Clear Lake Librarian

Check out this Cool Mapping Website

2012-02-15T05:53:00.000-08:00

Find the setting of a book on the world map

this site uses Google Maps to help you find fiction works according to their geographical settings. When you visit Novels on Location, you can find novels by clicking on the placemarks that you see or by using the location search bar in the upper right corner of the site. If you want to contribute to Novels on Location, simply enter a location and then enter the title and author of your favorite book set in that location.

Scale Factoring in Geometry

2012-02-08T12:13:00.000-08:00

Kayla De La Fuente
did an awesome job in Ms Trisna's class. Students were asked to choose a small photo and dilate the picture by a given scale factor. Check out the result.

Celebrate Black History Month By Reading this Amazing Book

2012-02-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

The Science and History Behind the Book

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

January 30th - Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day

2012-01-30T10:27:00.000-08:00

Watch the video!

Bubble Wrap under the Microscope from Facts On File

Virtual Bubble Wrap Popping
Pop some virtual Bubble Wrap Now!

Scroll Down until it lets you Pop the Bubble Wrap

Clear Lake NGC - Making a Difference

2012-01-26T07:39:00.000-08:00

January 20 - Snowplow Mailbox Hockey Day

2012-01-20T06:48:00.000-08:00

It’s quite difficult to celebrate this holiday in Houston because few of us own snowplows. The point of the holiday is painfully self-explanatory, but if you need some further explanation, here it is:

You get behind the wheel of a snowplow, preferably in a suburban or rural area, and maniacally drive around hitting other people's mailboxes.

It's guaranteed to be loads of winter fun. Extra points if you can avoid an arraignment!

Note:
We do not endorse the destruction of property, and you should remember that mailboxes are government property. So please, do not seriously celebrate Snowplow Mailbox Hockey Day.

Google Has Gone Dark

2012-01-18T07:58:00.001-08:00

What does this mean for you?

Library Fundraiser At Kemah Boardwalk

2011-11-15T13:43:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Weekend - Friday November 25th - Sunday November 27th

Discount Flyer

Veterans Day 11 11 11

2011-11-11T11:32:00.000-08:00

I attended the first ever CLHS Veterans Day Parade with Mrs. Voor's class

See the Slideshow

Passionately Pink and Cancer Awareness Week

2011-11-03T06:06:00.000-07:00

CLHS Libraries and StuCo would like to thank everyone who participated in Cancer Awareness Week. Through your generosity , we raised $1000.00

$700.00 for the Susan G Komen Foundation
$300.00 for the American Cancer Society

The party was fun too!!

Monster Madness Was a Big Hit!

2011-11-03T05:57:00.000-07:00

Quite a few students came in to participate.

Deadline has been extended to 1:30 today.

2011-10-28T06:15:00.000-07:00

Winners will be announced on Monday, October 31

View the Monsters

Entry form

Join the Fun! Monster Madness @ Your Library

2011-10-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

Staff and students are welcome to participate. One entry per person. You can pick up an entry blank or enter online. Teachers who get their students to enter the contest will be entered in a drawing for a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble.

Proud To Be Nerds - Homecoming 2011

2011-10-12T08:08:00.000-07:00

View the slideshow

Twin Day - Of Course We Want to Look Like Dr. Bass!

2011-10-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

Melissa de la Cruz will be coming to CLHS

2011-10-03T12:36:00.000-07:00

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Melissa de la Cruz will be coming to CLHS for an author visit at 1:30 pm on Friday, October 14! She is the author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat. She will be touring for her newest book in the BLUE BLOODS series, LOST IN TIME. Preview the Book trailers for a glimpse inside the works of Melissa de la Cruz.

Books including Lost in Time which will be released on September 27, will be for sale in the main building library beginning Monday, October 3. All books purchased will be personally autographed on the day of the visit. For more information look for the flier in the library or on the Library page on e4/Blackboard

Glos and World Geography

2011-09-28T11:26:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Gloss came in today to do a project using livebinders.

