Personal exploration in the world myths and technology….

I find myself at an interesting crossroads of late reading two completely different forms of nonfiction which are making question what direction my personal journey will take in the next few years. I am taking a course in social software right now so am spending time exploring the virtual realm through projects and reading about topics from Facebook to blogging and tweeting. Some applications I can see using and other feel a little too out there at the moment. As a result of all this exploration I picked up John Palfrey and Urs Gasser’s Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives and am enjoying it. I am sharing little bits with the world through my other blog, Social Intelligence, which is the blog for my social software course. Born Digital talks about the differences between those that have grown up with the internet and that level of constant connectivity and the digital immigrants, who still more comfortable offline. I don’t know if I will ever completely give up sending snail or text and post blog entries from my cell phone so I know I am not a digital native. I still live a good portion of my life offline reading actual books and working cross-stitch, etc.

The other book I am reading is about a connection to the land and in the case of this story that land is Ireland. The Red-Haired Girl From the Bog: The Landscape of Celtic Myth and Spirit by Patricia Monashan is about her exploration of her Irish heritage and the importance of knowing where you come from. As someone who has moved every 3 years I wonder whether I need to make a trip to the British Isles to connection with my family heritage or take an opportunity to see Romania to get a better understanding of where my forbearers came from. She talks about feeling a connection to Ireland fairly soon after arriving on it’s shores even though she had never been there before. If you choose this book for a book club check out www.garravogue.com.

Knit the Season: A Friday Night Knitting Club novel

I know that it has been awhile since I posted and that this post is a few months late, but I thought I had to share my thoughts about this book. Kate Jacobs takes chic lit to the next level! This group of characters meets at Walker&Daughter, a cozy little yarn shop on Manhattan’s Upper West Side to share their lives and their projects. The group ranges in age from Dakota, who is trying to figure out her place in the world as a college student attending cooking school and trying to decide if she is still into her Italian boyfriend from her summer in Europe to Anita Lowenstein the grandmother of group who is fussing over her wedding and family.

The first book in this series is called The Friday Night Knitting Club and Dakota is in her earlier teens when we are introduced to group and the shop.

If you like this sort of book you might like to read Earlene Fowler’s work which is set in California around a craft museum and its curator. The books are titled with quilt patterns. The main character is usually dealing with some sort of mystery.

Janet Evanovich’s two series have a more casual language to them with a Jersey dialect. One is about a newspaper owner and the other involves a less than successful female bounty hunter.

Another option

TV shows for the nerd in all of us.

I have been watching tv online of late since I do not have tv at home and many of the shows that I have previously enjoyed now post episodes to the web. My parents were teasing me that they were not sure whether I would ever go back to watch actual tv with other people versus watching old episodes on my laptop. The online method costs me nothing more than my internet connection, but lacks the social element of watching shows with other people, but advertising is significantly less on the web for those not watching shows in real time.

Anyway my latest show suggestions are:

Kyle XY- a show about a 16 yr old who is found wandering the streets naked and taken to a juvenile detention centre. From there he is taken home by a psychologist who feels he will not be safe staying at the centre. Kyle is an interesting mix of teenager and toddler with some superhuman skills mixed in and a serious brain. Kyle xy ran for three seasons before being cancelled, but as a drama I enjoy it.

The Pretender- Is an older show which is no longer on tv about a man named Jared who can become anyone he needs to be in order to sort out situations he helped to cause as a child. He grew up working for a Think Tank called the Centre and as an adult he realizes that a number of the scenarios that he dreamed up are now being used out in world and tragedies are occuring as a result. The only way to make up for his part in these situations is to perform acts of heroism to right the situations and in the meantime the personnel from the Centre are chasing him.

Reality Rules!: A Guide to Teen Nonfiction Reading Interests by Elizabeth Fraser

Fraser, Elizabeth (2008). Reality Rules!: A Guide to Teen Nonfiction Reading Interests. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited.

Reality Rules! provides readers with direct access to its’ nonfiction titles using a title and author index or a subject index. Options within this book include:

• True Adventure
•  True Crime
•  Memoirs and Autobiographies
•  Biography
•  History
• Science, Math, and the Environment
•  Sports
•  All about you
•  How to
•  The Arts
•  Understanding and Changing the World

 Attached to entries are references suggesting whether a title is particularly for boys, book clubs, teens and adults, reluctant readers or has stood the test of time. Looking for a change, each chapter ends with suggested fictional reading options in the area of interest.

