Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Tuesday Tips, December 5, 20

 TECH TIP:  Delete Old Emails


As the year winds down, this is a good time to delete old emails.  Here is a quick way to do that.  In the search bar within Gmail, enter in: before: YYYY/MM/DD. For example…if you want to delete all emails before January 1, 2020. You’ll need to run the following search query: before:2020/1/1
Once all those emails pop up, hit the Select All box and then delete. It's that easy to say good-bye to years of old emails!





BOOK TIP:  Books We Love from NPR

I love to give books for gifts, but sometimes, picking the right book is the hardest part.  NPR has a great tool called "Books We Love".  You select the categories you want and then it will create a list of books that fit your request. This is also a good place to just find a good read for yourself!

Friday, December 1, 2023

Tuesday Tips November 28, 2023

 TECH TIP:  Photogrammar:  Cool old photo collection


Photogrammar is a collection of photos taken during the 1930's by photographers hired by the Farm Security Administration to document the Great Depression.  The photos can be searched by county and town.  I found this one of Great Barrington:




These photos could be good in a history class or as a story prompt for creative writing.  But mostly a fun rabbit hole to go down.

BOOK TIP:  Learning Ally program for audiobooks




For any student that struggles with reading fluency and decoding and fits these eligibility criteria, we can get them access to audiobooks through Learning Ally.  Learning Ally provides audio versions of many texts.  Some are human read books, and some are voice text that highlights progress with the text.   I can set you up with a teacher account or you can have students connect with me and we can see if they are eligible.  This is a great resource, but we do also have Sora with thousands of ebooks and audiobooks for all students.  

Tuesday Tips November 14, 2023

 TECH TIP:  Are you a tab-aholic?


Are you someone who always has too many tabs open and, as the cartoon says, they are all "critical" (and you are guaranteed to close out the most important one? 😂)




There are two quick ways to figure out what your tabs are, since often it just shows an icon.  One is the "hover".  Just hover your cursor over the tab and it will tell you what the tab is.  The other is to use the Search Tabs tool.  In the upper right hand corner of the browser, hit the drop down arrow and there you can search or scroll down to find the tab you need.







This is not a book to be taken lightly.  It is powerful.  It is disturbing (content warning).  But if you really want to understand what happens with teens and social media, and how schools respond, this is the book to read.  Dashka Slater is a best-selling author and award-winning journalist who spent years investigating this story and countless hours of interviews with all involved.  While a difficult and divisive topic, Slater handles the telling of the story delicately.  It is not a book you want to read, but boy it offers insight.  

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Tuesday Tips, October 23, 2023

 TECH TIP Translating a PDF document


Several people have asked lately about how to translate PDFs.  One of the best (and quickest) method I've found is to use Google Translate.   To begin, go to Google Translate and then click on Documents from the top.



Next:
  • Upload the file
  • Select which language is the original then which language you want it translated into
  • Hit Translate
As with any translator, it is not perfect.  We have found that the text attached to any images does not translate.  

BOOK TIP:   Speech Team by Tim Murphy


  In Speech Team by Tim Murphy, four middle aged friends, former high school speech team members, decide to go on a road trip and confront their former teacher for his transgressions against them in high school.  It is a road trip book, it is a book about memories and the power of a teacher, in both good and bad ways.  But it is mostly a book that reflects on what kind of adult you want to be, can you escape the teenager you once were?

Tuesday Tips, September 26, 2023

 TECH TIP:  Doing a Pen Stroke in Google Slides


You can now add a pen to your Google Slides presentations, allowing you to be interactive with your slides as you present.  You can circle important items, highlight details, etc.  To turn on the pen, click on the three dots in the lower left corner and then pick Turn On the Pen.  Any pen strokes you make during presentation will NOT be saved.  



BOOK TIP:  Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros


   Dragons and fantasy is not usually my genre, but this book is all over social media and has been on the best-seller lists for weeks, so I had to give it a try.   Fourth Wing is the story of Violet as she tries to become part of the elite team of dragon riders of Navarre. Fourth Wing also has vibes of Harry Potter, so if you are missing that series, I'd give this one a go.   Fast paced, unique and fun.

Tuesday Tip, September 13, 2023

 TECH TIP Google Doc translate


This came up in my IL group and not everyone knew about this feature, so here it is!  

