Tuesday Tips December 15, 2015

TECH TIP:  Google Cardboard

Looking for an inexpensive, but super fun, stocking stuffer for the techie in your life?  Get them the Google Cardboard!  I had this around the library last week and students love it!  It is a virtual reality viewer.  You buy the cardboard device (lots of different options but can be purchased for under $5 at Amazon), download the free apps onto your phone, slide your phone in and explore!  The New York Times was also giving out these viewers to some of their subscribers and they have an app that allows you to explore in virtual reality many of the places they cover in their stories.  

BOOK TIP:  What To Think About Machines That Think by John Brockman

Another great idea for the techie in your life.  This is a collection of essays by today's leading scientists, thinkers, and artists.  The essayists reflect on technology, artificial intelligence, and the role of machines in our life today. Makes you think.

Tuesday Tips December 8, 2015

TECH TIP:  Doodle Poll

Have you ever tried to schedule a meeting, a party, or a study session with a group of people?  It can be tough to find the best time for all involved, and if you do it over email or text message, it can become a mess as you lose track of who can come on what dates in the slew of texts and emails.    Doodle Poll is the answer to that!  Doodle Poll is free and allows you to post options for dates and times and then the poll gets emailed to your invitees.  It looks like this:

You simply enter your name and select the best dates for you.  When others go to the poll, they can also see the best times for others.  You can set the poll so they can only select one option or any that they are available.    I just used it this week to schedule a pot luck dinner - and it was so easy!  

BOOK TIP:  Eden West by Pete Hautman

The Grace are a religious people who live in Nodd, their isolated compound in Montana.  Jacob knows only this life.  Until one day, he ventures off the compound through the broken fence and meets Lynna, a "Worldly" girl from next door.  This glimpse of the outside world leaves Jacob confused and unsure of his faith and the reality of life at Nodd.  This is a fascinating look at religion, faith and what is true.  

Tuesday Tips December 1, 2015

TECH TIP:  SaysIt Sign Generator

This is a fun one (although not all choices are school appropriate), but Says-It has options for making all kinds of signs like the one above.  You can also make an official seal!   Students make use of this with historical quotes, book character lines, posters for your classroom, etc.   Thanks to Lisa Nielsen's blog for this tip.  

BOOK TIP:  The 2015 GoodReads Choice Awards

Each year, readers vote and select the best books of the year in several categories.  Here are allthe winners.  Some selections on here good for holiday gift ideas!  If you're interested in reading any right away, the MMRHS library has these titles:

• Go Set the Watchman by Harper Lee
• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
• All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
• Queen of Shadows by Sarah Maas

Tuesday Tips November 24, 2015

TECH TIP:  The Great Thanksgiving Listen

I heard about this on NPR the other night.  Many of you may have heard about StoryCorps, a national program that allows people to interview each other, recording and preserving those conversations through the StoryCorps program.  This Thanksgiving, StoryCorps is looking to "preserve the wisdom of generations" by sitting down with an elder, interviewing them, and saving that interview to the app.

BOOK TIP:  Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

In honor of Thanksgiving, a wonderful book about the tentative connections between the English Puritan settlers and the Native peoples on Martha's Vineyard.  It follows Bethia Mayfield and Caleb, the son of a chieftain who goes on to become the first Native American to graduate from Harvard.  It is loosely based on his true story.  Brooks is a divine writer, setting a tone with her writing that makes you feel as though you have been transported to the 1660's.  

Tuesday Tips November 17, 2015

TECH TIP:  "App Smash" of PicCollage and Phrase.It

I use my quarterly reports as an opportunity to learn a new tech tool.  This quarter's report is an "app smash" of two tools: PicCollage and Phrase.It.  PicCollage I used to make the collage and borders and Phrase.It was used to add the cartoon word bubbles.  These are two tools that could be easily used in a class: quotes from historical people, alternate conversations between book characters, etc.  

BOOK TIP:  X: A Novel by Ilyasha Shabazz and Kekla Magoon

Written by Malcolm X's daughter, this is a fictionalized account of Malcolm's childhood and teen years.   Shabazz says while fictionalized, all the characters and events are based on truth and family stories.  It is an intriguing new look at the formative years of Malcolm Little and what perhaps motivated him to become Malcolm X.   