We even spilled into the "annex"

Banned Books Week

2011-09-26T10:17:00.000-07:00

Banned Books Week 2011

CLHS NGC

September 24 - October 1

Thanks to the faculty for your support

View the Slideshow

World Geography -First Impressions and Google Docs

2011-09-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

Mrs.Voor brought her students to the library on Friday to do a great project using Google Docs.

Here are some more pictures

9 11 2011 Choose to make a positive difference

2011-09-07T06:31:00.000-07:00

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110905/NEWS01/309050024/Heroes-return-New-York?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CNews%20Nation%20&%20World%7Cp

Melissa De La Cruz Coming to CLHS October 14

2011-08-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

The epic sixth installment in Melissa de la Cruz’s New York Times and USA Today best-selling Blue Bloods series.
Learn More about the author on her website.
Melissa delacruz

Meet the author when she comes to the

Clear Lake High School Auditorium on

October 14, 2011

Check out the "New and Improved" lab 116

2011-08-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

The lab has now been updated with a scan converter set up for the teacher workstation and 27 working student computers! Come check it out!

What Books Should we Buy?

2011-08-26T11:23:00.000-07:00

https://docs.google.com/a/ccisd.net/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dE9keUJxa3hyX2hwZlViMlpKa3o1SFE6MQ#gid=0

Help us buy books for the library. If there is a book you would especially like to read, you can either do an Inter-library loan, and get it from another campus, or you can add to our Purchase List by filling out this form.

Freshmen Assembly

2011-08-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

Here we are gathered in the Gym to learn Rules, Regulations, and What Not to Wear! :)

Read 'Til It Rains!

2011-08-26T07:52:00.000-07:00

https://docs.google.com/a/ccisd.net/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dDBVVlFOTnhzbHRmb1ZnSFFveTJFOWc6MQ#gid=0

Welcome Class of 2015

2011-08-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought that after weeks without rain, the rain would come just as we were getting ready to go to the field house for our very first Freshman Assembly! We barely recognized the liquid coming from the sky.

Thing 23 - Summarize my thoughts

2009-07-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

1. Some of my favorite discoveries were: Flickr, Bighugelabs.com, Delicious, and Rollyo. I had heard a little bit about most of the 23 things, and told myself that I would take time to look at them. I'm so very glad that I made the decision to do this course this summer. It was well worth it!
2. The program has affected my lifelong learning goals my giving me a stress free, fun and manageable way to look at the great technology tools available to us as educators. As much as I wanted to explore these tools, I was a little apprehensive.
3. The only unexpected outcome for me was that these tools are really fun to use and very user friendly. I expected this to be much more difficult.
4. I can't think of any changes I would make in this course - except for the ones you've already made. I would like to explore more of the 43 things and counting that are available now, and I think that you've already added a part 2 for "graduates" of this course.
5. I would definately participate in another offering like this, and am hoping to be part of setting up this type of course in my own district.
6. This was Amazingly Fun!!

Thing 22 Nings

2009-07-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

I like the idea of being able to set up your own social network. The possibilities are indeed seemingly endless. My high school class reunion was organized this summer using Facebook, and it really was an easy way to get a very diverse group of people together for a common purpose, but I'm not really comfortable interacting with students using Facebook.

The ning concept seems that it would be much more workable for professional endeavors. It's much more customizable. Although I intend to spend more time exploring the teacher librarian ning, I think that for the foreseeable future in my library we'll begin with the wiki concept.

Thing 21 Create a Pod cast

2009-07-20T11:40:00.000-07:00

My district provided me with Camtasia Studio, so I used that to create my podcast which describes creating a resource list in our library catalog.

Thing 20 - YouTube, Teacher Tube, and Zamzar

2009-07-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

This was a lot of fun. I appreciated the helpful tips on embeding video. I really liked using Blinkx, and am hoping that Zamzar will not only be useful for video, but for other file conversions as well. I'm wondering if it might potentially work on seemingly corrupt files, or files that have been saved in a newer software version than the one we have on school computers. I found several history videos that would be helpful in some of our research classes, and I found some movie trailers that we might be able to use to promote our Collaborative Library Dept/ History Dept Movie nights this fall.

