Tuesday Tips December 20, 2016

TECH TIP:  Prioritab Chrome Extension

Prioritab is a Chrome extension that helps you to stay on top of your To Do list.  You add the extension to your Google browser, and then each time you open a new tab, you see the screen in the picture.  You add in the items that you need to get done Today, This Week and This Month.  You can drag and drop them in the order in which you want to prioritize them.  Then delete them when they are done!  

BOOK TIP:  Free Book Table on Thursday!

Before each vacation, I like to send students off with books to read, so there will be a table of free books on Thursday this week.  Stop in to get something read!

Tuesday Tips December 13, 2016

TECH TIP:  Google Year End Review

At the end of each year, Google puts together a powerful video of the highlights of the year.  They also compile the top searches of the year.  Here are a few of the highlights:

• Most Overall Searched Item:  Pokemon Go
• Most Searched Person:  Donald Trump
• Most Searched Person After Their Passing:  Prince
• Most Searched Movie:  Deadpool
• Most Searched TV Show:  Stranger Things

And here is the video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIViy7L_lo8

BOOK TIP:  Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Becky Marzotto let me borrow her copy as I couldn't wait until the library copy came in!  Jodi Picoult is a favorite author of mine.  Her novels are emotionally wrenching, touch on current issues, and have multiple character viewpoints, allowing you to realize fully the impact of the story.  In her latest novel, a black nurse, Ruth, is asked not to have any contact with the newborn baby of a white supremacist family.  When the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is the only one in the nursery, she is faced with a critical decision, intervene or obey the order she was given?  This decision sets off a page-turning story of race, power, and privilege. 

Tuesday Tips December 6, 2016

TECH TIP:  Time Magazines 100 Most Influential Photos

In this week's print issue of Time Magazine, they published the 100 Most Influential Images of All Time.  To go along with the print issue, they have a great website as well.  When you click on the image, you can read the background of the image and the photographers take on the image.  There are also 20 short documentary videos about some of the images.  These videos would be great to show in a class and the images could be used in history classes or as writing prompts.  Really fun to look through. 

BOOK TIP:  Book Gift Giving Guide

  Books are great gifts to give for the holiday season.  To help you find that perfect book, here are some great book gift guides put together by some fabulous public librarians:

Westerville Public Library:  http://www.westervillelibrary.org/gift-guide-2016-adults

Skokie Public Library:  https://skokielibrary.info/media/filer_public/dd/ae/ddaed5ab-14f8-4157-bcc9-ff04de91c1bd/skokie_public_library_2016_gift_guide.pdf

Morton Public Library: http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/811363/27360082/1480655109613/2016%20Gift%20Giving%20Guide.pdf?token=iRImIl/1rNpOtC0dnHiZs1MWmFA%3D

Thanks to the blog RA For All for these guides.

Tuesday Tips November 29, 2016

TECH TIP:  My Simple Show Explainer Video Creator

Each quarter, instead of grades, I put together a Quarterly Report on activity and statistics in the library.  I use these Quarterly Reports as a way to learn new tech tools.  For this First Quarter Report, I used MySimpleShow, which is an online program that produces animated explainer videos.  It was very easy to use and could be a great project with students.  You select the type of video you want to produce (Explain a medical disease, a biological process, an historical event, a mathematical concept, etc.) and then you write the script into the pre-organizing story board.  Based on your text, options for line drawn images are given.  Select what you want and then you can do your own recording or use the computer generated voices to read your script.  Hit Publish and you're done!  

Here is my video for the 1st Quarter of the Library (lots of fun stats in there :)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB4XLyTlO74

BOOK TIP:  Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

The Student Book Club is back!  Our first selection is Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.  Set in 2033, most people spend their time in a virtual world, OASIS.  The founder of OASIS left his fortune to the winner of a game full of challenges in this virtual world.  A neat twist is that the founder grew up in the 1980's and was obsessed with that time period, so the "game" has tons of references to 80's pop culture and video games.  If you like sci fi with a twist of fantastical gaming, then you'll enjoy this fast paced read.  Has been well reviewed by the book club members thus far!

Tuesday Tips November 22, 2016

TECH TIP:  Snow Day Calculator

We all know about the Greylock Snow Day blog, but have you used the online Snow Day Calculator?  It's a fun way to dream about a possible snow day :) You enter in your zip code and a few other details about the school, and then hit Calculate.  It returns a percentage chance of a snow day.  Sunday night, it had us at 70% chance of a snow day.  