Tuesday Tips November 10, 2015

TECH TIP:  Pecha Kucha 20x20 Presentation Style

 I learned about this presentation technique at the PD day at the Berkshire Museum.  Pecha Kucha is a Japanese word meaning "blah blah".  It is a presentation technique developed by architects to reduce the length of their presentations and keep them focused on the task at hand. 

 You have 20 slides, that are preset to run for only 20 seconds on your Powerpoint presentation.  Thus, the presentation will last only 6 minutes and 40 seconds.  During your presentation you talk only about what is on the slide and, as soon as it turns, you move on to the next slide.   The timing and number of slides could change depending on your class requirements.

This would be a great way to have students present and to showcase what they really know.  You could do this as a "battle decks"  (another great PPT presentation technique), where you pre-select the slides and images, and they have to talk about them.   I'd love to work with you on putting these together!

BOOK TIP:  Just Mercy:  A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

This was a powerful read. Stevenson works at a legal non-profit working primarily with death penalty cases in Alabama.  He traces the wrongful imprisonment of several men on death row and examines the role of racism and poverty in their cases.  Will definitely make you think.  

Tuesday Tips October 27, 2015

In honor of Halloween this week, a few things related to Halloween and horror!

TECH TIP: Frightgeist by Google Trends

Want to make sure you don't show up at a Halloween party with the same costume as someone else? The folks at Google Trends have put compiled all the Halloween costume searches done at Google and put together a trends map that shows what the top costumes will be in your geographic area.   Number one costume nationally is Harley Quinn (honestly, I had to look up who that is!).  This one will distract you for a while!

BOOK TIP:  A couple of scary books!

Amity by Micol Ostow.  A retelling of the Amityville Horror story.  Two different families, ten years apart, move into Amity, a house in a quiet New England town.  Things don't remain peaceful for long as the house comes to life in frightening ways.  

The Rules by Nancy Holder.  Fans of Saw and I Know What You Did Last Summer will enjoy this thriller.  A group of teens are invited to an exclusive scavenger hunt party.  But this party is more about revenge than good times, as the guests are knocked off one by one.  But the question is:  who is doing it and why?

Tuesday Tips October 20, 2015

TECH TIP:  TurnItIn

Last year we piloted the use of TurnItIn.com and, after working out a few kinks with the first run through of papers (thanks Lisa Baldwin for your patience!), we are in full swing this year with this program.  TurnItIn is a similarity checker, where students upload their assignments for your classes, and those assignments are then matched for similarity against the web as well as against other submissions to TurnItIn.  This is helpful if you give the same essay topic, read the same novels, etc., as you can match current student work against the ones that have been uploaded before (this way they can't take their brother's essay off the home computer and turn it in as their own, for example). 

It does not take long to set up a class and about 10 minutes for students to log in and join your class.  Let me know if you are interested in using this with a class or if you'd like to talk to a teacher who has used it already about their experiences.  

BOOK TIP:  All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Violet and Finch are two young adults who meet under the most unlikely of circumstances: they meet at the top of a clock tower when they are both considering jumping off.  Thus begins an unlikely friendship.  But will their friendship be enough to save them?  It is a story of suicide, friendship, and hope.  Fans of The Fault In Our Stars will enjoy this.  

Tuesday Tips October 13, 2015

TECH TIP:  Participoll

Participoll is a free add-on that allows you to embed live polls into your Powerpoint presentations. You create the poll in Powerpoint, then during the presentation, you have it go live.  You give students the URL to vote.  No clickers required, students can use any internet-connected device.  I'm going to use this as an exit tool for a class that is finishing up research to get feedback on which research tool they found most useful.  I'll let you know how it goes!  But this looks like a fun one to explore.

A link to a video overview of how it works:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfsa9j7K9No

BOOK TIP:  Top 10 of Everything (2015 edition)

This book reminds me of reading through the Guinness Book of World Records as a kid.  Updated to include items from 2015, this book lists - as the title states - the Top 10 of Everything.  It covers everything from the Animal Kingdom (#1 Endangered Animal: Wondiwoo Tree Kangaroo) to Music to Humans and Nature (#1 Heaviest Human Organ: Skin).  