This video just made me laugh, and I needed a laugh.

Thing 19 Web 2.0 Awards

2009-07-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

I don't think I could just pick one thing from the list! I've learned about so many new tools in this program, and I'm really excited to start using them. So far, I think my favorites are Del.icio.us, and Rollyo. I believe my interest in these stems from my desire to better organize my favorite websites, and to improve the help I give my patrons with research projects.

I'm also excited with what I've learned about wikis, and am interested in working more with my colleagues to improve our workflow as a district team.

Beyond that, I want to utilize Library Thing and Google Docs because I know these are useful tools as well.

Really!!! So many tools - So little time.

Thing 18 - Online Productivity Tools

2009-07-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

Open Office would be a Godsend to anyone who couldn't afford to purchase a software suite. It seems to provide all of the tools needed for productivity in the workplace. However, nothing worthwhile is free. There is always a catch. I would be afraid to rely on this "free" tool only to find out at some point that it would no longer be available. However, if a business or a school district couldn't afford to purchase software, this would be a viable option.

Our students often have problems using Microsoft Office at school. They have a newer version of the software at home, and come to class and can't access their work. We tell them to save work in a "lower version",but sometimes they don't, or the file is corrupted or ... I will definitely look at this as an option when students are working on class projects.

I like Google docs, and have used many of the templates for projects I'm working on. However, I worry about security and would not want to store something of a proprietary nature on the Google server.

Thing 17 Rollyo

2009-07-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

This will be a great tool for Research and comparison of data. I registered and edited a list of History websites from a Pathfinder.
Here is my Rollyo - History Research: http://rollyo.com/jpenning/history_research/
I plan to update the resource lists on our library page.

I think students would also get more of a sense of ownership if when doing website evaluation they could have input to the list of acceptable resources. It would be a great part of the assignment.

Thing 16 Wikis

2009-07-13T15:10:00.001-07:00

I can think of so many ways to use Wikis in the library! I really think this is the way to go with our library pathfinders. I really liked the examples that I saw. I also think that we could save a lot of unproductive committee meeting time by using wikis.

Thing 15 Library 2.0 Future of Libraries

2009-07-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

I have been a librarian for fewer than 10 years, and have seen so many changes already that sometimes it boggles my mind to think of where we might be in 5 years, in 10 years... BUT as a profession we have always tried to be collaborative, customer friendly, and welcoming.

I personally work very hard to embrace the changes that bring daily challenges to my work space and my patrons. I take to heart the comment that "if our services can't be used without training... fix the service" but I also understand that we serve patrons at both ends of the technology spectrum, and we must continue to realize, while moving ahead and embracing the tools of the 21st century, that we can't ignore patrons who need help bridging the technology gap, and we can't ignore patrons who come to the library for a human interaction.

I think the challenge is to be there 24/7 in web 2.0, but also to realize that some patrons want and need the brick and mortar library as well. Our goal then is not to impede access on either front.

Thing 14 Technorati and Tags

2009-07-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

I think I have a pretty good understanding of tagging, and think it's an invaluable tool. Of course, librarians use subject headings in much the same way as tagging to help patrons find materials. I'm just happy to now be able to add tags to web content.

I can understand anyone in sales will be most interested in these tags to spot market trends, but wonder what it will do to us as consumers of information. Things already change and go out of style so quickly now.

I liked the advanced search feature in Technorati. I think it will be a great tool in the neverending search for information. I found Technorati very user friendly.

Blog Claim - Claim your blog

2009-07-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

cgtprxdsha

Thing 13 Tagging and Discover Delicious

2009-07-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

Delicious is a site I wish I'd explored a long time ago. I need to do more with tagging various websites if only to keep myself more organized. This will certainly make moving from multiple workstations an easier task.The implications for the library and any classroom are huge. We've come a long way since providing students with websites via hotlinks in an html document. I like the idea of creating an unusual tag and sharing lists of websites with colleagues or students in a particular class or with a certain assignment. I've been hearing about Delicious for a long time and didn't realize how many social bookmarking sites are in existence.

