the Virtual Bookmark

Kaleidoscope Conference Open for Registration

Kaleidoscope Conference Open for Registration

Kaleidoscope Conference chairperson Cathy Yusep announced today that registration for the 2008 Kaleidoscope Children’s Literature Conference opens on February 1, 2008. The 9th Kaleidoscope Conference will be held November 6, 7 and 8, 2008 at the Telus Convention Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Kaleidoscope Conferences celebrate literature created for children and young adults and aims to heighten the awareness and appreciation of the creative process through interaction with authors, illustrators, publishers, producers and performers and is an Alberta School Library Council Conference.

Delegates attending Kaleidoscope will have the opportunity to choose sessions from a wide range of presenters including past British Poet Laureate Michael Morpurgo. The conference will be opened on Thursday, November 6th by Ron Jobe, Professor, University of British Columbia (retired). Award winning Canadian writers and illustrators including Gayle Friesen, Wallace Edwards, Robert Heidbreder, Julie Lawson, George Littlechild, Bill Slavin, Ian Wallace, Melanie Watt, Tim Wynne-Jones and Werner Zimmermann will be present. The international lineup includes Betty Birney, Janell Cannon, Sneed Collard, Polly Horvath, Betsy and Ted Lewin, Lois Lowry, Ben Mikaelson, Beverley Naidoo, Allan Say, Eileen Spinelli, Janet Stevens, and Shaun Tan. Folklorist and scholar Jack Zipes will be in attendance as will Elizabeth Bicknell, senior editor at Candlewick Press. In addition to the programmed speakers, a gala banquet will be held on Friday, November 7 at which Michael Morpurgo will be the speaker. For each Kaleidoscope conference, a Canadian illustrator is selected to produce a fine art poster reflecting the conference theme. Werner Zimmermann has been selected for the 9th Kaleidoscope Conference poster to be inspired by the theme, "Story: Bridging Worlds." On-site book sales will be provided by United Library Services Inc.

Over the past 36 years, the Kaleidoscope Conference has brought an impressive array of speakers to Calgary including Philip Pullman, Eric Carle, David Almond, Bill Richardson, and Eric Walters among many others. Complete program and registration information can be located at www.kaleidoscopeconference.ca.

For further information please contact:

Diane Langston

Publicity, Kaleidoscope Conference

dlangston@uls.com

1-403-252-4426, ext. 222

Internet-Savvy Language in the Classroom

Internet-Savvy Language in the Classroom

The recent LA Times article on TwitLit demonstrates how Web 2.0 technologies can change even our conceptions of a genre. Students' understanding and use of such technologies provide a great opportunity for us as teachers -- the challenge of supporting the use of Internet-savvy language in the classroom.

The ReadWriteThink lessons

What's the Difference? Beginning Writers Compare Email with Letter Writing and Write Right Back: Recognizing Readers' Needs and Expectations for Email Replies (E) outline opportunities for investigating the genre of email in the classroom. For more information, read the article that inspired the lessons: "Email as Genre: A Beginning Writer Learns the Conventions

" (E) from Language Arts.

Explore the language of electronic messages and how it affects other writing with the ReadWriteThink lesson

Audience, Purpose, and Language Use in Electronic Messages (M). To set up online chats and email with students, check out the Voices from the Middle article "Improving Writing: Online Bulletin Boards

" (M).The English Journal article "

Virtually Being There: Creating Authentic Experiences through Interactive Exchanges" (S-TE) describes an email writing exchange between preservice teachers and high school students, designed to help students develop conversations about writing as a tool for learning across the curriculum. For resources to structure your own writing exchange, check out the ReadWriteThink lesson Exploring Literature through Letter Writing Groups

(S-C).Invite students to explore the lingo of the online world by reading books included in the English Journal book review "

Internet Literature for Media-Savvy Students

" (M-S). Even teachers with limited technology access in the classroom can explore the ways that people read and write with technology.

The College English article "

Distant Voices: Teaching Writing in a Culture of Technology

" (C) considers the ways that technology can influence our teaching in light of "the increasing replacement of face-to-face contact by 'virtual' interaction via multimedia technology, e-mail communication systems, and the recently expanded capabilities of the World Wide Web" in our campus classrooms and in distance education.

_____________________________

Lesson Vault feedback...

UNLOCK THE TREASURES!

we need your ideas and feedback!

As part of our associations’ goal to support members teaching practices, we are developing an online directory of lessons and units designed by members for members. It is a work in progress....inspired by the new UBC vault at Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, hosting artwork, historical archives, etc., we decided to also call our site the LESSON VAULT

UBC Library. 

Contact us:

asmith@sd23.bc.ca

Organizing and designing a service for dozens/hundreds of files needs some thought.  We need your ideas.  To get things rolling, we have built a few models and pose a few ideas.

1. Blog with Option A
2. Web site with navigation. Option B.  Option C. Option D.
3. Wiki with some authorship rights
4. A database or Opac like service
5. Online store/software
6. Private Social Network Option E.
7. Other.....

Post your feedback below or contact us to share your views.

Naturally, if you wish to email or better yet, telephone, we wouldlove to hear from you.

250-762-2805 ext250

amacritchie@telus.net

Virtual Bookmark Lesson Vault

From Conference Disaster to District Literacy Success

From Conference Disaster to District Literacy Success

By J. Gillett & P. Kirkey

____________________

The Central Okanagan Teacher Librarians’ Association’s

Education Week Author Visits

Background, Win-Win Situation

Resiliency is the new buzz word in education and business. Things go wrong—how successfully you bounce back is a measure of your resiliency. The dedicated teacher-librarians in School District 23 are certainly a resilient crew! When the 2005 BCTF strike resulted in cancellation of BCTLA’s fall conference in Kelowna, the Central Okanagan Teacher Librarians’ Association (COTLA) was left exhausted, disheartened, and with a huge debt. At the same time, a seed of hope was planted when Roch Carrier, one of the conference’s keynote speakers, offered to return to the Okanagan sometime in the future. Who knew then that almost four years later we would be looking back and saying, “I don’t know if this would be happening if the conference hadn’t been cancelled!”

Mr. Carrier’s postponed visit took place in the spring of 2006 and coincided with Education Week. From that modest beginning COTLA’s annual Education Week Author Visit was born. Instead of having our keynote presenter speak to the already converted teacher-librarians at a BCTLA conference, Roch Carrier spoke to students and staff members in our district, university students and faculty, the public. It was such a success that COTLA has been organizing major literary events as part of our district's Education Week celebration ever since. These sessions continue to grow in popularity and in the process attract the best of the Canadian literary world. Each year thousands of students and adults in our community are impacted by the author presentations. Everyone wins in the process: Students get to see, hear and interact with Canada's finest writers; authors get to share their craft with appreciative audiences; teacher-librarians benefit from the public's increased awareness of the valuable role we play in the literacy chain.

Authors, Formats, Venues, Numbers, Involving the Community

Presenters, presentation formats and venues have varied over the years, but the one constant has always been the promotion of the three Ls: Libraries, Literacy and the Love of reading. As mentioned, in 2006 Canadian literary icon Roch Carrier was our guest. He spoke to large groups of students who had been bussed to five of our schools (elementary, middle, secondary, immersion, non-immersion). He also spoke to students and faculty at UBC-Okanagan and made an evening presentation to our community at large. He read from The Hockey Sweater and shared his vision of Canada and what it means to be Canadian. Students knew they were in the presence of someone special (and were equally impressed when told that excerpts of The Hockey Sweater appear on the back of every Canadian five dollar bill!). Everyone went away happy—the 2000+ students and adults who took in the sessions, the teacher-librarians who had made a connection with the French Canadian community, and district administrative personnel who immediately saw the benefit of these presentations.

