The small group hot topic presentation on Civil Liberties totally shocked me.
I feel sort of stupid for not knowing about it before, but apparently the US Government will be implementing a program for a mandatory national ID card, implanted with an RFID chip, which will virtually render null and void all privacy. Our driver's licenses and passports will no longer be enough; we will all have to be in possession of these ID cards by May 2008.
"Every move you make" is a great lyric from an 80s Sting song, "I'll Be Watching You". I was never disturbed to hear Sting's voice making that promise, but I surely am not thrilled about the idea of Uncle Sam spying on every purchase I make.
I'm going to forward this youtube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7pHb7bPfMc
to all of my friends and contact my local representative to lobby against the REAL ID program.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Librarians I have loved
Two weeks ago, I went to a local funeral parlor to pay my respects to an old friend whose father had passed away. As I was leaving, I was delighted to see Mrs. Mueskes, who was one of the librarians at my community library when I was a little girl. I was so excited to see her and to tell her that I was beginning the Fast Track program in Library Science. Mrs. Mueskes was always so kind and helpful -- she truly enjoyed helping library patrons of all ages find just the right book. She would always greet each patron by name, welcoming us back to the library and offering to help us find what we were looking for (or to recommend a new selection if we were in the mood for something new!)
I've also been reflecting upon the other prominent librarians in my life. Mrs. Schubert was my elementary school librarian from kindergarten to third grade. She was a tiny little lady who wore a beehive hairdo (in the 1980s!) and never tired of showing us all kinds of new things. I particularly remember a unit on dinosaurs she taught when I was in first grade -- I became temporarily obsessed with the triceratops and just couldn't get enough of them. Mrs. Schubert was only too happy to meet my need for more information! She was also the woman who taught me how to use the card catalog. I can vividly recall the beige cardstock and the smell of wood and dust when the drawers were opened!
After third grade, my elementary school was closed and turned into a nursing home. At my new school, I met Miss D'Alessio, who was eager to help each of us find something new to get excited about. She helped me find and read every single book in the collection about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I always looked forward to my time in the library, because our new school was so big and scary -- and I knew that the library was safe. I learned to orient myself around the building in relation to the library!
These three women were very important in my life. They fueled my love of reading and made me feel confident in my ability to ask questions and find answers. I think of them with great admiration and respect, and look forward to emulating them in my future career as a librarian.
I've also been reflecting upon the other prominent librarians in my life. Mrs. Schubert was my elementary school librarian from kindergarten to third grade. She was a tiny little lady who wore a beehive hairdo (in the 1980s!) and never tired of showing us all kinds of new things. I particularly remember a unit on dinosaurs she taught when I was in first grade -- I became temporarily obsessed with the triceratops and just couldn't get enough of them. Mrs. Schubert was only too happy to meet my need for more information! She was also the woman who taught me how to use the card catalog. I can vividly recall the beige cardstock and the smell of wood and dust when the drawers were opened!
After third grade, my elementary school was closed and turned into a nursing home. At my new school, I met Miss D'Alessio, who was eager to help each of us find something new to get excited about. She helped me find and read every single book in the collection about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I always looked forward to my time in the library, because our new school was so big and scary -- and I knew that the library was safe. I learned to orient myself around the building in relation to the library!
These three women were very important in my life. They fueled my love of reading and made me feel confident in my ability to ask questions and find answers. I think of them with great admiration and respect, and look forward to emulating them in my future career as a librarian.
Library as community center
When I was growing up, my mother would take my sister and I for weekly library trips. I always looked forward to these chances to browse the stacks, perusing and selecting an armload of new books to enjoy. In the summertimes, we would visit the library in the middle of our pool days, since the municipal plaza held the borough pool, tennis courts, library, police station, and borough offices.
When I got older, my friends and I would meet to do research on school projects. The librarians were always so helpful and never seemed to mind when we'd get a little bit silly.
I love the ways that libraries serve as community centers. I know that the libraries in the surrounding communities offer many enticing programs: children's, tweens and teens book clubs, a speaker series, travelogues, literacy training, seminars in internet safety, technology training for retirees, CPR certification, the works.
The idea of digital libraries can take this concept of the library as a beacon of community growth and development to new heights. John Willinsky really focuses on the concept of the library as a tool for social activism in his book The Access Principle. It excites me to think about the ways that I might contribute to improving the lives of others by serving as a librarian.
When I got older, my friends and I would meet to do research on school projects. The librarians were always so helpful and never seemed to mind when we'd get a little bit silly.
I love the ways that libraries serve as community centers. I know that the libraries in the surrounding communities offer many enticing programs: children's, tweens and teens book clubs, a speaker series, travelogues, literacy training, seminars in internet safety, technology training for retirees, CPR certification, the works.
The idea of digital libraries can take this concept of the library as a beacon of community growth and development to new heights. John Willinsky really focuses on the concept of the library as a tool for social activism in his book The Access Principle. It excites me to think about the ways that I might contribute to improving the lives of others by serving as a librarian.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
emerging from the pit
I've been woefully behind on my blog. It's the end of the school year and I have been buried in a pit of research papers and literary analysis essays. I am finally beginning to emerge from the "pit of despair"and rejoin the land of the living (and the land of the bloggers!)
As I've been wallowing in my grading responsibilities, I've been pondering how technology might change the role of the English teacher in the years to come. Although I have occasionally used the "add comments" feature on Word to offer comments to my students on drafts, I find the program cumbersome and only use it for a few papers -- when I have whole class sets, I use the trusty colored pens instead and put my reflections in cursive on the student essay. Some of my colleagues have begun to use blogs to continue class discussion outside of school, but not in replacement of composing actual essays.
In the fall, two of my fellow English department members attended a teacher workshop focused on brain research. The presenter discussed the ways that the brains of today's teenagers differ from the brains of the teenagers of the past. Since these youngsters have grown up with a myriad of technology, they are "hardwired" to respond to technology.
As I've been wallowing in my grading responsibilities, I've been pondering how technology might change the role of the English teacher in the years to come. Although I have occasionally used the "add comments" feature on Word to offer comments to my students on drafts, I find the program cumbersome and only use it for a few papers -- when I have whole class sets, I use the trusty colored pens instead and put my reflections in cursive on the student essay. Some of my colleagues have begun to use blogs to continue class discussion outside of school, but not in replacement of composing actual essays.
In the fall, two of my fellow English department members attended a teacher workshop focused on brain research. The presenter discussed the ways that the brains of today's teenagers differ from the brains of the teenagers of the past. Since these youngsters have grown up with a myriad of technology, they are "hardwired" to respond to technology.
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