Tuesday Tips October 6, 2015

TECH TIP:  Quick Rubric

So the name kind of says it all here, Quick Rubric is a site that allows you to make quick and easy rubrics.  It has an easy interface in which you fill in criteria for the rubric, and then the descriptors based upon the levels you set (Proficient, Emerging, Beginning, etc.).  You set the total score and it will calculate how many points per section.  It then will download it into a clean, modern look.  

You can create an account to save all your rubrics.  They also offer some good tips on writing a strong rubric: https://www.quickrubric.com/about/tips-to-writing-a-strong-rubric

BOOK TIP:  Books on Mars

With the discovery of water on Mars and the release of the film The Martian (which I've reviewed here before, but HIGHLY recommend it!), a few other books about Mars exploration.

Curiosity's Mission on Mars: Exploring the Red Planet by Ron Miller  

This book examines some of what Curiosity, also known as the Mars Rover, has sent back, including pictures.

Black Hole Sun by David Macinnis Gill 

This is book one in a science fiction series about a group of mercenaries sent to protect a mining colony on Mars from an evil band of marauders.   Fast paced and action filled!

Tuesday Tips September 29, 2015

TECH TIP:  Vibby:  Breaks YouTube videos into highlighted segments

Vibby is a site that lets you break down YouTube clips into segments.  You highlight the parts you want students to see and you can add in comments or note things for them to pay focus on when watching.  When they watch the video from the unique URL you give them, Vibby plays only the highlighted sections.  You are also given the option to watch the complete video.

BOOK TIP:  For The Good of Mankind?: The Shameful History of Human Medical Experimentation by Vicky Oransky Wittenstein

In this book, Wittenstein examines the secret past of human medical experimentation.  The book looks into experiments beginning in the 1700's, and looks at both sides of the issue: patient rights and doctors and researchers looking to improve medicine.  The book also explores more modern medical dilemmas like stem cell research.  

Tuesday Tips September 22, 2015

TECH TIP:  The Google Science Fair

The winners of the 2015 Google Science Fair were just announced.  The Grand Prize winner is 16 year old Olivia Hallisey, who developed a cheap, rapid and portable test to detect the Ebola virus.  Check out all the winners here:  https://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/

And check out the Google Science Fair Idea Board, where you can put in your interests, hobbies, etc. and it will give you possible science fair topics to explore.  

BOOK TIP:  The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos

As a child, Harry was tied to a tree by bullies.  When that tree was struck by lightning, Harry is burned over much of his body, leaving him disfigured and scarred.  Music - particularly punk rock - becomes a release for him.  But how do you tell a college admissions person all of this in a 250 word essay?  This becomes his essay of recovery, friendship, and mostly hope.  

Tuesday Tips September 15, 2015

TECH TIP:  Remind

 Remind (formerly known as Remind101) is a service that allows teachers to set up classes or parent groups and send them text messages.  The service sets up a phone number for you, and it is primarily a one-way service, (you can now set it up so they can text back to you) so you will not be overwhelmed with text messages.  

This could be a great way to send out homework and test reminders or updates on changes to due dates, requirements, etc.  You can set it up ahead of time when the messages go out.

I had done this as a 10 Minute Tip last year, and here is a more complete overview of the program:  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1AszuYYkz5trtzZHnajiPy0kW3plsrKFGp22NpbLy5tY/edit?usp=sharing

A teacher tried it after last year's 10 Minute Tip and a student complained that, "My teacher kept texting me this weekend."  While the student was not happy about the interruptions, it does show that they got the messages and paid attention!

BOOK TIP:  How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon

This is a "ripped from the headlines" novel.  Tariq Johnson is shot and the whole neighborhood is through upside down.  Tariq is black and suspected of being in a gang, the shooter was white.  The chapters of the novel alternate between different viewpoints of the event and its aftermath.  A gripping, fast-paced read.  