For librarians there is a list in the appendix of Reader’s Advisory tools for young adult non-fiction literature. The entries themselves provide a short paragraph describing the title, along with symbols that refer to the suggested  audience age and any awards the title has won. In this digital age each title has been provided with useful keywords for further searching online and within library catalogues for other materials of interest. This reference is another addition to the Genreflecting Advisory series.

Two Stories about Anishinabe Families

The Night Wanderer: a native gothic novel by Drew Hayden Taylor

Sixteen year old Tiffany Hunter is surrounded by problems at least in her own mind. Her mother has moved on to a new man and left her and her father behind. The result is a girl who is feeling abandoned and angry at her remaining parent who is trying to be both father and mother to his daughter. Her grandmother tries to be both her mother and grandmother as well as helping her son. Added to this complement of people are Tiffany’s boyfriend and the new houseguest, Pierre L’Errant from Europe. Who is L’Errant? Why he has come to Ottawa Lake?

Keeper’n Me by Richard Wagamese

Keeper returns to his home town and his family after the years away care of the Children’s Aid Society. The Children’s Aid Society believed that native children should be turned white in a reeducation process through white families and schools. Keeper decides that he now needs to attain the history that they tried to take away and eventually goes on a vision quest to help decide his future. He must find his place in his family and community including a method of combining his experiences in the outside world with his traditional home.

The Coelura by Anne McCaffrey

 

McCaffrey takes us into the life of Lady Caissa, heir of the Ambassador of the Federated Sentient Planets whose father has just suggested that she marry to carry on the family line and protect her inheritance. However, Caissa realizes that if she does not want to marry her father’s choice for her that she must do some exploration of her options and his motives for this match. Will she manage to choose her own future and that of her planet or will she be sucked into the rigid world in which her parents live on their terms? This little book shares the story of a strong young woman on the cusp of adulthood whose parents are not the best role models and whose position can change the future.

Arranged is story of two young teachers, an Orthodox Jew and a Muslim, who meet and through their friendship find their own routes to happiness in their traditional families and their modern classrooms. Neither girl is completely aware of the realities of her situation until they are faced with having to explain and defend that reality in their professional lives. The friendship leads to exploration and decision making in their home lives.

Lateral Thinking: An alternative information library program for young adults

Do you have a favourite source for information? Are you looking for one?

New sources are constantly becoming available for information!

New ways of using pre-existing sources are being discovered!

Program Details:  This program is aimed at those about to graduate high school or those who have just graduated high school as expectations about the types of information that should be used as part of an essay at university can be a bit different depending on the program you enter. For example to get current information the reputable blogs of professors and other specialists in the field may be acceptable as well as websites posting ongoing research and papers. A forum for exchange of knowledge bases between young adults and librarians in which everyone can learn from each other.

Lateral thinking is about looking for alternatives to obvious answers and is skill that is used not only in engineering, but in business professional development course to promote imaginative and open thinking among employees and students. Often the exercises come in the form of puzzles that if solved share little phrases. Think back to the literal work staring Amelia Bedelia in which she is planting light bulbs. The idea of this program is get young adults sharing ideas and thinking about new ways to access areas of interest to them. The library has a wide variety of resources and by having a forum session like this it may discover a whole range of new resources that had not been previously considered or new uses for materials already in its’ collection.

A 3 hour session on Friday January15, 2010 from 7 to10 pm at the Central branch of  Forks Public Library.

Registration limited to 25. Sign up online or pick up a free ticket at the circulation desk. When you sign up you provide to organizer with your planned area of study and or hobbies and interests. This will help with choosing materials for our display. We look forward to see you there and will post the sources on the Young Adult portion of the library website after the event.

Required to run this program:

5 participants

1 librarian or library technician ($20x 3=$60)

1 or 2 members of the teen advisory council

A room with computer and lcd projector ($599.00, $1244.13 pre-existing library technology)

5 pads and pens or pencils ($7.99, $1.99 from library supplies)

1 flip chart, pens, and stand ($8.11, $9.45, $69.99 from library supplies)

28 chairs in a semi-circle

Coffee break has been sponsored by the local coffeeshop across from the library as 2 of their employees are on the teen advisory council($250).

The room rental has been donated by the library($50). Since the library technical staff also support the high school AV club they are comfortable with a club member running the technology for evening ($25).