In 2007 our presenter was Governor General Literary Award winner Paul Yee. His itinerary mushroomed into a two-week visit that saw him speak at 21 schools (elementary, middle, and secondary), at UBC-Okanagan and to the community at large. Mr. Yee brought Canadian history and folklore to life with his tales of the experiences of the Chinese in “Gold Mountain.” 2500+ students and adults took in Mr. Yee's presentations; the teacher-librarians connected with the Chinese community, and district administrative staff immediately asked, “What have you planned for next year?”

In 2008 our presenter was CBC producer/writer Karen Levine. Ms. Levine is the author of Hana’s Suitcase, a multi-award winning book about the holocaust. Her presentations were not “readings,” nor were they viewings of the award-winning CBC documentary, but rather audio visual presentations narrated by Ms. Levine in the style of a detective story where three strands are interwoven: the story of Hana Brady, the story of Fumiko Ishioka, and the story of how Karen Levine herself came to write the book. Her message was powerful and well received by both students and adults. Over the course of a week Ms. Levine made four presentations to large groups of students at our community theatre, two presentations at secondary schools, and an evening presentation to our community at large. Close to 3000 people took in Karen Levine's presentations, collaboration between the teacher-librarians and the Jewish community was rewarding, and district administrative staff listed the event as a major highlight of Education Week!

One of our main goals has been to involve the community. With this in mind, COTLA has always sponsored a free evening presentation to the community at large. Where possible, we have also tried to involve outside agencies such as UBC-Okanagan and the Okanagan Regional Library System. Connecting with Kelowna's French-Canadian, Chinese-Canadian and Jewish communities took our civic involvement to new levels. Even our corporate sponsors have embraced the enthusiasm for literacy by reading and sharing the guest authors’ books and stories. The feelings engendered by these events for our association are always positive and serve as a subtle form of advocacy.

Budgets, Sponsorship, Profits, Giving Back

There are costs associated with bringing a major author to town for an extended period of time (flights, hotels, meals, incidentals, social gatherings, agreed upon fees, etc.). These costs have to be factored into the budget and passed along to the schools that choose to participate. In an effort to limit costs charged to schools, COTLA decided early on to try to partner financially with the school district and local businesses or service clubs. Initially, this required rounds of letter writing, phone calls and offers to present at meetings, but with the success of the program it is easier to attract sustaining sponsors. For our 2009 Education Week author visit we already have financial commitments from three local organizations. These partnerships have proven to be win-win-win situations: Sponsors are quietly acknowledged in mail-outs to schools, parents, teachers, media outlets and in advertising campaigns; costs to schools are reduced; our teacher-librarians' association has been able to turn a yearly profit which can be parleyed into professional development opportunities for our members and increased literacy opportunities for our students. For example, in 2008 COTLA subsidized the cost of hundreds of copies of Hana's Suitcase that were brought in for gifts and sales to students and the community.

Added Bonus: Advocacy without Formally Advocating!

We began this adventure with literacy in mind, but have reaped the benefits of public awareness and quiet advocacy. Everyone in the Central Okanagan—children, parents, teachers, CUPE members, administrators, school board trustees, media personnel, sponsors, UBC-O faculty and students, the public at large—is reading and hearing about libraries, literacy and teacher-librarians. The whole endeavour has had a ripple affect that has boosted the profile of teacher-librarians within our educational system and the community at large.

Organizing a Similar Event

Mounting a major literary event for your community might sound like a daunting task, but in reality it can be done if there is a small group with a strong will and a degree of organizational skills. Stay tuned. For the fall issue of The Bookmark we are hoping to put together a step-by-step manual for organizing a major literary event (time lines, budget, example letters, etc.). In the interim, should you have questions that need answering, you can contact the authors at these email addresses: jgillett@sd23.bc.ca or kirkey@shaw.ca

About the authors:

James Gillett, elementary teacher-librarian SD23, has written for/spoken at various levels (Saskatchewan's Minister of Education, Canadian Modern Language Review, Canadian Learned Society, The Bookmark, etc.).

Pat Kirkey, retired teacher-librarian SD23, was BCTLA's 2006 co-recipient of the Diana Poole Memorial Award of Merit as the most outstanding teacher-librarian in the province.

BCTLA-Chapter Ideas...

WHAT IS GOING WELL -centralized cataloguing (Fiction/Non-Fiction) 3 techs hired -have library coordinators (#43,44,49,73,41) -have library assistants (#82) -funding comes from district (#42 Burnaby, #44 N. Van.) -No Prep (Burnaby) -LSA Strong & local leadership (#44) - work -mentor program (43,44,49,73) -have to qualify (Diploma)-Burnaby -incredible TLs doing incredible things with kids -able to make connections with kids (nurturing) -leadership program (Gr. 6,7) #73, (Gr. 7s) #44 -getting automated (N. Van. & Burnaby) -zero $ increase in per student funding -declining enrollment in schools -TL involvement in online students' learning STRENGTHS GR. 7 #42 -strong LSA -new DTL #35 -new DTL -forum with Techs and TL -dual library book grant $39/ESL #41 -no prep coverage -good ratios -strong hiring language re. qualifications -.4 D.T.L. -$1,000/library #36 -.5 DTL -Successful conference -district support for conference -stable ratios despite funding shortfalls #61 -$200,000 grant for books-weeding -district upgrade to destiny -presentation to Trustees - DTL -Surrey now has a helping teacher .5 lib helping/K-12 curric. support -Vancouver has library coordinator (has spot on) -advocacy -mentoring -Kelowna bringing in "big" Authors for Education Week - Great Advocacy (idea from group: could BCTLA help us with up front costs to be reimbursed after event) -Red Cedar/Battle - committees sharing the work - background work comes to the forefront -Comox: E-Library collection 72,000 hits! -Nancy Z. - highest # of Red Cedar participants ever: 59 MISSION -$1,000 from Ladies Eagles Society -author visits (Credit Union sponsors it) -public night (free) sponsored -Some libraries will be supplemented because 3 schools closed - TLs have gone in to weed RICHMOND -readathon raised $4,600 -Richmond does no prep time -In contract - need TL training -District Coordinator ensures this -Centralized cataloguing PAT -"Random Acts of Poetry Week" (1st or 2nd week in Oct.) -Guerilla Poetry -Use this to connect with parents/Community -kids always have to have a poem in pocket (K-5) -"Poem Me" - "I've been poemed" ADVOCACY IDEA -Malaspina College Bookfest every May 31st, Schools get Authors and Scholarships to go to Bookfest -Nanaimo-Board Meeting "A Day in the Life" presented to Human Resources (skit, power point). A lot of positive feed back -Asked for research so sent advocacy stuff VANCOUVER -Smart Boards-every room, every library show how it enriches student learning KOOTENAYS -BC Book Prize authors came to Kootenays for 1st time (4 author nominees) they are sponsored (also came to Kelowna) -wonderful opportunity -only 2 schools OKANAGAN KELOWNA -amazing year -LSA sponsors a major author visit (Roch, Paul Yee, Hannah's suitcase) -Annual author visit - community outreach. -Karen Levine was wonderful -Corporate support made $3,000- now becoming a tradition -Secondary Reading Promotion -monthly Pro-Dev -UBCO Library and continuing educ liaison. –diploma program continuing -School District claiming not to cut jobs -KSS mentoring new TL’s with council and workshops STAFF -food, treats, new books at lunch time to promote reading to staff...now they want another one... -daily prize $20.00 gift certificates For Students -massive weeding A-H -gave them to kids-they loved it Diploma Program -lots of new TLS - met in Al's library - keen new gp. -password bookmarks on P-T night (adobe In-Design) $100 for 500 -Bookmarks in each book. This book was read by... -How to avoid having 100s of handouts - 1st class - see Al SYLVIA - Great Feed back -SS project - made posters of city cousellors - dropped of at City Hall - they loved them

