Re: [LM_NET] LM_NET Digest - 11 Dec 2007 - Special issue (#2007-1139)

[Jane Smith <jkingsmith@GMAIL.COM>]

RE:  Book Challenge:  Sandpiper by Ellen Wittlinger

Brookwood High School in Tuscaloosa, ALABAMA--After three months of debate
and conflict over the book, the board announced Monday that "Sandpiper"
would REMAIN on school library shelves because of U.S. Supreme Court rulings
that found that students' first amendment rights can be directly affected by
the removal of books from a school library.
Jane Smith
 Library Media Services
 Tuscaloosa County School System (Alabama)
 http://www.tcss.net
 http://www.brookwoodelementary.net
 jksmith@tcss.net
205-342-2840
FAX: 205-553-3722




On Dec 11, 2007 8:20 PM, LM_NET automatic digest system <
LISTSERV@listserv.syr.edu> wrote:

> There are 8 messages totalling 602 lines in this issue.
>
> Topics in this special issue:
>
>  1. The Printed Book is Dead Again?
>  2. Web filtering - How's it handled in your district?
>  3. WAY OT: The Genographic Project
>  4. Humor : Wikipedia
>  5. Stamping a page in each book
>  6. rubric kindergarten
>  7. TARGET: Library Events Calendar
>  8. Meteor Shower Dec. 13-14 in US
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
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> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date:    Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:33:17 -0800
> From:    Jamieson McKenzie <fromnowon@EARTHLINK.NET>
> Subject: The Printed Book is Dead Again?
>
> The January 2008 issue of From Now On has two articles
> and a cartoon.
>
> The cartoon pokes fun at Amazon's attempt to finish off the
> printed book with "Kindle."
> http://fno.org/jan08/jancartoon.html
>
> One article by Kendra Grant looks at ways to use Inspiration
> instead of Powerpoint to present research findings.
> "Beyond Powerpoint"
> http://fno.org/jan08/beyond.html
>
> The other article looks at citizenship and media literacy issues
> in this new century.
> "The Brave New Citizen" by Jamie McKenzie
> http://fno.org/jan08/new.html
>
> Jamie McKenzie
> Editor
>  From Now On (http://fno.org)
> The Question Mark (http://questioning.org)
> No Child Left (http://nochildleft.cim)
>
> fromnowon@earthlink.net
> 229 Queen Anne Ave N #605
> Seattle, WA 98109
> 360-223-0255
>
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> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:38:22 -0800
> From:    Nancy Willard <nwillard@CSRIU.ORG>
> Subject: Re: Web filtering - How's it handled in your district?
>
> > Date:    Tue, 11 Dec 2007 11:13:51 -0500
> > From:    Hilary Grant <GrantH@HURONVALLEY.K12.MI.US>
> > Subject: TECH/GEN: Web filtering - How's it handled in your district?
> >=20
> > With CIPA laws, we are filtering our students' access to certain
> > Internet sites.  Our district is curious how other districts handle that
> > filtering.  If you have a moment, can you email the answer to the
> > following questions?  Some of these questions may overlap so I
> > appreciate the best answers you can give.  Thank you in advance!
>
> It may be important to first get a clear understanding of what CIPA
> require=
> s
> and what it does NOT require.
>
> From my PPT: In US, if schools receive federal funds, they must be in
> accor=
> d
> with Children=B9s Internet Protection Act, which requires "a technology
> protection measure =8A that protects against access =8A to visual
> depictions
> that are obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors=B2
> Note, CIPA does not say =B3filter=B2 and schools must only protect against
> access to pornography
> CIPA also requires an Internet safety plan
>
> Internet safety plan requirements
> Access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet and World Wide
> Web
> The safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms,
> and other forms of direct electronic communications
> Unauthorized access including "hacking" and other unlawful activities by
> minors online
> Unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information
> regarding minors
> Measures designed to restrict minors' access to materials harmful to
> minors
>
>
> > 1.  Do you have different levels of filtering in your district (i.e.
> > student computers have more blocking than teacher/staff computers or
> > different levels of students have access to different sites)?
>
> Filters should not be considered the best level of protection for
> elementar=
> y
> students. Walled garden approaches are better. More importantly, what is
> th=
> e
> basis upon which the decision is being made.
>
> > 2.  If not, can you verify that teachers and students have access to
> > the same web sites?
> >=20
> > 3. If a site is blocked and a teacher wants to use it or wants the
> > students to use, what is the process for getting that site unblocked?
>
> See below.
