Finally back in action...

Now up and running at home with cable TV's DSL, hopefully service will be better than that provided by the phone company! Getting back into the swing with projects.

Update:

Dropped NBPTS for the time being, not a happy thing. Reconsidering time / interest / costs / benefits equation against preparation for a another career or a second career, etc.

Meanwhile, returned to work on my electronic portfolio, geocities webpage and backflip categories. Just happened onto the Carnegie Foundations' FREE toolkit, so that will be my next focus. I'm excited about the possibilites of making a working template for collaboration between media specialists and teachers.

9th Annual Technology Leadership Conference & Exhibition:
Oct. 27-29, 2004

WED:
1. GDOE's Interactive Reports: New Content and a New Audience
(upcoming database - very comprehensive)
2. Creating & Supporting Change with IBM's Change Toolkit
www.reinventingchange.org
3. eLiteracy in the 21st Century Workshop:
Digital Storytelling with Movie Maker (very intro - basic)
4. Laptops in the Classroom - Let's Talk
(From the trenches advice - helpful for mobile cart wannabees.)

TH:
5. Windows XP Service Pack2 - What, Why & How
Macon College instead of who I expected, Kennesaw,
but a quality presentation of useful tips and techniques.
6. Customizing Templates to Meet Your Needs
www.glc.k12.ga.us
(very intro - basic, but resources have been added to the site.)
7. 2004 Exemplary Library Media Program
Great to see everyone. Wonderful to see the presentation.
Suggested that the slides be placed on GLC,
so that they can be shared with a larger audience.
Inspiring examples!
8. Creating Model Technology Schools for Georgia

FRI:
9. Internet Safety
10. Leadership Academy
for Aspiring Instructional Technologists
Impressive. Jill Hobson with Forsyth County.
I sent her Jacquline Rose's idea of The Shining Star Award:
http://www.pcsb.k12.fl.us/mediaservices/AcrobatFiles/0405ssapplication.pdf

Tech Disasters Do Occur...

My home DSL and dialup went out after a southern storm. After a week of fiddling around with the phone company, I elected to "pull the plug."  There's goes my contract $$$.  I'll make-up the expense by simply doing without!  At least, doing without until I'm ready to run out and get a cell phone and different service provider for Internet.

This day that I could no longer resist, I came to the public library in order to check my personl email account. Wouldn't you know, Yahoo is "down" -- at least the personal accounts side.  Can't get into my personlized pages (with rss feeds) or email account.  It has happened previously.  Hopefully they are just updating something.

School opens next week and I should return to being connected there.  Meanwhile, I'm jittery!  It is somewhat like withdrawal from caffeine.

Cha-cha-cha-changes...

Glad to find that the google/blogger combo has generated additional free tools for sharing information. (At least free for now?) I'm playing around - trying to setup in ways that will assist multiple work roles and interests.

Roles of the School Library Media Specialist:
http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/office/teacher.html

WhooHoo! Located a great SLMC curriculum guide:
http://www.hcps.org/media/high.htm

Note to self - remember to try Purple:

Thanks to Lynette Reville of "One New Thing" blog:
http://nlrp.blogspot.com/2004_06_01_nlrp_archive.html

Friday, June 04, 2004 "The Purpose of a Purple Number" heads to this link:
http://purpleslurple.net/

Notes from GLMA Summer Camp / GA DOE Leadership Insitute:

Fantastic comraderie - great training information - Galileo and Georgia Learning Connections (GLC) contacts.
http://it.coe.uga.edu/~mfitzger/como02.ppt
http://www.sreb.org
http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/
~canbylane/hrrb/Georgia.htm
http://www.cdpheritage.org/heritage/
Thanks to Renee's example, neat new toy bought at Radio Shack: a Motorola-B wireless connection.
Call for GLMA membership/listserv and communication with legislators to thank them for supporting media funding during this year.

