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 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:

BERK12 Spring 2023 Professional Learning Opportunities

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 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: 

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

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 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: 

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes

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 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 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."

Tuesday Tips, December 13, 2022

 TECH TIP:  The Google Year in Search

One of my favorite moments of the year is when Google releases its Year in Search.  It encapsulates those moments that captured our common attention.  For a two minute feel good moment, watch the video:

Google — Year in Search 2022 Author: Google https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WXs3sKu41I

If you want to go down more rabbit holes, you can also take a look at what was trending both nationwide or locally.

BOOK TIP:  An Article on Faculty Supporting Student Mental Health

This article from Inside Higher Ed Training Faculty to Support Student Mental Health included some good specific things teachers can do to help students who might be in distress.  The article referenced a guide that Boston University and the JED Foundation put together for faculty to support student mental health.  It is 9 pages, a quick read.  I've attached it to this email if you are interested, as these can be difficult times for many of our students (and us).