Santa Cruz History

Ms. Zapata, the elementary principal, just let me know about a great web site on Santa Cruz history. It's in Spanish, but should be fairly easy to read for all our students.

Thanks Ms. Zapata!

Naked Violin

Tasmin Little is using technology and the Internet to make classical music available to a wider audience. If you're interested in classical violin music and would like to download something for free, go see what's offered on her website!

Kosovo, a new nation?

Kosovo, a small, landlocked political unit in southeastern Europe has declared its independence. The United States and some Western European countries have recognized Kosovo as an independent nation. There is a full, interesting article available through the New York Times, if you want to read more about the situation.

What does this have to do with technology and reading at SCCS, you may ask. Well, it's interesting to see the changes in the political maps as are represented by the atlases in the library. In the older ones, for example, the Soviet Union covers a broad swath of land from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean. In our current Atlas, however, Russia is quite a bit smaller and there are more than a dozen new countries! Will Kosovo show up as a country in next year's atlas, or will it still be a part of Serbia? This will be a reflection of the political thought of the publishers and countries around the world.

Remember, while Wikipedia can keep up with these rapid changes faster than the print versions, there is little editorial review, and mistakes and bias exist. Take a look at Wikipedia's article on Kosovo and compare it with the New York Time's. Do you see differences?

Green research

Environmental awareness is growing in many businesses and schools throughout the world. EBSCO, our subscription database here at SCCS, just announced that it will be making efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. This means they will be lowering their production of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and enacting environmentally friendly practices at many different levels. Read EBSCO's press release here.

It's good to know that one of the resources we use here at SCCS is taking a leadership role on this important issue.

Computer safety

Worried about downloading a virus, or letting someone steal all your personal information? Here's a great list from PC Magazine that has 72 Tips for Safer Computing. Take a look and see which ones will work for you.

Best websites for kids

Attention parents, teachers and web savvy kids. The Association for Library Service to Children has collected a great list of best web sites for children. They cover all sorts of topics from dinosaurs to art sites "for kids, by kids".

One of my favorites is the Dinosphere at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Check it out!

Video games and stories?!

The Writer's Guild of America has decided to add video games to its list of awards this year. (The original press release is here.)

And, here are the nominees:

Crash of the Titans (Sierra Entertainment)
Written by Christopher Mitchell

Dead Head Fred (D3 Publisher)
Written by Dave Ellis and Adam Cogan

The Simpsons Game (EA)
Lead writer Matt Selman; written by Tim Long and Matt Warburton; dialogue by Jeff Poliquin

The Witcher (Atari)
Lead story designer Artur Ganszyniec; dialogue Sebastian Stepien; additional dialogue Marcin Blacha; writers Sande Chen and Anne Toole

World In Conflict (Sierra Entertainment)
Story design Christofer Emgard; story consultant Larry Bond; script consultant Ed Zuckerman

Are any of these games your favorite? Do you enjoy the storyline in the games you play?