Jean Darnell: Awaken Librarian!

Whether it's YouTube or TeacherTube , children learn with videos NOW more than they ever did before. Since I've just landed my librarian job, I thought it important to watch a library orientation video to help me learn what to say and how to present the library to my students. I love this video, simply because of it's ease and directness. The students know how to check out books, where to socialize while in the library, how to use the databases and contacting their librarian. Please spend a minute and look at my findings.

This is a lesson that I created to get my ESL students acclimated to their new home--Houston, TX. Please take a look at it and feel free to use it...just give me credit as the idea originator! :) Reading 2ESL—Cultural Exploration Blog (for ESL/ELLs ) Objective: The students will create a blog on different restaurants and/or cultural venues (i.e. museum, boutique store, park or fair) they visited as an exploration of cultures other than their own nationality. The students will upload pictures, as well as posts on their blog, to document their experience. The teacher will collect the web addresses on a specific due-date to spread in a public manner. The students will review each other’s blog and comment on at least 4 different blogs of other classmates. Technology Component: The students will use a free blog to narrate/discuss their experience in a new sit-down restaurant and/or environment. ( Blogger.com ) Goal: To familiarize students will the ease of building a free blog and h...

The creation of my own 23 Things has empowered me in the world wide web. I did have basic knowledge and usage, but this has converted me and gave me affirmation in my abilities as a tech-geek! :) I enjoyed learning about Symbaloo and the freedom to post somethings dear to me (i.e. my crush on Darth Vader)! Technology is another communication device that won't disappear anytime soon and I'm fortunate enough to have acquired additional skills through this virtual learning process. EVERYTHING I blogged about I will incorporate into my library and/or classroom. I hope to challenge some students, via an after school media technology club to create this same 23 Things blog to hone in the skills they will need in a professional realm. In a effort for brevity, I will summarize my experience like this: 23 Things is a virtual adventure that equips the participant with another venue to express their communicative imagination and ideas; so link-in and absorb some blue-light!

Doing this technology blog has expanded my horizons to so many different ways a librarian can incorporate advanced and virtual learning into schools, social realms and as a professional enhancement. This experience has taught me the many perks of adding technology and has changed my initial mind-frame...technology has seen it's glory-days and now it's all down-hill. There's still some good in technology...much like Darth Vader! I couldn't help it! If that comment didn't make sense, be sure to check out Things 21 , and 19 . You'll understand much better! *Added 07/03/2013* For those of you that don't know, I majored in English and History. I couldn't decide which one I loved more. Now that I'm a librarian, I feel that I made a good choice in both. Regardless, I just discovered HISTORYPIN ! It's a fantastic website that allows ordinary folks to upload pictures they took from pivotal moments in history! It's a wonderful tool to use for pe...

Never leave me alone to post images of things I like...It will inevitably be about "Darth Vader." Star Wars is my fetish. I'm a kid of the 80s. As a five year old girl, I wanted to marry him instead of Ken. He was, without a doubt, the one boyfriend I could bring home and my father NOT have a "peep" to say in retaliation! :) DRESS CODE VIOLATORS...BEWARE! Looking for a new and improve location for DEATH STAR 2.0! JAMES EARL JONES...by far my MOST FAVORITE performer (on screen, on stage, in reality) my heart smiles at his talent and the gifts he's given our society! And...he performed the voice of Darth Vader. Need I say more?

As I librarian, I constantly try to figure out innovative ways to combine/collaborate different fields of studies with the library. This week, I typed into Google search "libraries and recess" and much to my amazement, I found this wonderful website about a kid library junkie. Check out Library Kid-Recess !

Let me introduce you to my new TRADING CARD!!! AND... My new pictures of my childhood sweetheart and me! :) These were all courtesy of MASHUPS a fantastic creation of Web 2.0 that allows you the BEST of two applications. My mosaic of Darth Vader and me came via Mosaic Maker and the Library Card resulted from the wonderful mashup of Big Huge Labs that allows you to turn your photos into electronic business cards! So get out there and enjoy the amazingly easy world of MASHUPS!

Are you book lover or cataloger at heart? Or do you enjoy finding lost and forgotten gems on the shelf to read? Then Shelfari may be just the tool for you. Developed for booklovers, this online tool not only allows you to easily create an online catalog of your own it also connects you to other people who have similar libraries and reading tastes. Add a book to your catalog by just entering the title – or connect with other users through your similar reading tastes. There are lots of ways to use Shelfari . You can even view your books on a virtual shelf and add a widget to your blog to display titles that are in your catalog. So why not join the ranks and create your own library online. With over 65,000 registered (BTW: Shelfari also has groups forum for teachers users and over 4.7 million books), you're bound to discover something new. Here's a link to my shelfari !

Ning is an online platform for users to create their own social websites and social networks, launched in October 2005. Ning was co-founded by Marc Andreessen and Gina Bianchini. Ning is Andreessen's third startup (after Netscape and Opsware), and gets much of its notability from Andreessen's successes with those companies. Ning hopes to compete with large social sites like MySpace and Facebook, by appealing to users who want to create networks around specific interests or have limited technical skills. The unique feature of Ning is that anyone can create their own custom social network for a particular topic or need, catering to specific audiences. At its launch, Ning offered several simple base websites developed internally and by members of a closed beta. In late September of 2006, Ning narrowed its focus to offering a group website, a photos website, and a videos website for people to copy and use for any purpose. Later, these three templates were superseded by a single c...

I love this bit of "technory" (a cross between the words "technology" and "jewelry" in my innovative mind!) PHOTOSTORY is a fine new way to immediate take those endless "strike a pose" moments from a vacation or treasured experience and IMMEDIATELY upload/create a video story! It's a breeze to set up, install and create magic! Ahh...the immediate and gratifying speed of technology--instant proof, notoriety and embarrassment (if you're not careful!)!!! Download photostory here . Below is a video of the January 2013 Disney World Theme Park and Cruise I took with my family! Enjoy! :) https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7cHbrjE6-YeaWo5Slp4UHlfdWs/edit?ndplr=1

I teach this story often, especially when I hear some student being judgmental, bullying or mean to a younger sibling. It tugs at your heart strings and allows for wonderful visualization and imagery! Scarlet Ibis Prezi: http://prezi.com/bh416tkcgozn/present/?auth_key=3bxhpyz&follow=lpa3gtgdqwzo A brief summary of The Scarlet Ibis courtesy of Shmopp.com The Scarlet Ibis In A Nutshell "The Scarlet Ibis" is a short story by American author James Hurst. It was first published in 1960 in The Atlantic Monthly. After that it found its way into middle and high school anthologies, and is frequently taught today. "The Scarlet Ibis" is a troubling tale of two brothers. One brother, called Doodle, has physical disabilities and serious health problems. The other brother, known only as Brother, is desperate to turn Doodle into a "normal" kid in time to face the harsh world of school. The interesting thing is that "The Scarlet Ibis" is Hurst...