BOOK TIP: Read!

My book tip for this week is to enjoy the time away this week and read!  I'd love to hear what you read. 

Tuesday Tips November 15, 2016

TECH TIP:  Google Trends: Thanksgiving

Google Trends is where Google tracks the top searches of Google users.  Much of this data they then turn into charts, graphs and other cool visualizations.   This data could be useful in classes.  

This week, it is all about Thanksgiving trends.  Traveling for the holiday?  Here are the best and worst times to do that according to Google:

Here's the most popular ways to cook your turkey by region: 

And the most searched Thanksgiving recipes on Google:  

Lastly, where does your favorite pie land by region?:

BOOK TIP:  The Dead Student by John Katzenbach

A traditional style murder mystery.  Timothy, aka "Moth", find his uncle dead in his office due to an apparent suicide.  Moth knows that his uncle would never commit suicide.  Thus begins his search for the truth and leads him further into danger.  

Tuesday Tips November 1, 2016

TECH TIP:  TechBoomers

Have no idea what Snapchat is?  Or want to know how to use Instagram?  Then TechBoomers will help you out.  TechBoomers offers free "courses" on how to use popular websites.  The courses are broken down into small tutorials.  A good option for personal Professional Development.

BOOK TIP:  The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

In this alternative history, Colson Whitehead has the underground railroad as a real railroad, traveling in man-made tunnels beneath the ground.  The story focuses on Cora, a young slave escaping to freedom in the north on this underground railroad.  Along the way, though, she faces many obstacles and meets unique characters.  A story of perseverance and survival.

Tuesday Tips October 25, 2016

TECH TIP:  ToonyTool

ToonyTool is a quick and easy way to create cartoon images.  You select the background, either from their stock images or from your own upload, then you can layer on text, meme fonts, cartoon characters and props.  You can then download the image or email it to yourself.  No need to register or sign up for anything.  This could be a quick way to have students make posters, flyers, practice vocabulary, etc.  

I found this tip at the blog Free Tech for Teachers

BOOK TIP: Tweak: Growing Up On Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff

This is a powerful memoir of a young man's descent into addiction to meth and heroin.  In a no-holds barred approach, Nic Sheff details his relapse at 20 and his struggle to understand why he needs to use drugs.  I was shocked at times at his actions and how far he was willing to go to maintain a high, but the novel provides insight and understanding into the mind of an addict.  Interestingly, Sheff's father also wrote a memoir around the same time called Beautiful Boy about the parental perspective on his son's addiction and rehab.  

Tuesday Tips October 18, 2016

TECH TIP:  National Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day

Yesterday, October 17 was National Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day.  In honor of that, here are some instructions and inspirations on how to get your desktop from this:  

  to this:  

 

You create a background image with sections for all the types of files and programs you use most (I used Canva to do mine but the instructions use Picmonkey, both good photo editors).  Once your image is up, you move the icons into the proper section for them.  This is also a good time to go through all those files on your desktop and get rid of those you no longer need.  

Here are the instructions and inspiration I followed (and there is a good video tutorial on how to do it):  

http://iheartplanners.com/2015/03/13/organize-computer-desktop/#_a5y_p=3496463
http://www.thebudgetslp.com/2013/08/create-organized-desktop.html

BOOK TIP:  Berkshire Books

1973 Monument Mountain graduate, Margaret "Peggy" Dempsey, passed away last March.  She was a librarian and enjoyed local history.  A donation was made to the Monument Mountain library in her memory.  With that donation, six titles about the Berkshires were added to our collection.  The titles include:

• Hawthorne's Lenox: Tanglewood Circle by Cornelia Brooke Gilder
• Best Easy Day Hikes of the Berkshires by Jim Bradley
• The Finest Hours:  The True Story of the US Coast Guard Most Daring Rescue by Michael J. Touglas
• Shay's Rebellion: The American Revolution's Final Battle by Leonard L. Richards
• The Big E by David Cecchi
• The Unfolding Berkshires by David J. McLaughlin
• Inside the Berkshires: Sixteen Journeys of Discovery by David J. McLaughlin

Tuesday Tips October 11, 2016

TECH TIP:  Padlet

Padlet is a website that allows you to collect feedback from students.  It is also a place that students could collaborate on a project or gather ideas and resources together.  You create the Padlet (think of it like a wall), post the topic at the top, then give the link to students.  They simply double click on the Padlet and then create their post.  The post could be text, an image, an attachment, or a link to a website.  A great way to do exit tickets with students.

