MBC-It's a Beginning!

Our district has recently begun rolling out a new, interactive, Web 2.0 filled, safe for kids tool from Lightspeed Systems called My Big Campus.  Boy is it big...big enough to even have its own iPod and Android apps!  There are many good reasons to let students and faculty use tools such as these, and I could write about why, but some great reasons are summed up nicely over at Grades and Upgrades, Too.

As a brand new user, I'll chronicle the ups and downs of integrating MBC into our school.  The 21st century classroom marches on, and if you don't join up,  you'll be left behind, but it doesn't always mean it will be easy.  Today, I helped one user gain access (yay!), and searched videos for Read Across America.  Found a great one!  I also posted a link to sign up for Dropbox....one of my most useful ways of sharing files among workstations both on and off campus. 

The only annoyance I've had so far is a missed assignment notification that won't go away.  The OCD in me wishes that notifications would clear as soon as they are acknowledged, and as I had no control of the assignment, joined after it was due, it should clear as soon as I saw it was missed.  The group moderator will eventually fix it, I'm sure, but it is annoying all the same.

We're not a pilot school, so no real usage here yet, but its on its way!  The students (and teachers) are not going to know what's hit 'em. 

Library Day in the Life

I totally missed the boat.  Meant to sign up.  Had in my head it started on the 8th, but no, the foggy brain cells strike again.  Round 8 most definitely is not February 8.  Sigh...it was over by February 5.  However, I can now go and peruse the wiki (and so can you) and enjoy the flow of ideas, images, and tasks that are the essence of this profession. Here's to us...librarians of all shapes and sizes doing what needs to be done to promote literacy around the world.  Cheers!