#IMWAYR (almost, anyway) and July Currently

Didn't get a lot of reading done last week because of ISTE. Which was awesome ... will be spreading out posts as I think things through. Next up is (some) Chrome stuff on Tuesday. I'm hoping they'll have the video posted by then so I can link up the recording.

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read the previous week and to plan out your reading for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading.

Our Kid Lit to YA version is hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.
GREAT IDEA! Check out all of the What Are You Reading? participants for title ideas.

The poetry book was definitely my favorite of the four I finished last week.


I am almost done with House of Secrets. May even finish it today. And 3 Below will time out (it's an e-audiobook) on Tuesday so I need to get listening! How embarrassing that I am still reading Notice and Note. Taking too long. I'd like to say it's because I'm paying such attention but ... that would not be true. It is really good! I just get sidetracked. :/

Up next? Beta is due to the public library on Tuesday. Looks like a quick read. Then either Sophia's War, The Reluctant Assassin, or The Monster. I know my first e-arc to get to will be the fourth book in the Shadows series (Jacqueline West).

Linking up with Farley. It rained SO HARD this morning. Figures. We'd start building a house and a long drought would ... well, I don't think we can say it's over but egads, buckets and buckets! I miss family, especially this holiday week. They are all so far away.

Now. Debating ... that last one. Try new things! I use that a lot with teachers and parents when speaking of books kids might want to read and tech tools to try.
I have about 8 more hours to decide and apply for something. They extended the deadline two weeks. It can't hurt to apply, right? But it's sort of petrifying, too. Will I take my own advice?

Finally Friday Pins June 28

Interesting week. Behind on my reading. Up on the tech. I want to get more books in here. Either that or I'd need to change the name, right? Ms. O Reads Books and Plays with Tech?

Anyway. I'm rambling.



I want to get these for the library iPads. They will take up a lot of room in the cabinet. But then no worries at all (not that one SHOULD worry overly much and let that stop you from going for it) about the kids going all over the campus holding them and filming.


Love this! I have so many prints I want to get for the walls in my new place. And that's even with some I'm finding in the backs of closets I've gotten over the past few years for when I "had" more wall space.




Totally off "topic" but I love this little owl cake.



I am thinking very much about ordering this backpack. Very, very much. Or the R2D2 one. Silly, isn't it.


Another fun infographic that the kids could do to record their reading. I know I've seen that template. The article lists all of the "usuals" so I'm sure it's there.

ISTE Reflection #2: Thinglink

Totally heard of it before. But now? TRIED IT. Personally, anyway. Not with kiddos.

So if you poke around with your mouse you'll find it links to some webpages and YouTube videos. Was VERY easy to do. Created an account, uploaded the pic, found a couple quick links, clicked and added them.

Ways I Think I'll Be Using It ...
Maybe a photo of a couple shelves in the library ... with links to book trailers right ON the the particular book. Post it on the school LibGuide, just for fun? A "new" way for kiddos to discover new books? And MAYBE (for at least the first couple, anyway ... a very direct hint as to where they would FIND the books on the shelf).

Pictures of habitats ... with links to videos or permanent links to database articles (I wonder ... if, by going through the Thinglink "portal" ... would the databases recognize when we're logging on from school (and therefore not have to use the passwords?) for research?

Or biographies?

Or ... hmm. Will have to look at the terms. If I had a generic school login would I be breaking any rules? Cause just got to thinking the kids could make some ... a sort of annotated bibliography type activity. Not all the time ... but as an every once in a while activity?

Other librarians have linked calendars and infographics. So could continue on in that thread.


Now ... MAYBE I will head to B&N and spend an hour in the picture book department. That sounds like fun, doesn't it?

ISTE Reflection #1

WHOOO boy. Brain BLOWN.

Need a little while to ... get my thoughts together. And catch up on #bookaday.

Prioritize.
What will I work on to become REALLY proficient.
Can't do it all so what will I really concentrate on?

Do you want to hear about everything or just the very highest priority?

While I'm still thinking just wanted to share something I saw on Twitter from the Daring Librarian.

Click on the screenshot to go directly to her website. Dunno that it would be appropriate for me to give you the direct link to the promo code myself. 

