Tuesday Tips December 22, 2020

 TECH TIP:  FutureMe: Send a letter to yourself in the future

 

FutureMe is a website that will send a letter to yourself in the future.  You enter in whatever message you want to send to yourself and the date on which you will receive the letter.  Might be a nice way to reflect on all we've survived and overcome this year at a future time when things are brighter (they have to get brighter, right??!).  This could be fun to do with your Advisory group.

BOOK TIP:  The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

 This is a book that is popping up on all kinds of Best Of Lists.  Nora Seed is a 35 year old woman who struggles with depression and the path her life has taken.  She's lost her job, got mugged, and her cat just died.  In a downward spiral, she attempts suicide and ends up in the midnight library.  The midnight library is a magical place where all the books are ones that allow you to live all the lives you might have had (and it's staffed by Nora's favorite school librarian :)  While a book of magical realism, it is also a deeply philosophical book about life's regrets and setting a new course for your life.  It's a book you'll want to highlight and underline sections of it.  It will make you think.

"But it is not lives we regret not living that are the real problem. It is the regret itself. It's the regret that makes us shrivel and wither and feel like our own and other people's worst enemy.  We can't tell if any of those other versions would of been better or worse. Those lives are happening, it is true, but you are happening as well, and that is the happening we have to focus on.”

Tuesday Tips December 8, 2020

 TECH TIP:  Canvas Resources all one page!

I've been slowly revamping the whole MMRHS Library website, but just finished up a Canvas Resources page that has all the documents, videos and tips that Tom and I have done all year in one convenient location!  Bookmark the Canvas Resources page for your reference and this will be updated regularly as we put out new material.  

BOOK TIP:  Best Books of 2020

Books are a great gift to give this holiday season.  The Best of lists are a great way to discover fresh, new titles to give.  Here are a few:

The New York Times 10 Best Books of 2020

NPR's Book Concierge

Goodreads Best of 2020 Reader's Choice Awards

Amazon's Best Books of 2020

Happy reading! 

Tuesday Tips December 1, 2020

 TECH TIP:  Turnitin now available on Canvas for your assignments

Turnitin is a software that will run similarity reports on student assignment submissions.  The library has had a subscription for several years.  Now, it is available as an embedded app within Canvas.   The first time you do this, I would be happy to set this up with you.  It was also helpful for me to go into the class and work directly with the students the first time they submitted an assignment using this tool.  I'd love to work with you on this for any of your classes.

You can set it up for any of your assignments using the External Tool submission type. 

Then, scroll down to find the Turnitin app and hit Select:

Once you have saved the assignment, you can load the Turnitin tool and set up additional settings:

If you'd like more information, here are complete instructions.

BOOK TIP:  HIdden Valley Road by Robert Kolker

  I like to listen to non-ficiton audiobooks on my walks and runs.   Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker was one of those books that made me walk further because I wanted to hear more!  It is the story of the Galvins, a family of 12 children, all coming of age in the 1950's and 60's.   Of these 12 children, six of them developed schizophrenia.  It is a remarkable story of this family and the impact the disease had on all of them.  The author also interweaves the history of schizophrenia and its treatment and how this family became an important part of research into the origins of schizophrenia.  It was fascinating. 

Tuesday Tips November 10, 2020

 TECH TIP:  Jeopardy Style Games

We are big Jeopardy! fans in our house and were saddened by the death this week of Alex Trebek.  In honor of him, here are a few Jeopardy! style games you could do with your classes.

• Google Slides Jeopardy template:  Download this template from Slides Carnival and add in your own questions
• PlayFactile:  Set up an online Jeopardy! game at this free site
• Flippity:  Flippity has lots of online games to play.  Here is a demo of this free Jeopardy-style quiz show game and here are the directions on how to set it up

BOOK TIP:  Apeirogon by Colum McCann

I loved Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin and Apeirogon is equally exceptional.   Based on the real life friendship and heartache of two men, one Israeli and one Palestinian, as they work together to build peace in Israel.  The two men share a common grief and use that commonality to fight for a better world for all children.  The story is told through short vignettes, personal, historical, and cultural to tell a story with many nuisances and sides, just like an apeirogon, which is a shape with an infinite amount of sides. 

