An old dog learning new tricks: becoming a librarian: Alabama Football, Engines, and Tricks. . .

Hey Y'all!
Welcome Back.

Yep, it's true. My blood runs crimson: I'm one of those crazy Alabama fans. (Just in case you aren't from the South, I'm referring to college football.)
~~The Bear~~ Coach Nick Saban

Nick Saban image source

made a statement after winning the National Championship that is now famous throughout the
Bama Nation:

"This is not the end.

It's the beginning."

Well, it's almost the end of the first semester. I'm back in college after 20 years, and it's been a Mt.-Everest-sized-learning-curve. But man!! I've learned a lot-- especially in the area of technology. The awesome ideas from teachers, librarians, and resources all over the world are literally at my fingertips. Today I'm going to highlight my two favorite new blogs that I have been following on Google Reader. (I've added many more on my blog roll, but Dr. R. said I must choose 2.)

# 1. The School Centered Library

My favorite blog can be found at (http://librarycenters.blogspot.com/).

Cari Young, the writer, offers so many practical ideas to use in the elementary library. She especially focuses on using centers in the library to expand books across the curriculum. Centers also pick students' interests to check out more books related to the topic. Did I mention centers help with library behavior management? She has written a book called The Centered School Library: Engaging Every Learner with Library Skills Centers. She incorporates technology in her lessons, can be found on Pinterest, and can be followed on Twitter. She is really good to share awesome ideas and links to other teacher/ librarian blogs, too. To read my cheerleader-and pom-poms post earlier about The School Centered Library blog, click here. And one more thing, her blog roll favorites are super.

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#2. Technology Tailgate

This is another of my favorite newly found blogs on Google Reader. I like this blog because ~~my family loves to tailgate~~ it is written by several "coaches" who basically share great links to technology in the classroom. The Technology Tailgate blog can be found at http://www.technologytailgate.com/. I like that the posts are frequent, yet short and informative. A link is provided in most posts for those who want a more detailed explanation of the activity and technology in use. I have found several other blog resources through Technology Tailgate.

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Favorite Blog Post:

It is really hard to pick just one favorite blog post, but (again... Dr. R. ;) ) I'll choose one written by Cari Young at The School Centered Library called Top Ten Poetry Centers. I liked this post because as a student and young adult, I hated poetry. It didn't really make sense to me. I was ~~scarred in high school and college~~ introduced to famous writers and their works of poetry, but the meanings were often deep and symbolic. I never really felt confident in my interpretations of these poems. And then one day.... Bam! Shel Silverstein entered my little teacher world. My outlook on poetry hasn't been the same since, so it is my goal to influence my students early in a positive way concerning poetry. To help me do that I will use Poetry Centers in my library. You can find Cari's blog post Top Ten Poetry Centers right here.

My thoughts on this whole blog experience: Actually in my own little mind, I feel like a ~~crazy middle aged mom trying to learn a foreign language~~ The Little Engine that Did! Yea, there were times crocodile tears swelled up in my eyes with frustration, a migraine set in from nerve overload, and I had a few days with bags under my eyes from 2 a.m. mornings, but guess what??? I can contribute to the tech world finally! I can say I've created a blog, a wikispace, and tried out several new apps for use in the classroom. I have gained some confidence, and I'm eager to share what I've learned with students. (Reality: They know 3X more than me already.) Oh well! There's still time to . . .

Teach an old dog some new tricks!