>
> > 4.  Who has the ability to unblock a web site in your district?
>
> Should be a sufficient number in every school or at a district service
> center to allow for rapid override.
> =20
> > 5.  How long approximately does it take for a site to get unblocked in
> > your district?
>
> If a teacher works on a lesson at night and comes to school at a normal
> time, checks the lesson at school and finds a site blocked, that teacher
> should be able to have access to the site BY THE TIME THE FIRST BELL
> RINGS!
>
> School safety staff - administrators, counselors, and school resource
> officers must have the IMMNEDIATE ability to override to access any site -
> to investigate for student well-being or school safety reasons.
>
> > 6.  What type of filter do you use?
>
> Check this carefully. Can you find the filtering company that has a close
> corporate relationship with the American Family Association?
>
> > 7.  Specifically, does your district block blogs, music sites, You
> > Tube?=20
>
> CIPA does not require these sites to be blocked. Blogs may be educational
> o=
> r
> not. Music sites and YouTube present major concerns because they are
> bandwidth hogs. When teachers or students listening to Internet radio or
> watch YouTude this can slow the entire system down for everyone else. The
> school Internet should not be used for entertainment purposes. If the
> music
> is needed for a class purpose, this is different, but it would be best to
> download at a non-busy time and retain for use. Every US Government
> teacher
> should have been accessing the Macaca video on YouTube the day it came
> out.
> But generally YouTube is also not educational and access should be allowed
> only for actual lesson plan activities.
>
> More preview from my PPT:
>
> Filter Administration
> Questions to Ask
> Who has decided which sites or categories are blocked?
> What is the educational or technical basis of this decision?
> How rapidly can the filter be overridden to support desired instructional
> activities or address safety concerns?
>
> Library media and instruction staff should have primary authority for
> selection of filtering categories to be blocked based on substance or
> subject matter
> They are the district=B9s most highly trained professionals on issues
> related
> to the appropriateness of materials for students
> =20
> Technology staff should address concerns related to bandwidth and security
> Jointly address conflicts between educational substance and technical
> concerns
>
> Selected staff in every school must have authority and ability to quickly
> override the filter to provide access for instructional purposes
> Library media staff
> Computer lab coordinators
> Active computer-using teachers
>
> All district safe school staff must have authority and ability to
> immediately override the filter to investigate student material posted
> online to assess safety concerns
> This is critically important for student and school safety!!!
>
> Temporary overrides are recorded, thus ensuring accountability
> Establish override report process
> Who requested override
> Who accomplished override
> What site(s)
> For what education or safety purpose
>
> (I will add in the narration here that if you have a teacher who is
> requesting overrides for entertainment purposes or to sites that are
> inappropriate, this process will reveal this.)
>
> =B3Big pipe meets garden hose=B2
> Video and audio files consume large amounts of bandwidth
> This slows access for everyone else
> Of significant concern when bandwidth used for entertainment
> =20
> Do not consume bandwidth for entertainment
> Whenever possible download large files after school and save on computer
> fo=
> r
> access during class
> Advise technical services in advance if lesson activity will use
> significan=
> t
> bandwidth
>
> Are students trying or able to bypass the filter to access inappropriate
> sites?
> If the answer is =B3yes,=B2 this is primarily due to the lack of =8A
> Appropriate focus on educational use
> Effective supervision and monitoring
> This is a management problem, not a filter problem
>
>
> This PPT is still under development. Feedback and thoughts appreciated.
>
> Nancy
>
> --=20
> Nancy Willard, M.S., J.D.
> Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use
> http://csriu.org
> http://cyberbully.org
> http://cyber-safe-kids.com
> nwillard@csriu.org
>
> Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats: Responding to the Challenge of Online
> Socia=
> l
> Aggression, Threats, and Distress (Research Press)
>
> Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens: Helping Young People Learn to Use the
> Internet Safely and Responsibly (Jossey-Bass)
>
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> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:07:50 -0600
> From:    N2Books <N2Books@CABLEONE.NET>
> Subject: WAY OT: The Genographic Project
>
> Our daughter is graduating college this Dec.  She will have a degree in
> psy=
> chology with a specialty area in adoption and foster children.  As an
> adopt=
> ed person, she has questions about her background, her ethnicity, etc.  We
> =
> have always been upfront about her background but don't know a whole lot
> an=
> d haven't been able to find answers.
