Switch

A good book for your professional collection --Switch --How to change when change is hard.  Here is an  article with some exerpts from the book.

And here's a video summary.

Voki

Here's a fun website, but instead of writing about it, I'm just going to tell you about it. Click on the arrow button below the picture to find out more.

Presentations with Prezi

Tired of sitting through powerpoint presetations? Want a cool tool for your next big meeting? Want to dazzle an administrator and get your message out there? Try using a Prezi instead of powerpoint.

Prezi is a unique presetation tool--it allows you to move around the page and highlight different areas of your screen.  The basic prezi tool is free to the public, but if you use it a lot, you might want to look at the subscription version with more bells and whistles. 

The free version would be great to share with your students for a project--book chats, biographical information, country facts....anything that might go to a powerpoint can go on a Prezi.  There's even information on the Prezi page about "Prezifying your Powerpoint."

So you can see what I'm talking about, here's a great example of a Prezi put together by a friend of mine.  She was asked to give a presentation about her library and the digital tools available.  Take a look and see if you agree with me--this presentation has a professional look and feel to it and it's way more fun than sitting through another "death by powerpoint" type of presentation!

Tools for the 21st Century Learner on Prezi

Steve Jobs

Everyone else in the world has probably seen this video clip, but I just finished Steve Job's biography, and this speech really speaks to me.  I found the book fascinating, and it gave a great picture of the man behind Apple and Pixar.  He was a genius but flawed--in other words, a real human being.  But he had the gift of seeing that gadgets needed form as well as function--a relatively new concept at the time.

This video is his famous commencement speech given at Stanford University, June 2005.  No matter what your business, I think we can all relate to his words.

Happy Friday.

Hunger Games

Wow--talk about a marketing campaign.  Here's the official site for the Hunger Games movie, due out March 23.  Trailers, games and so much more!  I, for one, am very anxious to see the movie.  I'm hoping it will be as good as the hype has been. 

I often wonder about marketing campaigns like this.  I know they help the movie but what about the novel the movie was based on?  Well in this case, I think it's working for both the movie and the book.  I cannot keep copies of this book on the shelves.  I've even had to buy more copies just to meet the demand!  I can tell every time a new trailer comes out--more kids come in for the book.  I had to laugh though.....a teacher came in and asked, "Have you heard of the book The Hunger Games?"  Uh, yeah.....just a little. There's a long waiting list.......

So enjoy the trailers and the official movie site for now....we only have 37 more days till the movie debuts on screens all around the country!

Shmoop

One of the best parts of attending TCEA is walking through the vendor showcase. In one huge room you can see everything from new equipment to new software to .....jewelry and tshirts!  It's one of the most fun activities at the conference.

I spent a good bit of time talking to one of my favorite websites--Shmoop.  I recommend this site all the time to my students.  I call it "Spark Notes on Steriods" because the literature guides on the site are amazing!  Very thorough and complete.  As a former English teacher, I know the danger of recommend a "Cliff's Notes" version of a piece of literature, but sometimes, kids just don't get what they are reading.  And with a little help and explanation, they can get through a book they might have otherwise skipped.  Shmoop includes quotes and thematic info in addition to the plot summary.

I found out, though, the site also has some great SAT, PSAT, and AP practice tests.  This part is a subscription so it's not available to the general public.  I might try to subscribe next year and compare it to the site we currently use, depending on budget of course.  If the practice tests are as good as the literature guides, it would be a good deal.

If you haven't ever seen Shmoop, check it out.  It's a great site!

Dr. Mary Ann Bell

Another presentor I thoroughly enjoyed at TCEA was Dr. Mary Ann Bell of Sam Houston State University.  Her presentation was entitled "Surviving Hard Times" and she had several great ideas to help libraries get through the current budget crisis. 

Some of her ideas involved tech issues that I have no control over.  And one idea was not to subscribe to AR any more.  That's a great idea and luckily, we don't use it here so no worries!  She did suggest looking at IPL  (Internet Public Library) for information to help supplement dwindling databases.  I always forget about that site!  And she mentioned some academic database lists from Wikipedia.  Haven't checked those out yet so I can't speak to that, but I would assume, since this is from Dr. Bell, it's a good resource.

The best suggestion she gave (and this isn't really one to get through the budget crisis) is to check out her page on Pinterest. It's called Mabell's Medicine Show for raising morale.  And she has some great pins on it!  I laughed and laughed.....and promptly repinned most of them! 

Another great speaker--if you ever get the chance to hear her speak, go!!!