Tuesday Tips, October 15, 2020

 TECH TIP & BOOK TIP:  eBooks and Audiobooks now available at MMRHS Library!!

To better support remote learning, the library just launched SORA by Overdrive.  This is the platform that allows us to now check out ebooks and audiobooks.  This is in partnership with the MA Library System, and there are over 20,000 titles available for students.  I am building our own personal MMRHS collection here as well, so let me know of titles you'd be interested in.  

Ebooks can be rented in class sets if your department is interested in that.  Contact me for pricing and availability.  There are also over 400 titles of ebooks available for simultaneous use for free through our MA Library System collaboration.  I've attached that list below for your reference.  

You can set up your account using your school email at https://soraapp.com/library/masslibma or by downloading the SORA app on your phone or tablet.  This video tutorial will give you details on creating your account and the interface itself.  

Tuesday Tips, October 6, 2020

 TECH TIP:  Free Feature Films!

Feature Films For Education is continuing its remote access to its service (used to be you could only access here at school).  Check out the full list of over 600 films at Feature Films for Education   During this remote time, there will be a double log-in required and the second log-in password will change every two weeks.  If you need that information, please let me know.  

Here is this week's login information:

Feature Films for Education

https://ffusa.infobase.com/PortalPlayLists.aspx?wid=97151 

Initial log in is with : mmrhs / spartans

Then the secondary log in (and this changes every two weeks and this is good until Monday):  

SECONDARY ACCESS CREDENTIAL:

Username: 000001

Password:  general

BOOK TIP:  The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan

   I've always been a huge fan of Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series, and Dervla McTiernan's novels are very similar.  The Ruin is book one of the Cormac Reilly detective series.   Reilly is a moody, smart detective who takes you into the dark parts of Ireland.  Atmospheric and literary, if you like a murder mystery with some depth, this series is for you.  

Tuesday Tips March 10, 2020

TECH TIP and BOOK TIP:  Coronavirus Information

In light of the growing concerns about the coronavirus, I've put together this week some reliable sources about the virus itself and its impact on education.

Situation Summary and Overview of the Virus from the CDC

Live Map with Real Time Updates and Data from Johns Hopkins University (screenshot below was taken at 9:47 AM)

Open Source Spreadsheet of Colleges and Universities that have closed put together by Bryan Alexander of Georgetown University

Map and List of Public Schools Closed due to coronavirus compiled by Education Week

RESOURCES FOR TEACHING ONLINE DUE TO SCHOOL CLOSURES

Edublogger has done a thorough overview of moving classes online it includes checklists, how to structure the day, and tips on teaching

Tips for Designing an Online Lesson

Google Blog shares many ways in which the Google Suite of products can support online learning

Tuesday Tips March 3, 2020

TECH TIP:  Feature Films for Education Now Fully Available

I have purchased a subscription to Feature Films for Education.  This allows you to show any of these movies in your classroom for free!  It is tied to our IP address, so it will only work here at school.  But students could also log in and watch any films during a study hall if you needed them to watch or catch up after being out.  Here is how to log in:

Feature Films for Education
https://ffusa.infobase.com/PortalPlayLists.aspx?wid=97151 

Stop by the library to get the log in information

BOOK TIP:  American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

 

 American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins is the fictionalized story of a Mexican mother and her son whose whole family is killed by a cartel and they must flee to the United States.  Oprah Winfrey selected this book as her current book club pick.  However, once the title was announced, there was immediate controversy and charges made of cultural appropriation as the other is not Mexican and some felt she "white washed" the migrant experience.  The book has increased cries for diverse authors and discussions of who gets to tell these stories.  I've read it, and would love to hear others' thoughts on this book.  It's worth a read just to see what the controversy is all about. 

Tuesday Tips February 25, 2020

TECH TIP:  Ken Burns in the Classroom on PBS Learning

Ken Burns has been creating historical documentary films for over 40 years.  His films pull together primary sources, archival footage and interviews.  These are great resources for the classroom.  However, they are often long.  At PBS Learning, they have created lesson plans and pulled video clips from his films to support learning in your classroom.  You can search for things by Era or by Film.