Because many teens are already online advertising through sites like Facebook and Twitter would be useful and free as well as advertising on the library website. A note to be posted on school websites or announced over the PA at secondary schools would be worthwhile. Bookmarks to be given out by the staff at the Forks Coffee shop, by the teen advisory board, and at the circulation desk. (100 x .25c=$25.00) plus 6 posters to be posted at the schools, library, and around town and on the reserve ($3.00) Created by the Forks Graphic Art Club as one of the teens from the advisory board is a member. The best way to advertise in a community the size of Forks would be via word of mouth.

Having an event like this at the library would likely involve an invitation to the local police as youth from both the town and the reserve would be invited, but if the majority of the teens were at the library then there should be less need for patrols around town and one of the officers should be available to hang out at the library. An evening session would allow youth from both schools to attend and the library should be neutral ground which should not cause extra problems with territory issues.

Limitations on this program would include the possibility of hosting other events specific to a certain topic if interest was high enough as a display that recognizes the variety of interests of the participants would likely only include one or two items on each topic. Items might be brought in from other libraries to highlight the power of inter-library loan and show that a library is not limited by the size of the community it is situated in. A secondary program that might come out of this one would be a living library that included people from a variety of different background from those that chose apprenticeship in different trades to native elders and researchers.

The high school counseling department would likely want to be informed and have a partnered display as part of the event so that students are aware of the resources that they can get via these departments to help make decisions about their futures. The school libraries might have supporting displays during the week or so prior to the event as well.

Steps to planning this event:

1. Initial meeting on November 7th between teen librarian and teen advisory council to come up with programming suggestions. When this program is chosen and timing decided on each member goes away with tasks to complete: catering, advertising, audiovisual checks, collection review for  display options, liaison with counseling dept., liaison with police dept., website additions.

2. Email flying back and forth to clarify any thoughts, problems, or suggestions for the next meeting and about on going projects. Little committees may meet to collaborate on issues such as advertising.

3. Meeting on December 10th with information and representatives of interested parties such as coffee shop owner, counseling departments, police, advisory board, teen librarian, and support staff member.  Have posters,  bookmarks, and PA announcement ready.

4. Teen advisory board chair and teen librarian attend library board meeting to share plans for the upcoming program.

5. Set up chairs and table for food. Check av equipment.

6. Host program.

7. Do evaluation of program and further planning for other programs based on evaluation and feedback from participants and partners.

A potential display if the participants are interested in Geography or Tourism:

-Note on talk by Linda from Forks Travel  on African Safaris from camping in one of the parks to an all expensive paid photographic tour  on February 14.

-Note on a talk by hosted by Forks Outdoor Goods and Services about  the Adventure Tourism options in Canada  from climbing glaciers in Glacier National Park to heli-skiing in the Kootenays to a chance for a dogsled trip in the Northwest Territories on March 9.

Dauphinais, Marc and Sankey, Michael L. (2001). The Incredible Internet Guide to Adventurous and Unusual Travel Tempe, Arizonia: Facts on Demand.

Hmmm… Want to do something exciting? With The Incredible Internet Guide to Adventurous & Unusual Travel, you can quickly find over 1,000 of the best web sites for “specialty vacations”. Including fantasy sports camps, historical adventures, cold weather excursions, trips for the rugged, animal adventures and rendezvous you never thought of. It is definitely for those who want to do something out of the ordinary.

Eberts, Marjorie, Brothers, Linda, and Gisler, Anne (2006). Careers in Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality. New York: McGraw-Hill

Find an exciting, fulfilling career that delivers true security Americans work all year for that big vacation, so they expect it to go off without a hitch, from the initial planning to getting home safely and well rested. This is good news for you, because high expectations mean plenty of opportunities within the huge and fast-growing tourism industry. Careers in Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality provides you with tips for finding a job in one of the many areas that make up the tourist industry. Whether your interests lie in planning trips, visiting exotic places, or serving others, this updated edition will help you: Develop a clear understanding of the various careers options Key in on the specialty most suited for you–from travel agent to cruise ship director to hotel manager Understand what to expect in an entry-level job Find the education and training you’ll need to stay one step ahead of the competition Familiarize yourself with current salaries, benefits and the best job prospects Before you spend time, money, and effort, make Careers in Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality your first step in pursuing an exciting and lucrative career doing what you love. This is one of a series of career planning books put out by Marjorie Eberts.

Farlinger, Craig, writer and producer (2006)Vancouver Island [DVD]: geography, history and attractions. Maple Ridge, B.C.: Distributed by Variety Sales.

This DVD takes viewers on an exploration of Vancouver Island  from Telgraph Cove to Victoria.

