Scottsboro

Ellen Feldman begins each chapter of Scottsboro with a quote from one of the participants (victims?). She intersperses the novel with news reports and insights into 1930s America, giving us a feel for what both northerners and southerners must have been thinking. Her invention of a white female northern reporter allows us to view the happenings as impartially as possible. Yet this book left me with a feeling of such distrust for my fellow Americans that on a recent trip to Georgia I couldn't stand to get close to strangers. There seemed to be noone who was innocent in this travesty of justice that is now a part of our history. The Scottsboro boys and the multiple trials that ensued can't be erased from our history. Feldman has given us a well-researched tale of Jim Crow and communism in the 30s and 40s. Other reviews have said that she failed to develop the fiction well enough to make an enjoyable read, but I found the inhumanity of the tale enough to keep me turning the pages.

The ipod touch

The ipod touch
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

A couple days ago I reported on a comparison between what some college students listen to and their colleges' average SAT scores. Today, the Wall Street Journal reported on some non-music uses for the iPhone and iPod Touch. A quick survey of students in the library seems to agree that the apps for the iPod Touch, at least, are very cool. While the general consensus was that they didn't think the service on the iPhone was as good as other phone systems, the iPod Touch is "way cool."

According to the Wall Street Journal, there are now more than 25,000 apps or widgets that can be purchased for the iPhone or iPod Touch. They end their article with, "It's the software, not the hardware, that makes these gadgets compelling." The Wall Street journal mentioned some great games, the Kindle e-book reader, and some social networking software, but I wanted to see if there were any good educational apps (since I am in a school). I found a lot of tools for small children to learn words and foreign languages that look like normal computer educational games. I was disappointed in the math programs that I found. While they may be great for checking one's work, I thought they might actually hurt students' understanding of math concepts because of the temptation to check for the answer without doing the work. I was really excited when I saw the reference section, though. As a birdwatcher and sky-watcher, I loved seeing the field guide that would play bird songs loud enough to attract the birds closer to me and the animated planetarium and star finder apps. Some of the productivity apps looked interesting, too, but many of them require wireless access in order to work. Of course, there's the free wireless access locater, so that might be useful, but I think I can carry my laptop around for now. After all, I've barely learned to use my iPod.

Gov's Fashionistas

Gov's Fashionistas
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

A new display highlights fashion books in the collection and photos from the archive. In the hallway display case, students can view items we have recently added that relate to American fashion through the decades. They can also glimpse what Governor's students looked like in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

The photos demonstrate that fashion has always been a top priority at The Governor's Academy. Students have often been creative about displaying their personalities through fashion!

Can what you listen to affect your SAT score?

Maybe you listened to the radio or read the newspaper in the past week and heard that a study had been done that compares the music you listen to on your ipod to your SAT score. Are you ready to change your playlist to add a couple hundred points to your score? If so, you'll want to add some Beethoven. The author of this study says the smartest people listen to Beethoven.
But before you start to listen to the Beethoven channel you might want to look a little closer at the study.

According to the author, there is a correlation between what people listen to and their SAT scores. To start with, a correlation means that two things seem to move together, like the fact that my family eats a lot more ice cream when it's hot outside. Does that mean that if we eat more ice cream in the winter it will get hotter? No, so don't reach for the Beethoven yet (although I really like his piano concertos and would recommend them to anyone who likes classical music).

But you should also look at the data before you decide a study means what it claims to mean. In this case, the study took the average SAT scores at numerous colleges and compared those to Facebook.com's college network statistics on peoples' favorite music. It chose the top ten music favorites and decided this would do. A few things to look at when considering what to believe: Was the sample representative? Are the top ten music preferences really indicative of the average preferences of all the students at that college? Did all the students at each college list their favorite music on Facebook? In this case, the samples are almost certainly not equal.

While we try to teach students to look judiciously at what they read on the Internet, it's also important to remember that radio and news reporters don't always check deeply into the facts of a study before they report on it.

If you want to see more of this type of correlation (keeping in mind that Facebook isn't a scientifically valid sample for this type of study), you might also enjoy looking at the same author's study of Books that Make you Dumb. Just remember, not every bit of research is well done. Most people will find that they enjoy music and books that correlate with lots of different SAT scores.

Mona Lisa on Etch-a-Sketch

Mona Lisa on Etch-a-Sketch
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

We are finally back at class today. Mr. Doggett called a Headmaster's Holiday for Monday with the storm threat (a good 14 inches fell!) and yesterday was Museum Day. We were going to start swapping out displays but found this sketch to be irresistible! So, the Nifty at Fifty Display for February is still with us.

Studying in the Library

Moodling
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

There is a new course on the library moodle site: http://elmstreet.govsacademy.org/course/view.php?id=419 Check it out for tips on how to best use the resources and the spaces in the library for your individual and group study needs.

Day in the Dark?

Day in the Dark?
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Students and faculty alike are choosing to sit near our huge expanse of windows today. The school's green cup challenge team requested that lights be turned off in all buildings today in an effort to cut our electricity usage and greenhouse gas emissions. While much of the building seems darker today, we are fortunate to have so much natural light in this building that there is room for all to find a space to work comfortably.