CONCERNS AND ISSUES - No support for technology (info age) - fix machines when they break down- brand new - No computer for TL (#44) - No clerical help at elementary/secondary - School-based decision-making is inconsistent - TL lacks security in position ("Go back to classroom to have a secure position") - support from colleagues-understanding what we can do (we are the added value) - No respect for our space. Staff mtgs, groups, church on Sundays, snail races, and gingerbread houses. - Empowerment and recognition on a provincial level lacking by Min. of Ed. (What leadership?) - Government makes proclamations about Literacy but does not support it. - Fear re. Affect of uplift=shortfall - All staffing 1:975 elementary #42 - No requirements for T.L.s - No central tech support - Inconsistent training - Reconfiguration ALL - School-based funding #48 - Censorship (K-7) - Conflict between techs and librarians. Who is in charge? #41 - Automation without I.T. support. I.T. are about control; 6 weeks to upload new students #36 - Central cataloguing - Ancient computers - T-l’s feeling very discouraged - Not taking training because of future job uncertainty - Inequities between districts throughout the province - Administrators filling library positions - SD NWest'r voted to 'disband the media centre' - 3.46 t-l’s for 12 schools (1.46 for 9 elem. and 2 middle schools with no clerical) Note: Home of Smart Learning - Qualifications-teachers being called t-ls but have no training - Surrey SD calling a t-l 1.0 t-l when it might really be .6 t-l/.4 prep - People being hired without training (in Surrey after 7 months you become "Qualified") - Red Cedar website difficulties. (also difficulties contacting person for conference) - Comox Valley: all 5 Middle schools closing. No jobs for these t-l’s. - No elementary t-l’s anymore either - 2 Middle Schools being converted into Secondary Schools - 1 of these well have a principal as t-l. - Net loss: 3 T.L.s - Literacy w/o libraries??? STEW: - Access to libraries is shown to improve literacy more than literacy teaching. NEW WEST’R – NWSS - Waiting for new school for 5 years MISSION - Lots of untrained T.L.s - Not much funding to reorganize 3 libraries - All prep time in elementary RICHMOND - T.L.s .6 at secondary - No techs at el. - Declining enrollment SAANICH - Powers that be don’t seem to see value in print collections in school libraries - How can we tackle this? Maybe find out how many kids have access to public library - DRC – threatened closure…. Petition saved it -System issued – Declining enrollment KOOTENAY - Combined districts - Death by a thousand cuts - Retirees replaced by untrained T.L.s (as soon as they go, the program goes) - School by school, year by year whether or not they hire people with training KELOWNA - Equity from site to site, always an issue. - Training levels -technology moving patrons from library use - no rep for Literacy cmtee NANAIMO - Same budget, cut time. AOs in library (no service). - dead wood have created a legacy of negative feelings towards libraries.

New On the Net-June08

NEW ON THE NET

John Goldsmith
cyberjohn@detools.ca
http://www.detools.ca

TAGGING
It's called "Tagging". No, I don't mean the popular children's game or the anti-social behaviour of spray painting graffiti on busses, buildings and boxcars. Instead, I'm referring to the popular Web 2.0 practice.

Web 2.0 – the new face of the web known by many different names such as, "Read/Write Web", "Semantic Web", "Two Way Web", and "Participatory Web". The new web is all about participation and sharing.

Back in the early days – the Web 1.0 days – users simply read or consumed information in the same way they would extract information from more traditional mediums such as books, magazines or even television. There was no interaction, no engagement, and no feedback. Creators created – readers consumed.

Web 2.0 is different. Instead of simply consuming information, Web 2.0 folks are expected to participate, get involved, comment, react, take what they have consumed and create new content through a host of readily available and easy to use online tools such as blogs, wikis, pod casts, social networking applications and video sharing. The venue doesn't matter. Participation does.

And participate, they do! Be it vacation pictures on Flickr or lesson plans on Slide Share; there are millions of Web 2.0 folks (including educators) who are creating, contributing and sharing; so much so, in fact, that the web has quadrupled in size over the past few years.

All this participation (and resulting content) has been both positive and negative. It has been positive in the sense that Web 2.0 has given voice and opportunity to those who previously had none. The result has been projects such as Wikipedia – the citizen encyclopedia and citizen journalism. No longer is demonstrated expertise necessary. Everyone is welcome to join in, take part and contribute.

But, there's a down side too. More content does not always equate to better content. A groundbreaking report on a new cancer treatment could end up buried beneath the flotsam of My Space pages and YouTube videos.

Positive or negative, the web has a lot more stuff then ever before. Unfortunately none of it is organized. This may not bother some free thinking folks but most of us like at least a modicum of order in our information – if for no other reason then to be able to find it again later. Enter: the "Tag".

The Tag has become a popular accessory for most Web 2.0 applications. Tags allow users to assign subject headings to various bits of information. Perhaps the best-known use of Tags and Tagging is associated with social book marking applications such as "Del.icio.us" or "Furl". Social book marking sites allow the user to have a place online to save important URL's. Once saved, the URL's can easily be accessed at work, at school or at home. This allows the user access to the URLs from anywhere there's an internet connection.

Social book marking sites also allow one user to share a list of book marks with other users. In terms of educational application, a teacher could save a list of URL's on a particular topic then share that list with students or colleagues.

To provide a list of URL's with some meaning or context, users are encouraged to use Tags or user defined subject headings to categorize their URL's. Often the application itself will suggest a Tag or subject heading based on information pulled from the Web Page metadata, however, it's ultimately the user's decision as to what label, category or subject heading is assigned to each URL.

There is one "small" problem with user defined tags. Let's imagine that a Social Studies teacher in school "A" uses the social book marking website called "Del.icio.us" (http://www.del.icio.us) as a way to share links and URL's with the students in their class. To make things easy for students, the teacher might group a set of URL's under the heading or Tag of, "SS11, World War 1" or "SS11, The Depression" or "SS11, The Cold War".

At school "B" nearby, another Social Studies teacher is doing the same thing, also using the "Del.icio.us" site but this teacher might group the same URL's using different Tags or subject headings such as, "History, Canada, 1914-1919" or "History, Canada, 1919-1939".

Everything works great as long as the two teachers don't try to share their Del.icio.us information with each other. If they do, the tags which each teacher has created are also shared. Now each teacher could potentially have a list of the same URL's but grouped together under two different sets of Tags. If a group of Social Studies teachers were to share with each other, the result could be more Tags then URL's. This would be a chaotic and confusing situation to say the least.

