tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89277143635813146932024-03-13T04:27:53.117-05:00L.I.T. guide--Literacy Instruction ToolsTeaching literacy skills? Here you will find strategies, book reviews, author information and new ideas educators can implement right now to help students become literate in language and informational skills!Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.comBlogger233125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-44461037909893379152013-04-16T11:09:00.000-05:002013-04-16T11:09:00.392-05:00School Library WeekI love the Ryan Gosling memes going around these days. He even appreciates those of us in school libraries!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwEbaHORHeA2N7yxYsNlpWBNQwxR8TXis4SKuzXqx_lKQytQSXWcgaDZB1u6D5A0nOJTYsN-JwTmu7Ac9se7mNFrdqRITXSN7Wjh3WLVE5mcuUHkfyrTy-kg6Hw4qGqSMEV_fXxbNFbSz/s1600/NLW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dua="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwEbaHORHeA2N7yxYsNlpWBNQwxR8TXis4SKuzXqx_lKQytQSXWcgaDZB1u6D5A0nOJTYsN-JwTmu7Ac9se7mNFrdqRITXSN7Wjh3WLVE5mcuUHkfyrTy-kg6Hw4qGqSMEV_fXxbNFbSz/s1600/NLW.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-51678678901047231592013-04-15T09:11:00.000-05:002013-04-15T09:11:17.499-05:00Happy School Library Week!I ran across this lovely infographic--it shows all the things your Teacher/ Librarian can do for you! <br />
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You know, so much information is floating around the Internet--without Twitter, I would miss most of it!<br />
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The original is posted <a href="http://anethicalisland.wordpress.com/2013/04/12/27-things-your-teacher-librarian-does/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVort1klTNL_m6J_TLslB1adilNPHbzRkxR4gv24kBPKvo_9xPAWlYmCWYIzEycxFm2huYvaSO0oSVhNjksPRIK8yTmNdCI6Ju8flWvQVSYPdvPIcBdZr_orCq2fmsA3BpF_b3SrJrKyrd/s1600/teacherlibrarian.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dua="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVort1klTNL_m6J_TLslB1adilNPHbzRkxR4gv24kBPKvo_9xPAWlYmCWYIzEycxFm2huYvaSO0oSVhNjksPRIK8yTmNdCI6Ju8flWvQVSYPdvPIcBdZr_orCq2fmsA3BpF_b3SrJrKyrd/s1600/teacherlibrarian.png" /></a></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-58911365150064162962013-04-10T08:42:00.000-05:002013-04-10T08:42:00.189-05:00Evolution of educational technologySo this is interesting....an infographic on the evolution of educational technology. Sad thing is I remember most of these innovations!!<br />
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This is from <a href="http://fluency21.com/blog/2013/04/07/history-of-educational-technology-infographic/" target="_blank">Ian Jukes</a>--he is a good person to follow in Twitter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mtXgaY7kjiNI7VWKP1cMdd-GEcZTFqMwwWBpwqw9gg9HHN5eYbq_TLGXeDH2HXczxcj9slceYq6cNG-lu0aj9_XnfSOL2BHG32rDWnJPuTnQketW7a38nI2OiJKF4afh3Y3fc9AqdjM6/s1600/evoltech.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mtXgaY7kjiNI7VWKP1cMdd-GEcZTFqMwwWBpwqw9gg9HHN5eYbq_TLGXeDH2HXczxcj9slceYq6cNG-lu0aj9_XnfSOL2BHG32rDWnJPuTnQketW7a38nI2OiJKF4afh3Y3fc9AqdjM6/s1600/evoltech.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-68695615284450706452013-04-08T08:13:00.001-05:002013-04-08T08:14:12.823-05:00If you like the Hunger Games....Here's a great column from a blog entitled 2busybrunettes. The ladies went through and made a list of other novels in the same genre as The Hunger Games. Here's the <a href="http://2busybrunettes.com/2012/03/23/25-series-to-read-if-you-love-the-hunger-games/" target="_blank">link to their blog</a> with some annotations on each title.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjSQl26PbYc-cVymRld8Gwlk4SNSX24peh-UjzElYLwK7ItiLjB6sOMREDycoVYzs1ZBu4iHWOkp6fmZ8H3yOag0AoZsNZhrTW5TfxbdDmv_ksXEf5BfbQ-6zSlC_RcP2g3J8cSZcWAZo/s1600/hunger-games-recommendations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjSQl26PbYc-cVymRld8Gwlk4SNSX24peh-UjzElYLwK7ItiLjB6sOMREDycoVYzs1ZBu4iHWOkp6fmZ8H3yOag0AoZsNZhrTW5TfxbdDmv_ksXEf5BfbQ-6zSlC_RcP2g3J8cSZcWAZo/s400/hunger-games-recommendations.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-90913206044216470222013-03-07T10:28:00.002-06:002013-03-07T10:28:53.289-06:00School Librarians Make a DifferenceA great infographic on how a school librarian can impact students. Joyce Valenza calls this a portable elevator speech--information at your fingertips when you have those few precious minutes to talk to someone who can impact your program.<br />