But easy photo editing upgraded to the even prettier stuff. #awesome

#ISTE13, Dumb MacBookPros, & #IMWAYR

Headed downtown tomorrow morning and I'm so excited! Well. Excited and a bit nervous. I always want to talk to people and then get tongue tied. Which is so silly. I'm never in the middle of the spectrum ... either talking too much or way too little.




I love this pic. Doesn't have anything to do with the post but I loved it.

Yesterday I had made an appointment to talk to someone from Apple about my ridiculous MacBook. I have googled until I can't Google anymore ... the spinning pinwheel of death, SLOW everything (internet and programs), and constant crashing of anything Flash is really getting on my nerves. (Machine is 3 years old in October ... bought it after the break in.) But I took a bit of a nap (rotten headache and ... um ... well, forgot to ever turn the ringer volume on my phone back up after the movie Friday night) and slept right through it. Oops. So maybe won't be taking the Macbook with me. If it's anything like TCEA the connection speed will be rubbish there AT the conference anyway.

And even though my computer is stupid slow I just paid for Pixa to try and control the chaos of a clip art habit. It's not working exactly as expected but we'll see. #thingsIdothatdontmakesense

Added a feedly button to the sidebar. Bloglovin was already there. As was FB and email. #countdowntotheendofGoogleReaderissevendays

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read the previous week and to plan out your reading for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading.

Our Kid Lit to YA version is hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.
GREAT IDEA! Check out all of the What Are You Reading? participants for title ideas.



And ... I am not keeping up with my #bookaday. Only two books finished last week. Got further along in several others.

Darkest Minds took me longer than I would have thought. Finished The Runaway King in a day. Something so embarrassing ... apparently I have lost a library book. Like I would have SWORN I returned it because I cannot find it anywhere. But they checked their shelves. Rats.

Next week? House of Secrets. And finishing Note and Notice, the Nat Geo poetry book, and the Floors audio book ... had to stop it a couple times because of discussions of duck vomit (I kid not) that were just grossing me out. Otherwise I <3 pretty much anything Patrick Carman does!

Didn't get very far in Proxy (from last week) before the E-ARC timed out. Will have to try that one again. But I AM going to get to Book four in the Shadows series (Jacqueline West) cause they are fun!

Nat Geo Poetry Book, NBA Finals, and More

I started reading this this morning. And loving the photography. So apparently it was in Kirkus and SLJ but I must be a behind the times school librarian (or one that didn't have the budget to order said magazines ... :/) but I heart it. It's going on the first order of the new year.


National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry: 200 Poems with Photographs That Squeak, Soar, and Roar! by J. Patrick Lewis







I'm a sucker for awesome photography anyway. Then lovely poetry. Here is a very low tech just a snap with my phone page spread please buy this book example. Eletelephony is one of my favorites poems so far.

(Also can I just say ... this was the 3rd time I tried to insert the picture. Every time it would be flipped in some strange position. #techisawesome #exceptforwhenitisnt)


The Spurs lost a hard fought battle. *insertsmallmomentofsilence And then remember the whole reason we liked these guys (or at least two of the big three ... and many of the supporting players) is that they are so classy anyway. So while another trophy would have been fun? It's not the end of the world. Though certain other players on certain other teams are SO TACKY.





Both Feedly and Bloglovin are giving me fits. I follow myself (lame, right?) just so I can see things the same as my readers. And ... I don't like what I see. Embedded stuff is all weird. If it's even there (sometimes it's not even apparent that something is missing! Except for the fact that the text may not make any sense without the accompanying image). So I don't know. Maybe no more Finally Friday Pins. Maybe no more embedded stuff ever. Or I'll figure out if I'm doing something wrong. (Curious ... there was a Goodreads book and a Spurs pin both embedded above. And ... who sees them inside the feed readers? Not me.)


A couple weeks ago I found a blog called Eureka. I honestly don't remember where. It's a teacher in England. Anyway. The post that made me first pay attention was the one about the students creating infographics of themselves as readers on the iPad. It was too late in the year for me to try it (like maybe even the last day of school?) but I am excited to play around with it myself and use it with students this year. In fact my PLAN had been to show you an infographic I made for my end of year report. And if the data would have been more interesting I would have. But I discovered something. I'm rubbish at collecting data. I wanted to show how many classes had come for reading promotion versus a more research based lesson but hello. I HAVE TO BE BETTER AT KEEPING TRACK OF THAT. Or how many students from grades 1 or 2 or 5 or whatever visited the library independently (ie on a pass). I have to keep better track of that, too. So really it was just some circ stats and even that wasn't all that great because due to some ... I don't even really understand all that we didn't get the same kind of reports as usual. SIRSI and reports. I'm pretty tech-y and they are just beyond me.

