Tuesday Tips December 10, 2019

TECH TIP:  Image Annotator

This is a new tool at the great Classtools.net site. The Image Annotator allows you to make any image interactive.  Once you've uploaded an image, you can add in your content that can include text and links to relevant websites.  Images can embedded, share with a link or a QR code.

Here's an example.  In the "live" version, if you click on any of the red dots, a pop up box appears with the content that's been added.

BOOK TIP:  On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

This is the latest book by the author of the very successful The Hate U Give.  In this novel, 16 year old Bri wants to become a famous rapper like her father, who died when she was young.  She has a shot at making a name for herself in the field, but life is not so easy.  Her mother lost her job  and as the bills pile up and homelessness and hunger become a reality of her life.  An homage to hip-hop and overcoming what others expect from you.  

All of these are archived at my blog:  http://monumentpd.blogspot.com/

Looking forward to working with you sometime!

Kara

Tuesday Tips December 3, 2019

TECH TIP:  Check123 Video Encyclopedia

Check123 is a video encyclopedia.  It has curated over 20,000 videos, all of which have been professionally approved.  They are all between one and 3 minutes long, so they could provide a good lesson opener or quick review.  Videos are from all disciplines.  All videos have been rated on a school of 1 to 10 for both how Informative they are and their Entertainment Value.

BOOK TIP:  The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

  Ann Patchett has long been a favorite author of mine and her latest book does not disappoint.  Brother and sister duo Danny and Maeve Conroy grow up in the famed Dutch House.  However, they are exiled from the Dutch House by their stepmother, which sets them on a path where the only people they can count on are each other.  A powerful saga spanning decades.  A bonus was I did this as an audiobook and Tom Hanks is the narrator; he's a total delight.  

Tuesday Tips November 26, 2019

TECH TIP:  Animoto for Making Videos

Animoto has been a long time favorite of mine for making videos, but they have recently added the ability to do voice overs.  This is a huge improvement, as it allows students to share more of their own knowledge with their personal narration and not a limited amount of text.  

I used Animoto to make this quarter's report on library events.  You can see how the voiceover narration works.  It is a one minute long video.  

BOOK TIP:  Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you lots of time to read and eat this vacation!

Tuesday Tips November 19, 2019

TECH TIP:  And Then I Was Like: GIF Maker

A little Thanksgiving message as a 3 second GIF from me to you!  I used the site https://andtheniwaslike.co/ to create this.  It uses your computer's webcam, hit record and you've made a GIF!  

  

BOOK TIP:  Faculty Book Club Meets Thursday

The Faculty Book Club will meet this Thursday after school in the library to discuss Teach Like a Pirate.  The mission of the MMRHS Faculty Book Club is to promote reading and the discussion of professional and inspirational works in an atmosphere that fosters positivity and community. Even if you haven't read the book, please feel free to join us for the discussion.

Tuesday Tips November 12, 2019

TECH TIP:  Fling the Teacher Review Game

Classtools.net has a whole array of games and tools you can customize for your classes.  The latest game is called "Fling the Teacher" and is a play on Angry Birds.  If students answer 15 questions correctly, they have 60 seconds to "fling" the teacher as many times as they can into a hole.  

You can create your own questions and put your face on the bird (imagine your face there).  Try out the demo game to see how it works (I was not very good at the flinging!)

BOOK TIP:  Internment by Samira Ahmen

  Internment is set a not so distant future United States, where Muslims are being sent to camps.  In fact, they are put in Manzanar, where Japanese were held in WWII.  Layla Amin and her family are sent here and Layla quickly sets to leading a revolution from within.  The book tackles themes of discrimination, fear, and what happens when the world stays silent.

Tuesday Tips October 29, 2019

TECH TIP:  Hyperdocs: Using Google Docs and Forms

Emery Gagnon was looking for:

• A way for his students to easily share their writing with each other
• A method for them to vote on which submissions were the best in each category

I suggested that he create a hyperdoc using both Google Docs and Google Forms.  A hyperdoc is an interactive document that provides for collaboration and connection and, at its best, also allows for student voice to be heard.  It also keeps the work focused on the task at hand as there is no "clicking through", as all links are on one clean document.  Here is a screenshot of what Emery created:

Let me know if you'd like to create one for any of your classes!

BOOK TIP:  Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2019

 It is that time of year, when the publishing and book industry begin to put out their best books of the year list.  Publisher's Weekly just put out their Best Books of 2019 list.  There is a top ten books, and a breakdown of the best books in other categories like Fiction, Non-Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult and more.  A great place to add to your to-be-read list!

Tuesday Tips October 22, 2019

TECH TIP & BOOK TIP:  Google Books 15 Year Anniversary and Updates

An all in one this week as books and technology collide!  Google Books is celebrating its 15th anniversary with some new updates.  The goal of Google Books was to digitize the world's books so they would be available for all.  Currently, there are 40 million books in 400 languages at Google Books.  