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<a href="http://www.lrs.org/documents/school/school_library_impact.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.lrs.org/documents/school/school_library_impact.jpg</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglnMGjL2C1OXHqzHifjQPGE5e7wxt0MFxVMabD8wO46ySCmbcc6j3SMnzVSI_STglf4pV7-xhRy8Mn-qlRzShyphenhyphenZRMY8r0BJcFgIo8-nK5VOpkcdhOoUqalF0w5q6zeVPRALhVVnJ5l5TLL/s1600/school_library_impact.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglnMGjL2C1OXHqzHifjQPGE5e7wxt0MFxVMabD8wO46ySCmbcc6j3SMnzVSI_STglf4pV7-xhRy8Mn-qlRzShyphenhyphenZRMY8r0BJcFgIo8-nK5VOpkcdhOoUqalF0w5q6zeVPRALhVVnJ5l5TLL/s640/school_library_impact.jpg" width="387" /></a></div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-4474301679212273702013-02-08T14:07:00.000-06:002013-02-08T14:07:09.343-06:00Book review--Pretty Sly<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Pretty Sly</em> by Elisa Ludwig</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8J9Rw1XaeXcX15BweD4f5NC5c2Br2XdiZYhjLV7SSp0MuNlfpMrIeFQBOTCsmn42WjNBsCrKchQ2qlvsfzdlJBf0749oU-BESpn7kl7hxsy0jJUeWJnG9SRxkKrLE9LO6HSGys7XtneDr/s1600/prettysly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" jea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8J9Rw1XaeXcX15BweD4f5NC5c2Br2XdiZYhjLV7SSp0MuNlfpMrIeFQBOTCsmn42WjNBsCrKchQ2qlvsfzdlJBf0749oU-BESpn7kl7hxsy0jJUeWJnG9SRxkKrLE9LO6HSGys7XtneDr/s200/prettysly.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Grades 7-10 (cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Willa Fox has a slight problem; she likes to steal things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She just got out of juve for stealing items from the rich, mean girls at Valley Prep High School, where she got the nickname Sly Fox.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This story is told in the novel’s prequel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pretty Crooked</i>, and the first of this story refers back to it enough to catch the reader up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Willa and her mom have moved numerous times in her young life so her artist mom can find new “inspirations” for her artwork.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paradise Valley was their latest stop but being here caused her mom to act strangely, and then all the notoriety surrounding Willa’s “Robin Hood” style heists has made things worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as this story opens, instead of getting ready for her first day back at school, she is standing in the middle of her ransacked house looking for some trace of her mom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A cryptic email and a stash of cash is all Willa has to get her started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along with her hunky friend Aidan, who has his own shady past, Tre, who is trying very hard to walk the straight and narrow, and Cherise, who has become her ex-best friend, Willa sets out to find out what’s happened to her mother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She tries to follow her mom’s trail, but along the way, loses all her cash, fights with Aidan and runs in to the seriously bad guys who are chasing her mom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Corbin, an FBI agent following the case, offers helps several times and when Willa finally accepts his help, she learns her family has deeper secrets than she ever imagined. Willa is a spunky girl, more than willing to jump into the middle of the action before she actually thinks things through. The story moves quickly, with barely a break for Willa or readers to catch their breath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fans of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Heist Society</i> series will enjoy this one as well, but be prepared to purchase the final one in the trilogy as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<em></em><div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-27380564706587364782012-12-17T12:37:00.002-06:002012-12-17T12:37:48.494-06:00Noodletools ShowMe boxesNoodletools has rolled out another great addition to the site. They now have something they are calling ShowMe Information Literacy Modules. These link directly to the ShowMe boxes within Noodletools and help to explain source types to kids. For example, one link showis exactly what a journal article looks like and where to find the citation information. <br />
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I've already started adding this box to my Noodletools LibGuides. For more information, check out this page from Noodletools.com<br />
<a href="http://www.noodletools.com/guide/showme/index.html">http://www.noodletools.com/guide/showme/index.html</a><br />
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Here's an example of what the advanced version looks like:<br />
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<div id="noodletools-widget-starter" style="-webkit-border-radius: 3px; background-image: url(http://www.noodletools.com/guide/showme/wdg-bgtile.png); border-bottom: #05a740 5px solid; border-left: #05a740 5px solid; border-radius: 3px; border-right: #05a740 5px solid; border-top: #05a740 5px solid; height: 145px; position: relative; width: 250px;">