BUT I'M STILL TRYING.

Anyway. He is hosting a sort of iPad Summer Camp. Skitch has totally crashed on me multiple times so you won't get a screen grab of the intro page. Just go HERE.

And now I'm off with my "little" (he's 21 and a half so maybe little is not the best term) brother to go see Man of Steel.

(Almost) Finally Friday Pins June 21

Well. It's almost done. Watching the big game. GO SPURS GO.


How fun would these bookmarks be made from all the graphic novels that fall apart?



Awesome box! I want one!



Random House posted this to Pinterest today. I had to share it on the school library FB page. Goal for next year ... get more PARENTS on there. At least some staff see and comment on occasional posts. (if you are "allowed" go here for a little "how to" on creating a fan page that doesn't leave you open to misunderstandings between personal and professional lines.)



I need a print of this. For home and school. IRONY.



I had to stop our Lego Club because it was just too much trying to do by myself. I wonder if I could get a parent to help? We were more BUILDING things (had kiddos create awesome animals and buildings and such) but this is the newest pin on my Library Legos Pinterest board.





No Made By You Monday posts. When I have been productive this week it has been to help my parents clear out some clutter. Doubles of VHS that they have the DVD for. Seriously 50 pounds of looseleaf notebook paper and either brand new or barely used spiral notebooks. My youngest brother is 21. This stuff has been stuffed into a closet for a while. Especially the wide rule looseleaf. #semihoarding

Or, less productive but trolling Craigslist looking for furniture. And then being too "scared to ruin it" to buy and try painting. I MUST DARE TO TRY!!! Do I dare show you the finished piece I got on Craigslist? A beautiful sage green buffet that I'm going to use as a TV console. The top is a lovely stained wood with the bottom green. I love it.


Also rearranging Pinterest boards (I broke down and split up a lot of library stuff ... even with the new search function it was still hard to find everything!). And trying to do something with the immense digital clutter of my home laptop and work laptop. Doubles and triples of files all over the place. Everything mismashed. It's getting better. #electronicclutter




Feedly. Or Bloglovin. Or Flipboard. Or via FB. Or Twitter. Or any one of the other aggregators. Just stick around, K? Google Reader, I already miss you. What on earth will I do when iGoogle goes away as well. Though whiteout GR it won't be as cool. I'll just get my gmail on my phone and go straight to Google Drive for everything else.

#IMWAYR June 17 & Feedly vs Bloglovin

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read the previous week and to plan out your reading for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading.

Our Kid Lit to YA version is hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.
GREAT IDEA! Check out all of the What Are You Reading? participants for title ideas.





Still working through ... separate book posts? Shorter, then ... easier to search. Or once a week all of 'em ('cause I guess I didn't name my blog correctly because as much as I love reading that's not ALL I do ;)? Decisions, decisions.

Past Week
Only added one since I told you last. But this time I'll link my Goodreads so if you are at all curious you can find out easily. One of my goals this summer is to improve review writing.

On Deck (Shelf?) This Week

Finish all of these. They're all started. But not finished. Dumb headache is making even this hard. :/

This is what I actually have out from the library. Not counting what's on their hold shelf. Or the books I own (never got my #cyberPD pic up!) that I haven't read yet.

So. We're days away, people. Days away from the demise of Google Reader.
I like Feedly best. Least frustrating interface plus I get annoyed at Bloglovin when it doesn't bring in things that are embedded in the post. Granted, we ALL like the actual page hit counts. Feedly is where most of my highest interest feeds will be. Also I finally stopped the nightly Bloglovin emails that were freaking me out. "This was posted today" and all. I'll read it when I can!


Also ... GO SPURS GO.