To access the updated Google Books, do a search on whatever topic you want, click on a book and then select the "Try New Google Books" on the right hand side. 

Once in the new format, you can now see on the book's landing page a description of the book, an author history, and full citations in all the major formats.  

They also have a fun interactive experiment where Google will pick a book for you based on what images you select. 

 And I love this Icelandic tradition, reading books and eating chocolate!  Sounds like the best day ever to me 

Tuesday Tips October 15, 2019

TECH TIP:  RemoveBG for Removing Picture Backgrounds

Looking for a way to have students insert themselves into historical scenes or perhaps a scene from a book?  Have them take photos of themselves (preferably against a plain background), then they upload those photos to RemoveBG and the background is removed, the image is saved a PNG.  They can then overlay that image onto whatever backdrop they select.  

I used this with this year's Banned Books Week bulletin board display.

The final product:

BOOK TIP:  National Book Award Finalists Announced

On November 20th, the National Book Foundation will announce its winners of the National Book Award, a prestigious award that celebrates the best of American literature in five categories:  Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Translated Literature and Young People's Literature.  The finalists in each of these categories was just announced.  I use these lists to get inspiration for my own reading or to plan purchases for here.  Check it out!

Tuesday Tips October 8, 2019

TECH TIP:  QR Code Generator 

 

Horticulture students were in the library this week creating informational sheets about all the trees on campus.  I worked with them on then creating a QR code for these sheets.  The QR code will get affixed to the trees around campus and anyone can then scan them and learn about the tree.  

We used QR Code Generator, where you simply copy in the URL to your document and it creates the QR Code for you, which you can save or copy.  

But the best is that through just the camera on your phone, you can scan the QR code and it will take you right to the link!  No need for a special QR reader app.  The students love this part!  Try it out:

BOOK TIP:  Far From the Tree by Robin Benway

  A wonderful young adult novel about what it means to be a family.  Joaquin, Grace and Maya all share the same biological mother, but all were adopted or fostered to different families.  In fact, they didn't even know they had siblings until they were in their teens.  These three form a bond as they search for their biological mother and learn about family: the one you're born into and the one you create.  Well written, great characters.

Tuesday Tips October 1, 2019

TECH TIP:  TimelineJS

I worked with Brian Leslie's 9th Social Studies class on their WWI projects this week.  One of the options I gave to them was to create a timeline using the timeline creator TimelineJS.

There's a bit of a learning curve to this program and it is worth taking the time to watch the tutorial video on how to use it.  Essentially, though, you fill out a Google Sheet template you download from the site, and fill it with your information, dates, images, or video links.  You then upload that Google Sheet to the site and they will produce your timeline.  You can then either embed the timeline on a website or you are given a link to share.  Here are a couple examples of the timeline:

• http://world.time.com/2013/12/05/nelson-mandelas-extraordinary-life-an-interactive-timeline/
• https://timeline.knightlab.com/examples/houston/index.html

BOOK TIP: The Need by Helen Phillips

  Speculative fiction (fiction that contains elements that are not of the natural world, whether it be supernatural, science fiction, etc.) is not my usual genre, but this book was recommended, so I gave it a shot.   Molly is the main character and she is mother to two young children and works as a paleobotanist when she begins to hear and see things.....and I'll leave it at that because it really is a book best gone into blind and is one you will either love or hate.   It is a book I keep thinking about and don't understand the ending, so I need to talk with someone about it!  

Tuesday Tips from the Library

TECH TIP:  NoodleTools Log-In with School Google Account

Students can now quickly and easily log-in to NoodleTools through their school Gmail account.  NoodleTools makes Works Cited pages and can assist in other ways with your research projects.  

Here's how to access using Google:

I'm happy to work with classes on using NoodleTools or the initial account set-up.  If you already had an account set up, there is an additional step to take to connect that account with your school account.  

BOOK TIP:  American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson

Marie Mitchell is an FBI analyst in the 1980's.  She is sent undercover to Burkina Faso to assist the US in the overthrow of the Communist president there.  However, she becomes too embroiled and enamored with Thomas Sankara and it changes everyone's lives.  A classic spy thriller of sorts, one based on the true events in Burkina Faso and the overthrow of "Africa's Che Guevara".  

Every summer, former President Obama shares his summer reading list and this was on his list this summer.  

Tuesday Tips September 17, 2019

TECH TIP:  A Page For Your Class on the Library Website 

I worked this week with Dallas Speranzo's classes on a project they will be working on throughout the year related to a local farm.  First step in their research process was to identify a farm.  I created a webpage of resources for them through the library website.  This is something I can do for your classes as well, curate resources specific to the project requirements and assist you in teaching the lesson.   The students were fully engaged in finding their farm to research!

BOOK TIP:  The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal

  This was another one of my favorite reads of the summer.  Sisters Edith and Helen are divided after their father leaves the family farm solely to Helen.  Helen goes on to make money by brewing beer, a field dominated by men.  While Edith struggles financially to make ends meet, she does make award winning pies and it is through her hard work that she is able to provide for her family.   This novel is a love letter to Minnesota values, family connections, and finding success in a world that constantly puts you down.  I'd also recommend the author's other book  Kitchens of the Great Midwest.

