Media Musings

E-Audio Books or Books on Tape for the Digital Age

Do you like to listen to books on tape or CD as you ride in the car?  Do you prefer to listen to the radio as you go about your daily routine instead of turning on the television?  Do you (or your kids) own an iPod or mp3 player? 

Read on...

One of the library vendors recently gave me a "Play-A-Way" to try with staff and students.  It's essentially a book preloaded onto an mp3  player.  Reviews were fabulous.  I will definitely consider adding a few of these items to our collection next year. 

As I was investigating this new digital format, I discovered some less expensive alternatives that parents and our more tech savvy students may want to try over the summer.  Did you know you can check-out e-audio books from the Cobb County Public Library or through CVL/Galileo for a 3 week period for free?  You can listen to them on your home computer or your compatible iPod/mp3 device.  All that's required is either a library card or the CVL passwords and a high speed internet connection.   You don't have to worry about returning the book or overdue fines either.  The "license" to play the downloaded book automatically expires after 21 days.  You merely delete the file from your media player after it expires.

If you are someone who prefers to keep copies of your audio books on a permanent basis, you might want to look at www.audible.com.  For a monthly membership fee, you can download books that never expire.  I received a free trial to Audible with my recent GPS purchase.   The GPS plays mp3 files, so my family will be listening to selected audiobooks as we travel this summer.   

Summer Reading Fun!

Although you're on vacation for a few weeks, don't take a break from reading.  READ!  READ! READ!

Cobb County Schools features its S.U.R.F. (Summer Reading is Fun!) program by grade level to give you an idea of age appropriate books and fun activities to do with your child.  Simply click on the grade level your child will be in the fall to retrieve the related S.U.R.F. document. 

   Kindergarten      First     Second       Third       Fourth        Fifth

The Cobb County Public Library also offers a summer reading program.  Students who read a certain number of books and complete the required activities will receive an invitation to attend an awesome end-of-summer party at the main library in downtown Marietta.   Check out their website for information:  http://www.cobbcat.org

You might also sneak-a-peek at the nominee list for the Georgia Children's Book Awards for the upcoming school year.  How many books can you read?

Georgia Children's  Storybook Awards 2008-09 (picture books)   (Grades K-4)

Georgia Children's Book Awards 2008-09 (chapter books)  (Grades 4-8, some titles may be more appropriate for middle school)

Have a safe, fun summer!

Cordially,
Mrs. Kent

April/May Library Happenings

Well, the school year is quickly winding down.   

Our lessons this month will center around essential reference tools review, book parts review and computer/internet vocabulary review.   K will share assorted spring stories.

Reference sources include:  dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia, atlas, almanac, magazine, newspaper, specialty reference sources and selected online resources available through the Cobb Virtual Library.

Third graders have learned how to look up books and materials in our online catalog - Destiny. 

Important Dates to Remember:

April 14-18th is National Library Week, which we will celebrate this year.

May 2nd - Last Day for student check-out

May 6th-8th - Scholastic Book Fair 50% off sale.  (Hours 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.)

May 9th - ALL STUDENT BOOKS DUE!

It's Official....

In a March posting, I referred to the mystery of the blue box.  Well, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards released the official scores this morning.

Drumroll please...

I am now a NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHER in School Library Media.

Thanks to everyone who helped and supported me in this process.

Teresa Kent

October Happenings

Here's what we're doing this month in the Media Center:

HNN:  Team 2:  Brenda, Carole, Draven, Jack & Samantha are your cast and crew!

Kindergarten:  We're meeting Mr. Wiggles and learning about proper book care.  Toward the end of the month, we'll have a frightfully good time sharing spooky stories.

1st & 2nd Grade:  We're donning our detective hats and uncovering the clues as to how things are arranged in the library.  In session 1, we'll learn about different sections of the library - Easy, Fiction & NonFiction and learn how books are arranged alphabetically by the author's last name.  Mrs. LaRosa and I have put out some nifty new signage to help our younger users learn where books are in the Easy section.  In session 2, students will help me locate *missing* books in the stacks and perform light stack maintenance.