If you have a Google Doc that you would like to translate into another language, it is very easy to do.  Open the doc (and it must be a Google doc, not a .docx file in Google Drive), go into Tools, then Translate document.  


Then select which language you want it in and it will prompt you to rename it and Save.



BOOK TIPThe Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese


When people ask me what my favorite book is, Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese is ALWAYS on that list.  It took a long time for him to come out with another book, but it finally came out this summer!  The Covenant of Water is a big book, one you might want to save for a vacation read, but it was worth the wait.  An epic story following generations of family, so beautiful! 

Tuesday Tips, September 5, 2023

 TECH TIP:  Grading Categories Added into PowerTeacher


The three grade categories that teachers are being asked to use this year (Habits of Work, Formative and Summative) have been added into PowerTeacher as defaults, so you don't have to add those categories yourself.  You will need to customize the weighting for these categories, however, based on your grading system.

Here are the categories:




BOOK TIP:  Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano


  Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano was one of my favorite books of the summer!  It is centered around the question of can love make a broken person whole?   The Padavanos are a happy bustling family of four sisters.  The family takes in Julia's boyfriend, Walter, into their lives and he is overwhelmed to be a part of such a group.  When his past threatens the family, will it break them apart for good?  Beautifully written, I cried.  

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Tuesday Tips, October 3, 2023

 TECH TIP:  Google Jamboard alternative: Figjam


It might be a bad memory, but lots of us used Google Jamboard during the days of on-line school.    However, Google recently announced that is shutting down Jamboard as of December 2024.  If you have any Jamboards you want to keep, follow these directions on how to export and save those files.

Figjam is a good alternative to Google Jamboard.   Explore this list of 20 things you can do with Figjam to get some ideas for your class.



   This is an incredible true story of shipwreck, survival and human depravity.  David Grann is also the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, another great work of non-fiction.  In this book, The Wager is a British ship that sets off in 1740 as part of a secret mission during Great Britain's war with Spain.  And once they set sail, if anything could go wrong, it does go wrong.  Most notably, the crew is shipwrecked off the coast of Brazil and this sets off a time of mutiny, murder, and deception.  While a work of historical non-fiction, this reads like a thriller at times.  Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction!

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Tuesday Tips: June 7, 2023

 TECH TIP:  HubSpot Email Signature


Tom Roy and I were at a conference last week where we learned about Hubspot Email Signature Generator.  You pick the template style you want, customize with a profile picture, add in your content and media links, and then copy and paste the finished template into your email signature settings.  Here is mine:







Not quite a book, but your free New York Times digital subscription now also includes access to the new NY Times Audio app.   The audio app gives you access to all kinds of audio journalism and storytelling, including podcasts, reporter updates and the archived collection of This American Life.  If you haven't set up your account yet, do so now!

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Tuesday Tips, April 4, 2023

In the library's databases, in any of the Gale in Context products, you can limit your search to show you different reading levels based on lexile numbers.  To do this, first do a basic search on your topic, then pick a content type (reference, magazine, newspaper, etc).  Then sort your results by Content Level.




Then your results show these possible content and lexile levels:




Databases are geared for high school, so many of the results will be in the level 3, 4 and 5 range.  For level 1 or level 2, it might be worth searching in the Encyclopedia Britannica and Escolar Britannica in Spanish.

I'm also available to help search out additional readings for your, stop in and let me know what you need!

BOOK TIP:  I Must Betray You by Rita Septys


  I like when I learn something new from a book.  I Must Betray You by Rita Septys is set in Communist Romania in 1989 under the Ceausescu regime.  The regime maintained its power by cultivating fear, paranoia and a citizen spy network.   Neighbors watching neighbors, never knowing who to trust.  Against this backdrop is a 17 young man yearning to be a writer and speak freely.  A powerful, heart wrenching read that makes think how far would you go to protect your family?

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Tuesday Tips, March 21, 2023

 TECH TIP:  Free PDP Courses!


Tom Roy and I are again serving as the BHRSD representatives to the county wide tech ed group, Berkshire Resources for Learning Initiative.  There are several free courses for PDP that are available through this group this spring.  