Broken Links & Letters from Nephews

So. There should be SIGNIFICANTLY fewer now. Dunno if you'd noticed and weren't saying anything or maybe just never noticed on old pages. And actually the links were never broken, it was only the images. #thanksPinterest

This came in the mail from one of my nephews today. Of course I said yes.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Checking Things Off (and Adding TO) the List

It's kind of ridiculous how many things I had on my "to do" list ... things that had BEEN on the "to do" list for a long time ... but I've actually gotten done this week! And it's only week one of vacation!

photo credit: Claudio.Ar via photopin cc

(Wanted some sort of image for the post so we'll say I'm "looking toward the sun" ... but you're not getting me in a ponytail and workout clothes! Even though I don't think I'll workout today. Hamstring still HURTS from yesterday. :/ And SOME of this post is library related. SOME is not. Be forewarned. Also was the pic of my nephew yesterday not the cutest? My brother texted it to me on one of the last days of school. It made me smile.)


Checking OFF
1) Decluttering. Egads have I accumulated STUFF. It's so hard to organize and get rid of. Any of you follow the Unclutterer?
2) Finally ordered my contacts. After they'd been calling me since January. Call one? I was in the hospital with appendicitis. Call two? Visiting my sister and getting ... very, very ill. :P Call three? Middle of state testing. I don't wear them often due to allergies and the DUST at school but I like to have the option. So hard to make phone calls during the day at school I never remembered.
3) FB profile photo and banner made for my school library FB page!
4) Looking online at refabbing furniture blogs. Can I count that as checking off when I haven't DONE anything yet? I've never tried it. Summer is the time to do things! Anyone out there already good at it? I'm nervous to try.

Still on The List
1) Getting the oil changed. I hate that.
2) Dentist appointment. I hate that, too. Scheduled but haven't gone.

Adding TO
1) Powtoon. Caught that Katie Davis now was contributing art to the site. Watched the replay of her webinar and signed up for the edu account. $25 or so. Between that and the cool Videoscribe app on the iPad I want to try some flipped library videos. Thoughts on topics?




2) I can always find more books to add to the TBR pile. And apparently ... apparently I have misplaced one from the public library. I would have SWORN I returned it but it's not on their shelf. I can't find it. Will have to keep looking or pay for it and that's just embarrassing.
3) I have purchased more graphics. It's like an addiction, it really is. So I feel I should DO something with them. Working on a "baseball" inspired set of library posters since that's the framework our school will be using in the fall to talk about effort. Just got some super fun "treasure raider" ones yesterday for making some "Discover Hidden Treasures @ the School Library" or something like that. A couple new Melonheadz sets (one where you see the backs of kids ... I thought some bookmarks could be fun, making it look like the little kid in the picture was reading the book?). And more, I'm sure. A bunch of new FREEBIE summer themed stuff from an Etsy FB Fan Page Hop. And some cute patriotic clip art (and ... washi tape and baker's twine ... I forgot for a moment about how I want to declutter and hit the buy button).

Finally Friday June 15

This is my brother and my nephew. They are SO ADORABLE.

So far #bookaday has resulted in this.

Can't wait to try this. Or ... technically, yes I can. SUMMER VACATION IS AWESOME! But in the fall this will be fun to try.




My sis sent me this. It made me laugh. Then I tried it. And I laughed again. And again. #whenwillitgetold





NPR's Backseat Bookclub. How fun! They interviewed Katherine Applegate today. I bet they will post the clip soon. I've mentioned I used to go visit Ivan when he was at the B&I Mall. Days before cell phones documented everything.



A possible summer project.

I tend to kill plants. But I want to try these. #truffula







And now I go to ice my hamstring. I think I pulled it today. Tried to stretch and sort of walk it off but it HURTS. It's so silly.

#WAYRM June 10

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read the previous week and to plan out your reading for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading.

Our Kid Lit to YA version is hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.
GREAT IDEA! Check out all of the What Are You Reading? participants for title ideas.


Oh, it's been forever. Or at least several weeks.


So ... I'm just going to start with what I plan on reading this week. Cause ... #BOOKADAY has started. Well. As of about an hour ago.

Will finish Freak the Mighty the next time I go to the gym (listening to the audiobook). And embarrass myself by crying in public again.

Note and Notice. So good already. Interesting note ... the best PD books I've ever read? Never came from people I actually know in real life. Always came from Twitter or blogs. Why is that? I must need to spend more time with people I see more often. But hooray for online PLNs!

