Every time I walk into a library I think to myself, “Self, you don’t come to the library enough.” Such was the case yesterday when I went into my local branch of the LAPL.

Walking in for the first time in a while, I was so struck that I had to conscientiously try to step back and see the forest for the trees. Oh, how our country takes for granted all of the amazing-ness being offered by our public libraries FREE of charge.

There are book clubs. There are community awareness events. There are computers, periodicals, movies, exhibits, well-informed people, and on and on. Oh yeah, there are books, books, books, too.

Want a free workshop oh how to better manage your money? The library offers it. Want to see a short film fest of movies made by local teenagers? The library offers it. Want to learn how to read so you can actually take better advantage of all the goodies the library so generously gives out? The library offers it.

Do the bozos who want to cut funding from our public libraries realize the national treasure being pillaged by their short-sightedness?

I only checked out 5 books yesterday. Yes, I said “only”. Why? Because I wanted to force myself to need to go back. Just walking into a library makes me feel like I’ve done something good for myself. And as crowded as my branch was, well… it’s not like these are empty buildings the public isn’t using.

Libraries = good stuff. Keep on keepin’ on y’all.

So yesterday I spoke about how I built an app. It releases today. It’s a free download in the Apple App store called The Nerd Girls Game.

And to be clear, there are no gimmicks, it really is free and I do hope lots and lots of people download it. Why? Because basically, as an author I feel like I am operating with a very dim flashlight in a very dark forrest and I have no real idea what I ought to do to better support my new book and what I ought to avoid.

And so, I took a chance. Of course, taking this chance has been like going to college to earn a Masters. I can’t even tell you how many new skills sets I’ve had to sharpen.

I’ve had to work with programmers, artists, lawyers, and so on in a face-to-face, online, txt message, email manner. Literally, I had to learn how to be a foreman. And a financier, also. I paid for the development of this app entirely. Was it expensive to develop. Yes? Was it more expensive than I first thought it would be? Yes. Do I regret it? No. Does it represent a way for me to actually make any money? No. Would I still do it all over again? Yes.

So what was my goal?

1) To learn.
2) To stretch.
3) To exercise creativity.
4) To have fun.
5) To test the waters of the “new frontier”.

How will it all shake out? Perhaps one day all books will simply be apps – and this experience will have certainly proven to be of fantastic value if this is what the future holds.

Perhaps I will lay an egg and no one will download the free game. That would really stink considering I’ve got months and months of time, effort, energy and cash poured into it.

Perhaps, I will start an educational app studio to collaborate with some folks in the future.

Who knows where this will go, what fruit it will offer (if any). But life is about venturing and so, this app to me represents a new venture and I can live with that because really, at the end of my days, I just don’t want to have too many couldda, shouldda, woulddas in my heart.

Maybe I couldda, wouldda, shouldda built an App back when Apps were really starting to take off. And so I did.

If you download it (easily findable in the app store: THE NERD GIRLS GAME), I do hope this behind the scenes discussion of the how, what, why has proven to be somewhat illuminating. After all, every app has a story, right?

Yesterday, I posted about Mark Teeters doing a fundraiser for Japan. Today’s the day.

Here’s more about it… I hope you’ll consider making a donation.

So yesterday I blogged about my new Kindle and how much I dig it. And then a friend sent me a link to Project Gutenberg and I realized that, WOW… there is so much INCREDIBLE reading I can do.

And none of it costs an extra dime.

Makes me think of school libraries. Sometimes, there are not enough copies of a book for every kid. Sometimes the title I wanted to teach is checked out by another teacher. Sometimes the school doesn’t even own the title so I could never bring it into my class even though I knew it was a book that could be used to rock the house.

Look, there is an inevitablity to eReaders of some sort finding their way into our schools in a permanent manner – and there is a ton of upside to us speeding up that process on many, many fronts.

And for all those who fear the death of the canon, just click here to see what the top 100 books being downloaded at Project Gutenberg are right now.
Either we English teachers own a heck of a lot of eReaders or someone is reading the classics because they are, well… worth reading.

