Testing... is This Thing On?

I haven't blogged in four years... Career change, life... Do I start again? Is anyone reading this? I love writing and reviewing books, even if it is for an audience of one. More coming soon... I think!

Web 2.0 Tools

Glogster
Great way to share posters and images you’ve made with friends

Prezi
Innovative way to share presentations without PowerPoint

Wallwisher
An online notice board maker (or bulletin board if you choose)

Animoto
Make beautiful videos from images in a snap

Blabberize
Make your images talk…that’s right.

Wordle
Create a beautiful aggregation of any amount of text

Voki
Get your own avatar and even have it talk with your voice

Scratch
Create and share stories, games, art, etc.

Storybird
Build your own stories (with images) and share them with others

ToonDooSpaces
Easily publish custom comic strips

Mosey lets you pick a location, easily choose places in the area that you’d like to “visit,” grab images off the web, shows the places on map, and lets you add notes. You’re then give a unique url address to your creation. It’s a good tool for geography class or for planning a real field trip.

emaze is a new slideshow creation tool that looks neat and pretty darn easy. TechCrunch says it hits the “Sweet Spot Between PowerPoint And Prezi.”

Pinwords lets you create visually attractive quotations and is especially nice because it’s web-based and lets you grab images off the web to use.

Make It Share It is new, and it seems to me that there isn’t an easier site out there to make simple animations. And it provides an embed code for your creation!

buncee lets you easily create simple multimedia creations — almost like an extended virtual postcard. You can grab media off the web and add text.

Sketchlot lets students…sketch and draw online. Teachers sign-up and can create a class roster letting students log-in, and drawings are embeddable.

I Wish You To lets you easily draw and create your own Ecards, which you can post, embed, and/or send to someone — and no registration is required.

Recursos Adolescentes

The Pew Hispanic Center has listed the top ten metropolitan areas in the US with the largest Latino population. The areas listed below represent nearly 45 percent of the nation’s Hispanic population. I was interested to see what these cities have to offer their teens through public and school library online resources (sites, blogs and Tumblrs). Here is the list and the links to Teen Library pages for each city.


Los Angeles Public Library

New York Public Library

Houston Public Library

San Bernindino (Didn't find a teen page)

Chicago Public Library 

Dallas Public Library 
Dallas Library Teen Blog (last post 1 year ago) 

Miami Public Library 

Phoenix Public Library

San Antonio Public Library 
San Antonio Teen Service Blog
 
Oakland Public Library
Oakland Library Teen Zone on Pinterest

San Francisco Public Library

Book Talk: The Miseducation of Cameron Post

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
Cameron Post is 12 years old when she kisses a girl for the first time and on that same night both of her parents die in a car accident. All she can think of is that she is relieved that her parents will never know her secret.  Cameron's born-again aunt comes to live with her and life for Cameron changes. Aunt Ruth takes Cameron to an evangelical church and has her join the teen church group. Although Cameron has always gone to church and has always believed in God, she isn't so sure that she believes in the ideas of this new, more conservative church.  The church brings in a reverend who has opened a school to "de-gay" teenagers... or "help bring them closer to God and away from their sinful same sex attraction disorder."
During a church breakfast, Coley Thomas appears. Coley is a gorgeous ranch girl who Cameron has had a crush on ever since she saw her in science class that fall. Coley quickly befriends Coley- all the while falling in love with her. One night while at Coley's house, the two girls kiss. This kiss means a whole lot more to Cameron than it does to Coley. To Cameron, this is it- love. To Coley, this is an experiment, a way to pass the days until her boyfriend returns from soccer camp. The girls continue to fool around all summer- and Cameron still believes that she might have a chance with Coley. After Coley gets an apartment in town, the girls have a chance to take their kissing to a whole new level. After dinner and a movie at Coley's, the 2 get  serious, only to be interrupted by Coley's older brother. After that, Coley avoids Cameron.
Two nights later when Cameron comes home, she is greeted by her Aunt and the preacher from church. Coley has told her parents that Cameron seduced her and tried to take advantage of her.  Aunt Ruth has decided that Cameron will go to Promise- the school that will teach her that being gay is a sin. The pamphlet even says that the opposite of homosexuality isn't heterosexuality, but holiness.  2 weeks later, Cameron arrives at Promise where she finds her true self- a girl who likes girls and knows that she doesn't need to be "fixed".

This book is long- nearly 500 pages. It is told by Cameron when she is a grown woman, reflecting on this period in her life. Although the characters are mesmerizing and the plot is amazing, some reluctant YA readers may find this hard to get through. All that said- it is an amazing coming of age novel and a novel that lets kids know that it is okay to be who they are and love whoever they want to love. The book also captures the essence of Montana through rich, descriptive writing. I have never been to Montana, but after reading this book, I almost felt as though I'd been there.

To learn more about the book, visit Cameron Post's Tumblr (This might make more sense AFTER you read the book!)
Visit Cameron's Dollhouse

Half Way Through The Miseducation of Cameron Post

Tumblarian Time!

Tumblarian: noun. A librarian who uses Tumblr to promote his or her library program.

 
I have been a loyal blogger for over 2 years now, and I will continue to be a loyal blogger... but, I worry that the only people who read my blog are other librarians and bloggers. Now that I am moving into a young adult library setting,  I need to put myself where the teens are! I am trying my hand at Tumblr- a place for teens to visit and learn about books, reading, libraries, current evens and pop culture. Like my daughter said, "Mom, you need to try and be cool." You can visit my Tumblr here! For a great list of Tumblarians, visit this list at Shhh! No Running in the Library.
Kathy Kaldenberg, Solon Teacher-Librarian, shared a fabulous article about librarians and Tumblr.  If you are a librarian who wants to reach your audience0 read it! Then head over to Tumblr and get started!

Here are some other Teen Library Tumblrs that I have been enjoying. If you have any great teen Tumblrs (public or school library) that I have missed- PLEASE share with me in the comment section! If you have a Tumblr, please share the link!

Davenport Public Library
Glendale Public Library Teens (This is the first Teen Library Tumblt I ever read!) 
GRPL Teens
Mercer Area Library Teens
Milton Library Teens
Pickering Public Library Teens
Shhh! No Running in the Library
Tiverton Library Teen Room
White Oak Teen Stuff at the Library
YA Books Central
YALSA 
Wells Library Teens

A Day to Celebrate!

As of today, the Federal Government may not discriminate against couples in a same sex marriage.

This is a historic day that will have a grand impact on the future of gay rights. Remember where you were today when you heard the news! You will want to tell your great grand kids about this day!

To learn more about today's historic decisions, check out some of these links!
GLAAD: Frequently Asked Questions
The Press Citizen: DOMA Struck Down, Iowa Gay Couples Could Get Federal Benefits
The Washington Post: Here's What You Need to Know
Freedom To Marry: Live Updates

Redrum