We would love to have a group of fun, responsible students helping out in the library this school year. What's involved:
If you would like to volunteer to do one or more of the tasks above, please see Mrs. Nicholauson or Mrs. Vidovic and sign up on the Student Librarian list. We will call a meeting in the near future to get organized and create a schedule. If you've been up to the library, no doubt you noticed there have been a few changes. We've moved a few things around, opened up some space, and purchased new furniture.
Still to come is the installation of a new smartboard and netbooks that students can sign out. Once everything is installed, I will post pictures. We also have ebooks for student use this year. You can access them by logging in to your student Destiny Quest account. And don't forget about the new MYRCA books for 2013, and all the new audio book options. What an exciting start to the school year! The grade 8 classes spent some time brainstorming etiquette rules for situations involving technology, and this is what they came up with. Online Gaming (Xbox Live etc.)
Be aware!! The reality of gaming online is that you will run into people who shout in frustration, troll, swear, and believe there are no rules. Leaving Blog or Youtube Comments
FaceTime / Skype
Texting
Participating in Social Media like Facebook and Twitter
Using Cell Phones at a Movie, Wedding etc.
The end of the school year is fast approaching. In order to get the library organized for the next school year, circulation of books will end on June 12th, with all books due back by June 13th. Letters will be sent home shortly after indicating the replacement cost of the book(s) not yet returned to the library. If a student pays the replacement cost of a book, and it is later found and returned, the student will be reimbursed.Thank you for your cooperation! It will help us prepare for the next school year. We have a new circulation program for all schools in the PTSD called Destiny Quest. The majority of students at HGI have had a demonstration of the program, and are able to search for books, see their library account information (the books they currently have signed out), and share book reviews/recommendations with each other. The program is available to students at home, either through the Student Whale, or through the link on the Search! page of the library website. Our grade 8 students are currently involved in some very interesting inquiry projects. One group is studying Down Syndrome, and has been very busy interviewing people, gathering facts, and putting together a website showing what they have learned. The website is still a work in progress, and they are asking that anyone with a related personal experience, or who knows of any information about Down Syndrome contribute to their research. Clicking on the picture above will link you directly with their site, DSA (Down Sydrome Awareness). They appreciate any information you may be willing to share. During Library Skills classes, we have been discussing etiquette rules for technology use. Here are 5P's rules for using technology the polite way. Texting
Sending an Email
Cell Phones at the Movies
Technology in a Restaurant
Printing at School
XBox Live or Online Gaming
What etiquette rules would you consider fair for the following situations?
Cell phones at a movie, wedding, or other important event / public place Taking pictures/video of others and posting them on Facebook Using an iPod/iPad or other device in class Using FaceTime or Skype Using computers in the library / elibrary Printing at school Texting Participating in an Xbox Live / online gaming situation Sending an email Commenting on Youtube or a blog Participating in social media like Facebook or Twitter The winner of the the 2012 MYRCA is: Dear George Clooney!
The 2013 MYRCA Short List is: Against All Odds - Natale Ghent (HarperCollins) The Bedmas Conspiracy - Deborah Sherman (Fitzhenry & Whiteside) Blood Red Road - Moira Young (Random House) Box of Shocks - Chris McMahen (Orca) The Case of the Missing Deed - Ellen Schwartz (Tundra) Dragon Seer's Gift - Janet McNaughton (HarperCollins) The Dragon Turn - Shane Peacock (Tundra Books) Encore Edie - Annabel Lyon (Penguin) End of Days - Eric Walters (Random House) Fly Boy - Eric Walters (Penguin) Ice Storm - Penny Draper (Coteau) Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes - Jonathan Auxier (Penguin) The Tiffin - Mahtab Narsimhan (Dancing Cat) This Dark Endeavour - Kenneth Oppel (HarperCollins) Timber Wolf - Caroline Pignat (Fitzhenry & Whiteside) True Blue - Deborah Ellis (pajamapress) Undergrounders - David Skuy (Scholastic) Witchlanders - Lena Coakley (Simon & Schuster) We already have This Dark Endeavour and End of Days in our school library if you want to get an early start reading from the list. I've read This Dark Endeavour, and it is pretty fantastic. Stay tuned for more information about the short listed books. We'll try to post some summaries soon. The following videos are about technology and how it is changing etiquette and social norms. Is Technology making us impolite?