I’ve said it a thousand times: great books will survive due to their merit… not as a result of ELA teachers shoving them down the throats of kids who are mandated to sit in hard, uncomfortable chairs and be quiet for 55 minutes a day.

Project Gutenberg is showing tales of a demise that hasn’t demised much at all. I digg it!

(BTW, on a side note, at dinner the other night I met a woman in her mid-30′s who was almost done reading The Count of Monte Cristo. Goodness, do I love Dumas. And then we got around to my favorite Frenchy of all time: Victor Hugo. And lookie who is currently number 35 on the list cited above. Niiiice!)

“Who knows the answer to _________________ ?”

Well, as a teacher, whenever I ask that question, don’t I already know who knows the answer to ____________ ? I mean, isn’t it all too often the same kid who knew the answer to ______________ yesterday and the answer to __________________ the day before that?

There’s a better way.

Who knows the answer?

As I discussed yesterday, when it comes to measuring teacher effectiveness (it’s all the rage in national education policy these days), I, as an educator, want multiple measures to be used.

Yesterday I conceded the use of student test scores via bubble tests to measure my effectiveness because I know that this is a deal breaker for the policy makers in D.C. On this point they are intractable and if politics is the art of compromise, then fine — I’d rather accept multiple measures that include test scores than have no seat at the decision making table and have a host of ridiculous other stuff rammed down my throat.

And ram they will.

So what measures do I want? Yesterday, I said I wanted peer evaluations to count. Today I am going to ask for administrative evaluations.

Yep, I want them. But, the quid pro quo is that I want my administrators to be evaluated by the teaching staff as well. And I want the federal government to use whatever stick they will use to punish me for not meeting their targets to be the same stick they use to admonish admins who do not meet their targets.

Let’s level the playing field. Teacher effectiveness is related to administrative effectiveness so while we are re-inventing the “assess our school professionals wheel” let’s do it properly, huh?

We need to implement an administrative effectiveness tool side-by-side with this new teacher effectiveness tool.

It’s not biting off more than we can chew. It’s called doing it properly one time instead of perpetually re-doing it over and over and over again.

Truly, I repeat, it makes no sense not to do all of this at the same time. (Or else, let me guess, eight years from now some genius is going to look up and say, “Ya know, teacher effectiveness is related to administrative effectiveness. Maybe we should measure them, as well?”)

Suddenly, that cantankerous VP who makes every teacher’s life hell but sucks up to the Assistant Superintendent like a lap dog will not have a place to hide. Conversely, the principal that really goes to bat for their staff yet takes it on the chin from the Assistant Superintendent will have a means of not being forced into the role of subservient lap dog.

Let the admins measure my effectiveness. But theirs must be assessed as well.

And then we get to the juicy stuff… the district level measurements of effectiveness.

Why should they not also have to answer to the assessment and accountability God? I am not joking, either. A great Supe gets a lotta love from the peeps in the district. I know, I have seen it many, many times. And a bad Supe operates almost with impunity nowadays.

Tyrants in a fiefdom, unchecked and protected only by mammoth buy-out clauses.

Look, there are basically three levels to classroom education that are being funded by the state and nation: the classroom level, the administrative level and the district level. (The state level already has to answer in part to the Federal level and the state’s voters — plus, that realm of accountability is only growing these days so I don’t want to tread into that muck too much).

Admins, please feel free to measure my effectiveness. But know that your own effectiveness will be measured by me as well and whatever consequences can be meted out for my underperformance will apply to you as well should your measurements not measure up.

Justice is blind, no one is above the law, and take that, Mo Fo!

Fair is fair.

The VP who comes at 5:30 a.m., leaves at 7:45 p.m. and does the work of three distict level employees… give ‘em some love.

The bonehead principal who only has two more years to retirement and is playing out the string trying just not to cause any waves nor expend too much effort.

Meet your maker!

This game is gettin’ fun now, huh? Suddenly, everyone is accountable and teachers can’t be the only ones demonized with data.

Multiples measures for measuring teacher effectiveness will continue tomorrow… post is growing too long.