>
> We wanted to surprise her with something she really doesn't expect and
> wond=
> ered about getting genographic typing through National Geographic's
> Genogra=
> phic Project.  We realize the information will be general, but wondered if
> =
> there would be enough specifics to give her some sort of idea of her
> geneti=
> c make up and the migration of her biological family.  For example, I'm
> pre=
> tty sure she's of Northern European heritage, because she's very fair
> skinn=
> ed but would there be any more specific information?
>
> If you are familiar with this project and could shed some light on this
> cou=
> ld you contact me off list? =20
>
> Jan Cole
> LMS
> Horace Mann Elem.
> Duncan, OK
> n2books@cableone.net
> currently reading: Rhett Butler's People
>
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> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:17:22 -0600
> From:    Carl Seale <cbseale@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
> Subject: Humor : Wikipedia
>
> I don't know how many read Sheldon comics online, but starting Sunday
> the artist has been running a strip on Wikipedia.  Below is the link to
> Sunday's strip and the following can be accessed from the site.
>
> http://www.sheldoncomics.com/strips/sd071209.png
>
> Carl Seale semi-retired
> cbseale@sbcglobal.net
> http://www.antiquesnthings.net
>
> "He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the
> dictionary."
>        William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)
>
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> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:20:53 -0500
> From:    Barbara Fritz <bfritzlibrary@GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Re: Stamping a page in each book
>
> I recall shellacking covers of books to protect them and writing call
> numbers on spines with a stylus and the white or colors of transfer tape.
> Boy, I'm feeling older every minute! I've been at the library thing since
> I
> was in high school. This is my 31st year as a school librarian. Oh, the
> changes I've seen. I look forward to the future years I have left to see
> what new and exciting is right around the bend.
>
> On Dec 11, 2007 11:39 AM, Pam Gelbmann <pam.gelbmann@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> > I stamp the title page, back cover, and the top pages of the book.  Is
> > anyone out there old enough to remember shellacking the covers of the
> > encyclopedias to keep them clean and shiny longer?
> > I no longer cover paperback books or tape magazines. No time and low
> > supply budget.
> >
> > --
> > Pam Gelbmann, Media Specialist
> > Wilson Elem. MN
> > Pam.Gelbmann@comcast.net
> >
> >
> > "In the nonstop tsunami of global information librarians provide us
> > with floaties and teach us to swim."
> >        --Linton Weeks, Washington Post, January 13, 2001
> >
> > --------------------------------------------------------------------
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> > --------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
>
>
>
> --
> "Librarian. Genetically predisposed to answer questions and correct
> misconceptions - whether asked or not." 2 01 2007
>
> Barbara Fritz
> Elementary Librarian
> Bloomsburg Area School District
> Bloomsburg PA
> bfritzlibrary@gmail.com
> http://bloomsburgasd.schoolwires.com/62784211610220/site/default.asp
>
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>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:31:02 -0500
> From:    M S <drjesons@GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: rubric kindergarten
>
> Hello
>
> Does anyone know (Or willing to share) a site for  finding a general
> rubric
> for librarians in kindergarten as the kids still do not read ?
>
> Madeleine Zember
> Kindergarten Centers
> Hempstead School District NY
> drjesons@gmail.com
>
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>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:45:03 -0600
> From:    Shonda Brisco <sbrisco@GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: TARGET: Library Events Calendar
>
> I'm looking for library events throughout the year (such as Children's
> Book Week, Teen Read Week, etc.) for elementary, middle and high
> school levels.  Is there one location (website) that provides all of
> the dates throughout the year when these types of activities / events
> / celebrations take place for all of these levels?
>
> I'll post a HIT if others are interested in the K-12 library events.
>  Thanks!
>
> ~Shonda
>
> --
> Shonda Brisco, MLIS
> District Librarian
> Peaster ISD
> Weatherford, TX 76086
>
> Currently reading:  "Tested: One American School Struggles to Make the
> Grade" by Linda Perlstein
>
> Digital Bookends wiki / blog:
> http://digitalbookends.pbwiki.com
> http://shonda.edublogs.org/
> sbrisco@gmail.com
>
> Resources for Texas School Librarians:
> http://txschoollibrarians.ning.com/
> http://txschoollibrarians.wikispaces.com/
>
> "Digital Resources" columnist
> School Library Journal
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
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> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:20:02 -0600
> From:    Mary Ludwick <ludwick@SWBELL.NET>
> Subject: Meteor Shower Dec. 13-14 in US
>
> What could be the best meteor display of the year will reach its peak on
> the
> night of Dec.13-14.