By now, most librarians are slapping their foreheads and saying, "Dhaaa!" This situation is as predictable as a rainy winter's day in Vancouver. Without the use of a common set of Tags or some form of controlled language such as Sears or Library of Congress subject headings there will be no consistency.

This growing situation, I suspect, may be the next great Web 2.0 hurdle. The rumblings have already started. Technology-wise, the sharing of tagged information is very easy. It's the human interface that presents the "challenge". For Tagging to really work, not just for one or two people but across the Net, the intervention of trained professionals will be required. I have no idea how, when or even if this will ever happen but at a time when advocacy has taken on such great importance, this may be the perfect opportunity to show the Web 2.0 folks just how indispensable librarians – all librarians – really are.

In other words, "Tag, we may be IT."

NEW ON THE NET

ARTS & CRAFTS

EXPLORE ART

http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/

"The Getty Museum has long been a leader in online exhibitions and educational resources, and their "Explore Art" feature is one that will delight anyone with a penchant for the visual arts. On the homepage, visitors can browse artists by name, or they can also look over the collection by object type or subject. The "Natural World" theme is well-worth a look, as it contains hundreds of offerings such as a Roman sculpture of a bear and a meticulously carved bee that appears on a four-drachma coin from the 4th century BC. On the right side of the page, visitors can browse through the "Getty Guide" area. Here they can watch videos of artists at work, explore the modern outdoor sculpture collection, and learn about the painting technique of Lucas Cranach, the noted Old Master painter and printmaker. Finally, visitors can use the Getty Bookmarks feature to collect and save their favorite artists and works from the collection via their own customized bookmarks page." (Linda Hof: Webbits)

EDUCATION

A TO Z TEACHER STUFF

http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/

This site claims to have thousands of pages of educational material including lesson plans, thematic units, teacher tips, discussion forums for teachers, downloadable teaching materials & e-Books, printable worksheets and black line masters, emergent reader books, themes, and more. All the resources are said to be teacher-created and designed to help teachers find online resources more quickly and easily. (David Dillard: Educator-Gold Newsletter)

ACTIVITY VILLAGE

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/index.htm

Activity Village is a British Web Site with a vast amount of resources and materials for Primary teachers. These resources include, coloring pages, kids crafts, puzzles, printable work sheets, Sudoku for kids and much, much more. The site claims to have more than 3000 pages with new content being added regularly. The site also provides a subscription service to their free newsletter or RSS feed to keep up with what's new. (Newsletters4Teachers)

AERO-POP

http://www.aero-pop.com/INTRO.html

"This high energy site may be the cure for getting youngsters moving and improving their health. It can be incorporated into school fitness programs or done at home and is appropriate for all children. Best of all, the entire program can be downloaded for free. Teachers will find thirty-five easy to follow lesson plans with a video clip to demonstrate each new move. A PDF file is also available explaining in detail the lesson plan for each session. Parents can easily use the program at home to get and keep kids moving and having fun while they're doing it. Just choose your own upbeat music and start Aero-popping!! It's the fun way to change the way children think about exercise and physical education." (Education World Site Reviews)

BRAIN FOOD

http://www.rinkworks.com/brainfood/c/word.shtml

This website offers a variety of interactive word puzzles and games that will enhance any Language Arts curriculum. The site has a variety of activities such as word searches, associated words, word fragments, garbled proverbs, cryptograms, word puzzles. (Diane Flynn Keith: ClickSchooling)

CROSSWORD PUZZLE MAKER

http://www.armoredpenguin.com/crossword/

The Crossword puzzle maker is a free, simple and easy to use online program for creating crossword puzzles. The user enters the clue and the word and the program will create an online puzzle which can also be printed out. The puzzle will remain online for two months. (David Dillard: Educator-Gold Newsletter)

IDE@S

http://www.ideas.wisconsin.edu/

IDE@S is a database of lessons and resources created by and for Wisconsin teachers. Grade levels include pre-kindergarten through adult/continuing education. The database is divided into twenty-five subject areas including everything from agriculture and dance to special education and theatre with each having several sub-categories. The VideoIde@s section offers more than 160 videos on such topics as acid rain, the Bernoulli Effect, carbon dioxide, circuits, pendulums and more. The BrightIde@s section features the most popular resources for the month while a "new" section offers resources that have been added in the last thirty days. (Education World Site Reviews)

FROM DOMESTICITY TO MODERNITY: WHAT WAS HOME ECONOMICS?

http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/homeEc/

This site contains a review of home economics as a collegiate field of study, begun in the early 20th century and "dedicated to improving the quality of life in the American home through the application of modern science and management." The site includes introductory essays and annotated images on educational techniques, role in national emergencies, and related topics. Also found on the site are materials about the College of Home Economics at Cornell University (1900-1969) taken from the Division of Rare & Manuscript Collections, Cornell University. (Librarian's Internet Index)

MANGO LANGUAGES

http://www.mangolanguages.com/

"Mango is the place to go to learn foreign language at your own pace and in a fun and engaging way. Teachers and students can use this site to easily add practice to the curriculum or the general public can use it to sharpen their mind by learning a new language. Users can listen to the phrases and words spoken by a native speaker and the words are color coded for translation. Each sentence is preceded by an icon for replaying and each word can be scrolled to see the phonetic pronunciation. The lessons include grammatical and cultural notes that provide insight into the language and customs as well as quizzes and conversations that focus on practical experiences. The slides can be replayed as many times as necessary to learn and reinforce the content." (Education World Site Reviews)

PACIFIC EDGE PUBLISHING: FREE WORKSHEETS

http://www.pacificedgepublishing.com/download.shtml

Pacific Edge Publishing is a publishing and distribution company located in British Columbia, Canada. The company has been serving Canadian educators for over 19 years, with the development and creation of educational resources and the publishing of the periodical called, "Canadian Teacher Magazine". Recently, Pacific Edge Publishing has made available at no cost, a number of downloadable teacher resources including maps of Canada, map skill worksheets, book bingo, word games and many more. Pacific Edge Publishing grants a limited copyright for the person who may photocopy the black line masters for his/her own classroom use. (Margo Porro)

POWER POINT PALOOZA

http://www.pptpalooza.net/

Power point palooza is a web site with over 200 PowerPoint presentations on a vast array of educational topics including AP European History and Global Studies. While most of the presentations were made by the site's creator, there are many more slide shows by other teachers and students. The presentations range in size from 12 to over 145 slides each. Several PPTs contain large sound/music files. The presentations may be downloaded and used for educational purposes.

