These days if you're in education and don't engage in social media, you might be missing out!
Social media not only allows you to connect and learn from other educators, but it helps in making you feel that you are not alone out there. No matter what kind of classroom you teach in, most of the time you are the ONLY adult in a room of (sometimes) screaming kids - and it can get lonely waiting for that 20-minute lunch period to connect with other adults.
So, get out there and get social!
Twitter - learn how to search for what you need and learn how to use hashtags. I have learned about so many websites and tech trends that I can hardly use them all. You can often hear about new trends here in the tech world and "meet" people doing the same thing that you are. Find out about scheduled chats and professional development that you can become involved in. It's a lot of fun and definitely doesn't feel like work!
Facebook - I have used Facebook to ask for donors for projects that can be crowd-sourced like donors choose.org
Donors Choose - This relatively new website allows teachers to dream up projects and ask the world - and friends - to donor to your personal pet project. I have one out there right now for a 3D printer from MakerBot.
Pinterest - Almost every field of education is represented out there now on these pin boards. It's a great place to get new ideas and really cute ideas for all ages of student. A lot of teachers out there have better ideas than you do, but they would feel the same about you! So, get pinning and sharing!
Monday, February 3, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Where Books and Technology Meet: 20 Day Blog Challenge - Librarian Version!!
Where Books and Technology Meet: 20 Day Blog Challenge - Librarian Version!!: If you are like me, you have LOTS to share with the world. You crave collaboration with others in your professional realm. You look forwar...
One new trend in libraries is the idea of Makerspaces. Public libraries already have embraced this trend for the most part with lots of make-and-take activities. As a school librarian, I am ready to join the makerspace movement by making it work with our school curriculum.
One example of that would be getting a 3D printer and show students how to use an engineering program like OpenSCAD. This type of learning could combine with art, science, math, English and Social Studies. Designing and bringing something to life is enlightening and exciting for students. It's part of what makes learning fun. Students love being able to hold something in their hand and show it off-just like kindergarten...
One new trend in libraries is the idea of Makerspaces. Public libraries already have embraced this trend for the most part with lots of make-and-take activities. As a school librarian, I am ready to join the makerspace movement by making it work with our school curriculum.
One example of that would be getting a 3D printer and show students how to use an engineering program like OpenSCAD. This type of learning could combine with art, science, math, English and Social Studies. Designing and bringing something to life is enlightening and exciting for students. It's part of what makes learning fun. Students love being able to hold something in their hand and show it off-just like kindergarten...
Friday, January 17, 2014
Books | Chris Morphew
Books | Chris Morphew Here is more information about the author coming to visit us on Wednesday.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Author Visit at IMS!
Author Christopher Morphew will be visiting Irondale Middle School on January 22!
Here is a link to a librarian interviewing Morphew. He is the author of The Phoenix Files and hails from Australia. We can't wait to hear what he has to say about Australia, his books and the writing process. Since it is summer in Australia right now, let's hold out hope for good weather next week - one thing that Alabama is known for!
Books will be for sale at the school that day and will be signed by the author.
Here is a link to a librarian interviewing Morphew. He is the author of The Phoenix Files and hails from Australia. We can't wait to hear what he has to say about Australia, his books and the writing process. Since it is summer in Australia right now, let's hold out hope for good weather next week - one thing that Alabama is known for!
Books will be for sale at the school that day and will be signed by the author.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Book That Has Had an Impact on Me Professionally
One book - out of many that I will write about later - that has had an impact on me is Steven L. Layne's Igniting A Passion For Reading.
This book is full of lists, charts, and ideas. One list is called the Someday Book List on page 79. This list is part of a whole section on "Shopping" which was on a Twitter Chat last night as well. The great thing about reading professional books is that you're always ready to contribute to the conversation not to mention getting great ideas for your library/school.
Before "shopping" for a book, the author discusses how she previews a book (p 77-8):
Title
Author/Illustrator
Dedication
Front Jacket Flap
Cover
CIP Page
Back Jacket
Chapter Titles
Interior Graphics
I love this section and I would add my own "flip to the middle of the book" preview. I can tell a lot about a book and whether I will like it from the pace of the reading.
Layne's book features a "Books to Consider" list and where those ideas come from like:
From Shopping
From Book Chats
From Recommendations
From Read Arounds
Every time I flip through this book I find another idea that I have either forgotten about or have never tried.
Here's another chart from the book:
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This book is full of lists, charts, and ideas. One list is called the Someday Book List on page 79. This list is part of a whole section on "Shopping" which was on a Twitter Chat last night as well. The great thing about reading professional books is that you're always ready to contribute to the conversation not to mention getting great ideas for your library/school.