Is Technology Killing Old Fashioned Etiquette? Are Gadgets Making Us Rude? What are the etiquette rules for texting, video conferencing, facebook, twitter, email, cell phone use, blogging, commenting on YouTube and other technology related activities? Leave a comment and share what you think good technology etiquette looks like.... If you devoured The Hunger Games series, you may also like the following books (yes we have them in the library): If you click on the above images, a goodreads.com window will open, and you can read a short summary of each book.
The Winnipeg Public Library provides some great reading clubs during summer months. There is a Teen Summer Reading Club for teens ages 13-17, and the TD Summer Reading Club for kids ages 0-12. The posters below contain all the information you need to get involved. Looking for a book review to help you choose what to read? Try:
Good Reads This site is great, because a good number of the MYRCA books are here. I see a few students starting to venture into the Twitterverse, so I thought I'd pass on a few tips for developing a good informational network, and for protecting your privacy.
Once you have an account, one of the first things you should do is learn about hashtags. They can help you follow topics and discussions. You can find a directory of hashtags here.
Here are some other things that might help you out:
Don't forget to follow the library's twitter account: @hgilibrary Everyone has a digital footprint these days. Your digital footprint is made up of the information you share online through pictures, videos and posts (active), and also through the information that others share about you (passive). It is important to protect your privacy and your reputation, and keep track of what is being said or posted about you. It is also important to respect the privacy of others, and not post things that would be damaging to another person’s reputation. Since we all have a digital footprint, how can we make sure that it will be a positive digital footprint? What online activities can help you create a positive digital footprint? An example of a blog that helps to create a positive digital footprint. What is 5 Days for Freedom?
April 16th to 20th is a week when people around the world will take action for children's rights to raise awareness about topics from poverty to child soldiers. You can start by tweeting @freethechildren to let them know what freedom means to you, and join in on the online conversation. If you would like to participate in a letter writing campaign, or have another idea to raise awareness during this week, please see Mrs. Nicholauson. You can visit the Five Days for Freedom website for more information, resources, and videos. Have you watched HGI's Hot 103 Commerical Contest Video today? Keep those views up! Share it with your friends and family! You have spoken! Voting for the name of our new fish has now closed, and these are the official results:
What should we name our new fish? Oscar: 30.8% with 36 votes Indigo: 21.4% with 25 votes Neptune: 15.4% with 18 votes Izzy: 12% with 14 votes Blue: 8.5% with 10 votes Poseidon: 6% with 7 votes Henry: 6% with 7 votes So there you have it. He shall be known as ''Oscar.'' I ran across an article this morning on CTV news, about a situation where an employer asked a job applicant to provide his Facebook user name and password during a job interview.
This is a perfect example of why we are talking about managing your digital footprints / digital dossiers. Many of you said that you expect a degree of privacy on social media accounts. What would you do if you were in this person's position? Would you give your username and password, or not? You can read the article here. We have a beautiful new betta fish here in the library, and he needs a name! I have had some great suggestions from students, so I thought we could do a little poll to determine his new name. Please vote for your favourite!
Edited: Poll has been removed as voting is now closed! Please see the most recent post for the winning name. Did you know you can access ebooks through Tumblereadables, online, anytime?
They have a great collection of ebooks, including chapter books AND graphic novels. Most of them also have an audiobook feature, so you can read along while you listen! Take some time to check it out. The login information is available from the library, or you can email me to ask. I'm pretty good about getting back to people: [email protected] |