ENGLISH

JANE AUSTEN'S WORLD

http://www.freewebs.com/janeaustenworld/

This site contains a collection of links to material related to early 19th-century novelist Jane Austen and her life and times. Also included are links to full text of her novels, material about film adaptations, culture and fashion of the Regency Era, academic articles, and links to related blogs. (Linda Hof: Webbits)

KU WRITING CENTER

http://www.writing.ku.edu/

"The University of Kansas has developed a wealth of resources to help their students become proficient writers and the materials are available to anyone with a computer and Internet access. The Student section (written for undergraduate and graduate students) offers many resources that are also useful for secondary students. These resources include guides, created by the writing professionals a KU's Writing Center, that cover pre-writing strategies, developing an effective thesis statement, citing and documenting your sources, and avoiding plagiarism. Students can also view writing samples in the gallery or use the assignment planner to put the writing process in a timeline for completing their research paper on time. Teachers wanting to incorporate more writing into the curriculum can find resources and information on an array of topics." (Education World Site Reviews)

LEARN ENGLISH WITH PICTURES

http://www.my-english-dictionary.com/

"Learn English with Pictures is a free, online resource to learn English words in a fun way. The site has over 400 words and photographs ranging from animals to kitchen appliances. The interface is simple and both kids and adults who are learning English will find this educational website entertaining and useful." (EDTECH)

LITERATURE CIRCLES RESOURCE CENTER
http://www.litcircles.org/

Literature Circles Resource Center web site was created by Katherine L. Schlick Noe, Ph.D., Professor and Director of Literacy, College of Education, Seattle University as an educational service to teachers in elementary grades through middle school. The purpose of this site is to provide in-depth information and resources on literature circles. The site evolved from a classroom action research project in which Dr Noe spent one day a week in each of six classrooms in the Seattle area-- grades 1 through 6 -- learning with and from teachers and students as they tried out literature circles for the first time. The site is designed to be interactive with book lists, guidelines, and resources for literature. (David Dillard: Educator-Gold Newsletter)

SIX STEPS TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER (ELL) LESSON DESIGN
http://www.bbc.co.uk/SixSteps to ELL Lesson Design/

"Six Steps to ELL Lesson Design offers classroom teachers resources and information for meeting the needs of all degrees of English speakers within the same classroom and curriculum. It was created in 2002 as an education course project at Arizona State University, but is still broadly relevant and useful today. The site is written in a conversational form and includes six steps for planning and organizing your curriculum, including determining the needs of your class, identifying adaptable activities, modifying materials, creating new activities, and designing lessons. This step-by-step approach is easily adapted to the needs of any classroom teacher who finds herself/himself charged with teaching ELL students to the same high standards as others in the regular classroom. Also included are other Web resources and a printable collection of job aids, charts, and other documents as well as a summary of the six steps to print out." (Education World Site Reviews)

STORY-IT

http://www.storyit.com/

This website offers a variety of free Language Arts games, story starters, printable writing worksheets and other activities to encourage students to read and write. Included on this site are printable classic rhymes such as, "Little Miss Muffet," "Jack Be Nimble," "Little Robin Redbreast," and more. There are also interactive games for phonics reinforcement and sentence building exercises including non-violent hangman games for spelling practice. The site has lots of resources to enhance any language arts curriculum or program. (Diane Flynn Keith: ClickSchooling)

LIBRARY

MDBG CHINESE-ENGLISH DICTIONARY

http://usa.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php

The MDBG free online Chinese-English dictionary calls itself the No. 1 Chinese study aid! The website however, offers more than just a dictionary. It offers various tools such as: flashcards, quizzes, text annotation, Chinese text input and more. The MDBG dictionary is used in many schools and universities all over the world. The site also provides help information. Help links in the web page link directly to the related subject in the help page. (Peter MacKay: The Teacher List)

NATIONAL MAGAZINE AWARDS

http://www.magazine.org/Editorial/National_Magazine_Awards/

A Website for these awards that "honor magazines, whether in print or online, that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative editorial techniques, noteworthy journalistic enterprise and imaginative design. The Awards were established by the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) in 1966. The program is sponsored by ASME in association with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism." The site also includes information about eligibility and a database of winners and finalists. (Librarian's Internet Index)

OMNIBIOGRAPHY.COM

http://www.omnibiography.com/

Omnibiography.com calls itself the largest directory of biographies on the Web. The site has biographic information on more than 110,000 important people from antiquity to the present time. Searches can be done by name, country or alphabetically. (David Dillard: Educator-Gold Newsletter)

BIG THINK

http://www.bigthink.com/

The site contains a searchable archive of "hundreds of hours of direct, unfiltered

interviews with today's leading thinkers, movers and shakers." The information is browsable by the experts' names and by categories like science & technology, truth & justice, faith & beliefs, media & the press, etc. (Marylaine Block: Neat New Stuff)

MATHEMATICS

THE MACTUTOR HISTORY OF MATHEMATICS ARCHIVE

http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/

"Created and maintained by John J. O'Connor and Edmund F. Robertson of the University of St. Andrews, this site contains a cornucopia of materials related to the history of mathematics and well-known mathematicians through the ages." Mathematician biographies are arranged by alphabetical index and by timeline. The mathematical history index provides brief overviews of mathematics in the Indian, Mayan, Arabic, and Babylonian cultures. In addition, there are also pieces on the history of algebra, analysis, mathematical physics, and number theory. (Linda Hof: Webbits)

TEACHING MATHEMATICAL THINKING THROUGH ORIGAMI
http://newmedia.purchase.edu/~Jeanine/origami/

"This website offers up some ways to use origami to teach mathematical thinking. Created by Daniel Meyer, Jeanine Meyer, and Aviva Meyer, this site includes a background essay on this art, a set of teaching strategies for incorporating origami into the classroom, and some sample models. The "Teaching Strategies" area is a good place to look after reading the background essay, and users should also make use of the "Origami Sources" area, as it features external links to other origami sites. (Linda Hof: Webbits)

WEBMATH.COM

http://www.webmath.com/

Have you ever gotten stuck trying to work out a math problem? If so, then this site is for you! The site is composed of many math "fill-in-forms". Enter the details of your math problem and hit the solve button. Linked to these forms is a powerful set of math-solvers, which can instantly analyze the problem, and when possible, provide students with a step-by-step solution, instantly! (Diane Flynn Keith: ClickSchooling)

SCIENCE

ASSESSING-TO-LEARN PHYSICS: PROJECT WEBSITE

http://a21.physics.umass.edu/

"The Physics Education Research Group undertook this project to study how continuous formative assessment could be implemented in the high school physics class. This site offers materials for teachers as they use this strategy in their own classrooms. It includes papers that explain the pedagogic philosophy behind the approach and how to implement it in the classroom, an items library (questions and problems for instructional use) and a page that describes how to use the items effectively. The Items Library can be searched by level, keyword, phrase or any combination of the three. Many of the items include teacher aids for using them effectively in the classroom. Also included are references and a discussion forum." (Education World Site Reviews)

BIG LITTLE SCIENCE CENTRE

http://www.biglittlesciencecentre.org/index.htm

"The BIG Little Science Centre (BLSC) was started in February 2000 by Gordon R. Gore, a retired science teacher who has dedicated his life to teaching science in an interactive environment. The Centre currently operates out of four classrooms leased from School District 73 at Bert Edwards Science and Technology School, Kamloops, BC. The current program format allows visitors a period of time to experiment on their own at any of 120 plus hands-on stations located in two classrooms. A third room is used for demonstrations while the fourth room is used for demonstrations and serves as a basic teaching laboratory with capacity for 32 visitors." (Peter MacKay: The Teacher List)

BIOLOGY ANIMATION LIBRARY

http://www.dnalc.org/ddnalc/resources/animations.html

This web site, created by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, provides a number of helpful and well-designed educational resources including a dozen animations, which can be downloaded and used by teachers at no cost. The animations include a brief overview of cloning, several on DNA, gel electrophoresis, and polymerase chain reaction. (Linda Hof: Webbits)

BIOLOGY BROWSER: http://www.biologybrowser.org/bb/Subject/Education/Biology_Teaching_Resources/index.shtml