Library Ratings...

http://www.haplr-index.com/

Public Libraries I've visited/used:

http://www.bcls.lib.nj.us/Branches/PB.html
This is a new building. The one I used (as a high school student) was located in "downtown" Pemberton.
Pemberton Community Library: Broadway - Brownsmills, NJ

http://www.munpl.org/
Maring-Hunt Library: High Street - Muncie, Indiana
Our family especially loved being able to check out paintings from this branch library:
Kennedy Library: McGalliard Ave - Muncie, Indiana

http://www.co.beaufort.sc.us/bftlib/bftlib.htm
This site is a smart addition to a historical building:
Beaufort County Public Library: Scott Street - Beaufort, SC

http://www.ccpl.org/
It was a thrill to watch the new construction online and in person:
Charleston County Public Library: Calhoun Street - Charleston, SC
McClellanville: Baker Street - McClellanville, SC

http://www.broward.org/library/main.htm
I often drove the extra miles just to experience this main library.
Fort Lauderdale Main PL: S. Andrews Street - Fort Lauderdale, FL
Deerfield Beach Percy White Branch: E. Hillsboro Blvd. - Deerfield Beach, FL
Century Plaza Branch: W. Hillsboro Blvd. - Deerfield Beach, FL
West Regional: W. Broward Blvd. - Plantation, FL

http://www.acld.lib.fl.us/acld-new/branches/hq/hq.html
Headquarters Library: W. University Ave - Gainesville, FL

http://www.co.leon.fl.us/library/
Hate the front steps into this library, but otherwise loved the place and spent many days there.
Leroy Collins Leon County Public Library: E. Park Ave - Tallahassee, FL

http://www.pclc.lib.fl.us/libraries/frostproof/
It is small, but served me well for over a year:
Latt Maxcy Public Library: N. Magnolia Ave. - Frostproof, FL

http://www.co.leon.fl.us/library/
Made a quick 5 min. email stop here while interviewing in a nearby school and was refused service for a second session on the same day to collect my email answer.
Powder Springs Branch: Marietta Street - Powder Springs, GA

http://library.barrow.public.lib.ga.us
Though the staff seems fine, lack of funding makes this the saddest PL I've experienced. The town should be ashamed!
Piedmond Regional Libary: Bell View Street - Winder, GA

http://www.clarke.public.lib.ga.us/
This is my salvation from the local library system; I gladly travel the miles to get to this little mecca!
Athens Regional Library System: Baxter Street - Athens, GA

Seattle Trip Memories...

Spent more time than planned getting out of Atlanta, but ended up with a direct flight which got to Seattle around the correct time. Can still feel E's hugs, and S met me with Alfie in her arms. The pooch and I instantly connected and we remain in love.

I also fell in love with the Seattle area, cool weather and clouds included. In spite of a lot of down time inside, we got to the major sights and diversions: the needle, bridge troll, Fremont, movies, puppy play park and restaurants. My favorite excursion was a morning at the new public library then on to the glass museum in Tacoma. Got a clear view of Mount Rainer on the last day.

The library was everything expected(from news reviews)and I'm left with love it/hate it reactions. I withheld description of it from my son in order to get his gut reactions. He falls more on the love side of the reaction meter than I, though he also found things to hate (the oval heads in the escalator wall).

There is so much discussion about the Seattle Library (the lighting, the materials, the colors, the teen & children's areas, the danger spots) that I really have nothing new to add. It is great to have this much attention on a library. The Seattle PL layout appears that it can be flexible enough to adapt to future needs.

My favorite building is the Fort Lauderdale PL, but I haven't seen all that many places.

No excuses - just the facts:

End-of-the-year madness hit in full force. I'm still redesigning the school website, so summer vacation hasn't really started yet.

To prove that I'm going above and beyond: I'm posting this with approximately 1/2 of my body coverd in posion ivy rash! I haven't had a bout since I was a teenager. It doesn't seem that over-the-counter medicine for skin conditions have improved much.

Evenings I've been gathering resources and posting to my teacher assistance blogs projects, so I am being productive in the background. Also, I have started informally tutoring an ESOL student and have volunteered to assist several parents with computer training.

To update the journey towards NBTPS; the box has been opened, and the CD inserted. I spent a good hour reviewing portfolio information. The idea is to hold off until after I return from my Seattle trip - keep the head clear so that I can enjoy that journey!