The courses are:
  • An Introduction to Culturally Responsive Teaching 
  • Berkshire Ed Leader Series
  • Introduction to the ISTE Student and Teacher Standards

All details and registration information can be found in this document or see Tom or myself with any questions:


BOOK TIP: Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan


I'm a huge fan of audiobooks and Jula Whelan is hands down my favorite narrator.  She is also an author and Thanks for Listening is her latest novel, and t's a rom-com about an audiobook narrator (she claims it is not autobiographical, though).  But to really appreciate this book, I recommend doing it as an audiobook with her as the narrator. I learned a lot about the audiobook industry as well.  

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Tuesday Tips, March 7, 2023

TECH TIP: QR Code with Screenshots of Website

Want to make your students go to the right website when you give them a QR Code?  If you use QRCodeMonkey to make your QR codes, you can upload an image that will go in the middle of the QR Code.  And if you take a screenshot of the website you are sending them to, you can upload that.  It will show students what the site should look like.  You can also customize the color.  Here's what it would look like (this one goes to the MMRHS Library database page):




To create one, go to QRCodeMonkey, add in the link to the website, change the color scheme and then upload your screenshot.  



BOOK TIP: 



The premise of this book sounds a bit silly, but this book was SO GOOD.  At 70, after Tova's husband dies, she takes a job as the night cleaner at the aquarium where she befriends an octopus.  It is a remarkable friendship, that might even lead to answers about what happened the night Tova's son drowned. An absolute delight. 

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Tuesday Tips: February 14, 2023

 TECH TIP: Gmail Templates


Want to make your emails pop?  Use the built in templates in Gmail.  I made this email using Gmail Templates.  Compose a new email and in the lower task bar, click on the Select Layout button.




Then select which Template you want to use.  You can customize colors, headers and footers and save those to the Default.



BOOK TIP: 




This is a fun one, as The House in the Pines is set almost completely in Pittsfield, and mentions all of Pittsfield's "hot spots":  the Berkshire Museum, England Brothers, Silver Lake, North Street, the State Forest, etc.  This book is currently on on the NYTime best sellers list.  Maya's best friend mysteriously dies, causing Maya to return home to Pittsfield to figure out what happened to her.  An unreliable narrator, some mystical realism, and a familiar location, this is a good vacation read!

Tuesday, January 10, 2023

Tuesday Tips: January 10, 2023

 TECH TIP:  AP and SAT Test Prep 



 As part of the library's Databases, there is now Peterson's Test Prep for both the AP and SAT tests.  This is a free, self-paced course to prepare for these tests.  Both include practice tests.   




You must access these through the link on the library's database page, as this authenticates you as being on our account.  You then create your free account to log in and this will save your progress throughout the courses.  I will be reaching out to AP and the 11th grade English teachers to set up a time to show this to your students.  

BOOK TIP:  All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir


   All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir won this year's National Book Award for Young Adult literature.  It is an amazing book, epic in nature, but yet thoughtful and realistic in its portrayal of teens and immigrants.  It follows two Pakistani families, through decades, as they seek the American dream.  Sal and Noor are about to graduate from high school, but there are family demands on them.  Demands that cause a crushing loss.  Beautifully written.  A great audiobook, too, with multi-voice narration.

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Tuesday Tips: January 3, 2023

 TECH TIP:  Animate Audio from Adobe Express


Animate from Adobe Express is a fun tool to quickly animate your audio recordings.  You choose the character, background and video size.  Then, all you do is record your narration.  The more expression you put in your voice, the more the character moves.  This could be a good tool for students to do quick narrations of character sketches, scientific concepts, reviews, etc.  It works on Chromebooks, too!  The file downloads, and they could then add it to their Google Drive to share with you.  Here's my quick example:




BOOK TIP:  The Winners by Fredrik Backman


   I'm a HUGE FAN of Fredrik Backman and have loved all his books.  The Winners is the final book in the Beartown trilogy.  If you have not read them yet, go and get Beartown, which is book one.  You will fall hopelessly in love with his characters and the town of Beartown.  The Winners is a lot of book at 688 pages, but I devoured it over vacation and it left me full AND empty at the same time.  It also left me in tears, but boy, did I enjoy it.  Backman's writing is so poignant it left me re-reading passages just to admire them:  "What is life, other than moments? What is laughter, other than a small victory over sorrow? A single moment, just one, when everything inside us isn't broken."