BOOK TIP:  The National Book Award Winners

The National Book Award Finalists were just announced this week.  A wonderful list of titles,all worth adding to your reading list!  Check out all the nominees here:  

http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2016.html

Tuesday Tips October 4, 2016

TECH TIP:  AnswerGarden Feedback Tool

AnswerGardenis a very easy to use online feedback tool.  At AnswerGarden, you click on the + sign to create your poll and post your question.  You can adjust the settings to what format you would like, and the poll can be open or moderated by you.  Students then get the URL to the poll, or a QR code is automatically created that you can post and students scan.  Their responses then show up in a word cloud format and the more times a response shows up, the bigger the font is.  Could be a great way to get quick feedback or input.  

Found this tip at the Never Ending Search blog.

BOOK TIP:  The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

If I'm honest, I didn't expect to like this book, but I couldn't put it down.  It is about vampires after all, but it's mostly about survival as an outcast in world dominated by those who are fundamentally different from you.  Gene is a human pretending to be a vampire in order to survive a futuristic world where vampires are dominant.  When he is invited to be a part of a hunt to track what are believed to be the last remaining humans, Gene must learn the art of the hunt and how to avoid suspicion himself.  Book one of a trilogy. 

Tuesday Tips September 27, 2016

TECH TIP:  Election Debate Resources

In honor of last nights first presidential debate, here are two great resources for your classes about presidential debates.

 PBS Learning has a wonderful collection of election resources, including an interactive map that shows you where the presidential and vice-presidential candidates are each day.  And if you are looking to do a debate in your classroom (on any topic), there is a Classroom Debate download which guides you on how to run a successful classroom debate.  (Side note: I love hosting class debates in the library!)

TheWashington Post also has an interactive debate site, where you pick the issues that the two candidates will be debating.  You then click on the candidate's picture and it shows you video clips of the candidate talking about that issue.  Could be a great way to show students how the candidate's stand on specific issues. 

BOOK TIP:  Clinton and Trump books

Two books in the MMRHS Library on the two candidates:

Great Again: How to Fix Our Crippled America by Donald J. Trump is the book where Trump lays out his vision for fixing America's economy, military, and education system.  Hard Choices, by Hillary Rodham Clinton, is Clinton's memoir of the choices and challenges she has faced in her life, particularly during her tenure as Secretary of State. 

Tuesday Tips September 20, 2016

TECH TIP:  Words With Friends EDU Edition

I've long been a Words With Friends fan (you can play me at Librarylady159), but now there is a classroom edition of Words with Friends.  As a teacher, you set up your account, then set up a classroom.  Give that classroom code to your students, and they play against each other in that closed class environment.  There are Power Words that earn bonus points, a built in dictionary to look up words they don't know, and there are even lesson plans on the site.   On the teacher dashboard, you see who has played and how many points and badges they've earned.  Could be a fun classroom game or extra credit opportunity!

BOOK TIP:  The Secret Lies by Megan Miranda

A fast paced suspense and survival thriller.  Kelsey's mom was kidnapped as a teenager and after escaping, goes on to build a house that is a fortress.  A house she never leaves.  So when Kelsey comes home and her mom is gone, she knows something is really wrong.  But maybe the "fortress" was more about keeping people out rather than keeping her in.  

Tuesday Tips September 13, 2016

TECH TIP:  Vizia Video Quiz Creator

Vizia is a great tool for making YouTube videos interactive and allows you to ask questions and get feedback from students as they watch videos for your class.  With Vizia, you paste in the URL for the YouTube video, and then you select points along the video timeline to add in questions (can be multiple choice or short response).  You then share the link to this Vizia video with the students and when they watch it, the video actually stops on the points you've set up and they must answer the question.  All of their responses are then put into a Google Spreadsheet in your account, where you can see all their responses.  You can set it up so they have to log in with an email.  

Click here to see the example one I set up using a library video.  You'll get a sense of how this works AND I'll give a prize to those who complete the quiz!  http://vizia.co/videos/a8e0aa755901529f678d98/share

I found this tip at FreeTech4Teachers:  http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2016/08/how-to-create-video-quizzes-on-vizia.html

BOOK TIP:  The Fireman by Joe Hill

This was a great science fiction book with a dystopian twist.  A terrible plague has taken over the world, where you burst into flames.  There is a small underground group, led by the Fireman, looking to save the world and control those who burn.  An especially good read for fans of The Walking Dead or Robin Cook books.  