<img src="http://www.noodletools.com/guide/showme/wdg-title.png" style="display: block; margin: 8px auto;" /><select id="noodle-select-starter" style="display: block; height: 20px !important; margin: 8px auto; width: 180px;"><option select="selected" selected="selected" value="default">choose your source...</option></select><img src="http://www.noodletools.com/guide/showme/wdg-logo.png" style="display: block; margin: 10px auto;" /><script src="http://www.noodletools.com/guide/showme/nt-widget.js"></script></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-22366617208668986952012-12-05T13:43:00.003-06:002012-12-05T13:43:51.132-06:00Series reviewI'm so excited--I write reviews for <em>School Library Journal</em>. Well, last month I had a whole column of reviews published in a supplement to SLJ, called <em>Series Made Simple</em>. I read about ten sets of books, assigned grade levels and wrote reviews over each. It was fun and also interesting to see the different approaches from each publisher to books supposedly on the same topics. I even got a by-line! <br />
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Here's a link to my column if you'd like to see it...that sounds so cool to say--<strong>my column</strong>! <br />
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<a href="http://www.slj.com/2012/11/books-media/reviews/series-made-simple/occupational-success-careers-series-made-simple-fall-2012/" target="_blank">Occupational Success: Careers</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-1893462084217726682012-12-05T13:37:00.001-06:002012-12-05T13:37:55.806-06:00Book review<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13518112-cinders-sapphires" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Cinders & Sapphires (At Somerton, #1)" border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350397214m/13518112.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13518112-cinders-sapphires">Cinders & Sapphires</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1050293.Leila_Rasheed">Leila Rasheed</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/464869925">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book reminded me of a PBS "Upstairs, Downstairs" kind of story, with the upper class and their household of servants. I worry that the target audience--young adults--might not have the historical background needed to understand some of the nuances of the story. And as with many YA books these days, the book's ending screams, "Sequel coming!!!"
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1317218-diana">View all my reviews</a>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-34191683587539119562012-10-24T09:25:00.004-05:002012-10-24T09:25:45.205-05:00Long time no blog......Well I've been a slacker of late with my blog. Numerous personal reasons have prevented me from writing---at the top of the list was a recent illness, which I'm still recovering from. I've had to let some things go, including my writing time. I will try to do better in the future! I've at least been able to publish some of my current reviews for SLJ--last month I had two reviews published at once! They were side by side on the page--I must admit, I still get goose bumps when I see my name in print in a magazine. You'd think after all this time, I'd be used to it, but it never gets old.....<div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-52342181390117342922012-10-24T09:22:00.000-05:002012-10-24T09:41:47.970-05:00Book review <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGnhB-LhJAAfXiTNK5-2W_dmcpHFAY7b9BrxrdIRX7nvrM5xWmZQkppTn4_FmPt-Oza5djYwfs8GLlSf4hq5qY2MI8LH1EdC3YZU6NTAvQnP0Q_NHF1NKJHNDoUfWRm8PHslpLPCvbOWj/s1600/book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" oea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGnhB-LhJAAfXiTNK5-2W_dmcpHFAY7b9BrxrdIRX7nvrM5xWmZQkppTn4_FmPt-Oza5djYwfs8GLlSf4hq5qY2MI8LH1EdC3YZU6NTAvQnP0Q_NHF1NKJHNDoUfWRm8PHslpLPCvbOWj/s200/book.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(cover art courtesy of Amazon.com)<br />
</td></tr></tbody></table> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Super-Sweet-Sixteenth-Century/dp/162061135X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351088386&sr=8-1&keywords=my+super+sweet+sixteenth+century" target="_blank">My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century</a>. <br />
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Grades 7-10 <br />
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A trip to Italy suits Cat Crawford just fine for her birthday, but she is not happy about the huge sweet sixteen party her soon-to-be-stepmother wants to throw. A solitary afternoon of sight-seeing ends at a gypsy tent, where the fortune teller says, “A great adventure is in store for you. Keep your mind open to the lessons ahead.” When she leaves the tent, Cat finds she has traveled back in time to Renaissance Italy as Patience DiAngeli, a distant cousin of her family. Her one reminder of the present time is her backpack of makeup and gadgets. To avoid suspicion, she must be mindful of everything she says and does and keep the backpack out of sight. She finally shares the time travel secret with her younger cousin, Alessandra, who willingly accepts her story and who then tries to help Cat fit in as a proper young lady of Renaissance Italy. Lorenzo, a dashing young man and fellow artist, catches her eye, but as is customary for the time period, Cat finds herself betrothed