Tuesday Tips September 8, 2015

TECH TIP:  Voice Typing in Google Docs

 This is a great new feature of Google Docs - you can now just talk and your words get typed automatically!  From the Tools menu, select Voice Typing, hit the microphone and go.  Here is a quick video tutorial of me using it.  So cool!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvW6fPR8YRg

BOOK TIP:  The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

This was my favorite book of the summer.  A story of winged girl.   Magical realism at its best, because it really isn't about the wings at all, it is about an unusual, quirky family and how they try to fit in to "norma"l society over several generations.  Glorious writing, pulls you right in.  To me, it was reminiscent of Jeffrey Eugenides Middlesex.

Tuesday Tips: June 9, 2015

TECH TIPS:  Vocaroo

This one I discovered for Lisken, who needed a way for her Spanish I students to do a quick recording of themselves speaking and that she could possibly access while in Nicaragua.  Vocaroo is an online audio recording tool that you don't need to sign up for and will easily save your recording as a link that can be emailed.  It is super easy to use.  Just hit Record and start talking.  

This could also be good for leaving sub plans, just email the link in with your recording of what you expect of the students and have the sub play it. 

To get a sense of how it works, here's a quick recording I made with a special summer reading suggestion in it:  http://vocaroo.com/i/s0xgilgdAMS9

BOOK TIP:  The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

This is a quirky, feel-good novel about a genetics professor who is a bit socially awkward and unable to connect to people in a "typical" way.  He sets out to scientifically find himself a suitable wife, based on his very specific needs.  Thus, begins his Wife Project.  Into the mix, comes Rosie who fits none of his criteria, but yet, they have a connection.  A great summer read to help you escape.

Tuesday Tips May 26, 2015

TECH TIP:  Tinkercad 3D Design Software

Tinkercad is a free browser-based software that allows you to design three dimensional objects.  The designs you create can be saved and loaded onto the library's 3D printer.  Kathy Erickson and Kristi Farina's Geometry classes just completed a project using the software and printing out their designs.  I'd love to find more ways to collaborate on ways to use the 3D printer in your classes.  Let me know if you have any ideas!

BOOK TIP:  How We Got To Now by Steven Johnson

In the spirit of making and innovation that the Makerspace and 3D printer give the library, a book that reflects on six innovations that made the modern world.  A readable, fascinating story of invention, mistake and the modern world.  Like how air-conditioning led to the largest migration of humans in history (hint:  air conditioning allows millions to live in cities like Dubai and Phoenix).  Also became a PBS series:  http://video.pbs.org/program/how-we-got-now/

Tuesday Tips May 12, 2015

TECH TIP:  Free Summer Online Courses

Looking a course to keep you engaged this summer?  Here is a list of online courses for teachers this summer.  The list was put together by Teach Thought.  Possible courses include technology courses, a course in getting ready for the AP Chemistry test, and many others.

There is even a course on becoming a better chess player (for those who want to take the trophy from Aaron Fisher).

BOOK TIP:  Testing

Since the library has been taking over by AP testing this past week, a few books on TESTING.

Standardized Test: Opposing Viewpoints  This book looks at the pros and cons of standardized testing and their role in education and the college process.

Confessions of a High School Word Nerd edited by Arianne Cohen and Colleen Hinder.  This book promises to increase your SAT score while laughing your gluteus off.  It is a compilation of ten essays that incorporate words found on the SAT Verbal test. 

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau.   16 year old Cia is chosen to take The Testing in order to attend University.  However, she realizes that those who don't pass The Testing are disappearing.  A futuristic, dystopian adventure.

This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers.  A story in the vein of Lord of the Flies.  Five teens are trapped inside their high school as zombies try to break in.  But the teens inside start to turn against each other.  Who will survive this battle?

Tuesday Tips May 5, 2015

Every Tuesday, a tech and book tip to support your work in the classroom.

TECH TIP:  Alternative Assessment Ideas / Multimedia Projects

 Came across this in the blog Cult of Pedagogy and I like all the options it gives for students to show what they've learned.   Some good possibilities here for end of year assessments.

