Alice in InfoLandhttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/realities, illusions, and magic potions for school/library/lifeen-US2009-07-04T14:59:29ZSquarespace Site Server v5.5.4 (http://www.squarespace.com/)Seven Things You Don’t (Need to) Know about Me - A Memehttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/seven-things-you-dont-need-to-know-about-me-a-meme.htmlAlice2008-12-31T18:56:19ZLife LessonsI’ve been tagged by Cathy Nelson for this perennial meme. Since I listed five things when Doug Johnson tagged me two years ago, I’ll just add these items to the list:

1. I am incorrigibly curious. My parents were educators, and the daily dinner question was “so what did you DISCOVER today?” (note: not learned; discovered. BIG difference.) That curiosity has occasionally gotten me in trouble … On the way to the hospital to have my first child, I stopped to read an historical marker near the hospital entrance. My husband got to the admitting desk only to discover that I was still a half-block behind him. The next time I was pregnant, he insisted that I read every signpost along all the possible routes to the hospital each time we went for a check-up, just to make sure that there would be no “delays” this time.

2. Although I am probably the most tech-savvy of my immediate friends and family, the truth is that I have NO idea how computers actually work. There could be little green men in pointy hats frantically shuffling index cards inside each of those machines to make the magic happen. I know how to USE the magic as needed, but don’t understand (or even need to know) how those technologies work. I’m just grateful for the opportunities and adventures that cyber-connections provide!

and a bonus:
3. I am a certified klutz.  But most of you knew that about me already.

Now I tag Sara, Carl, Lazygal, Chris, Diane, Sophie, and Brian.

]]>100 things memehttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/100-things-meme.htmlAlice2008-12-25T22:36:15ZDiversions Life LessonsBeen there, done that? I wonder who came up with this list, and how culturally biased it is.

In any case, I’ve bolded those items I have already done, and italicized those I’m still hoping to get to, someday, somehow:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/Disneyworld
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

]]>Misgiving Dayhttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/misgiving-day.htmlAlice2008-11-29T21:20:28ZLife LessonsDid you know about this annual observance? Observed (obviously not an occasion for celebration) on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving, *Misgiving Day* “is designed to break the arc of forced bonhomie that extends from Thanksgiving, hits its apogee at Christmas, and climaxes on New Year’s Eve.” Here is our opportunity to “rue our excesses, our sins of commission and omission, and the overall shallowness of our existence not to mention the gluttony of the recent holiday.”
Anyone care to join me in some sour mash?

]]>Banned Books Weekhttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/banned-books-week.htmlAlice2008-09-25T18:18:05ZBannedBooksWeekSeptember 27 - October 4, 2008: celebrate the freedom to read whatever you want, wherever/whenever/however you want.
And if you don’t think you’ve got anything lying around that befits the occasion, try this list of *25 Banned Books That You Should Read Today*, from DegreeDirectory.
Hmmmm… the only title on that list that I haven’t read is American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis. I wonder what that says about me?

]]>Let a smile be your umbrellahttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/let-a-smile-be-your-umbrella.htmlAlice2008-09-20T17:07:01ZDiversionsIn these unsettling times, I depend on daily doses of the following comic-strips:

Brevity: http://www.comics.com/comics/brevity/index.html
Day by Day: http://www.daybydaycartoon.com
Frazz: http://www.comics.com/comics/frazz/
Get Fuzzy: http://www.comics.com/comics/getfuzzy/index.html
Indexed: http://indexed.blogspot.com/
9 Chickweed Lane: http://www.comics.com/comics/chickweed/index.html
Non Sequitur: http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/
Savage Chickens: http://www.savagechickens.com/
Shelf Check: http://shelfcheck.blogspot.com/
Unshelved: http://www.unshelved.com/

and thanks to the magic of RSS feeds, I get to read these online, wherever I am!

]]>Been there, done thathttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/been-there-done-that.htmlAlice2008-08-22T17:41:42ZDiversionsAbject apologies! I just returned from my daily swim on the beautiful Fijian beach and realised I have not updated this since the long board was invented… You would not believe how much more of a drama I could make that. I prostrate myself in sorrow and beg thy forgiveness..