to a much older, “creepy” guy. All turns out well in the end—Cat finds her way back to modern day Italy and along the way, learns to open her heart to others, including her future stepmother. Girls will like the romance of the story and all the gorgeous young men—past and present—Cat encounters. The details of the Renaissance costumes and art work, which add to the story’s historical setting, clash with Cat’s modern day slang terms, providing a good amount of humor. Cute, light and romantic, the story will appeal to those who want to leave the real world behind for a while. <div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-81348180979831068682012-09-17T08:57:00.000-05:002012-09-17T08:57:00.183-05:00ButterHere's my Goodreads review of a new YA book by Erin Jade Lange.
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9634267-butter" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Butter" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1330188575m/9634267.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9634267-butter">Butter</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4443115.Erin_Jade_Lange">Erin Jade Lange</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/405004283">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
The author combines the current hot button topics of chilhood obesity, teen suicide and cyberbullying into a compelling story. It is told with a first person narrator which gives an interesting perspective.
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1317218-diana">View all my reviews</a>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-69379774593361172492012-09-11T11:14:00.001-05:002012-09-11T11:14:31.155-05:00Power of Habit<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12609433-the-power-of-habit" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1333050608m/12609433.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12609433-the-power-of-habit">The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5201530.Charles_Duhigg">Charles Duhigg</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/321480307">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Fascinating reading-- from a personal stand point as well as professional. This book explains in my mind anyway why I've had trouble trying to make some changes at work. I hadn't found a "keystone" habit to change. The book also gives one pause and makes you think about how much information companies have about our buying habits. Very interesting book.
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1317218-diana">View all my reviews</a>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-10560355268982608402012-09-01T14:10:00.000-05:002012-09-11T11:16:39.184-05:00Educational technologyI found a great infographic on the changes in Educational Technology over the past few years. The infographic is pretty big and so I'm including the link for it here:<br />
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<a href="http://edudemic.com/2012/09/the-teachers-quick-guide-to-education-technology/">http://edudemic.com/2012/09/the-teachers-quick-guide-to-education-technology/</a><br />
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Here's a small version so you can see what I mean:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofXbUTXyfDPXIudcXYNLX99RxbTpF28_nG_fz4f9X1tjGZLBq6aE3RKtKPYzaTz5afIRYuk-4PnotTTeWLGp50kcSP48ojQXq9suYaoklQCksejy7LjJJHzez7XbvLSaU9X68xqOXEgdY/s1600/Graduating-with-Technology.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofXbUTXyfDPXIudcXYNLX99RxbTpF28_nG_fz4f9X1tjGZLBq6aE3RKtKPYzaTz5afIRYuk-4PnotTTeWLGp50kcSP48ojQXq9suYaoklQCksejy7LjJJHzez7XbvLSaU9X68xqOXEgdY/s1600/Graduating-with-Technology.gif" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-38565920863677282532012-09-01T10:20:00.000-05:002012-09-07T14:46:54.175-05:00Debbie Downer todayWow, school is off and running. I've found myself going in circles trying to figure out what fire to put out first. So I haven't had time to do much writing and posting here. I'm also working on a column of reviews for SLJ and that's taking my free time. I'll post it when the column is published--I think it's in November. It's been a rocky start to the school year again or maybe that's just the norm these days. Trying to help with technology only to be told that's not our job. Trying to help teachers find resources only to be told, "I don't want your help." Trying to be a team player only to find the rules are changing daily. I feel sad that I have many days when things happen that I can't control yet I must manage. I guess this is all part of the process of change, which we all know is happening exponentially in the library world. But some days I don't think I can keep up.Sorry to be such a "Debby Downer" today. I will get back to my usual sharing of tips and tricks to help teachers and librarians as soon as I can!<div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-66450282108566094322012-09-01T10:13:00.004-05:002012-09-01T10:13:58.605-05:00What Happens NextIt's not every day you get a thumbs up from the author of a book you've reviewed!
