Tuesday Tips 2/10/14

TECH TIP:  VideoNot.es

Video Notes is website that allows you (or students) to watch a video on one side of the screen and record their notes on the video on the other side.  You put in any link to a YouTube or some other online video and then start taking notes on the right hand side.  The notes are automatically time-stamped to the section of the video.  If you log in with your Google Account, all the notes you take go right into your Google Drive.  You can also share the notes via email by hitting the Share button.  A great way to incorporate video into homework assignments.

 BOOK TIP:  Popular:  Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen

 This book is the 2015 Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Non-Fiction Book Award winner.  The author was an 8th grade outcast, a geek, a loser.  She decided to try to become popular and change her social status by following the "rules" from the 1950 book Betty Cornell's Guide to Teenage Popularity to guide her to popularity.  A memoir of acceptance and insight into teen society.  

Tuesday February 3, 2015

TECH TIP:  Game of Chromes

I can take no credit for this idea, but it is one I had to pass on.  I found this on the blog iPadAddiction.  

The Game of Chromes is inspired by the Game of Phones.  In Game of Phones, you buy their deck of cards and everyone has their phone out and you pull a card that says something like "Show the last picture you took."  or "Find the best selfie on Twitter."  Everyone shows their find and one person acts a judge to select the best find.  

In Game of Chromes, you create a set of cards for a topic your students are studying.  They all have a device and the group works to find the items (things like the best picture of Napoleon or the best picture of how you envision a book character). Groups show their finds, you're the judge.  

I'd love to work with you on creating a set of cards and trying this one out!

BOOK TIP:  Two Alex Award winners

The American Library Association just announced their annual book award winners.  The Alex Award goes to books that are written for adults but that have appeal to teens.  Here are two of those winners that are here in the MMRHS library

The Terrorist's Son: A Story of Choice by Zak Ebrahim

The famous TED Talks is now in the book publishing business.  These are short, non-fiction books that expand upon some of its more famous speakers.  This is their first book and it is the story of Zak Ebrahim, whose father was the man behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and how he made a choice to not be like his father.

The Martian by Andy Weir

This is the science fiction story of astronaut Mark Watney.  Watney is the first person to walk on Mars.  While there, a dust storm kicks up leaving him stranded on Mars with no way to communicate with Earth.  A science fiction story of survival and suspense.  

Tuesday 1/27/15

This week is a Super Bowl theme in honor of this weekend's game.

TECH TIP:  

Practical Money Skills is site that has several different games to lean financial literacy.  One of those Games is Financial Football, where students answer financial questions in order to move their football team down the field.

NBC Sports has a site with several videos that look at the science and physics of sport including the science of football.

For a media lesson, here is a link to the 20 best Super Bowl ads of all time:  http://fansided.com/2015/01/27/20-best-super-bowl-commercials-time/

BOOK TIP:  Some great reads about football:

Friday NIght Lights by H.G. Bissinger follows one season of the Odessa Panthers, the winningest team in Texas school history.  Inspired both the movie and the TV show.

The Blind Side by Michael Lewis.  This is the true story of Michael Oher, a homeless young teen who is taken in by a rich, white family and finds he is a football star, able to protect the quarterback's blind side.  

Muckers by Sandra Neil Wallace.  This is the fictionalized account of a mining town whose high school is closing and this is final year of its football team, the Muckers.  Can they lead the team to a championship one last time?

Tuesday Tips 1/13/14

Every Tuesday, a tech tip and a book tip to inspire and support your work.

TECH TIP:  Big Huge Labs Picture Projects:  Make a Magazine Cover or Make a Movie Poster

As you are thinking about mid-terms assessments, these could be fun supplements.  Both of these websites provide templates for adding details, facts, and photos to fake magazine cover or movie posters.

Magazine Cover:  http://bighugelabs.com/magazine.php

Movie Poster:  http://bighugelabs.com/poster.php

BOOK TIP:  Bookboon: Free Online Textbooks

http://bookboon.com/

This is a website that allows you to download free eversions of textbooks.  Many science and math options that might be of interest.  

Tuesday Tips 1/6/14

TECH TIP:  Certificate Street  https://www.certificatestreet.com/

Looking for ways to celebrate your student's accomplishments as the semester ends?  Certificate Street is a website with free, customizable and printable certificates.  

BOOK TIP:  Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Now that the movie is in theaters, you need to read the book.  This is the incredible story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who faced challenges during World War II, including having to survive on a raft and being a POW in a Japanese camp.  This reads like fiction.  An amazing story of survival and heroism.  

Tuesday Tips: 12/16/14

Every Tuesday, a tech tip and a book recommendation from the library.

TECH TIP:  A look back at 2014

Check out this video from Google that highlights the top searches of the year (the Top Two most searched items were the World Cup and Ebola):  https://www.google.com/trends/2014/

The most watched video of the year on YouTube was Mutant Giant Spider Dog:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoB8t0B4jx4

BOOK TIP:  Skyscrapers: A History of the World's Most Extraordinary Buildings by Judith Dupre

I just bought this book for the library and it is amazing.  So cool to look at it.  It is as large as the buildings it covers.  A great gift for an architect buff.  

Tuesday Tip 12/2/14

 TECH TIP:  Tackk https://tackk.com/education

If you are looking for a public way to post your assignments, Tackk might be the service for you.  It allows you to make quick and simple webpages.  Registering for a free account allows you to save your Tackk pages forever.  If you don’t register and make a page, it will expire after one week. 

Other features:

• ·      Templates for education.  Customize these for your specific needs:  https://tackk.com/@tackklessons
• ·      Add tools to the webpage like RSVP, video, audio
• ·      Set the page to private so only those in your class can view
• ·      Send out an invite to the page via email
• ·      Customize the URL to your name or class
• ·      While you can’t attach Word files, you can add in URL links to your Google Docs.

 A quick example I made:  https://tackk.com/zyz8h9

 Tackk in the Classroom Page (be sure to watch the Demo Video):  https://tackk.com/education

BOOK TIP:   All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Just selected by GoodReads as the best historical fiction novel of 2014, this novel centers around a young blind girl in occupied France during World War II.  Her story is intertwined with a German boy who is an expert at radios.  The brief chapters and beautiful prose will keep you turning the pages.  It is one of those books that you are sad when it is over.