I'm inspired by this video. I've always wanted to show how things are here...but I always feel like I don't have enough time. Guess I will have to make it a priority. Looks like a great elementary!

Mid-Winter Break Book Suggestions by Ms. Janek

Mid-Winter Break Book Suggestions by Ms. Janek

I decided to try Wall Wisher out today.  I'm trying to get book suggestions for fun reading from the staff and students.  We'll see how it goes.

Just discovered visua.ly -- interesting infographics

Clarity by Kim Harrington - book review

Reviewer’s Name:  Klaudia Janek

School:  International Academy

Author (Last name first):  Harrington, Kim

Title of the Book: Clarity

Publisher:  Point and imprint of Scholastic

Date of Publication:  2011 ISBN# 978-0-545-23050-6

Price:  $16.99        Grade Level: S (Grades 9-12)     Number of Pages: 242

VOYA Rating: 4Q4P

Highly Recommended   

Clarity “Clare” Fern has psychic powers that make her an outcast in town, but she helps to support her family with her gifts.  Clare’s brother is a medium and Clare’s mom is a telepath.  The three of them run a business that provide readings to the tourists in their Cape Cod town.  Because of her supernatural powers, Clare has been the victim of bullying for most of her life.  As she has gotten older, boys have started noticing her because she is beautiful.  The town they live in is normally quiet, but then a murder occurs.  Because the victim has been associated with Clare’s brother, Perry, he is a suspect in the investigation.  Clare believes her brother is innocent and agrees to help with the case.  She is paired with her ex-boyfriend and a hot new boy in town, who happens to be the police chief’s son.  Things are tense with the ex-boyfriend, Justin and Clare is sure that once Gabriel, the hot guy, learns about her powers, he will not be interested in her.  They try to put their differences aside, to help solve the murder.  Strange things begin to happen in town and Clare gets closer to solving the crime.

This is a great book for readers who love mysteries.  The humor in the book made for some lighthearted parts. The story is narrated by Clare, so you get her point of view on events.  It was a fast paced read and the action did not really slow down until the end.  The murder is solved by the end of the story.  The reader will get a glimpse of what is to come in the next book.  This is definitely a fun book to escape into for a while.  I would recommend this book to older readers because some of the content is a little graphic.  The details of the murder, Perry sleeping with a lot of girls, and a description of sex make this inappropriate for some younger readers.  I think this would be a good purchase for most high school libraries and public libraries.  It’s a good recommendation to readers of YA mysteries.  I also think it has pretty broad appeal because of the popularity of supernatural fiction right now.  Once you start reading, you won’t want to put it down.


Here is the author's blog: http://kimharrington.blogspot.com/

The publisher made a great book trailer!

Supernaturally BOOK REVIEW

Reviewer’s Name:  Klaudia Janek

School:  International Academy

Author (Last name first):  White, Kiersten

Title of the Book:  Supernaturally

Publisher:  HarperTeen: a imprint of HarperCollins Publishers           Date of Publication:  2011 ISBN#  978-0-06-198586-7

Price:  $17.99        Grade Level: J/S     Number of Pages: 342

VOYA Rating: 3Q3P

Recommended

Supernaturally is the second book in the trilogy by Kiersten White.  Evie and all the paranormal & human characters are back for a new adventure.  Evie has been trying to fit into a normal high school and have a normal life.  However, her old boss shows up with a boy named Jack.  Evie ends up on several harrowing adventures with him.  Jack is the only human that can navigate the Faerie Realms.  Evie begins to question her relationship with her boyfriend, Lend. 

Evie begins to find normal life somewhat dull, though she is still fine with it.  However, she reluctantly tells her former boss, Raquel, that she would be willing to take on small jobs with the International Paranormal Containment Agency.  She figured she’s just going to track down a few vampires; but there has been a upheaval in the paranormal community and her missions turn out to be a bit more dangerous.

As the second book, the story answers some questions left over from the first book.  It definitely leads into the third and final book.  I do not think this is a book that would be enjoyed by a reader who did not read the first book.  There are so many paranormal characters that were introduced in the first book – which was a little overwhelming.  This story is a continuation, without any introductions.  If a library has the first book, they should definitely purchase the second book.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about this trilogy when I first started it, but after a while, I couldn’t stop.  This book has appeal to readers who enjoy paranormal romances.  There is a bit of comedy in White’s books that most readers will laugh at.  I would say that the books are appropriate in content for middle school to high school.  Nothing stood out as objectionable.  This quick, enjoyable read will provide readers with an escape into a world filled with paranormal beings.

Mexico IB Workshop

I led my 1st IB Extended Essay Workshop in Mexico City!  It was stressful, but successful :)  A lot of planning and organizing to make sure things went smoothly.  The teachers and administrators at the school were great!  I wish I would have had an extra couple of days to stay with them.

I did get to extend my stay to visit with friends and do some sightseeing.  I have over 300 pictures.  I may have been a bit of a shutterbug.

It's hard to share my experience with students because the experience was more professional than having a direct impact in the classroom.  But I did manage to buy some Day of the Dead decorations, make Mexican flags and put up some of my photos.  I put up my favorite pictures that sort of defined my impressions of Mexico City.  I put captions next to my pictures for the students to read and let the Spanish teachers in my building know what I did.  So, I AM sharing my experiences and I hope the students will enjoy my pictures.

New EdTech Stuff to try

Some new and not so new Educational Technology.  I just shared this with my staff.

Across the curriculum:
Diigo http://diigo.com/ - online bookmarking service

International-mindedness in a nutshell via the global wombat? Just for fun. http://www.globalcommunity.org/flash/wombat.shtml

40 interesting ways to use QR Codes http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/Heather_at_Oxford-1214900-using-qr-codes-the-classroom/

Math:
Yummy Math http://www.yummymath.com/  - is a website designed for the purpose of
sharing mathematics problems and scenarios based on
things happening in the world today.

Web 2.0 Scientific Calculator http://web2.0calc.com/ - can be embedded into Moodle or other website.

Science:
Chemistry Education Digital Library http://www.chemeddl.org/
Sumanas http://www.sumanasinc.com/webcontent/animation.html
Periodic Table of Comic Books http://www.uky.edu/Projects/Chemcomics/index.html
Google Body Browser - http://www.zygotebody.com/#

History:
Time Rime -  http://www.timerime.com/  allows users to create timelines that include text, images,
audio, and video.
History Pin - http://www.historypin.com/

Language Arts:
Visuwords – online graphical dictionary http://www.visuwords.com/

Health & PE:
Sugar Stacks http://www.sugarstacks.com/