Nook Tablet vs. Kindle Fire

Amazon and Barnes & Noble are in the middle of an all out e-reading war. Their latest additions have expanded the ability of the e-reader to music, movies, gaming apps and much more. The Nook Tablet and Kindle Fire have given users more functionality at prices that are not as frightening as the iPad (which hasn't budged from its $500 mark yet). These tools are a viable option for someone who wants a tablet that has many solid functions but isn't ready to shell out more than $300. Here are some ads for each.

The critics are really split on which one is the better device.  The most consistent thing I have found is that the best device for you depends on you alone.  The Nook Tablet seems to run better overall - better battery life, smoother transitions, and so on.  The Kindle Fire has Amazon behind it - so there is more content available (though Amazon is pretty much your only source for that content).  Check out PCWorld for a detailed compare and contrast.

Click the "Read more" button to see some commercials for each, and you can find more specs from Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Christmas Favorites

We are officially two weeks shy of the winter break, the media center is decked out in garland and twinkling lights (thanks to Mr. B and some media center elves), and Christmas is just around the corner.  At the primary and elementary schools, kids come in asking for Christmas books just after Halloween.  They are excited to get into the spirit of giving (ok - maybe the spirit of receiving), and they are just thrilled when they have that first holiday themed book in their little hands. 

In the high school, we have a tendency to forget that excitement.  We're busy with extracurricular activities and midterm exams - nothing says Christmas like a giant test.  All that said - to spark your holiday enthusiasm, I've compiled my top 5 Christmas books of all time in this week's post.  You are welcomed to comment and add your own favorites or scrutinize my rankings.

5.) - Skipping Christmas by John Grisham - This is probably going to be the only book on this list that some of you don't know.  It was published in 2001, so it is by far one of the newest books on my list.  John Grisham steps about a million miles outside his normal style in this hilarious but touching story about two parents who decide they are just not going to go through the trouble of Christmas one year.  Between the crazy neighbors and the all important Frosty decoration, this book is certainly worth the read. Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis star in the movie adaptation, Christmas with the Kranks.

Sarah Dessen - Author of the Month

Photo from SarahDessen.com

Sarah Dessen is the award-winning author of several young adult books.  She is especially popular with female readers, as many of her stories deal with the lives of teenage girls and their struggles and triumphs in high school.  We have almost all of Dessen's books, which will be displayed in the "Author of the Month" area in the fiction section of the media center throughout December.

According to her website, Dessen graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with a degree in English.  She has worked as a waitress in a Mexican food restaurant and as a teacher, but now she writes full time.  She has a full bio on the site written in her own words, which is pretty funny and gives some interesting insight into why she writes what she does.


If you are a fan of Sarah Dessen's,

Zotero

The worst thing about a research paper is usually finding sources and creating that bibliography or works cited page. Here's a great tool to help you with those pesky citations!

Zotero is a Firefox add-on (which means you can't use it with Internet Explorer, but I think you'll want to download Firefox once you see what it does...if you haven't already joined the Firefox revolution).  Once you've downloaded the program, it's easy to add citation records straight from your browser - there's even one-click functionality from sites like Amazon and Ebscohost.  I can't really describe it with words.   Watch this video to check out what it can do.


(You probably want to maximize this to be able to see it well enough.)

Hunger Games Movie

As many of you know, one of the most popular young adult series in the last few years is making its way to the big screen.  The Hunger Games is set to be released in 2012, and Vanity Fair was kind enough to share this cast photo with the world.  You can find a story about the casting process and an interactive version of this photo that tells which character each actor is portraying here.  If you are interested in seeing the latest trailer for the film or just learn some other great info, your source for movie information, IMDB (the Internet Movie Database), has a full page dedicated to the film as well.

If you're a movie trivia buff or find yourself stuck in the middle of a game of "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon," then there is also an IMDB app for your smartphone.  It's extremely user-friendly and puts IMDB's complete entertainment database at your fingertips. 

Patrick Ness - Author of the Month

From PatrickNess.com

Patrick Ness wrote the popular Chaos Walking series, which begins with the book The Knife of Never Letting Go.  Here's the first paragraph from the synopsis on Wikipedia:

Todd Hewitt is the only boy left in Prentisstown, a small settlement on New World where all boys become men at the age of 13. He begins the novel oblivious to Prentisstown’s history, having been told that all women have been killed by a ‘germ’ released by the native species on his planet known as Spackles. As a side effect of this germ, the remaining men in Prentisstown can hear each other's thoughts, described as an ever-present cascade of ‘Noise’.

The book has won numerous awards and is sure to make you stay up late to finish and find out what happens...and there are two other books in the series when you finish the first.

Ness was an army brat growing up.  He lived in Hawaii,

Red Ribbon Week

It's Red Ribbon Week - which is not just a week to dress up in crazy outfits and win prizes for wearing arm bands.  It's a week to remember that drugs are not the answer to problems.  They only cause more trouble for those who use them, for friends and family members of users and for the unsuspecting victims of drug-related crimes.  It's also about saying "no" to all drugs - the cocaine off the streets and the prescription pills you find in the cabinet at home, the heroine from a drug dealer and the marijuana from a friend of a friend. The consequences of drugs use are the same - no matter the drug and no matter the source.

Take a few minutes this week and take a look at that armband you were given and reflect on this story of where Red Ribbon Week came from courtesy of http://www.imdrugfree.com.

