Tuesday Tips November 27, 2018

TECH TIP:  Saving Documents to Google Drive from Databases

Scott Annand's Biology classes were in doing research for their upcoming paper.  I showed them how to save articles from the databases directly to their personal Google accounts.  This allows them to access these articles at any time, anywhere.  Once it is sent to your Google Drive, a new folder will show up for that database with the article in it.  Any highlighting or notes you've added will be there as well.  A great resource!  Here's how to do it:

BOOK TIP:  Best Books of 2018

The best of lists are starting to pour out.  These are great to look at for creating your own "To Be Read" list, or to find book ideas to give as gift this holiday season.   The Washington Post was the first to come out with their list: 

Washington Post Best Books of 2018

Tuesday Tips November 20, 2018

TECH TIP:  Animaker Animated Video Creator

  Animaker is an online program that creates animated videos.  With the free version, you use the pre-made templates and customize with your text and you can add in additional elements.    This is another great video program that students could use to share their learning.  

Each quarter I do a Quarterly Report that highlights the happenings and statistics from the library.  I use these Quarterly Reports as a way to learn some of these new programs.  Here is my First Quarter Report using Animaker:

BOOK TIP:  The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

 Our Student Book Club picked their next selection, The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black.  It is a fairy tale of sorts, as a boy wakes up after generations asleep in a glass coffin, only to get up with a young girl and a faerie king.  

Tuesday Tips November 13, 2018

TECH TIP:  Synth Podcast creator

In looking for presentation options for the Alt PE class, I came across Synth. Synth creates 256 second podcasts.  You can easily share them and put them into a group so if you had students doing this, they could play right after each other.  This is available to do on the web or as an app on your phone, so could definitely be something students could do on their own devices.  

BOOK TIP:  Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

This is a novel that is part murder mystery, part love story, part homage to the ecological marshlands of North Carolina.  Kya is the "marsh girl", growing up alone in a shack in the marshes of North Carolina.  No one knows the wonders of the marsh better than her, but when a townsperson dies in questionable circumstances, Kya is the prime suspect.  Slow paced at times, but with incredible writing that paints a picture of these marshlands.  

Tuesday Tips October 30, 2018

TECH TIP:  MMRHS Letterhead on Google Docs

As many of you are writing letters of recommendations, there is a MMRHS letterhead template in Google Docs that you can use.  However, in order to see the letterhead image, you need to have it in the Print Layout view.  Here is how to do that:

BOOK TIP:  Curated Book "Tasting"

Anne D'Aniello has her freshmen reading individual novels that focus on the theme of revolution.  I put together a mini-collection of books and we had them on tables and the students spent time at each table, getting a small taste of the books.  By the end of the period, each student had selected their own book.  I would love to do this for you as well!

Tuesday Tips October 23, 2018

TECH TIP:  Inserting Video in Google Slides and Adding a Start and End Time

This week, I worked with Scott Annand and Randy Koldys' Fundamentals of Biology class on creating Google Slides presentations.  I showed many of the students how to Insert a Youtube video into their presentation.  When doing this, there is also a way to limit the start and end time of the video if 

there is just a section you want them to watch.  This could be very helpful in your own presentations.  

Here's how you do it:

BOOK TIP:  An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard

  This is a great Harry Potter read-alike, but for more of a grown-up audience.  Sydney is a magician who grew up in the Shadows, but is coming out to the "light" during the Turning, a contest where Houses fight for control of the magic world. Underlying this fight for power, is a murderer stealing magic from its victims.  Dark, fast-paced and fantastical, this is a great read (not to mention a stunning cover!)

Tuesday Tips October 16, 2018

TECH TIP:  NoodleTools Citation Maker

 As we get deep into the quarter, I'm observing lots of students writing essays and research papers.  I wanted to remind you about using NoodleTools with your students to insure that they are being ethical researchers by properly citing and documenting their sources.   NoodleTools is an online citation maker that students can use throughout their time here at Monument and hands down is the one tool that students report as being the most helpful.  I'd love to work with you and your classes on setting up accounts and using this service.

BOOK TIP:  Circe by Madeline Miller

This is the New York Times #1 bestseller, a retelling of the story of the Greek goddess Circe.  We read this recently in my book club and it had mixed reactions from the group.  Those that enjoyed it, loved it.  If you are a fan of Greek mythology, then this is the book for you.  I'd be curious your thoughts on this book:  are you a fan or not?

Tuesday Tip, October 9, 2018

TECH TIP:  Video Projects

Elsa Hernandez's Anatomy classes recently worked on video projects where they had to visually show different anatomical elements.  They worked on the projects in groups,  making use of the library as "space", including the whiteboard table here to annotate what elements they were describing.  

  

They then had the option to create a video using a platform of their choice.  Two of the ones we recommended were Adobe Spark or the app Stop Motion Studio video.   Let me know if you're thinking about a video project, I'd love to help!

BOOK TIP:  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Our Student Book Club selected their first book of the year:  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.  This book is a sci-fi cult classic.  Second before Earth is demolished, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet and travels the universe with a researcher for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  Together, they explore the mysteries of the galaxy and life.