Tuesday Tips September 6, 2016

 TECH TIP:  The Hidden World of the National Parks

This is the 100th anniversary of the National Parks service and in recognition of that, Google put together astunning interactive featuring 5 of the National Parks.  If you're already dreaming about your next vacation, spend some time here!  And be sure to wear your headphones for the full experience! Enjoy the trip.

I found this tip at Larry Ferlazzo's Blog:  http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2016/08/26/google-unveils-impressive-site-the-hidden-worlds-of-the-national-parks

BOOK TIP:  A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

This was hands down my favorite book of the summer! I absolutely adored it.  Ove is a grouchy old man whose wife has passed away and he has decided to kill himself.  But life keeps getting in the way.  Underneath the grouchy exterior, though, is a man with a big heart.  This book will charm and delight. 

Tuesday Tips June 14, 2016

TECH TIP:  Green Screen App by Do Ink

This past week, I had a great time working with Beth Spence's Biology classes on their final projects, which was to create a TED talk on a biology topic.  Several students made use of the green screen in the library and used the iPads with the Green Screen App by Do Ink to produce their videos.  There is a bit of a learning curve with the app, but here is a tutorial on how to use the app:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWAHxtpPp24  I can't wait to see their final products!  

BOOK TIP:  Summer Reading

Check out this year's Summer Reading packet!  Hoping to get lots of students participating and reading this summer.  A goal for next year is to bring back the faculty book club in some form next year....so stay tuned for more details on that!  

Tuesdy Tips June 7, 2016

TECH TIP:  Snapchat 

 When I talk with students about their social media preferences, Snapchat is always at the top of the list.  Snapchat is a messaging application that shares a picture or video.  You can annotate these images with drawings, word messages, and other filters.  You send these "snaps" to your Snapchat friends and once they open the image, it disappears after 10 seconds.  You can now buy on-demand geofilters, that overlay your images and are based on your geographic location.  This is a picture of some of the female staff lined up before graduation using the special MMRHS graduation geofilter.  Shout out Krista Kennedy, Lisken Van Pelt Dus, Beth Spence, Kristi Farina, Kathy Erickson, Nancy Graham and Kathy Roy!

BOOK TIP:  Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

Neal Shusterman is a well regarded young adult author.  This novel is the story of a young man newly diagnosed with schizophrenia.  The story weaves between the "real" world of Caden and the world of his mind.  It took me a bit to get into this, but once you are in and realize what is going on, and those worlds start to overlap, you are hooked.  Very compelling.  The book is interwoven with artwork by the author's son, who is also schizophrenia, and much of the story came from these original drawings.

Tuesday Tips May 31, 2016

TECH TIP:  Team Maker

Team Maker is a quick and easy online team generator, which could be very helpful at the end of the year if you are doing groups or playing games.  You enter in your student's names, select the type of team names you want (could be numbers, Greek gods, sports teams, even Elements!), and the number of teams needed.  Click Generate, and your teams are randomly created! 

BOOK TIP:  Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

I read this book in one day this past weekend!  Madeline has SCID, Severe Combined Immunodeficiency.  Essentially she is allergic to the world and can not leaver her air locked house.  Her world consists of her mother, her nurse, and her online tutors.  But that whole world changes when Olly, moves in next door.  The novel is cleverly written and designed, using art, text, and prose to tell the story.  One that captivates you until the last page. 

Tuesday Tips May 24, 2016

TECH TIP:  Zamzar File Conversion

This tip came about when Kristi Farina had a .wps file she needed to convert to a .doc file.  Zamzar is a free online file converter.  You upload the file you need converted, put in what format you want it converted to, and your email.  The converted file is then emailed to you within minutes.  This is very helpful when students give you things like .pages or .key files that you can't open on your school laptop.  

BOOK TIP:  Serial Podcast

OK, so not really a book, and I'm late to the game on this one, but I just recently finished the podcast of Serial.  I was intrigued to listen to it after reading about a high school that selected the podcast as their school wide summer "read".  Serial is a weekly podcast, where the host follows one true story over the course of a series.  It is a great mix of investigative journalism and story telling.  All the hallmarks of a great non-fiction read.  Season One looks at the case of Adnan Syed and whether or not he was wrongfully jailed for murder.  Highly recommend this one for your summer "listen".

Tuesday Tips May 17, 2016

TECH TIP:  Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets

The Digital Public Library of American Primary Source Sets is a treasure trove of cool stuff!  It is a compilation of primary source material that connects to history, literature and American culture.  The sets are grouped by topic (like Japanese American Internment or the Yellow Fever Epidemic), by novel (like The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian or The Scarlet Letter).  Each set also has a teaching guide with ways to use the material with students.  