> Here is what astronomers David Levy and Stephen Edberg have written of the
> annual Geminid Meteor Shower: "If you have not seen a mighty Geminid
> fireball arcing gracefully across an expanse of sky, then you have not
> seen
> a meteor."
> The Geminids get their name from the constellation of Gemini, the Twins,
> because the meteors appear to emanate from a spot in the sky near the
> bright
> star Castor in Gemini.
> Also in Gemini this month is the planet Mars, nearing a close approach to
> the Earth later this month, and shining brilliantly with yellow-orange
> hue.
> To be sure, Mars is certain to attract the attention of prospective
> Geminid
> watchers this upcoming week.
> Reliable shower
> The Geminid Meteors are usually the most satisfying of all the annual
> showers, even surpassing the famous Perseids of August.
> Studies of past find the "Gems" have a reputation for being rich both in
> slow, bright, graceful meteors and fireballs as well as faint meteors,
> with
> relatively fewer objects of medium brightness.
> They are of medium speed, encountering Earth at 22 miles per second (35
> kps). They are bright and white, but unlike the Perseids, they leave few
> visible trails or streaks.
> They are four times denser than most other meteors, and have been observed
> to form jagged or divided paths.
> Geminids also stand apart from the other meteor showers in that they seem
> to
> have been spawned not by a comet, but by 3200 Phaethon, an Earth-crossing
> asteroid.
> Then again, the Geminids may be comet debris after all, for some
> astronomers
> consider Phaethon to really be the dead nucleus of a burned-out comet that
> somehow got trapped into an unusually tight orbit.
> Interestingly, on Dec. 10, Phaethon will be passing about 11 million miles
> (18 million kilometers) from Earth, its closest approach since its
> discovery
> in 1983.
> The prospects for this year
> The Geminids perform excellently in any year, but British meteor
> astronomer,
> Alastair McBeath, has categorized 2007 as a "great year."
> Last year's display was hindered somewhat by the moon, two days past last
> quarter phase. But this year, the moon will be at new phase on Dec. 9.
> On the peak night, the moon will be a fat crescent, in the south-southwest
> at dusk and setting soon after 8 p.m. That means that the sky will be dark
> and moonless for the balance of the night, making for perfect viewing
> conditions for the shower.
> According to McBeath, the Geminids are predicted to reach peak activity on
> Dec. 14 at 16:45 GMT.
> That means those places from central Asia eastwards across the Pacific
> Ocean
> to Alaska are in the best position to catch the very crest of the shower,
> when the rates conceivably could exceed 120 per hour.
> "But," he adds, "maximum rates persist at only marginally reduced levels
> for
> some 6 to 10 hours around the biggest ones, so other places (such as North
> America) should enjoy some fine Geminid activity as well."
> Indeed, under normal conditions on the night of maximum activity, with
> ideal
> dark-sky conditions, at least 60 to 120 Geminid meteors can be expected to
> burst across the sky every hour on the average. (Light pollution greatly
> cuts the numbers.)
> The Earth moves quickly through this meteor stream producing a somewhat
> broad, lopsided activity profile.
> Rates increase steadily for two or three days before maximum, reaching
> roughly above a quarter of its peak strength, then drop off more sharply
> afterward.
> Late Geminids, however, tend to be especially bright. Renegade forerunners
> and late stragglers might be seen for a week or more before and after
> maximum.
> What to do
> Generally speaking, depending on your location, Gemini begins to come up
> above the east-northeast horizon right around the time evening twilight is
> coming to an end. So you might catch sight of a few early Geminids as soon
> as the sky gets dark.
> There is a fair chance of perhaps catching sight of some "Earth-grazing"
> meteors.
> Earth grazers are long, bright shooting stars that streak overhead from a
> point near to even just below the horizon. Such meteors are so distinctive
> because they follow long paths nearly parallel to our atmosphere.
> The Geminids begin to appear noticeably more numerous in the hours after
> 10
> p.m. local time, because the shower's radiant is already fairly high in
> the
> eastern sky by then. The best views, however, come around 2 a.m., when
> their
> radiant point will be passing very nearly overhead.
> The higher a shower's radiant, the more meteors it produces all over the
> sky.
> http://www.space.com/spacewatch/071207-ns-geminids.html
> http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/12207486.html
> http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/03dec_asteroidshower.htm
>
>
> Mary Croix Ludwick
> Librarian, Thomas Haley Elementary
> Irving, Texas (near Dallas)
> mludwick@irvingisd.net
> ludwick@swbell.net (home)
>
>
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> End of LM_NET Digest - 11 Dec 2007 - Special issue (#2007-1139)
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