Gage’s new primer of map geography : for : pupils preparing for promotion examinations ; pupils preparing for entrance examinations ; pupils preparing for junior and senior leaving examinations ; students preparing for teacher’s certificates ; and all official examinations. (1892)

Greenberg, Peter (2007). The Complete Travel Detective Bible:  the consummate insider tells you what you need to know in an increasingly complexed world. New York: Rodale.

Greenberg (travel editor for The Today Show) offers insider advice on a substantial number of travel subjects in this reference. Entries containing legal and common sense facts on airports, car rentals, cruises, travel health, passports, security and other topics are accompanied by advice for travel by lifestyle (e.g. accessible, family, solo, recreational), and by purpose (e.g. culinary travel, volunteer vacations, medical tourism). References are offered throughout, and discussion includes destinations whose unsafe reputations should be reconsidered.

Hodgins, J. George (1860). Geography and history of the British colonies; to which are added a sketch of the various tribes of British America, and brief biographical notices of eminent persons connected with its history

Lonely Planet (2004). The Travel Book: a journey through every country in the world Melbourne: Lonely Planet.

Monaghan, Kelly (2001). Home-based Travel Agent: how to succeed at your own travel marketing business. Brandford, Connecticut: The Intrepid Traveller.

Turn your love for travel into a livelihood with this award-winning handbook on setting up a home-based travel agency. This user-friendly manual includes a mini sales training program, sizable resource section, extensive bibliography, and a complete subject index.

Newell, Claire (2008). Travel Best Bets: an insider’s guide to taking the best trips ever.Vancouver, B.C.: Whitecap Books.

This book will be one in which a few of the chapters may be of use to those wishing to do a bit of traveling themselves.

Sommers, Brian J.  (2008). The Geography of Wine [e-book] : how landscapes, cultures, terroir, and the weather make a good drop. New York: Penguin Group USA. (View via screen at session)

Geography and the study of wine — Wine landscapes and wine regions — Climatology of viticulture — Microclimate and wine — Grapes, soil, and terroir — Biogeography and the grape — Viticulture, agriculture, and natural hazards — Wine and geographic information systems — Winemaking and geography — Wine diffusion, colonialism, and political geography — Urbanization and the wine geography — Economic geography and wine — Communism, geography and wine — Geography and wine’s competitors: beer, cider, and distilled spirits — – Wine, culture, and the geography of temperance — Regional identity, wine, and multinationals — Champagne — Localism and wine tourism — Where wine takes me.

This title is not included to promote drinking, but to show that any topic can be associated with geography and tourism.

The Travel Society Magazine (2005-) Toronto: The Travel Society Incorporated.

Digital Booktalk for Three Cups of Tea

A Book talk about Three Cups of Tea

Book Talk Card and Reflection

Book Card:

Mortenson, Greg and Relin, David Oliver (2007). Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time. New York: Penguin.

            Mortenson wrote about his experience climbing K2 and his work in Pakistan as a humanitarian building schools for girls both in small rural communities and for refugees. He also wrote about the men and women that he worked with founding the Central Asia Institute and the inspiration that his family provided for his lifestyle choice. His story will continue in his next book coming out next month.

            The story is set in both Pakistan and the United States with a brief side trip to Afghanistan and flashbacks from his time in Tanzania growing up as the son of missionaries running a hospital. The characters in his book are those in his life including family, medical and climbing friends as well as coworkers both in the U.S. and Pakistan. The story is told mostly from Mortenson’s prospective with little asides that describe him or someone who is going to be dealing with him at some point. These perspectives allow the reader a fuller understanding of the people he is dealing with and of Mortenson himself. This is a fast paced story about a man that is described as being almost superhuman in his constant energy and passion for his projects.

            This book would be best enjoyed by those interested into climbing or humanitarian efforts and I would direct it to older students and adults due to some violence and sexual references in Mortenson’s personal life though not explicit.

Reflection:

            Choosing images and compiling a book talk in a digital format using Microsoft Movie Maker was an interesting challenge as it was a program I had never used before. I wanted to get the clips right and the soundtrack to come together with the images properly. I then spent a lengthy and frustrating period trying with the aid of friends to post my talk to the internet via YouTube a feat I never succeeded in and one I will continue to work on over my break likely just so that I actually have the skill. I wish that I was better at keeping track of time. I looked at the pink sheets to keep track of assignments and forgot to go back to the blog for my deadlines. So long hours trying to get things right led to missing this deadline. I hope you enjoy the video which will be posted in the form of a PowerPoint presentation for. The video will be available on DVD to those interested. I wish to thank Greg Mortenson’s website, the Adventure blog archive entry 07/07/01, and Flickr for the images and Andi Neate for the music. The music reflects the thoughts of Mortenson’s girlfriends and some of the people that he worked with as well as the fate of the girls if he had not helped them by building the schools.

