All I Want for Christmas...

This week, I created about 20 new WIFI accounts for students who got a personal digital device for Christmas. Some of them even earned the money themselves, and bought one; some were given one by their grandparents who also bought one for themselves.
I'm talking about iPod touches, mainly, a few iPhones, 1 iPad, and two netbooks or laptops. Wow. When we're talking about buying devices for schools, and I see so many kids who have them in their hands, doesn't it make sense to use that handheld device for something other than entertainment?

How many of you have downloaded apps that relate to any of your classes, or help you get organized for your learning? How many of your teachers ask you to use your devices in class to help you learn (even if it's in partners, since let's face it, not everyone has one, or has to have one). It seems a shame that we don't use devices that have more brainpower than the first manned rocket sent to the moon in 1967.

If you're wondering how to use your iPod-whatever for something other than facebook and music or games (and that's not a bad thing!), then come in and see us in the LMC. We've got app manuals, we can talk to you about some cool apps to download, iTunes content beyond just tunes, and we have a few iPods ourselves that we can lend to you for class use (learning, that is!).

Youth Action Initiative Coffee House

Our Mt. Sentinel Library & Media Centre (Learning Commons) will be hosting a student-led coffee house weekday mornings from 8 am - 8:30, on Mon, Tues, and Thurs, sponsored by the Youth Action Initiative. Coffee will be fair trade, and is provided by Oso Negro.

The price list is as follows:
for bringing a reusable cup it's $2.50
for bring in a reusable travel mug it's $3.00
for buying a paper cup its an extra 0.50 cents on to a cup price so $3

Sales will go to supporting the Youth Action Initiative, a student-led group which promotes global awareness. Many thanks to Stephanie Parker-Davis and Amanda Jmayoff for being student leaders in this endeavour. Also, many thanks to our PAC for providing the start-up funds!

Y.E.T.I.?

Today at Mt. Sentinel Secondary School, we had the pleasure of meeting four organizers affiliated with Y.E.T.I.--no, not the abominable snowman from Tibet, but the Youth-Driven Empowerment Transition Initiative--an initiative that helps youth realize their dreams for sustainability, peace, and environment. Their website describes YETI as:

"YETI unleashes and supports the positive potential of youth, with youth, through arts-centered, animal & wilderness based intergenerational and multi-cultural experiential learning "opportunities". What YETI learns, YETI diseminates in view of bringing new strategies and resources to pre-existing issues in view of evolving policy to reflect changing community needs and wisdom."

The organizers met with students from the Youth Action Initiative at Mt. Sentinel to help them with their planning and their own youth driven initiative. The power of youth to harness their energy towards action can truly create meaningful and lasting change.

Many of us around the world are feeling a calling to reclaim our place in the natural world, and in so doing, to awaken our authentic power to co-create the future of our lives and shape the future of our world.

Visit their website here: http://www.yeticafe.org/ositive potential of youth, with youth, through arts-centered wilderness based intergenerational and multi-c

Kootenay CO-Op Radio Summer Camp

Kootenay Coop Radio is offering their 3rd Annual Youth Radio Camp!

This is a wonderful opportunity for youth to learn something new, be creative and have fun!

There are four weeks (Monday – Friday) and age groups available where youth will learn a number of fun and interesting aspects to working in radio. All the skills and knowledge acquired will help each group decide what kind of radio show they will want to write, produce and broadcast live on Friday afternoon!

Weeks and Rates:
Ages 8-11: July 5-9
Ages 11-14: July 19-23
Ages 15-18: August 9-13
Ages 11-15: August 16-20

Registration is $250 for non-members and $200 for KCR Members. There are also some bursaries available.

For more information or to resister email radiocamp@kootenaycoopradio.com or call us at 250-352-9600

MtSentLMC Birth Announcement: Lucy and Kobo

We are pleased to announce the birth of a bouncing baby laptop: Lucy and her little twin brother, Kobo the E-book reader. Lucy and Kobo join baby brother Ranger, our Ipod Touch, and baby sister Apple, our iPod Nano. These tools are available to staff & students for learning!

Lucy has iTunes installed, and we hope to share many free podcasts from iTunes U with our friends and fellow staff members. Currently, we have over 154 podcasts in the following areas:

1. Brain Stuff
2. Classic French Tales
3. Digital Photography
4. Science Theater
5. Math Dude
6. EcoGeeks
7. Nutrition Diva
8. Stuff You Missed in History Class
9. TED Talks
10. How Stuff Works

There will be more to come! Ranger has several apps loaded, including these ones:

1. Dragon Dictation/Speech & other speech to text
2. Math & Science
3. French and Russian Language learning
4. Foods & Recipe management
5. Fitness
6. Literature & Grammar
7. Psychology & Philosophy
8. Art & Graphics

...and much more! Come sync your iPod with our apps library, then take it home and re-sync it again.

Making it More Interactive @ the LMC

Remember the Library & Media Centre survey many of you students took in early March? Well, we've taken a look at the results, and one of the things that you've asked for is more student input into what we do at the LMC. So here are some changes we've made:

• Like a book, but we don't have it? Let us know by jotting it down on the suggestions sheet by the sign-out book on the front counter.


• Got a great book you recommend? Fill out a student pick of the week slip, we'll display it along with the book on the front counter. Then, we'll put your name in for a draw at the end of the month for a gift certificate from Jenny's Book Garden in Winlaw.


• The LMC has a new email address: mtsentlmc@gmail.com Send us your questions, ideas, or suggestions, we'd love to hear from you!


• Bored at lunch? Come in to the LMC and play a hot round of Scrabble. We've bought the board game. Ask Mrs. Brach to sign it out.

If you're a senior student who would like a little more support with one of the following subject areas, try www.Hippocampus.org, a free learning site with excellent, interactive tutorials:

• Biology, Calculus, Algebra, Physics

We've had good reviews from the senior students who have tried it.

New Arrivals!

Mrs. Brach has been busy cataloguing some of our new arrivals (novels, that is), and they're moving off the shelves--fast. Here's a highlight of what you'll find at the LMC this week:

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

"ORPHAN, CLOCK KEEPER, AND THIEF, twelve-year-old Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric girl and the owner of a small toy booth in the train station, Hugo’s undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message all come together."

If the novel sounds intriguing, try the real story: a robot (automaton) made in the late 1800's was discovered to be able to write its owner's name and more...here is the website: The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

These just in:

• The Snow Empress: A Thriller by Laura Joh Rowland (based on real murder mystery in Japan, 1699)


• The Secret Life of Owen Skye by Alan Cumyn (when life gets crazy, it's good to have brothers on your side...)

The Lighting Thief by Rick Riordan (part of a series: Percy Jackson has just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and return it to Mt. Olympus)

A Hundred and One Days: A Baghdad Journal by Asne Seierstad (journalist Asne Seierstad's insight into wartorn Baghdad after a three month stay)