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12819342-what-happens-next" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="What Happens Next" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1332769744m/12819342.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12819342-what-happens-next">What Happens Next</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5259422.Colleen_Clayton">Colleen Clayton</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/387097186">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Excellent story of a teenager who is the victim of a date rape. Sid Murphy doesn't remember the incident but knows something happened. She starts trying to literally run away from the pain--running through her town at night. Coupled with the onset of bulimia, she starts to lose so much weight her mother and friends worry about her. An incident sparks her memory and with the help of her mother and a caring boyfriend, she is able to pull herself away from the eating issues and get on with her life.<br /><br />The story is very good--the rape is mentioned but not in a graphic way so I think even younger readers (middle school) could read this one. And the eating disorder issues are discussed but again in a way that even younger readers can handle the story. Very well done.
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1317218-diana">View all my reviews</a>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-77985044093051547282012-08-14T16:27:00.001-05:002013-01-29T09:40:59.246-06:00The Fred Factor<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/458827.The_Fred_Factor" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The Fred Factor: How passion in your work and life can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320565197m/458827.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/458827.The_Fred_Factor">The Fred Factor: How passion in your work and life can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/55518.Mark_Sanborn">Mark Sanborn</a><br />
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/391424427">2 of 5 stars</a><br />
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The book was okay--a gentle reminder to live mindfully every day and go above and beyond because it's the right way to live. All well and good but I kept waiting for the reasoning behind the theory. Basically the reasoning is what we've all been taught--The Golden Rule. <br />
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It was a light and easy read, a nice, gentle reminder that the way we behave each day determines our character. But I didn't really find an "ah ha" moment from it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1317218-diana">View all my reviews</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-17345965870823348312012-08-14T08:18:00.002-05:002012-08-14T08:18:47.271-05:00Simple tips to use TwitterGreat slideshare/ infographic on using Twitter. We have a lot of new Twitter users in our district and I think they might like this.<br />
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<iframe src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/8144304?rel=0" width="427" height="356" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" style="border:1px solid #CCC;border-width:1px 1px 0;margin-bottom:5px" allowfullscreen> </iframe> <div style="margin-bottom:5px"> <strong> <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ctlaws/how-to-use-twitter-infographic" title="How to use Twitter [Infographic]" target="_blank">How to use Twitter [Infographic]</a> </strong> from <strong><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ctlaws" target="_blank">Cheryl Lawson</a></strong> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-34923281293313329572012-07-25T09:32:00.000-05:002012-07-25T09:32:00.387-05:00Educational technology buzz wordsHere's a great infographic showing some of the most current trends in educational technology and their definitions. I found this via Twitter at <a href="http://mgleeson.edublogs.org/2012/07/22/educational-technology-buzzwords/" target="_blank">the blog entitled Mr G Online</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWwSuO0lNzGWv944r0Hh1MkqPgSX1_J9xO-0rrMmi7fBjwd8x8J-DM13ndJLM3-owrLmIqTKs_XcG63zYfwSK9Tjx4HItS35ARJTVXkT7zN8quPBQwA2PcSL8b34tFc7FgpOvabs7sYI4/s1600/edtech.