This site, created by Thomson Scientific, provides science educators with a wide array of activities that can be used in the classroom. Currently there are over 190 listed resources related to various areas of biology. Resources can be searched by subject, geography, or organism. The site also contains a glossary of zoology terms and news from the world of taxonomy. (Linda Hof: Webbits)

CHALKBORED

http://www.chalkbored.com/lessons/chemistry-12.htm

Before becoming an author, Jeremy Schneider was a chemistry teacher. Over the past several years he has placed a number of helpful instructional resources on his site including resources on atomic structure, quantum mechanics, atomic size, bonding, and many more additional topics. Each topic area includes a brief description of what is covered in each set of materials plus labs, assignments, worksheets, and handouts. Many of the resources draw on examples from the "Fundamentals of Chemistry" textbook, but the site suggests that page references from other textbooks can be substituted. (Linda Hof: Webbits)

CHEMTUTOR

http://www.chemtutor.com/

"Chemtutor is a useful resource for students and teachers. It can be used for independent study, review of lessons taught in class, or a tutoring program for students in basic chemistry. The content is grouped into sections by topic including how to learn, the periodic table, kinetics, reactions, atomic structure, elements, solutions, and thermochemistry. Within each topic area, users can read the text and view charts, tables, sample problems, and diagrams. According to the site, "Chemtutor begins with the fundamentals and gives expert help with the most difficult phases of understanding your first course in chemistry." (Education World Site Reviews)

CHEMSHORTS FOR KIDS

http://membership.acs.org/C/Chicago/ChmShort/kidindex.html

This website, sponsored by the American Chemical Society, provides all kinds of chemical experiments for kids. Beginning in 1992, the American Chemical Society has added 10 new experiments each year. There are now more 160 available. Each experiment is very simple, requiring little in the way of specialized equipment or facilities. In addition each experiment has an explanation as to what principal or concept is to be demonstrated, a materials list, instructions, illustrations, photos, reference materials and helpful tips. (Diane Flynn Keith: ClickSchooling)

THE EDUCATIONAL MULTIMEDIA VISUALIZATION CENTER

http://emvc.geol.ucsb.edu/

"Teachers looking for ways to incorporate dynamic visuals into their earth science courses need look no further than this fine site. Created by staff members at the department of earth science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, the site contains dozens of interactive animations and visualization tools that can be used in the classroom to demonstrate various processes. These resources are contained within the "Downloads" section, and visitors can peruse the table of contents for specific features. The table of contents includes global tectonics, regional plate tectonics, Ice Age earth, and four other chapters. Some of these animations include the deglaciation of North America, the South Atlantic spreading, and the Himalayan collision." (Linda Hof: Webbits)

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LIFE (EOL)

http://www.eol.org/

"This website 'is an unprecedented global effort. ... by [n]atural history museums, botanical gardens, other research institutions, and dedicated individuals ... to create the most complete biodiversity database on the Web.' As of March 2008 there were about 25 exemplar species pages, covering species such as the yellow fever mosquito, peregrine falcon, death cap mushroom, and cacao. Materials include photos, description and details about ecology and cultural relevance." (Librarian's Internet Index)

ERIC WEISSTEIN'S WORLD OF SCIENTIFIC BIOGRAPHY

http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/

This website offers over 1,000 encyclopedia-style biographies of scientists along with illustrations. Information is arranged alphabetically, by scientific field, by the scientists' country of origin, and by gender. Each entry contains a picture of the scientist, the branch of science and a brief biography. (Diane Flynn Keith: ClickSchooling)

I WAS WONDERING: A CURIOUS LOOK AT WOMEN'S ADVENTURES IN SCIENCE

http://iwaswondering.com/

This site, created by the National Academy of Science and inspired by a biography series for middle-school-aged students, is "intended to showcase the accomplishments of contemporary women in science as well as highlight for young people – especially young women - the varied and intriguing careers of some of today's most prominent scientists." The site features background and suggested experiments related to 10 recent women scientists (such as a robot designer, gene hunter, and space geologist) and includes links to related sites. (Librarian's Internet Index)

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION: AN INTERACTIVE REFERENCE GUIDE

http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/ISSRG/index.htm

"This reference guide begins with a fascinating introduction featuring a docking animation and then moves to Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke explaining the various activities that make up the Station's mission. The bulk of the material is divided into three sections: How the Crew Lives, How It Works, ISS 360 Tour. Additionally, there is a music video with in-flight scenes of space scientists and their daily activities." (Education World Site Reviews)

MUSEUM OF VISION

http://www.aaofoundation.org/what/heritage/learn.cfm

This website, sponsored by the Museum of Vision, was created to educate people of all ages about the eye, vision, and the history of eye care. Besides having general information on the eye and eyesight, this web site also contains a number of changing Online exhibits. In addition, the website has 3 curriculum guides which focus on the human eye, perspective and how the brain processes images like optical illusions and 3-D. (Diane Flynn Keith: ClickSchooling)

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH: OFFICE OF SCIENCE EDUCATION

http://science.education.nih.gov/

The National Institute of Health (NIH) is the biomedical research arm of the US Department of Health and Human Services. In 1991, the NIH created the Office of Science Education (OSE) to coordinate science education activities and develop science education projects to serve elementary, secondary, and college students, teachers and the public. (Kathy Schrock: S.O.S. - Help for Busy Teachers)

NORTH CAROLINA STATE PHYSICS DEMONSTRATIONS http://demoroom.physics.ncsu.edu/resources.html

"The physics department at North Carolina State University has created this very fine list of online physics demonstration manuals that will be quite a boon to physics educators in high schools and colleges. Visitors can search 28 online demonstration manuals simultaneously or they can also choose to look over a demonstrations bibliography that contains over 7500 references. Visitors may also wish to check out the public lecture demonstration shows offered on the site along with a collection of links to professional organizations including The American Association of Physics Teachers." (Linda Hof: Webbits)

PHYSICS TO GO

ttp://www.compadre.org/informal/

Physics to Go is a collection of more than 600 websites with games, web casts, online exhibits, and activities that can be searched or browsed by content, topic, resource type, and grade level. (David Dillard: Educator-Gold Newsletter)

SCIENCE ANIMATIONS

http://science.nhmccd.edu/biol/animatio.htm#ecology

"The use of a well-placed animation in a lecture can help illuminate any number of important concepts in the sciences. Educators seeking high-quality animations need look no further than this very useful site created by staff members at North Harris Community College. The animations are divided into a number of topics including plants, ecology, astronomy, geology, anatomy, and biology. Each section contains links to a host of fascinating and helpful animations from institutions like Florida State University, Cambridge University Press, the University of Nebraska, and the University of Alberta." (Linda Hof: Webbits)

SKY WATCHERS PROGRAM: ENVIRONMENT CANADA

http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/skywatchers/index_e.html

The Sky Watchers Program was begun by Environment Canada in 2007. The site provides free teaching material on the subject of weather including explanations, experiments and activities, which overlap into related subjects like mathematics and geography. There are also free downloadable teacher's guides, which address the learning outcomes in the Pan Canadian curriculum and opportunities for classes to participate in collaborative activities. (Peter MacKay: The Teacher List)

THE VIRTUAL BODY

http://www.medtropolis.com/vbody.asp

This site contains an incredible interactive exhibit of the human body with sections and cross sections of the "Brain", "Skeleton", "Heart", and "Digestive Tract". Each section has detailed information and images of the particular organ. For example, the "Heart" area has information about the individual parts of the heart, views of an animated heart, and a narrated tour of the heart. (Linda Hof: Webbits)

WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY PHYSICS DEMONSTRATION VIDEOS

http://www.wfu.edu/physics/demolabs/demos/avimov/videointro.htm

"Physics is plenty exciting on its own, but this clutch of physics demonstration videos offered up by Wake Forest University's Physics departments will probably have students running out to learn more about string theory and cosmology. Teachers will definitely appreciate this resource, as they can use these videos in the classroom or just recommend it to their students. Visitors can view the videos in their entirety by subject headings, which include "Motion", "Heat", "Optics", and not surprisingly, "Newton". All told there are dozens of videos, including "Bed of Nails", "Cartesian Diver", and the surreal yet appropriately titled "Marshmallow Man". "(Linda Hof: Webbits)

SOCIAL STUDIES

THE BERLIN AIRLIFT

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/airlift/index.html

This site, created by PBS, documents the first major conflict between the Soviets and the West after WWII. Created as a companion site to the January 29th broadcast, this site contains a variety of instructional materials including an interactive map of the airlift routes, essays, a timeline of events from 1945 to 1990, and teacher guide. The guide includes activities that are grouped into four categories; history, geography, civics, and leadership. (Education World Site Reviews)

BEST OF HISTORY WEB SITES

http://www.besthistorysites.net/

The "Best of History Web Sites" is an award-winning portal containing annotated links to over 1000 history web sites as well as links to hundreds of quality K-12 history lesson plans, history teacher guides, history activities, history games, history quizzes, and more. (David Dillard: Educator-Gold Newsletter)

CANADA INFO

http://www.craigmarlatt.com/canada/index.html#home

The Canada Info site claims to have more than 400 pages of information about Canada and its government, history, facts, people, security, geography, provinces, symbols, and more. The site has maps, statistics, photographs and fact sheets which can be downloaded to a computer. Information is arranged in 9 broad categories which include, "Government of Canada", "Provinces & Territories", "History & People" and "Maps". (Peter MacKay: The Teacher List)

COUNCIL OF WOMEN WORLD LEADERS

http://www.womenworldleaders.org/

'The goal of this "network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers" is "to promote good governance and enhance the experience of democracy globally by increasing the number, effectiveness, and visibility of women who lead at the highest levels in their countries." The site includes a member's list and descriptions of initiatives in the areas of health, environment, and education. (Some areas of this site are under construction.)' (Librarian's Internet Index)

ECONOMIC EDUCATION WEB SITE

http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/home.cfm

Created and supported by the University of Nebraska, this site contains a wealth of information and resources on the topic of economics for the K-12 teacher. On this site you will find K-12 teaching resources, lessons and lesson plans. (LM_Net)

ENGLISH MEDIEVAL LEGAL DOCUMENTS: AD 600 - AD 1535:

http://emld.usc.edu/tiki-index.php

University of Southern California is currently creating a wiki/collaborative web site focusing on English medieval legal documents. The goal of the project is to create a collaborative database on the published sources of English medieval legal documents, and to provide links to the growing number of online sources currently being developed. Even though the site is still under development, it contains an impressive amount of material from that period. (David Dillard: Educator-Gold Newsletter)

EXPERIENCES OF AN ENGLISH SOLDIER IN WORLD WAR ONE

http://www.wwar1.blogspot.com/

This blog has been made up of transcripts of Harry Lamin's letters from the First World War. The letters will be posted exactly 90 years after they were written. To find out Harry's fate, follow the blog! (Jane's E-Learning Pick of the Day)

ETERNAL EGYPT

http://www.eternalegypt.org/EternalEgyptWebsiteWeb/HomeServlet

This amazing interactive site was created by IBM in co-operation with the Egyptian Center for Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage. 3 years work and $2.5 million have resulted in an interactive, multimedia experience of Egyptian cultural artifacts, places and history for a global audience. While the amount of content on the site is incredible, it's the visual way in which it's presented that's stunning. For example one exhibit displays a three-dimensional reconstruction of Tutankhamen's tomb, as it was when British Archaeologist Howard Carter and his colleagues first discovered it and wiped the dust of a grave of 3000 years age. (David Dillard: Educator-Gold Newsletter)

THE FOOD MUSEUM

http://www.foodmuseum.com/

The FOOD Museum is a web site dedicated to the essential subject of food. The site celebrates food, and through its collections, educational programs, publications and Internet presence, engages people in an exploration of what people eat and how they eat it, where the food came from, how it has evolved, what its impact is on the world, and what its future may be. (David Dillard: Educator-Gold Newsletter)

FROM WARRIOR WOMEN TO FEMALE PHARAOHS: CAREERS FOR WOMEN IN ANCIENT EGYPT

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/women_01.shtml

This site, created by Dr Joann Fletcher, is a fascinating look at lives of women in ancient Egypt. For three thousand years, the women who lived on the banks of the Nile enjoyed a form of equality which has rarely been equaled. The Egyptians recognized female violence in all its forms. Their queens are portrayed crushing their enemies, executing prisoners or firing arrows at male opponents. Even non-royal women are shown as stabbing and overpower invading soldiers. (Librarian's Internet Index)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION OF POVERTY

http://sedac.ciesin.org/povmap/

'This project's mission is "to enhance current understanding of the global distribution of poverty and the geographic and biophysical conditions of where the poor live." Its website features maps, datasets (with information about malnutrition and infant mortality rates), papers and presentations, and the 2006 "Atlas of Poverty." From: The Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University. (Librarian's Internet Index)

FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA'S DIGITAL COLLECTION OF MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE MANUSCRIPTS

http://libwww.library.phila.gov/medievalman/

According to the Free Library's web site, "Our manuscript collection includes most of the kinds of books used between 1000 and 1500 A.D.: prayer books and poetry, Bibles and political propaganda, philosophical works, and fantastic histories. Some manuscripts are elaborate and beautiful works of art; others are humble "owner-produced" books, copied out from a borrowed copy by someone who needed a particular text. Each one tells us something about a long-vanished age. The Free Library's digital manuscript collection includes two different sorts of objects: complete manuscript books, or "codices," and separate leaves and cuttings fragments separated from their original contexts. With the images users will find basic information about the object pictured: when and where it was made, and what its imagery depicts. When the image is from an intact book, the accompanying information will describe the book." (David Dillard: Educator-Gold Newsletter)

IN THEIR WORDS: THE STORY OF BC PACKERS

http://www.intheirwords.ca/

This site provides profiles and interviews with the men and women who worked in the Imperial Cannery factory in British Columbia during the twentieth century. The site opens up with a dynamic map that zooms in on the cannery's original location in southwestern British Columbia. There are sections on "Fishing & The Fleet", "Canning & Processing", and "Company & The People". Each section contains pictures, video clips and Flash animations as well as text. There is also a section of "Learning Resources" for educators. (Linda Hof: Webbits)

KIDIPEDE-HISTORY FOR KIDS

http://www.historyforkids.org

"History for Kids is a good site for students who are doing research for a short class report or working on other homework assignments. It is written in language that is appropriate for middle school students and has lots of visuals to supplement the text. The resources focus mostly on the ancient world and the Middle Ages and are written by a history professor and other scholars. A page for teachers offers guides for each section of the site as well as other ideas for using the site in the classroom. There is also a page for parents with suggestions for using the site and for craft projects." (Education World Site Reviews)