Tuesday Tips September 10, 2019

TECH TIP:  The 1619 Project

 

 A few weeks back, The New York Times Magazine had a whole issue devoted to their journalistic feature called The 1619 Project.  The 1619 Project honors the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first African slave ships in the United States.  Through a series of essays, poems, and other stories, The 1619 Project examines the impact of slavery on American culture, politics, art and society.  It is incredibly powerful and the journalistic coverage is impressive.  They also have partnered with the Pulitzer Center to provide lesson plans and curricular resources to teachers to use this in their classroom.

This is the interactive site where you can click into the many stories.    

This link will take you to a PDF of the full New York Times Magazines

This will take you to the lesson plans and curricular resources

BOOK TIP:  Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson

  Laurie Halse Anderson is the author of the famous book, Speak, which some of our students read in their English classes.  Speak is the story of a young woman who is sexually assaulted and stops speaking.  In Shout, Laurie Halse Anderson tells the story of her own sexual assault that inspired Speak.  It is written in verse, a poetic ode to her own survival and a call to action to help those who have also survived a sexual assault.  

Tuesday Tips September 3, 2019

TECH TIP:  Google Forms as an Exit Ticket

Google Forms are part of your G Suite and are a great way to create an exit ticket or to use as a formative assessment.  New improvements to Google Forms allows you to now add in images or YouTube videos.  Here's how you do that:

DOUBLE TECH TIP:  Project a QR code of a link to your form and have students simply scan the QR code with their phone to access the form and they complete the exit ticket on their phone.

BOOK TIP:  The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

 I read a TON this summer.  This was by far my favorite book of the summer.  Set against the historical background of the 1980's (I can't believe I'm that old that the 1980's is historical now....) and the AIDS crisis in Chicago.  The novel follows Yale Tishman as AIDS ravages his friends, his family, his relationships.  It is thoughtful and heart breaking, yet ultimately uplifting.  It's earned all kinds of literary accolades.  It's wonderful!

Tuesday Tips June 4, 2019

TECH TIP:  How to Forward Your School Email to Another Inbox

If you'd like to only check one inbox this summer, here are the steps you need to take to forward your school email to another email address.

1.  Go into the Settings of your email:

2.  Go to the Forwarding section of Settings:

3.  Select which option you would like for keeping, deleting, or archiving all emails:

4.  Once you've done that, you will get a verification code in your other email box that you will have to enter and then you are done!

5.  When you want to stop the forwarding, go in and Disable Forwarding.

BOOK TIP:  A Body in the Heart of the World by Deb Caletti

  

A Heart in the Body of the World by Deb Caletti is the story of a young woman who is running - literally - from the trauma of the last year.  Annabelle sets off a cross-country run to heal her broken heart after an unspeakable tragedy.  The specifics of the tragedy unfold throughout the novel as she runs and reflects on the past year.  A deeply heartfelt novel. 

Tuesday Tips May 28, 2019

TECH TIP:  16 Personalities Test

 This is a fun one I came across this weekend.  It is a free personality test that takes about 10 minutes to complete.  It assesses your traits through a series of questions and then gives you a detailed report on what type of personality you have.  It nailed me, I am a Defender, someone who has well developed people skills, upholds tradition and a desire to do good, and is meticulous to  the point of perfection.  

Over 40,000,000 people have taken the test, so they have extensive data by country.  For example, I learned that the most EXTROVERTED country in the world is Nicaragua and the most INTROVERTED country in the world is Lithuania.  You can take the test is 37 different languages as well.  

What type are you?

BOOK TIP:  Free Audiobooks All Summer through Sync

 AudioFile is offering free audiobook downloads all summer through its Sync program.  Each week are two new audiobooks you can download for free.  They are geared mostly for young adults, but there are some great titles there you might also enjoy.  

This week's titles are:

• A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen
• Tear Down This Wall:  A City, A President, and a Speech that Ended the Cold War by Romesh Ratnezar

Tuesday Tips May 21, 2019

TECH TIP:  SIRS Issues Researcher Database

This week, Meghan St. John and Tara Birkett's classes were in the library beginning work on their final research projects.  I showed them the SIRS Issues Researcher database for their project.  I like this database because you select your issue, and then the database organizes the articles by question topic and presents articles and other evidence for both sides of an issue.  Here's how it works:

You can access this from the library's database webpage and can get right in if you are accessing it here in the building, but will need a log in code if using from home.  Let me know if you'd like that code.  

BOOK TIP:  In the Woods by Tana French 

 I recently discovered this detective series that is part of the Dublin Murder Squad series by Irish author Tana French and I'm a huge fan.  The mysteries are solid and captivating, but the writing and the development of the detectives characters is top notch.  They are moody, dedicated, and all have a bit of Irish about them.  Another one for your summer book list if you are a fan of mysteries!