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWwSuO0lNzGWv944r0Hh1MkqPgSX1_J9xO-0rrMmi7fBjwd8x8J-DM13ndJLM3-owrLmIqTKs_XcG63zYfwSK9Tjx4HItS35ARJTVXkT7zN8quPBQwA2PcSL8b34tFc7FgpOvabs7sYI4/s1600/edtech.jpg" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-8858442113817455282012-07-24T09:43:00.000-05:002012-07-24T09:43:00.654-05:00Interesting graphic--education technology of the future<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://edudemic.com/2012/07/future-of-education-technology/" target="_blank">from Edudemic</a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqaAHyIEt4bS0F1HYAeKhf08Ibp7UPnV-PblbMf9breCZp1N3Vv_r95lyQAXKKfU8yig1MGCTYBaXAFnWWD96VNzmvwxhZRhrDi5RX2abTeKL_TepHKlgX8G1vwArLv8Mg3jxv3YDoQJl/s1600/edtechfuture-740x1046.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqaAHyIEt4bS0F1HYAeKhf08Ibp7UPnV-PblbMf9breCZp1N3Vv_r95lyQAXKKfU8yig1MGCTYBaXAFnWWD96VNzmvwxhZRhrDi5RX2abTeKL_TepHKlgX8G1vwArLv8Mg3jxv3YDoQJl/s640/edtechfuture-740x1046.png" width="451" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-75640649660738609752012-07-23T09:32:00.000-05:002012-07-23T09:32:22.342-05:00Skinny--review for SLJHere's my latest review for SLJ--pretty good novel. I have to admit I'm a bit jealous--it's a semi-autobiographical novel set in Texas and published by Scholastic. ALL the things I've wanted to do!!Guess I should get my self in gear and get busy.....<br />
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Skinny<br />
Grades 7-10
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Donna Cooner<br />
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In this debut novel, author Donna Cooner fictionalizes her own experiences with extreme weight loss surgery. Ever Davies wants the part of Cinderella in her high school musical. She thinks she would be perfect for the part—she can sing, she knows what it’s like to have a stepmother and stepsisters at home, and she knows what it’s like to be invisible to others; most people tend to ignore her since she weighs over 300 pounds. Even Jackson, a childhood friend and now a school hunk, looks right through her these days. Food has been comforting to her since her mother died; however, now her weight is becoming a serious health issue. And Skinny, the constant little voice in her head, doesn’t help, keeping up a running commentary about Ever’s weight and total incompetence at doing just about everything. Despite her concerns about the risks of surgery, Ever finally decides to undergo gastric bypass. Her geeky friend Rat stands by her throughout the entire process, helping her chart her progress with pounds lost and pertinent songs. As she loses the weight, Ever learns about the people around her—her stepsister Briella, who uses shopping to comfort herself when her real dad ignores her, her new friend Whitney, and even Rat, who might actually be Prince Charming in disguise. She forces herself to enroll in drama class in order to qualify for the musical and finds she honestly enjoys it. And as she becomes more confident, she realizes Skinny’s voice isn’t as loud or as strident as it once was. Ever even sees other people’s perceptions of her behavior are just as wrong as the perceptions she had of them. The surgery is discussed in great detail, enough so the reader can see this isn’t a quick and easy solution and see Ever’s problems don’t magically go away with the weight loss. A good first novel, the story will appeal to middle or high school girls, who often struggle with doubts and fears, whether it’s weight, loneliness or lack of popularity.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-5866067871744087062012-06-27T08:06:00.000-05:002012-06-27T08:06:11.804-05:00ALA InfographicThis infographic from ALA is about public libraries, but it's applicable to school libraries as well. Interesting information.