3rd - Reader's Theater with The Teeny Tiny Ghost and the Monster.     Students will practice their reading, listening and public speaking skills in this interactive storytime.  It's sure to be a howling good time for everyone!

4th & 5th - The Mystery of the Bloody Beagle. (2 sessions). Students will review their reference sources in one session using a beach ball toss game.  For the follow-up lesson, students will work in small groups using print and web-based reference resources to figure which suspect - Rico Mortis, Edna Mae Jernal, Catarina Combs or Moss O'Leum - is the culprit in our mystery. 

Welcome Back!

It's another exciting year @ Hayes!  Our grand opening will be slightly delayed due to all of the *stuff* still in the Media Center.  We were the staging area for miscellaneous items during the painting process this summer.  The Media Center was one of the last rooms to get painted.   Mrs. LaRosa and I have been working hard to transfer 132 laptops to the new carts, add 200+ new books and get everything ready.  Fifth grade orientation will start on 8/23/07.  I anticipate the library will be fully open for business on Monday, 8/27.  Thanks for your patience.  We look forward to seeing you next week.

By the way - our first HNN crew consists of Brandon, David, Jazmin, Jordan & Maggie!

Mystery of the Blue Box

What was that blue box Mrs. Kent was holding so carefully in the hallways this week?  Why has she been so preoccupied lately and possessively clutching her red thumb drive?

For those of you who may not know, I am a current candidate for National Board Certification in School Library Media.  For the past six months, I have been compiling the "evidence" to document my teaching practices for my professional portfolio, which is due by the end of March.  My portfolio was shipped off this afternoon!   I have a formal written assessment to look forward to in late May.  All of this work will be evaluated by my peers to see if I measure up against the established standards.   It will be Thanksgiving before I find out whether or not I passed.  I could not have done this without the help of teachers and students at Hayes, plus several friends in the school library media field.  A big thank you to all of you for your support and words of encouragement over the past several months.

Sincerely,
Teresa Kent

March Library Lessons

The Media Center follows a flexible scheduling model where teachers sign up as needed to bring their students for check-out, lessons or some combination of both.   Students are not limited to coming to the library on a specific day or time.  They may come at anytime during the school day, with teacher permission, to exchange books, read, research or work on assignments.  This ensures that students receive instruction at the point of need - when they are most likely to remember what they've been taught. 

Here's what we'll be doing in March:

K & 1 - Read me a story! 
We'll celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday, learn about St. Patrick's Day and share other favorite stories.   First graders will also be "sneaking a peek" at dictionaries.

2nd Grade - Dictionary Olympics
Students will practice their dictionary skills in a game show format.

3rd Grade - Basic Reference Skills
We continue following Fribble Mouse as we learn about The Secrets of the Rock. By the time we're through, we'll learn about dictionaries, encyclopedias, biographies, internet, atlases, newspapers, telephone books and the Dewey Decimal System.

4th & 5th Grade - Reference Tools in an Electronic Format
We will continue building on our information literacy skills by exploring Destiny, resources available through the Cobb Virtual Library and the Dewey Decimal System.

March 2 is Read Across America Day!

Dr. Seuss's birthday is March 2!

Share your favorite Dr. Seuss book with someone!

Pssst:  Mrs. Kent's favorite Dr. Seuss book is Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Have a fun time visiting Seussville

Can I donate books to the Media Center?

I am often asked by parents if they can donate their children's old books to the Media Center. 

The answer is generally yes if the books are in good condition and appropriate for K-5 students.   I use the same county mandated selection criteria in evaluating donated books as I do in books I am considering for purchase.  If the books cannot be used in the Media Center, then they are put out for the teachers to use in their classrooms. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please give me at call at 678-594-8127 ext. 233.

Thank you.