Finish Etiquette & Espionage. So far ... it's good. But I don't LOVE it. Just like.

Finish Potterwookie. Though this one ... I'm not liking at all. :/ SO strange because hello ... two of my favorite sets of characters and written by an author that in the past I've enjoyed. But I want to finish it in case kids ask me questions.

The Darkest Minds

House of Secrets

Pie

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales One Dead Spy and Big Bad Ironclad


And ... well, of the E-ARCs I still need to see. Like make a schedule of when they're going to "time out" and when reviews can be posted and such.


Sorry for the lack of linkage or images or anything. Will step it up next week!



Total side note ... Happy Anniversary to my parents. 42 years ago today!


Housekeeping: Before I forget ... to any Pinterest followers also reading the blog... I am doing some rearranging. I am NOT one to follow every board so I don't suggest you do that, either. And I realize sometimes then I miss out when other pinners rearrange. So if you do follow me and ARE interested you may want to double check my profile. I'm splitting up some library and tech boards, especially, to make them a bit more specific. Not a whole lot (cause I refuse to scroll down 70 titles just to find the board where I want something to go) but some.

Ms. O's Top 100 (or so) Books for Kids

These lists sort of irritate the ever living daylights out of me. After a cousin posted a Top 100 on Pinterest and I saw it and went ... ARGH! over a good 90% of it I decided to write my own. That's thinking pretty highly of my own opinion, I know. ;)

I'm going to list them in groups. Easy Picture Books. Everybody Picture Books (because older kids should read these even when they CAN read harder or longer ones!). Chapter Books and then Middle Grade/Tween Lit that goes right up to when kids might choose YA. I'm sure I forgot something. It's also not in chronological order by release or anything. Just as I remembered them or saw them in my Goodreads profile.

Easy Picture Books (great for read alouds or shared reading ... not necessarily fixed vocab readers)

• Every Piggie and Elephant book ever written! My personal all time favorite is There is a Bird on Your Head but they're all funny. And of course the Pigeon books. Really, just about anything by Mo Willems. A given.
• Interrupting Chicken (David Ezra Stein)
• I Want My Hat Back AND That Is Not My Hat (Jon Klassen)
• The Circus Ship (Chris Van Duesen)
• Shark Vs. Train (Chris Bartlett)
• Blackout (John Rocco)
• Duck & Goose OR Rocket books (Tad Hills)
• Creepy Carrots (Aaron Reynolds)
• Llama, Llama books (Anna Dewdney)
• Where's Walrus (almost wordless ... by Stephen Savage)
• Turtle's Penguin Day (Valeri Gorbachev)
• Good News, Bad News OR Frog and Fly (Jeff Mack)
• anything by Jan Thomas
• Pete the Cat books (the ones done by BOTH Eric Litwin and James Dean)
• anything by Oliver Jeffers
• Suzanne Bloom's Bear and Duck books 
• How to Teach a Slug to Read (Susan Pearson)
• I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean (Kevin Sherry)
• A Balloon for Isabel (Deborah Underwood)
• Bunny Days (Tau Nyeu)
• Children Make Terrible Pets (Peter Brown)
• Dog Loves Books (Louise Yates)

Everybody Picture Books

• Over and Under the Snow (Kate Messner)
• anything by Nic Bishop (amazing photographer and non-fic writer)
• anything by Steve Jenkins (amazing paper artist and non-fic writer)
• 14 Cows for America (Carmen Agra Deedy ... and be ready to cry)
• Henry's Freedom Box (Ellen Levine)
• Independent Dames and/or Thank You, Sarah (both historically based and by Laurie Halse Anderson)
• Flotsam (might be wordless but it's so beautiful with possibilities for discussion I'm listing it here ... by David Wiesner)
• Scaredy Squirrel series (by Melanie Watt ... he's actually a "proactive" little guy plus you get some great non-fic text features in a very fiction environment! He's also funny.)
• all of David Elliot's "In the" poetry books
• North, the Amazing Story of Arctic Migration (Nick Dowson)
• "Life Size" books (Teruyuki Komiya ... great photos and FUN because of the size)
• What If? (Laura Vaccaro Seeger)
• Here Comes the Garbage Barge! (Jonah Winter)
• Library Mouse (Daniel Kirk)
• Orangutans Are Ticklish (Steve Grubman ... a fun photography book)

