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.