<a href="http://www.ala.org/research/plftas/2011_2012/weatheringthestorm" target="_blank"> <img src="http://lisnews.org/images/weatherstorminfographic.jpg" width="500" height="2483" title="Weathering the Storm infographic from PLFTAS" alt="Weathering the Storm" style="border:0" /> </a><div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-74092075794267858832012-06-23T12:30:00.000-05:002012-06-23T12:30:33.913-05:00Daniel Pink and the science of motivationLove this video! Daniel Pink on the Science of Motivation<br />
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<object width="526" height="374"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"></param><param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talk/stream/2009G/Blank/DanielPink_2009G-320k.mp4&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/DanielPink-2009G.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=512&vh=288&ap=0&ti=618&lang=en&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=dan_pink_on_motivation;year=2009;theme=not_business_as_usual;theme=the_creative_spark;event=TEDGlobal+2009;tag=brain;tag=business;tag=creativity;tag=science;tag=social+change;tag=work;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;" /><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgColor="#ffffff" width="526" height="374" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talk/stream/2009G/Blank/DanielPink_2009G-320k.mp4&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/DanielPink-2009G.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=512&vh=288&ap=0&ti=618&lang=en&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=dan_pink_on_motivation;year=2009;theme=not_business_as_usual;theme=the_creative_spark;event=TEDGlobal+2009;tag=brain;tag=business;tag=creativity;tag=science;tag=social+change;tag=work;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-30789203458257594662012-06-19T12:47:00.001-05:002012-06-19T12:47:12.458-05:00SafekeepingI just submitted this review to SLJ--Karen Hesse's latest book entitled <em>Safekeeping</em>. When this book is published in September, grab it! It's lovely!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Safekeeping---</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Grades<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>7<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>+</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Karen Hesse’s
latest novel, <em>Safekeeping</em> , a young woman quickly grows up during a time
of turmoil and chaos, giving a nod to the current dystopian society trend so
popular in YA literature but going beyond to bring some deeper themes to the
story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This masterfully written story,
combined with lovely black and white photography, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>will sure garner the author more literary
acclaim<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Radley Parker-Hughes has been volunteering in Haiti to help
in an orphanage after the recent earthquake, but she returns home to a country
in the grip of an even more chaotic situation. The American Political Party has
assumed power in the U.S.; the president has been assassinated and martial law
prevails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soliders<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with guns at the airport, travel paper
requirements—is this really the New Hampshire she left just a few months
ago?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And where are her parents? They are
usually so prompt <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>picking <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>up Radley at the airport, but today they are
nowhere to be found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Radley decides to
get home any way she can, even though she will have to cross states lines,
strictly forbidden by the new government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When she does finally make it home, her parents are still not around,
but the police are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They come to the
house several times, looking for Radley until she decides the best course of
action is to leave, maybe crossing the border to Canada since she thinks surely
that’s where her parents went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">She takes off on foot for the journey, hiding at night in
the woods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day she encounters an
obviously ill young girl, who is also trying to make it to Canada on foot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two form an uneasy alliance and along
with Celia’s dog, Jerry Lee, they avoid danger and slip across the border.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An abandoned shack becomes home and through
the kindness of strangers, the girls survive and become close.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Radley’s search for her parents
continues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once the chaos in the US has subsided, Radley makes her way
back home, only to find things never will be the same again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A journey back to Canada can’t soothe her
pain, but a trip back to Haiti does. And so she comes back full circle to where
the story began.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The prose is written exquisitely, almost poetically, and
interspersed with the story are numerous black and white photographs taken by
the author, illustrating the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The simple beauty of the story combined with the
photographs <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>actually intensify the story
lines of confusion and disorder under the new government, giving the reader a
chilling feeling of reality. The reader sees, through the use of flashback
memories interspersed in the storyline, how Radley’s character grows from a
confused, scared teen to a confident young woman, able to handle her own life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Appealing to all types of readers, this book
should fly off the shelves.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8927714363581314693.post-43578424088329770492012-06-19T06:00:00.000-05:002012-06-21T13:19:58.774-05:00More about Noodletools upgradesAnother one of the Noodletools upgrades I am excited about is the different levels available. Right now they have starter and advanced. But in the new version, the starter will actually be very simple--desgined for elementary students. Only a few source types and a very clean design will help start our youngest students on the right path and by the time they get to me at the high school, citations should be a lot eaiser!<br />
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I have jokingly (well sort of anyway) told our elementary librarians if our students would come to us and not know about any other citation generator, it would make our lives so much simpler! But seriously, if our students knew the basics of Noodletools from a young age, we could help them do so much more!<br />
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The site will also add an intermediate version for middle school students. And the advanced level will have a mulitude of source types to choose from! New source types, including microblogs (i.e. Twitter) and YouTube will now be available. In addition a long list of government document source types will be available, along with very detailed step by step directions to help students make their way through the complicated citations.<br />
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As in the past users can switch between levels but now they can also switch between citation types--MLA, APA and Chicago Turbin. This will be a handy feature for some of my advanced students who have to complete research and change formatting for different subjects.<br />
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I actually have some students working on research over the summer and I asked about their projects. I was afraid the changes might throw them a curve in their research. But any ongoing projects will not make the switch to the new format--only any ones started after the upgrade takes effect. I don't know---I might tell my kids to transfer their information over to the new format anyway just for the ease of use with the improvements.<br />
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Can't wait to see the new site! June 25 is the big day.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This blog post originally appeared in L.I.T.Guide--Literacy Instruction Tools for Teachers and Librarians.</div>Diana Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02522734881899801051noreply@blogger.com0