Chapter Books

• any Frog and Toad book (Arnold Lobel)
• Katie Woo books (Fran Manushkin)
• Cork and Fuzz (Dori Chaconas)
• Marty McGuire (two available so far by Kate Messner)
• Clementine books (FUNNY by Sara Pennypacker)
• Humphrey books (all of them are realistic fic (except for the fact that Humphrey is a talking hamster) with great examples of how friends get along by Betty G. Birney)
• 43 Old Cemetery Road (an epistolary slightly spooky series by Kate Klise)
• Melvin Beederman series (Greg Trine)
• Frankie Pickle series (Eric Wight)
• Franny K. Stein series (Jim Benton)
• Gabby & Gator (James Burks)

Middle Grade

• The One and Only Ivan (awesome talking animals story by Katherine Applegate)
• Wonder (remember to CHOOSE KIND by R.J. Palacio)
• A Long Walk to Water (important human rights commentary for kids by Linda Sue Park) 
• The Teacher's Funeral (FUNNY, funny, funny historical fic by Richard Peck)
• Brixton Brothers (great old school detective work! by Mac Barnett)
• Squish graphic novel series (Jennifer and Matthew Holm ... there is some GREAT science vocab "hidden" in these!)
• Books of Elsewhere (great very only slightly spooky series by Jacqueline West)
• Cosmic (ever so funny if you "get" British humor by Frank Cottrell Boyce)
• Belly Up (Hilarious! by Stuart Gibbs)
• How They Croaked (amazing non-fix by Georgia Bragg)
• The Books of Umber (series by P.W. Catanese ... at first I only read because book one was on the state list ... but I'm so glad I did!)
• Bud, not Buddy (Christopher Paul Curtis)
• The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place (E.L. Konigsburg)
• Any Which Wall (Laurel Snyder)
• Spilling Ink (Ellen Potter ... this is a MUST have if you have a budding author)
• H.I.V.E. books (Mark Walden ... great adventure in these!)
• Young James Bond (Charlie Higson)
• Wind in the Willows AND Return to the Willows (Jacqueline Kelly)
• The End of the Beginning (Avi)
• Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and Kane Chronicle books (Rick Riordan)
• Ranger's Apprentice series (John Flanagan)
• Harry Potter series (DUH ... JK Rowling)

Click on the link HERE to get a downloadable PDF of this list from Google Drive. It's not super pretty but it works.

Random Stuff: Reading, Ranting, & Raving (and a Question)

READING
Here ARE (later edit cause it bugged me when I saw "Here's some" in the FB preview :/) some of the first books that I will be reading this summer (have to work ... Monday, for sure, but perhaps that's it ... the last couple days of my contract are a bit more "negotiable" cause of all the PD I did last summer and will be doing this summer. Sometimes we can swap).


This is just the first batch (hooray for #bookaday!). Kid non-fic. Some grown-up stuff for me in terms of getting ready for the new house. Some PD books that I need to start and finish. Or finish. (OH! Forgot Guided Inquiry on there. And I have to read that cause I'm going to an "Institute" in July.) And some YA. And some Kid Lit. I just finished the new Dan Brown book. It was sort of meh if you follow me on Goodreads. Anyway. Stay tuned for highlights of my favorites.

RANTING
The HUGE group Pinterest boards. I don't get the appeal. They totally take over your Pinterest feed and then you don't really see gems in all the madness. I guess the idea is to get pins you contribute noticed (ie blog exposure)? Is it? Cause don't other people feel the same way? The couple of times I've followed a big board I've quickly unfollowed it. Even when I liked some of the content. Cause that was ALL the content I was seeing and that didn't sit well. Am I wrong?

I need to go back and look.
Dear Bloglovin' (where I moved many of my teaching blog feeds), The nightly email annoys me. If I'm busy it freaks me out at what I haven't read. It requires much more scrolling and effort to "mark something as read."
Dear Google Reader, I'm STILL MAD AT YOU.
Dear Feedly, I still don't like you as much as Google Reader but you're getting warmer.
Dear Flipboard, You're the prettiest and I love that I can see things I'm following by feeds and by Twitter AND by FB all in one place. But I mess with passwords so often (lock myself out, actually) that it's hard to keep you updated. Note to self: DON'T LOCK YOURSELF OUT OF SO MANY ACCOUNTS BY FORGETTING THE PASSWORDS. (Readers, do you think I'm silly now?)