THE MAKING OF A HOMEMAKER

http://www.sil.si.edu/ondisplay/making-homemaker/

A presentation from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries featuring comprehensive domestic guidebooks from the 19th century. "These books were primarily aimed at the middle and upper class female, who saw keeping a healthy and happy home her role in life. Not only did they detail the day-to-day activities of a homemaker, but also prescribed the appropriate moral and religious outlooks." The book has topics such as care of the sick, decorating, etiquette, fashion, and raising children. (Librarian's Internet Index)

MAP OF EARLY MODERN LONDON

http://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/

"This site maps the streets, sites, and significant boundaries of late sixteenth-century and early seventeenth-century London." Many of the theatres and landmarks of Shakespeare's time are shown as well as other important locations,

There are several ways to navigate the site. An Index lists sites, streets, and wards in London, as well as famous figures mentioned in the website. Click on the location marker (e.g., A1) to go to the relevant section of the map, or on the name to go to the explanatory page. To study the Map in detail, go to an enlarged section of the map, select "Show All," and move your mouse to activate the tags that identify buildings and streets; some of these tags are also links to explanatory pages. (David Dillard: Educator-Gold Newsletter)

MOSTLY MEDIEVAL: EXPLORING THE MIDDLE AGES

http://www.mostly-medieval.com/explore/

Mostly Medieval is a web site which focuses on information and resources pertaining to this period in history. The site was created by Susan Wallace as the result of research for a novel set in 13th century Scotland. Information is categorized under several broad subject headings such as "Beasties" (Mythical Medieval beasts and monsters), "Ballads" and "Heraldry" which are fun to browse through, and an "A to Z" subject index for more specific searching. (Linda Hof: Webbits)

WOMENWATCH

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/

'This site "is the central gateway to information and resources on the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women throughout the United Nations system." It features news and links to sites and reports on topics such as gender mainstreaming, statistics and indicators, education and training, health, violence against women, rural women, HIV/AIDS, and more. From the United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE).' (Librarian's Internet Index)

TECHNOLOGY & THE INTERNET

BEST OF THE WEB DIRECTORY

http://botworg/

This site calls itself, "The Internet's Oldest Directory". Begun in 1994 by university student Brandon Plewe, the site was originally created as a place for users to nominate and vote for best-of-class websites in a variety of categories. Now the site has grown into a comprehensive directory categorizing content-rich, well-designed websites. To be listed on Best of the Web, a site must adhere to the strict criteria of editors who ensure that it contains substantive unique content, navigates in a user-friendly manner, contains no broken links or pictures, is up and running 24/7, and conforms to universally accepted web standards. Recently, Best of the Web has launched a new service - a guide to the best in the world of blogs. (David Dillard: Educator-Gold Newsletter)

CONNECTED EARTH: HOW COMMUNICATION SHAPES THE WORLD

http://www.connected-earth.com/

This site "lets you explore communications past, present and future." Features illustrated essays on types of telecommunications (such as telegraph, telephone, radio, and satellite), advertising, uses, and pioneers and personalities. Also includes images of telecommunications artifacts, personal stories, and material for children (games and how the technology works). Don't miss the "gadgets" section where you can "explode" equipment to see what is inside. From British Telecom (BT) and several museum partners in the UK. (Linda Hof: Webbits)

WWW.BULLYINGCOURSE.COM

http://www.bullying.org

'www.bullyingcourse.com offers affordable and easily accessible online courses and Webinars about bullying and cyberbullying for professional educators and parents. Bullying is often seen as the number one non-academic issue that teachers face today, and yet educators feel that they need more information, help and support to address the issue more effectively. www.bullyingcourse.com can go a long way to addressing this need," notes creator Belsey. A recent Canadian Press story reported that bullying is the biggest education worry of parents. "With the launch of www.bullyingcourse.com, parents can learn how to address their concerns about bullying with their child's school from a position of knowledge and greater understanding," said Mr. Belsey. "We've already had many people from around the world register for these online courses and Webinars about bullying and cyberbullying. I believe that it can really help to make a difference," Mr. Belsey believes.' (WWWEDU)

WHACKY, WILD AND JUST PLAIN WEIRD

HAPPY SMURFDAY

http://www.happysmurfday.com/

"This site celebrates the 50th anniversary (in 2008) of the creation of the Smurf cartoon characters by Belgian cartoonist Peyo. Includes background about the creation of these blue cartoon creatures and about individual Smurfs (such as Brainy and Jokey), and material about the 2008 celebrations in Europe, which include contests for decorating Smurf figurines. (The auction of Smurfs decorated by celebrities will benefit UNICEF.)" (Librarian's Internet Index)

STRANGEUSA.COM

http://www.strangeusa.com/Default.aspx

This site consolidates "…the vast amount of 'Strange Stuff' out there into 1 easy to use place: Haunted buildings, places, Urban legends, cemeteries, weird places, cool places, ghost towns, and anything else that is worth your time to visit." Click on a state and then browse by town name or by type of weirdness and you'll get descriptions of the incidents, plus links to news stories. (Marylaine Block: Neat New Stuff)

TELEVISION THEME SONGS

http://www.televisiontunes.com/browse.html

This site has an astounding 3,364 television theme songs. The themes are from both British and American shows and range from current shows such as "Grey's Anatomy" and "Bones" all the way back to shows of the eerily 50's such as "Leave It To Beaver" and "Howdy Dowdy". All tunes are in MP3 format. (David Dillard: Educator-Gold Newsletter)

WEB LINK SOURCES

The above web links were gathered from the following sources which have given their permission to use these resources.

"ClickSchooling", Diane Flynn Keith. ClickSchooling-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

"Educational Cyberplayground/NetHappenings", http://www.edu-cyberpg.com

"Educator-Gold", David Dillard: Educator-Gold@yahoogroups.com

"EDTECH", http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~edweb

"Education World Newsletter", http://www.educationworld.com/maillist.shtml.

"Librarians' Internet Index", http://lii.org/pub/htdocs/subscribe.htm

"LM_NET", http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/

"Neat New Stuff I Found This Week", Marylaine Block. http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html

"Site of the day". http://www.refdesk.com

"The Teacher List", Peter MacKay. pete@resco.ca

"Thinkport", http://www.thinkport.org/default.tp

"Webbits", Linda Hof. linda_hof@sfu.ca

What Do You Do When….

What Do You Do When….

You Have a Superintendent who Questions the Value of Teacher Librarians?
By Tish Sladden, Sands Secondary, North Delta

Make any Celebrations Public.

Ensure you have lots of media coverage for what people did for the National School Library Day Drop Everything and Read Challenge, are doing for Red Cedar, Penny Drives for Books, whatever....If nothing is coming up, create something, and write about it. How about a Parent Library Volunteers Week? What a great opportunity to honour your volunteers; but take the angle that the jobs the volunteers do make it possible for you to do yours. Of course, you will clearly use this opportunity to highlight what your job is. Just think how appreciative those parents will be for the recognition; you will have made very powerful allies doing this. Also, if someone in your group is outstanding at this stuff, make sure the superintendent gets an invitation to their event.

Take Pictures

Take pictures --lots of them--of all the good stuff you are doing in your school libraries. Put them in an album, park them on a website so you have something concrete to show anyone who asks, send them to the local newspaper, etc. A picture is worth a th