Thing 12 Commenting

2009-07-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

For a long time, I have been "lurking" around the Internet. Often when I think of making what is imho, an important comment, I find that a similar comment has already been made. However, the 23 Things exercise has taught me how much fun it is or how helpful it is to receive a timely comment.

While reading the ways to increase comment #'s post, I was struck my how similar the instructions are to being a good dinner companion, or an interesting guest at a party. They are also suggestions that are helpful in corporate America.

I regularly follow Barbara Jansen's blog and Naomi Bates blog. Both are librarians that I respect and try to emulate. I have found things in both of their blogs to make me a better teacher.

I've commented on the blogs of library lady, laptop learner, mhs broadcasting, elaine learning, and algebra at SOC

Thing 11 - Library Thing

2009-07-01T13:23:00.001-07:00

Library Thing looks like an excellent resource for remembering what books you have read. I also plan to use it to make lists of books that I want to read. I saw several groups that look interesting (a YA group and the librarians who thing). I think this will prove to be a great resource for giving book recommendations by matching books you have read to books you are likely to enjoy. I was going to add a widget showing some of my favorite books, but so far, I've only added my summer reads to the catalog, and most of the ones I selected had no image. That is something to remember in case I decide to create the widget in the future.

Thing 10 - Online Image Generator

2009-07-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of fun with this. I created a "fishing license" for a little boy who went fishing with me for his very first time. I could see a practical application for that in the library if we wanted to create Library Aide Badges or Hall Passes or something like that. I used a button generator to create a button for my library catalog, but my favorite site was definitely
bighugelabs.com

I used it to create a Magazine Cover which I think could be a fun class project for almost any subject from Social Studies to Math to Language Arts

Thing 9 Blogs & Newsgroups

2009-06-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

Google blog search and Technorati were both very easy to use to find blogs. I think the problem here is that there is so much great information that it's impossible to manage it all. I really enjoyed looking at some of the award winning blogs, and I really like the post about "Creating your Circle of the Wise" One of the best things about being a librarian is that when I don't know an answer, I'm surrounded by a community that is dedicated to helping me find the answer. It's very powerful!

Thing 8 - RSS Feeds and Readers

2009-06-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

I was introduced to RSS Feeds with our Blackboard software. The Google Reader Tool is wonderful with helping to manage the flow of information. I like the idea of any tool that works to help manage new information on the web. Trying to keep up with individual sites by trying to check them regularly is wasted effort. I plan to use this tool as part of my time management for keeping up to date with what's happening in the field of education.

Thing 7 Cool Tools by Google

2009-06-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

I liked Cool Tools very much and spent a lot of time exploring I set up a Google alert for Dean Koontz because he is my favorite summer author. I spent time exploring Google scholar and set up my calendar for the year. I posted a document that I created this year to attempt to keep myself focused at TLA. I liked Google Docs, but with our district access to Blackboard, I don't know how much capability Google docs would add with respect to sharing work documents. Though I liked being able to search for others created documents in search of new ideas.

Thing 6 Mashups and 3rd party sites

2009-06-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

I learned a lot about Mashups today. Retrievr was very fun, and I really had fun with the flickr api at bughugelabs.com. I'm working from the Ozark mountains today, and had problems with signal strength. I created a movie poster and a trading card that I really liked, but couldn't save them - lost the server right in the middle of the save. I created a mosaic featuring my summer reads.

Thing 5 Flickr

2009-06-25T13:39:00.000-07:00

This was very interesting. I used the search feature to find an image with a Creative Commons Attribution License. This was a 1920's fashion photo by in pastel

Thing 3

2009-06-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

Setting up the blog and creating my avatar was fun. I had difficulty getting the avatar to post, and it was great to be able to go back to the blog posts and find out how others had gotten it to work.

Thing 2

2009-06-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

Of the 7 1/2 Things, I think the most difficult for me is to always see problems as only a challenge. Attitude is everything, and sometimes the first inclination is to see the problem as a barricade rather than a simple diversion.

The easiest thing for me is to be confident in my ability to learn. I can eventually find the source for the information I need from books, technology, or my friends.