RAVING
It IS a pain but I jumped through the hoops and now have the full on Easy Chart HD. I tell you now to make myself accountable ... I will have one of these by the end of June. Gotta do it myself before I can expect the kids to, right? I just loved this post and want to try it. (Where did I get the $ to get an iTunes card? Terracycle. Gathering trash from school and upcycling it. Only I was thinking of not doing it next year because it's so messy. Only I will have MORE iPads next year (6! To make 8! Well ... 3 of them might be gone a lot so consistently 5, often 8.) so I might be wanting more apps. And then what was only $.99 today then becomes $7.92.
But I loved the idea behind this post and want to feel comfortable with it before the fall.






I FORGOT A RAVE for today. Search your own pins! Genius.

Shot in the dark ... anyone want to do a guest post this summer about ... their favorite memory of the school library? Or a book they're reading this summer (or read to/with kids or other staff last year)? Or a favorite Tech Tool, teaching or otherwise? Or "Tips to Help Ms. O Organize Her Life"? ;) (I'm only slightly kidding there.)  For now I'll say they don't even have to be new posts. Can be a cross post (ie copied and pasted here with a link to your original post IF you have a blog ... if you don't we will just link to any contact info you'd like to share) of something you've already written. Or a new post with appropriate linkage. Or me to guest post on their blogs? Email me!

Finally (almost) Friday Pins June 7

These look fun to make. Sign up for the email newsletter to always go get the newest download.


Maybe I will try making these this summer.


If I don't ... lose interest
 (TMI warning ... it's just EOY packing up stress, right? Not complete and total burnout at working in such a chaotic hallway for 9 years? I seriously came THIS CLOSE to crying today in front of everyone when a little kindergartner came by to say goodbye because she was moving. My head hurt so much from the movies the PE classes was watching in the library and all the noise from everyone walking through the hallways and I couldn't find anywhere quiet to try and do something useful since we couldn't shelf read in the dark with the tables pushed up against the inside of the shelves and hundreds of people around the outside of the shelves I almost lost it right in front of a cute little one which would not have been cool)
 I will finally finish I See What You Mean: Visual Literacy and try more of this. I did post about Piktochart and Visual.ly a while back but then I never did anything more. Anyway. Infographics are fun to look at online.


And this one.

One thing I'll be working on this summer. It is one of the most faith based links I've ever posted on here. But it describes me. Not the newly married part. Right now the "but" part. Would like it to be more "and."

Cute Father's Day printables ahead from "We Love to Illustrate."



Signing out teachers tomorrow. End of year report on Monday. Hopefully my admin will let me sort of ... swap out Tuesday. Going to enough PD throughout the summer that it seems silly to pretend to be doing something on Tuesday when everything is packed up. So sometime next week summer vacation will actually start. And #BOOKADAY.

Currently June

First of all, linking up with Farley ...

Listening: well, I lie. Not actually at this very moment. But all week. Cause he was here on Saturday. And I didn't go.

Loving: I'm eating my end of year stress with after 8 Sonic shakes. Or happy hour cream slushes.

Thinking: I AM TIRED OF BEING PATIENT. But I will continue to do my best, even when it seems like it's not getting anywhere.

Wanting: To wave my magic wand and the rest of the library pack itself. I WOULD RATHER be working with kids. Packing is dirty and gross and stressful and my lungs will never be the same. Will it be worth it for new carpet? How long will the non-grossness last?

Needing: Summer break! Please ... get here SOOOOOOOOONER THAN SOON.

3 Vacation Essentials: some family. A camera (I'm rubbish at taking photos but I like to try). And books ... hard copy or Nook.


So I will be at ISTE later this month. You? Started going through starred posts in Google Reader (cause it's going away ... :() and even though this one wasn't even a week old (Pinterest friends, I apologize in advance for clogging up your feeds. I'm going back through and pinning the starred posts I really want to remember). I still have some MOO cards that have my website and Twitter username ... but other than that they are pretty nondescript. Bright colors on the front with the word READ. Contact on the back. Redo or no? According to this post then yes. But hey ... I'm not great at networking and handing them out. Why I still have some left in the first place.