I am hopped up on caffeine with discovering time doesn’t stand still, choosing my retirement village, just generally being a terrible burden to anyone unfortunate to cross my path. My day drifts aimlessly from when the light through yonder window breaks until I see the last of my darling’s 10000 text messages. Remember that life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get — and I’ve been visiting the chocolate factory right here in town too often.

I won’t promise anything to you but I will make more of an effort to blog more often. No, really! I will write more to certain yous; but it might not be you in particular who I write to.

Created by the *Lazy Bloggers Post Generator* — after noting examples from Doug et al.
Now it’s YOUR turn!

]]>Web 2.0 explainedhttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/web-20-explained.htmlAlice2008-08-14T14:51:30ZCheck it out Well saidThe best ever — and simplest — explanation of what web 2.0 and social networking is all about:
http://indexed.blogspot.com/2008/08/this-is-what-20-means.html
And if you have never explored the brilliance of Indexed, go there now!!

]]>Meme: 5 things policy-makers ought to knowhttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/meme-5-things-policy-makers-ought-to-know.htmlAlice2008-08-11T05:08:37ZBrain crumbs Chalk Dust PolitipsCathy Nelson tagged me with this meme, originally started by Nancy Flanagan, so here goes:
Five Things Policy-Makers Ought to Know:

1. If you're going to mandate a new initiative, then you need to FUND that initiative. Do not expect schools/districts to find money for your newly legislated requirements, just because you 'said so.' NCLB's ridiculous requirements have meant the elimination of too many programs that made kids think creatively and critically beyond the narrow parameters of the TEST.

2. Assessment and accountability can be measured in many ways beyond standardized testing. Robots can pass tests. That doesn't mean they can think on their own. AYP doesn't consider the intangibles that make kids want to learn. Effective teachers have myriad (not necessarily "score-able") ways to encourage and evaluate student learning.

3. Walk the walk before you shoot your mouth off: every wannabe BoE member and/or central office administrator should be required to substitute teach for at least a month -- at the elementary, middle, and high school levels -- so they know what it's really like in the trenches.

4. There should be term limits for ALL elected/appointed policy-makers. Entrenched doesn't always mean enlightened. 'We've always done it that way' is not a viable rationale for any decision. Times change, cultures change, and new viewpoints often bring new solutions.

5. Effective -- and fully-funded -- library programs need to be an integral part of every school. No, you can't get all the info you need on the InterWeb. You need school librarians to guide your students and teachers to the best resources, and to the skills/strategies that will help them become informed citizens.

I tag Sara Kelly Johns, Kristin Fontichiaro, and Francey Harris.

Technorati Tags: , , ]]>Harry Potter rides againhttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/harry-potter-rides-again.htmlAlice2008-08-01T06:35:28ZCheck it out Diversionsjust-released trailer, it looks like the darkest episode yet, with flashbacks to young Tom Riddle's early days. I'll be curious to see whether this movie pulls in the same crowds as the previous ones... has Harry's appeal diminished since the last book was published?
]]>My favorite podcastshttp://www.aliceinfo.org/blog/my-favorite-podcasts.htmlAlice2008-08-01T00:16:27ZBrain crumbs Diversions Techno-glitzI am addicted to *TEDtalks*. TED (for Technology, Entertainment, Design) began in 1984 as a way to bring people from those three industries together to exchange ideas. Since then the annual TED conference has expanded to include coverage of ‘science, business, the arts, and global issues facing our world,’ as 1000 attendees gather in Long Beach CA for four days to see/hear “the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers…give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes.” There’s no way I could ever afford to attend the actual conference (tickets sell out a year in advance), but now many of the presentations are available online in both audio and video formats. If you’re new to TEDtalks, start by downloading the *top 10 TED talks highlights video*, to get a sense of the variety of subjects available. You can search for talks by theme, topic, or speaker, or just subscribe to the audio or video podcasts via iTunes.
I listen to the audio versions while driving, and lately I’ve been downloading the videos to show/share with the residents of my mother’s nursing home. 20 minutes is just enough for these 90-year-olds’ attention spans, and it’s certainly a change from daytime television!

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