BOOK TIP:  The Stranger by Harlan Coben

If you are looking for a thriller with many twists and turns, then this is the book for you!  Harlan Coben is a master of the suspense thriller.  In his latest novel, The Stranger, a mysterious stranger appears out of nowhere to tell you the darkest of secrets.  It could be about you or a member of your family.  But whatever it is, it will change your life forever.  This is a book I've recommended to several teachers and they have all really enjoyed it.  Put this one on your summer beach read list!

Tuesday Tips May 10, 2016

TECH TIP:  Google Slides New Features

Google Slides unveiled two new cool features this week.  One is the ability to have your audience ask questions via a link you give them.  That link automatically connects to your presentation.  The presenter can then move back and forth through the slides and the audience questions.  Could be a really neat way to get all students involved by having them post questions.  The audience can vote on the questions and then you could answer the most liked ones first.  Here is a 2 minute video to see this in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFMFXSvlXZY

The other new Google Slides feature is a built-in laser pointer.  When you are in Present Mode, just click on the new Laser Pointer button and your mouse becomes a laser pointer, automatically highlighting what you want.  

BOOK TIP:  The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Boy, did I love this book!  Part fairy tale, part magical realism, part survival story.  A childless couple become homesteaders in Alaska in the 1920s.  One night they build a snow girl.   Several days later, a real girl comes to visit.  But is this child real?  Kept me captivated, beautifully written.

Tuesday Tips May 3, 2016

TECH TIP:  YouTube Video Editor

Each quarter, I put together a Quarterly Report that features statistics and happenings in the library.  It is a way to share the good work that you all do here in the library, and it is a way for me to "test drive" some of these tech tools.  For the Third Quarter Report, I made a video using the Video Editor that is built in and FREE to use with your YouTube account (and if you have a Google account, you have a YouTube account).  This could be a great tool for students to use to make video presentations for your classes.  

The video is 1:45 long, and some of you may see yourself in here!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zskxV-0IKE

 

BOOK TIP:  Reboot by Amy Tintera

This one was recommended to me by a student.  A great read!  In a futuristic America, "Reboots" are elite soldiers who have come back to life after dying.  They are able to regenerate and are thus useful as soldiers, especially since the longer you were dead, the less human characteristics you still have.  Wren was dead for 178 minutes, the longest of any Reboot; thus, the less human.  But when she gets an order she doesn't agree with, will any of that humanity come back?  

Tuesday Tips April 26, 2016

TECH TIP:  Word Sift

This is a online tool that would be helpful in visualizing and analyzing text and primary sources.  You copy the text of the document, speech, report, etc. and then hit "Sift".  You will then get a word cloud that visualizes the most commonly used words.  You can edit the style of the word cloud.  When you click on a word in the cloud, it will then show you were in the text that word was used.  You also get the definition and a visual thesaurus.  There also images that are associated with the word you highlighted.  

Here is a sift of Martin Luther King, Jr's " I Have a Dream" speech:

BOOK TIP:  Shakespeare's 400th
April 23 marked the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death (and some say also his birth, but that date has never been verified!).  Here are a few fun books about the Bard from the library:

Kissing Shakespeare by Pamela Mingle.  A novel of romance and time travel.  After a disastrous performance in her school's Shakespeare play, Miranda is whisked off to 16th century England by a fellow castmate in order to save William Shakespeare.

Zombie Island: A Shakespeare Undead Novel by Lori Handeland.   In this zombie farce, vampire William Shakespeare is stranded on an island full of zombies and fight to save even Queen Elizabeth.  

Tuesday Tip April 5, 2016

TECH TIP:  ProCon.org

 ProCon.org is a great website if you are looking at ways to share balanced information with your students.  At ProCon.org, you can select an issue, then within each issue topic, there are sections on general background and definition of the topic, along with articles and arguments to support each side of the issue.  There is also a video gallery for most of the issues.  There is also a special section that explains where each of the current presidential candidates stand on all the issues.  It also has a Teacher's Corner that has lesson plans that connect to some of the issues.  

BOOK TIP:  Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

This is a small but powerful book.  Joseph is 14 and in foster care with Jack's family.  He has been troubled his whole life, but is a father at 14 to Jupiter, who he has never met.  This is the story of a young man trying to find himself, and his daughter, at any cost.