BOOK TIP:  The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

This is what we selected for our most recent student book club book and has been well received by those readers.  This is the first book in a series.  The Earth has been invaded by aliens.  The alien attack came in a series of waves, and this book tracks the 5th wave of alien domination.  Cassie and Ben are the two main narrators.  A gripping story of survival and determination in an apocalyptic world.  

Tuesday Tips April 28, 2015

TECH TIP:  Robben Island Tour from Google Cultural Insitutue

If you haven't checked out the Google Cultural Institute before, you have to.  It is incredible.  The Robben Island exhibit is the newest offering.  Here, you can take a virtual tour of Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and others were imprisoned.  There are also interviews with Robben Island prisoners and a timeline of Robben Island.  

BOOK TIP:  Stories of Nelson Mandela

The Long Walk to Freedom:  The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela    

Mandela is an international hero and political crusader.  This is his story of oppression, resilience, and mostly courage and hope.  

Nelson Mandela:  A Life in Photographs by David Eliot Cohen and John D. Battersby  

This book chronicles the life of Nelson Mandela through the lens of photo-journalist David E. Cohen.  Many are never before seen photos.  Both moving and uplifting.  

Tuesday Tips April 14, 2105

TECH TIP:  Adobe Voice

Adobe Voice is an iPad App that makes videos quick and easy.  It is an easy process to add in your text, images, or icons.  You then hold the record button down to narrate your story.  Pick a theme and a piece of music and your video is ready to go.  A great way to have students create videos or do digital storytelling.  

I made the library 3rd Quarter Report using Adobe Voice.   The video is just under 2 minutes long.  https://voice.adobe.com/a/WAP5l

BOOK TIP:  The Tyrant's Daughter  by J.C. Carleson

This is young adult book that captured me right away.  It is the story of Laila, whose father was dictator of an unnamed Middle Eastern country.  After his assassination, Laila and her mother seek exile in the US.  She must now adapt to life in America while also trying to find a way to solve the international crisis unfolding in her home country. 

Tuesday Tips: April 7

TECH TIP:  Tagxedo Word Cloud Creator

Tagxedo creates word clouds out of text that you either copy in or take from a website by adding in the URL.  It groups together words and, based on the number of times it is used, makes certain words larger.  A good tool for students to analyze text from a novel, a news story, a speech, etc.  

You can customize your clouds with different shapes and colors.  Allows you to save your cloud as a JPG file.  

Here is an example one that I made using the feedback from the IP faculty conversation.  You can see the words that came up repeatedly are larger.   

BOOK TIP:  Books about WORDS

Since the Tech Tip had to do with words, here are three books on words.

The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon.   In this dystopian novel, the death of print has come.  We are all reliant on our tech devices to share our thoughts and words.  The editor of the final edition of the print dictionary goes missing, and so begins the suspenseful chase to find out what happened to him.  A thrilling, cautionary tale of the reliance on technology.

There's a Word For It by Sol Steinmetz.  Organized by decade, this book looks at the explosion of language in new words since 1900.  Those of my age, think "boom box" and "break dancing".  Fun to peruse. 

Word Savvy by Nancy Ragno.  A grammar lovers book.  This book helps you to select the perfect word every time and how to avoid common word mistakes, like confusing word pairs (capital or capitol?)  and common mis-speaks ("escape goat" "by the power invested in me").  Little quizzes included too!

Tuesday Tips March 31, 2015

TECH TIP:  Snapguide

Snapguide is a free web based and iPad app that allows you to easily create how-to, step-by-step instructional guides using photos you upload from your phone. This could be another good way to leverage the device that they all have: their phone.  Make how-to guides for how to change a tire, how to light a bunsen burner, how to complete a math problem, how to garnish your food, etc.  

BOOK TIP:  Struck by Genius: How a Brain Injury Made Me a Mathematical Genius by Jason Padgett

Jason Padgett had a hard time passing pre-algebra in high school.  A violent mugging left him with a brain injury, but also "acquired savant syndrome with mathematical synthesia".  He is now a mathematical genius and has an amazing ability to draw geometric shapes and patterns he sees in ordinary things like water out of the drain.  Some of this artwork is in the book.  An amazing journey.