Customize your phone with the right apps

Did you know that over 40% of us have smartphones and the number keeps growing, and growing fast. But like most things, human nature is to follow the crowd and that seems to be the same with apps. Instead of tailoring our phone to fit us like a glove, many of us seem to take the one-size-fits-all approach. To tailor your phone for your needs, you might want to take a look at some of the apps below. They can be great tools for school use.

Check out Simplenote for notetaking. It is available for the iPhone and iPad and free if you want to tolerate a few ads. A personal favorite of mine is Evernote. If you want something that does more then taking notes, you might want to look at SoundNote, $5 and available for the iPad. It also records audio while you type. One app definitely worth looking at is Easybib. Citing work was never easier. Minimal writing, mimimal typing.

If you give any of the above a try, let me know how you like them or if you have a great apps that you thinking students could use in class, let me know and I will post it.

Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz

The 6th installment of the Blue Bloods series is out and Melissa de la Cruz will be at Barnes and Noble Stonebriar tonight, October 13 to read and sign copies of Lost in Time. Check out a book trailer for Lost in Time @ http://www.melissa-delacruz.com/. It is fantastic! Blue Bloods fans won't want to miss Lost in Time.

Meeting author Matt de la Pena

This week, a number of FHS students had the opportunity to be involved in presentations given by visiting author Matt de la Pena. Among Matt's published books are Ball Don't Lie, Mexican White Boy and We Were Here.

During presentations, Matt talked about how his childhood shaped his future as an author and how if one dream doesn't work out, that other dreams and plans can. Even though his desire to play basketball beyond college didn't work as planned, it led him to writing poetry, short stories and eventually writing four books with another to be published in the future. The FHS varsity basket ball team all read and discussed Ball Don't Lie, so meeting him and being able to ask him about this book was especially meaningful. Players even got a picture taken with Matt. They presented him with a signed FHS basketball shirt to remember his visit at FHS.

Matt de la Pena's books are available in the library, so stop down and check one out. Guaranteed you will like it and want to read more.

Some top sites to use for file conversion

Most new computers can convert some file types, although there are still some that need help. Especially if you are going cross platform from mac to PC. Below is a list that includes a variety of different file conversion types.

Comet Docs - Very user-friendly.

Zamzar - One of the easiest conversion sites available. One of my personal favorites.

Vixy - Great for converting or downloading videos onto a computer or even a mobile device.

YouConvertIt - Used for converting multiple files.

OCR Terminal - Converts scanned images into usable data such as text, rtf, or doc.

If you give any of these a try, let me know how it works for you. Or if you know of a good conversion site, let me know.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

Is it OK to hate a dead kid? Even if once he was the love of my life? My best friend? Is it OK to hate him for being dead?

I spent my whole life secretly in love with my best friend, Charlie Kahn. Over the years he betrayed me and kept alot of secrets. I still love him even after he ruined everything.

This is how Vera Dietz feels about Charlie Kahn. After Charlie dies under dark circumstances, Vera who knows more about Charlie then anybody else, struggles with whether she should provide information that could clear Charlie's name. But why does Charlie's name have to be cleared? Why would the police want this information? For Vera, this is could be the biggest decision of her life.

This is an unforgettable novel. Smartly written, funny, edgy and always surprising.

Highly recommended.

BYOD and the library

Welcome back for the 2011-2012 school year. Hopefully you had a fantastic summer and are as excited about this school year as I am. Once again, there will be lots of exciting things happening in the library. Included among these is bring your own device, an author presentation and book signing.

Visiting author Matt de la Pena will be in the FHS Library on the morning of October 5th. Look for more posts to this blog with details about this books and his visit. Matt is a wildly popular young adult author who writes books about teens faced with tough decisions and tough life circumstances. His debut novel, Ball Don't Lie was made into a major motion picture. Check out more about de la Pena at http://www.mattdelapena.com/.

One of the goals of the FHS Library is to embrace, teach and promote a 21st century digital learning environment. To support this commitment, students will be able to use their own devices (laptops, smart phones, eReaders, iPads, etc) for learning while in the library. For specific details, see the BYOD guidelines on the FISD homepage, ask the librarian or look for signage throughout the library.

Ms. Bivins (library-media specialist) is available to assist you in learning to use and navigate Google Apps for students. Ask for help on Google Docs, Google Sites, Gmail and Google Calendar.

Welcome back! I hope you have a great school year.

Dressing for the job

It seems generational differences in attitudes related to proper office attire sometimes causes concern for employers in the workplace. As you go into another summer or possibly into a fulltime job as an FHS graduate, you might want to heed the following advice from Monster.com and Career Services at UT-Arlington.
Luckily for you, the button down, oxford cloth shirt and khaki pants have gone the way of the dinosaur. Many organizations have relaxed their dress code for business casual attire to include capri length pants and leather sandals, but if you think the rubber flip flop and cut off jeans are still considered appropriate, you are in for a surprise. If you want to put yourself in the most positive light and get ahead of fellow classmates who are also seeking employment, you want to use good taste with your clothing choices.
Now let's get to what is considered professional attire in the workforce. According to the Career Services Department at the University of Texas-Arlington, it means a skirt or pants and a nicely pressed shirt, minimal jewelry and (believe it or not) closed-toed shoes for women. For men think about pressed slacks and shirt and dress shoes with black socks.
Once you have been offered employment and proved yourself responsible and professional, only then think about relaxing your dress as you take cues from your colleagues in the workplace as well as your employer.
Good luck in your job hunt! I hope you find a job doing something you totally love.