The Story Behind the Symbol

Enrique "Kiki" Camarena grew up in a dirt-floored house with hopes and dreams of making a difference.

Teens Top Ten

A few weeks ago, you had the opportunity to vote for the YALSA Teens Top Ten (sponsored by the American Library Association) along with other teens across the country.  The results are in, and here is a quick video highlighting the winning titles:



By the way - the tool used to create this video is Animoto.  If you are unfamiliar with it, it's an online video creator that allows you to mesh still images and text.  It does most of the work for you, which is nice, and it's free as long as you don't want more than a 30 second video. 

If you don't have time to watch the clip, and just want to see the top ten list, just click "Read More" below. 

When to Google

Unlike some library media people, I am not of the persuasion that Google is the worst possible source for finding information.  Honestly - I have a hard time believing that those who denounce Google's usefulness are really abstaining from the site.  I figure it's some sort of closet-guilty pleasure, but lets not presume too much.
The truth is, Google has too many great features to try to banish it from the learning environment.  (This blog is powered by Google, so I obviously believe it has value.) The trick is helping students know when to Google and when to go elsewhere.
Here's a few things to remember:

Cassandra Clare - Author of the Month



Picture from cassandraclare.com

 The author of the month for October is Cassandra Clare, known for her two popular young adult fiction series The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices. 

According to her website, Cassandra Clare was born in Iran to American parents and traveled the world during much of her childhood living in France, England and Switzerland.

After a stint in New York City as a tabloid writer, she began writing young adult fiction full time in 2006.  Her first book City of Bones won numerous awards and made the New York Times best seller list. 

Check out the display of Cassandra Clare books in the fiction section of the media center!

Cassandra loves to hear from fans of her books and is willing to answer e-mails.  You can find information about how to contact her here.

Borrow Books on Your E-Reader

For the last several years a company called OverDrive has really blazed the trail that is e-book lending.  Just a few years ago, the idea of being able to "borrow" an ebook seemed impossible - or at least improbable, but OverDrive channeled their inner-spy movie to figure out a way to make it work.  Basically, you "check out" an ebook by downloading the book to your e-reading device, computer, or smart phone.  Then after the set number of lending days, the file practically self-destructs.  You can no longer open it...therefore you have "returned" the book for someone else to borrow.

Until the middle of last week, this was a great tool, but it was missing a key component.  Amazon had not yet agreed to allow lending to its extremely popular Kindle.  Now that Amazon and OverDrive have come to an agreement, library media center lending of ebooks could potentially skyrocket.  I'm anxious to see what this means for the future of circulation and for the future of library media centers.

Although we do not currently have OverDrive on this campus, it is available at two local public libraries - Hewitt Public Library and Waco-McLennan County Libraries.  All you have to do to be able to download is get your library card. 

What do you think about ebook lending or ebooks in general?  Let us know!

Used Book Sale!

On Saturday, September 24th the Lorena ISD Library Media Centers will host a used book sale!  We will have books on almost every subject and for all ages.  All are welcomed to attend and prices will be extremely low - $.25 a book!  Please come and support the LISD Media Centers!  The sale will be from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm at the Lorena High School Library Media Center , 1 Leopard Lane, Lorena, TX.

Win a Mac Book Air!

Local TV station KWTX is teaming up with Fuzzy Friends Pet Rescue to sponsor a YouTube competition for area high school students called Pet Project Awards. Simply shoot your own 30 second commercial explaining the benefits of pet adoption or spaying/neutering pets, upload it to YouTube, and submit an entry form by September 20th.

Winning videos will be aired on KWTX, and top winners can also receive a Mac Book Air or a Canon EOS DSLR. Official entry info and contest rules can be found here.  One important rule to note - all music used in the commercial must have proper licensing.  Be sure to avoid copyright infringement.  Official copyright guidelines as they pertain to music and YouTube videos can be found on YouTube's website.

Need a Flip Video Camera to help shoot your video?  We have one available for checkout in the Media Center!  Just ask Mrs. Webb or Mr. B.

Teens Top Ten

Vote for your favorite books!

Voting is between August 15th and September 16th.
Winners will be announced during Teen Read Week, October 16 - 22nd.

Click here to vote!


From the American Library Association Website:

"Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in sixteen school and public libraries around the country. Nominations are posted on Support Teen Literature Day during National Library Week, and teens across the country vote on their favorite titles each year."

AR Home Connect

Parents can now login to Accelerated Reader and view student progress.  Simply click on the Parents link on the AR page on any Lorena Media Center website. 

Parents use the same username and passwords as their students.  From here, parents can view point totals, average quiz scores, and even request to receive e-mails each time a student tests. 

James Patterson - Author of the Month

Image from Patterson's
Official Facebook Page

Our first author of the month is James Patterson. According to his website Patterson has sold more books than anyone else in the past three years.   That shouldn't be a surprise because this guy writes more books than just about anybody else, and he hasn't found an audience he doesn't like.  His latest commercial, which can be seen on his website, features
 him and a cartoon boy discussing both his latest book for middle schoolers and his latest adult title.  Some of Patterson's titles you might be familiar with from our collection are the Maximum Ride series or the Women's Murder Club books. 
Check out the James Patterson display by the fiction books in the media center.  It will be up throughout the month of September.  If you want to connect with Mr. Patterson, you can find him on Facebook or on his website.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Lorena High School Media Center Blog.  Watch for blog posts about study tricks, cool new apps, and media center events and activities.  Interact by following us on twitter or commenting on the blog!