The Daring Librarian

Exciting times ahead! As Lady FauxGa said above the ISTE conference in San Diego is being held from June 24-27 and is the largest ed tech gathering IN THE WORLD! (Don't miss my post: Daring Conference Packing Tips & Tricks ) A Life-Changing Ed-Tech Event My first NECC (now ISTE) conference was in 2007 - Atlanta - was epic! It's also where Kathy Schrock first introduced to me the virtual world of Second Life! See, I had been presenting every year at my state ISTE affiliate MSET since 1996 but had never had the moolah $ or the gumption to go to the "big show" until 2007. When I finally decided that saving all year for the conference was the best investment in my professional growth...I was forever changed. It was crazy! Overhwelming! Exhausting! But mostly it was amazingly inspiring and it challenged me to "step up' my professional game and to seriously dedicate myself to being the best educator and change agent I could be. So, if you're ...

Hi! My name is Gwyneth and I was a Gleek in high school. Though there was no name for that, then. It was the 80's and I was an alternative / new wave / hardcore punk rock chick with short spiky red & dyed black hair who had a part-time job at Kemp Mill Records (!), wearing skinny vintage men's ties & round band buttons & who hung out with the other freaks behind the high school on the theater loading dock. There's nothing that said bad-ass in 1983 like a black leather Members Only jacket adorned with safety pins. BwaHaHa! Was I teased? You Bet!...Bullied? Hmm, occasionally. Though snarky charm has always been my armor. Sometimes tough as iron and sometimes tissue thin. (Pssst! Keep reading for my first FREE BOOK Giveaway!) Having lots of friends in studio art, music-theater & punk rock scene, I had lots of LGBT & geeky friends who were reeeeally bullied. And it sucked! I guess the term Ally wasn't created then, either. I guess I was just a f...

Sorry guys...men...dudes. Half of this post contains girlie talk. Here's a post that features Zombies . (anyone who doesn't have a Zombie Survival Plan...I just think is short sighted! Just sayin.) This post features packing tips for conferences. Travel Tech, Clothes, Makeup, Tips, & Tricks. Some might be non-girlie! But most are pretty darn girlie! For the guys let me start with the n on-girlie! (Also, don't miss my blog post ISTE12: Let's Go to San Diego! ) Techie Packing Tips Powerstripping I always pack a powerstrip. Actually, I bring two. One regular lightweight blue (so I can't lose it) power strip and one Belkin powerbar w/2 USB charge docks! Belkin Mini Surge Protector Dual USB Charger . Sometimes hotel rooms need more power! I'm a geek so I have a LOT of electronics. Check out my Gadget-A-Go-Go page for some of my "must have" toys. Power strips make friends! If you're in a session room & near a wall with only ...

I updated & improved my QR Code Quest Scavenger Hunt lesson I previously blogged about this year & used it again with my AWEsome ESOL kids & 6th graders. I wanted to share those changes with you because it seems as if you like QR codes! Of my top 5 most viewed blog posts 3 have to do with QR codes (and yes, you know I'm barmy for 'em!) In fact, the first posting about this lesson has had, as of today, 17+K hits! WOWIE! Improved worksheet and graphic clues! I found that I needed to make the scavenger hunt questions simpler & the clues more graphic. (click photo at left to see a larger size) In doing so, I also had the chance to (finally!) make an avatar for my long time (20 years!) long suffering angel of an assistant Mrs. Black! After I created it on Go!Animate Character Creator (Comic World) I then Photoshopped it adding the University of Maryland Terps logo onto her cute red t-shirt because she's a U of M alum & a super fan! This lesson I'...