Blogs...wikis...flickr...and more!

A thought-provoking blog

I put this link in one of my responses in EC3. I thought I would post it here too because it is so impressive. This is Ellyssa Kroski's blog. Ellyssa is a reference librarian at Columbia University and she also has her own information consulting firm. Her blog gives a glimpse into the literacies of the future.



http://infotangle.blogsome.com/

Check out her Virtually Me section on the right side. It is really inspiring. Please try it. Trust me, you'll spend a lot of time exploring it and other finding fabulous links.

Ellyssa's enthusiasm has prompted me to create my own Flickr account.

Veropedia

Apropos of our last chat...
Here's a new version of Wikipedia that cannot be edited. It is trusted by teachers, students and academics of all sorts. An article about Veropedia appeared in the Toronto Star not too long ago (you have to pay to search the archives though).
http://veropedia.org/

And a word about blogs. I was discussing blogs with a student last week. A thought occured to me. Employers often do a "blog" search before hiring prospective employees to find out what they might be saying about their former bosses, and what their interests are, etc. In fact, an employee was fired from a magazine that is published by Conde Nast in New York for her comments about her employer on her blog. The student made connections to Big Brother.

Alas, another teachable moment wings its way to us.

McCord Musuem in Montreal

http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/


I love this site! This will engage students with sound, animation, real video, photos, and virtual tours. Look for Online Tools (on the right). Go to Edu Web and click on Games, located under See Also. The interactive games will teach history with a bit of mirth. I tried two games: Mind Your Manners 1920s and Mix-and-match Victorian fashion (I didn't fare so well on this one; I had trouble selecting the sleeves) .

On the left hand side, check out Tools Developed by Teachers, under Share (on the left). This fabulous forum contains units and individual lessons.


There are photographs, primary sources and virtual exhibits galore!

Something neat from Google!

www.google.com/literacy

This site was created by LitCam, Google and UNESCO's Institute for Lifelong Learning.

Literacy ideas and initiatives abound at this site. There are book clubs, links to scholarly articles, blogs, and more. Google even used its famous "maps" feature to design a literacy locater, which includes links to literacy organizations around the world. You can zoom in on literacy happenings in your own neighbourhood.

There are many resources for students and teachers.

Curriculum Connections

Hi All,

I've been derelict in my duties and I neglected my blog. I love the time change though.



Remembrance Day is coming up and there are a few sites with special sections for educators:

1.warmuseum.ca

This site has a Remembrance Day toolkit for teachers. It gives an outline of the history of the day and it abounds in military history.



2. Veterans' Affairs Canada http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/

This site in rich in peace and conflict history. Scroll down to Site Sections. Look for Youth and Educators. You'll find teachers' guides and webquests. The site gives many suggestions for marking Remembrance Day.



3. Historica http://www.histori.ca/

This is one of my favourite sites. There are a plethora of lesson plans and even a lesson plan exchange where teachers can swap ideas. The history department at my school uses Teacher Talk!, which is a forum for teachers.



4. The Dominion Institute Memory Project http://www.thememoryproject.com/
Look at the rollover menu at the top. Find Resources and click on Educational Resources. There are downloadable PDFs and photos. This site also focuses on peacekeeping missions. You may even arrange to have a war veteran come to your school to speak to the students. My school did this once and it was quite successful. The students were so moved in a way that teaching and standard resources could not accomplish.

A few general sites for your teaching pleasure:
1. www.readwritethink.org
A TDSB board representative passed this on to the teachers and I thought I would pass it on to you. This site offers an impressive selection of lesson plans and curricular connections. It is created by and reviewed by literacy educators.

2.http://www.nytimes.com/learning/index.html
This is my all-time favourite site. I subscribe to The New York Times online and news alerts pop into my email inbox. My favourite way to spend a Sunday is to read the Times (the actual paper version) over a lovely brunch. The Sunday Styles section is my indulgence. Anyhow...the Times has many great ideas for educators.

Web 2.0

Hi Everyone,



One of Joyce Valenza's many roles is as a teacher-librarian is Pennsylvania . She's an expert on Web 2.0. Her passion for school libraries shines through her library manifesto and home page.



I found a link to Joyce Valenza giving her library manifesto. It is really worth a listen. http://a330.g.akamai.net/7/330/2540/20070822155906/www.schoollibraryjournal.com/contents/media/SLJ_SIGMSForum_Joyce_Valenza.mp3



Her homepage is also really impressive. Here's a link:http://www.sdst.org/shs/library/jvweb.html

Welcome!

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