Sheepfarmer’s Daughter by Elizabeth Moon

Sheepfarmer’s Daughter is first book in a trilogy called The Deeds of Paksenarrion. The main character is about a young woman named Paksenarrion or Paks who decided that she did not want to marry the pig farmer down the way. Instead she runs away to join the army and finds her niche amount her fellow soldiers. It has a strength of storyline based on the fact of that the author had also joined the Marine Corps so she is familiar with basic training as a female cadet. Instead of working with guns Paks is learning swordplay and survival, but like most male dominated fields she has to make a space for herself and make friends. Like many fantasy tales the everyday world includes magic and deception. Lord of the Rings seems to be a partial inspiration for this story as orcs and wizards are in the background of this story as well. Friendship and connections are part of the journey to a successful choice of lifestyle and future. Paks’ future is adjusting as the series goes along and if you like strong female characters, medieval historical battle, and soldiers then give this a try.

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Lord of the Rings is about a battle between good and evil and future of their world. The various groups of people, elves, dwarves, hobbits, and evil creatures. The difference is that magic defines the world of MiddleEarth and the direction of everyone’s lives. If you choose to read the Lord of the Rings make sure you have read The Hobbit first as it is the unofficial prequel to this trilogy. The hobbit is a story about a treasure, dragon, and journey that involves unintentional hero in Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who has never had a reason to leave home. The Lord of the Rings is centred around Bilbo’s nephew Frodo who unlike his uncle has always wanted to know about the world.

Big, big sky by Kristyn Dunnion

Sometimes it’s harder to kill than pod might think.I crouch in the dark, stare into the manimal’s shining eyes. It blinks right at me. It shakes in fear. Its thrumping furred chest quickens my own pulse. The thing wave-sends a sonic roll of pure emo: terror, disbelief, and a wee glimmer of hope…Rustle is a young scout in a tight-knit female warrior group of five. They’re trained to be aggressive, quick thinking, obedient-though for what exact purpose they couldn’t quite tell you. But somehow the group is falling apart now. The leader Shona turns out to be a traitor to them. Roku has disappeared. Rustle has failed to show her killing skills in a crucial test of courage, and is feeling quite separate from the others. Loo is a true warrior, ready and able for action of the most extreme kind, though Rustle’s private yen for her has not dimmed. Solomon, the healer of the group, is a steady hand, but not even her stability can save them.So when their StarPod is transported to the Living Lab, they all know that it’s time to make a run for it, or else they’ll be deplugged – finished, dead. It takes a lot of wit and energy, but eventually they make it to the outside of the great mountain where they’ve been raised and trained and programmed-and here for the first time they behold the big, big sky of the real world. (Source:LPL)

Wow! I loved the YALSA Blog.

After visiting the YALSA blog today I wish that Ihad taken the time earlier in the term to make this virtual visit and it will not be my last stop. The posts that most caught me were the Abby’s Road podcasts on teen issues and the response to adding Twilight to a library collection.

Reading a socially responsible note about this series and the messages it sends about dating was an eye opener as I had never thought to write this sort of commentary on book. I just looked for a new way to gain entry to the work when I was initially turned off so that I could make an educated response to such a popular literary phenomena. The idea  of using my ability to see characters as people to assess the messages they are sending to their readers is appealing. I did find that fact that Edward could get into Bella’s house and car without invitation a touch creepy, but what really bothered me was the fact that both Edward and Jacob had a double standard for spending time with Bella. It was okay for them to demand time with her, but when she needed them the were often elsewhere and keeping large portions of their lives a secret that even when they told her about them or she worked it out she was not allowed to share this information with anyone.

Abby’s Road are podcasts that could be recommended as additions to those reading popular young adult fiction as they are panel discussions on current topics that are also the topics of much of the popular fiction. The information and opinions are shared by other teens with knowledge of the subjects being discussed and are more accessible than a government pamphlet or some of the self help literature that is available on hard to discuss topics. The idea of using websites, podcasts, and blogs for information sources for hot topics may spur discussion without adding to the book buying budget.