And you can find items by video clip or lesson plans

BOOK TIP:  New Books Delivered Today!

Over 60 new books were delivered today!  Can't wait to explore them.  I love to talk books with your classes.  I can create a book talk to go with any of your needs.  And maybe one of these new books will be in there!

Tuesday Tips February 11, 2020

TECH TIP:  2nd Quarter Report Using Texting Story

Texting Story is an app I wrote about here before.  I used it to create the 2nd Quarter Report for the library.  This was very easy to use and could be a great project option for students.  It is a 40 second video, watch it here:

2nd Quarter Report Author: Kara Staunton-Shron https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4gkkVM38GA

BOOK TIP:  Life and Death Booktalk

Last week, I gave a book talk to the Life & Death class on books that inspire.  Here are the books I shared with them. Ones that are highlighted were the ones students checked out.  

• The Thank You Project: Cultivating Gratitude One Letter at a Time
• Educated: A Memoir
• One Day: The Extraordinary Story of an Ordinary Day in America
• Internment
• When I Was the Greatest
• Every Moment After
• The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
• Shooting Stars: The Story of Lebron James
• A Forever Family: Fostering Change One Child at a Time
• My Story: Elizabeth Smart
• We Say #neveragain
• The 57 Bus
• Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law
• The Other Side: Stories of Central American Teen Refugees Who Dream of Crossing the Border
• In the Country We Love: A Family Divided
• Shout: A Poetry Memoir
• Strangers Assume My Girlfriend is My Nurse
• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
• Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds

Tuesday Tips January 28, 2020

TECH TIP:  Slido for Google Slides

Slido is a Chome extension that you can add to your account and it allows you to add in quiz or poll questions right into your Google Slides presentation.  Students respond to the quiz or poll with a code on their device and the answers populate in real time.  

BOOK TIP:  Dig by A.S. KIng

  The American Library Association announced their winners of the Youth Media Awards yesterday.  These awards include the best books written for children and young adults.  The Michael L. Printz award for excellence in literature for young adults went this year to Dig by A.S. King.  Dig is a book that will make you uncomfortable and it wants you to be uncomfortable.  It is the story of four white teenagers who grapple with their dysfunctional family and its racial ignorance and overcoming the past.  Will make you think.

Tuesday Tips January 14, 2020

TECH TIP:  TextingStory App

  TextingStory could be a fun project with your students. It is an iPhone app that allows you to create a story told through text messages.  It will then turn it into a video of the messages scrolling through.  This could be used as a free write assignments, a conversation through two book characters, or even between two historical figures.  

BOOK TIP:  New York Public Library Top Checkouts of All Time

The New York Public Library turns 125 this year.  In honor of that anniversary, they released yesterday their top 10 checkouts of all time.  How many of these books have you read?  I've read all but one (any guesses which one?)

1. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats: 485,583 checkouts
2. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss: 469,650 checkouts
3. 1984 by George Orwell: 441,770 checkouts
4. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak: 436,016 checkouts
5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: 422,912 checkouts
6. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White: 337,948 checkouts
7. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: 316,404 checkouts
8. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie: 284,524 checkouts
9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling: 231,022 checkouts
10. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle: 189,550 checkouts

Tuesday Tips January 7, 2020

TECH TIP:  The Google Year in Search

Need a feel-good moment as you adjust to being back from vacation?  Watch this year's Google Year in Review video.  The theme is heroes, as the world searched for heroes at the box office, at sports arenas, and in our own lives.  It will make you smile.

BOOK TIP: Every Moment After by Joseph Moldover

  When best friends Matt and Cole were in first grade, 18 of their classmates were killed in a mass shooting in their classroom.  Now, Matt and Cole are graduating high school, but they are still dealing with the effects of that fatal day.  This is a novel about the impact on those who survive these terrible tragedies.  It is a story surrounded by profound grief, but also of resilience and moving forward even when you don't want to.  It was a great read.