Before "shopping" for a book, the author discusses how she previews a book (p 77-8):
Title
Author/Illustrator
Dedication
Front Jacket Flap
Cover
CIP Page
Back Jacket
Chapter Titles
Interior Graphics
I love this section and I would add my own "flip to the middle of the book" preview. I can tell a lot about a book and whether I will like it from the pace of the reading.
Layne's book features a "Books to Consider" list and where those ideas come from like:
From Shopping
From Book Chats
From Recommendations
From Read Arounds
Every time I flip through this book I find another idea that I have either forgotten about or have never tried.
Here's another chart from the book:
.JPG)
Self-Assessment Chart
Kids love being asked questions about themselves and they will fill out this self-assessment in a flash.
If you don't where to start to self-assess, this book has the answers! It has at times made me realize what I am not doing!
There is no one thing that makes this book a career-turning one - it's just real and practical. One anecdote the author describes is as a 6th grade teacher some parents came in for a conference and berated their son for basically not being perfect and making straight As.The author says he buys books when he's upset and he immediately went to Barnes and Noble to buy books for the boy. He describes the conference that all teachers have experienced in one way or another - so it feels like you are speaking to a teacher friend and mentor who has the same ideas about teaching reading that you do.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Library Management Tip - for Nooks
I am a librarian who dives right in and figures out what works as I'm doing the thing I'm doing - like organizing Nook readers.
When we first were given 30 Nooks in the library, we weren't given a charging cart or too many directives on how we could manage them. Ideas and pictures were being passed around e-mail though.
And I have to say that to some people e-Readers are still pretty new and all sorts of librarians are constantly writing about their content, how it works, what publisher is adding what and so on.
Technology moves so fast that even the developlers of e-Readers were changing them as they launched their latest product. I still have a Sony reader in a drawer that wasn't as user-friendly as I wanted it to be, so I haven't gotten good use out of it. I still want to go back to it, but I have to keep moving forward at the same time. But I digress!
Just today I figured out a new way to keep up with my library's Nooks! The permission forms to use them have been in a folder - which is helpful - but I keep having to get it out since the Nooks have become popular.
My new management tip is to have the Nooks in order from 1 - 30 and slip the permission form into the spot of the missing Nook.
By slipping the paper in, I don't go into panic mode thinking that one has been taken!
When we first were given 30 Nooks in the library, we weren't given a charging cart or too many directives on how we could manage them. Ideas and pictures were being passed around e-mail though.
And I have to say that to some people e-Readers are still pretty new and all sorts of librarians are constantly writing about their content, how it works, what publisher is adding what and so on.
Technology moves so fast that even the developlers of e-Readers were changing them as they launched their latest product. I still have a Sony reader in a drawer that wasn't as user-friendly as I wanted it to be, so I haven't gotten good use out of it. I still want to go back to it, but I have to keep moving forward at the same time. But I digress!
Just today I figured out a new way to keep up with my library's Nooks! The permission forms to use them have been in a folder - which is helpful - but I keep having to get it out since the Nooks have become popular.
My new management tip is to have the Nooks in order from 1 - 30 and slip the permission form into the spot of the missing Nook.
By slipping the paper in, I don't go into panic mode thinking that one has been taken!
Friday, January 10, 2014
How has Technology Changed in the Library and Effected the Librarian"s Duties?
In the last eight years alone technology in the library has changed tremendously. I have heard librarians joke around that 50 years ago they had a class on how to use the overhead projector. Okay, that is probably inaccurate and I did not check the invention year of the overhead, but I will! I still have a few in a back room for when an LCD projector (the ceiling mounted ones) dies and a teacher is desperate for an image projector! But wait - there's a digital one now.
Here's a short list of what has changed at my school in eight years:
1. Digital Elmo Projectors that project, photograph and video have been added to 33 rooms
2. Promethean boards are in 30 rooms
3. Digital cameras have been purchased
4. 30 Nooks available for checkout
5. LCD projectors added to 33 classrooms and two labs
6. 1 I-Pad available for use in the library
7. Every teacher has a laptop in his/her classroom
That's an enormous amount of technology change now that I have listed it out! What it means for the librarian is a lot of troubleshooting, maintenance, charging, and assisting teachers with set-up and occasionally help with the function keys. All of this is done with student help that teachers and librarians couldn't live without. So, thank you to the students!
Here's a short list of what has changed at my school in eight years:
1. Digital Elmo Projectors that project, photograph and video have been added to 33 rooms
2. Promethean boards are in 30 rooms
3. Digital cameras have been purchased
4. 30 Nooks available for checkout
5. LCD projectors added to 33 classrooms and two labs
6. 1 I-Pad available for use in the library
7. Every teacher has a laptop in his/her classroom
That's an enormous amount of technology change now that I have listed it out! What it means for the librarian is a lot of troubleshooting, maintenance, charging, and assisting teachers with set-up and occasionally help with the function keys. All of this is done with student help that teachers and librarians couldn't live without. So, thank you to the students!
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