The Governor's Academy 2009 Green Cup Challenge Video

AP Photo Exhibit

Hanging student photos in the gallery
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

The AP Photo class hung a new collection upstairs - From Bright Crayons to Dark Corners: the Departure of Innocence. Each photo depicts one piece of the theme dealing with the loss of innocence. The works are meant to be viewed in sequence from left to right. Come by and check out this thought-provoking exhibit.

Celebration of our students' achievements at the Boston Globe's Scholastic Art Awards

Celebration of our students' achievements at the Boston Globe's Scholastic Art Awards
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

During this Parents' Weekend, David Oxton of the Fine Arts department hung a screen in our foyer on which he is projecting images of student work. Our students did especially well in the recently announced Boston Globe Scholastic Art awards, earning five Gold Keys, five Silver Keys, and seven Honorable Mentions. Take a look at their remarkable work.

Comfy chairs

Comfy chairs
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Sunshine, comfy chairs, and a paper to write... but first a nap.

What would you buy with $25?

Looking for Reviews
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Readers in the Pesky Library have a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to amazon.com simply by completing a book review of a book of their choice. Students are free to choose either fiction or nonfiction, and write a review of 100 words or less.

When they return the review to the librarians, it will be entered into our Library Thing database, to help other readers find that book.

Each month the librarians will draw a lucky $25 winner from the reviewers who wrote a review that month! So far, your chances are good.

We know you read - write a review and go shopping for a book, CD, DVD, or whatever else you want!

Freshman History Research

Freshman History Research
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Freshman history students were in the library today searching for information about Germany and communism prior to World War II. Their information will be presented as PowerPoint slide shows.

So happy to be studying with a friend

So happy to be studying with a friend
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Sometimes you can't help but be happy when accompanied by good books, a good friend, and a great school.

The National Archives

Yesterday we visited the National Archives

and Records Administration building in Waltham.

We toured the building and learned about their

extensive archives and education programs.

Their education coordinator will work with

teachers to develop lessons based on primary

source documents in the collection. Individuals

may visit to examine publicly held documents.

Digital cameras and scanners are allowed to be

used on most documents so that a copy can be

taken home. Additionally, 300,000 documents

have been scanned and are available online in

the archival research catalog. Records include

court records, case files, immigration and

naturalization records, census records through

1930, and military, maritime and custom records.

For records that must be viewed in person, they

recommend that you write, phone, or email

before you come so that they can quickly locate

the records you desire to view.

The things they leave behind.......

DVD Conversion

Technological changes require that we replace items that become obsolete. Many of our videotapes have reached the end of their useful lives. We’ve begun to replace the classics with DVD formatted films. We still have a long way to go, but here’s the first batch of DVDs to be replaced. For information on titles, see our Flickr page.

Black History Month - Telling our Stories

Black History Month - Telling our Stories
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

We are celebrating Black History Month this year with a collection of novels and stories about the African-American experience or by African-American authors. Along with books by Zadie Smith, Toni Morrison, Langston Hughes, and James Baldwin, we are highlighting some children's books in our collection, books by Patricia McKissack, Jacqueline Woodson, and Julius Lester (check out his blog!) So on these snowy days, grab Show Way, curl up in a comfy chair, and learn about how quilts once served as secret maps for freedom-seeking slaves.

Spanish Class

Spanish Class
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Mr. Falconer’s Spanish language classes were in the library for two days, researching for a short thesis paper on Indigenous Hispanic peoples. Here, Mr. Falconer works with a student using the Latino American Experience, a library subscription database containing over 190 titles related to “the pre-Columbian civilizations of the Americas… to the triumphs and challenges facing present-day U.S. Latinos.” It also gives students links to websites that have been vetted for accuracy and authority, helping them to weed through much of the chaff that’s available freely on the Internet. A great site to begin learning about Indigenous Hispanic people is http://www.archaeolink.com/south_america_indigenous_studies.htm

Etch-a-Sketch at 50

Nift at Fifty Display
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

People can't keep their hands off! This enduring toy is always in use. We were glad we caught this picture before it got shaken away.

Happy Birthday Edgar Display

Happy Birthday Edgar Display
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Apologies to Mr. Poe. This posting should have been on January 19th. To help us build the display, several senior art students drew ravens which we posted around the library with quotes from his poem. When we started pulling everything together, we found wonderful Vincent Price movies, Poe biographies, poetry collections, short stories. ... Our newest Poe book is In the Shadow of the Master (SC POE) edited by Michael Connelly which contains 16 of Poe's stories and tales paired with essays by current authors who discuss his influence upon them. The book is presented by the Mystery Writers of America.
I was fortunate to have a remarkable adventure with Poe which gave another dimension to the late nights I spent in junior high reading him by flashlight under the covers. Back in 1998, a friend discovered a copy of Tamerlane (Poe's Black Tulip of 1827) in a box of farming pamphlets in a small New Hampshire antique shop. He took a chance that it was an original and not a facsimile and bought it for $15.00. On June 7 of that year it went for auction in New York at Sotheby's for $198,000. I flew to New York with him and attended the rare books auction, a heady experience for a librarian! (June 7th was and is my birthday and the trip was a glorious present from my husband.)