certain teacher's blog really had me hooked because she made me laugh.  I told him she had those goofy cat and dog posters with the broken English scattered here and there but the captions were about teaching!! As an insider I found them hilarious.  He ( for those of you not aware this is a college 19 year old we are talking about here) told me all about LOLCats and how to connect with that part of the web.  So a bunch of things happened here all because of getting going with a PLN!

1. Connected with the teenager (never easy and often tricky) while we both laughed.

2. Got instructed in a part of web 2.0 I did not know about.

3. Going to try my hand at infusing some LOLs into my blog world.

Great Reading Resource

I just have to mention this great site again.  Thanks to iLearnTechnology for getting me to ReadKiddoRead.com. So often readers advisory sites are mostly opinion and not a lot of substance but not this one.  Started by James Patterson (famous author) and a crack team of childrens' publishing experts this user friendly site can be used and enjoyed by everyone (librarians, teachers, parents). It is definitely worth a look.  I subscribed  to the Ning of course but that makes sense, right?!