#11 Library Thing

I really like the idea of keeping a list of the books in my library at home, or the ones that I love that I have read. I have set a goal of reading one new book a month in each of the following categories: adult fiction, J fiction, Y fiction, YA fiction, mystery, and romance. This will be a great place to keep track of the progress I am making. Check it out at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/stimaxhomeschool.

#10 Avatars

I have now set up an avatar for my home Yahoo account, but can't seem to get it transfered to this format. I went in and made an M&M avatar, but they were hving issues with their server and couldn't save it (http://www.becomeanmm.com/). so much for productivity here, but they are fun to play around with.

Merlin #9

I have signed up for an account with Merlin and looked through the site. I like the fact that you can find out quickly about state events and training opportunities. It helps to integrate the state and utilize one another's resources. I have signed up for an account, and will be checking Merlin to see what news there is state wide.

As a part-time employee, I know that the library invests a huge amount of time to training for all aspects of this job--and now with the 23 things, it is really all encompassing. I have had a difficult time really understanding how to accomplish these tasks, but it is finally coming together and I think I will be able to tap into it in the future. It certainly raises the level of professional attitude in the workplace!

I used the link from Merlin to set up a facebook account--let's see if my college son will answer me and let me be a "friend"! Somehow I doubt it!

rss feeds and newsreader

I went to Syndic8 to find a blog I could subscribe to. I found Teen Reads at http://www.ccrls.org/woodburn/rss/teens.rss so I could find out what teens think about books they have read. It looks like a new blog, but it will be interesting to see how it develops over time.

I then went to the Reader's Club site and I found what I thought would be useful sites for reader's advisory and personal reading lists. I think I will really be able to utilize this input from the 10 sites I subscribed to, and will expand rss as I find new and interesting sites.

Mashups

Mashups are very unique ways to find information on the net. I went to the mashup awards site and found a virtual video map to find videos that have been posted on youtube based on location on a map. The tags on the videos determine if they are pulled onto the mashup. The url is http://mashupawards.com/virtualvideomap/ and I think it could be very helpful in planning vacations or any trips that you would want to research.

Family in Africa

While my kids Were in Zambia, they made a video titled,"What NOT to do in Africa", along with the other teens that went with them. My son, Garrett, is the moderator, and my daughter, Ellie, is one of the blonde girls in the skits. She has a striped shirt on, so you know which one she is. Check it out at

Summer's End-almost

My husband and two of my children just returned from a trip to Zambia where they were helping at small village outside the capital city of Lusaka. An orphanage is under construction there and they worked at the site as well as with the people of the area. They had an opportunity to work at the local school with 300 children who attend there. They also helped with painting and other work in the area.

The thing that seemed the most stirring to them was the poverty--the average wage is $1 per day. The families live in mud huts with thatched roofs, no running water and holes in the ground for toilets. The children are very curious and were fascinated with all the white people in their village. They took soccer balls and left them there for the kids to play with--you would have thought they were given a million dollars! The kids were thrilled to have something to play with, as they have no toys at all.

One of the goals we as parents had for our children was to have our kids appreciate all the good things they have, and that the rest of the world doesn't have them. That goal was met. My son, who is now getting ready to go off to college, suddenly doesn't care so much about the color of his comforter, or if he has the right materials. He has seen how bad others have it, and is grateful for a warm bed, clean clothes and good food.

I will try to post some of the pictures of the trip, so you can see what it was like. It was a true adventure.