Also got some cute March ones from KPM Doodles. So if you have any ideas for sayings (leprechauns, pots of gold, rainbows, etc.) add them to the comments!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
President's Day Signs & Bookmarks
So nothing mind boggling ... but I made some more bookmarks (not Star Wars ... yet! I did ask her to do another set and it might take a while but she said yes! And I still have Luke, Leia, and R2D2 from the first set to think up a bookmark or library sign for) and a couple signs that you could possibly use on a display. They are all digital line art so that you can have the kids color them and save some of that printer ink.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Geek Thrill Bookmarks
So ... I was checking out Scrappin' Doodles last night (see link in the sidebar) and LOOK. WHAT DO MY EYES BEHELD. I should have checked to see if she had it in digital stamp format because can't print out very many of these in color for school. But I can't stand it I love them so much!
PS If someone knows the easy way that obviously others have figured out ... where you embed a thumbnail of a google doc and when you click on the thumbnail it takes you to the doc? I obviously am not getting it. You will have to go here to get the link.
PS If someone knows the easy way that obviously others have figured out ... where you embed a thumbnail of a google doc and when you click on the thumbnail it takes you to the doc? I obviously am not getting it. You will have to go here to get the link.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Bluebonnet and More Etc. Library Fun
I will get back in a groove of posting at least semi-useful stuff. After a little side trip next week. ;]
A little more gathering of my thoughts. It's keeping me awake. It's been a long week!
So I missed the "live" announcement (cause a 5th grade class and I were Skyping with Laurel Snyder--which was also awesome!!) and then got sidetracked by TCEA.
Preach it, Tom! (Can I call him Tom? He was just here. Super nice guy.)
Shall I refer you, dear readers, to our school blog? Just finished a research project with third grade. We were studying "rapid changes to the earth's surface." IE Natural Disasters. After all of my frustration with Visual Communicator on our live morning announcements ... these videos post-edited in iMovie? A SNAP. Also, my first try with it. I'll get better. The kids were already awesome. We tried something new this time ... the kids were in the library all day. We started with electronic sources; then they went to specials. They came back and we did print sources; then they went to lunch. They came back and we started writing and revising. Then filming! Pros to this method ... no one has to remember this class is coming at 9 on this day, 10:30 another day, 1 another day. The kids don't lose their notes because they never take them home or even back to class in between. Cons? Was a little hard to keep them all on task all day. And it might be nice for them to have some at home time to process and maybe to ask friends and family who might have experienced a wildfire or an earthquake. But all in all? Great bunch of days.
Upcoming fun? Second grade is always ready to do something. On Tuesday we are going to read books about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. We'll brainstorm important events from their lives and make a list. (I'll have one ready, as well, with the events printed out on small slips of paper ready to hand out.) The kids will illustrate their event onto either penny shapes or dollar bill shapes. Glue those on a backing sheet of paper with their event glued underneath. Voila! Either a hang up in the hallway timeline or a human timeline where the kids have to put themselves in order. I'll take pics and post. Oh. And once the list of dates and events is finished I'll post that, too, if anyone is interested?
We also have a habitat project coming up. Still thinking it through ... but we may go with a "zookeepers convention" where they will research their animal and it's basic needs and then create a diorama of a possible zoo exhibit that would fit all of those needs. Trying to convince another school to do the same project and then we'll Skype with each other to have the kids present their findings. Still thinking it all through! This won't start until late February and may run for a while. Anyone have a suggestion to "bump up the rigor"?
Preach it, Tom! (Can I call him Tom? He was just here. Super nice guy.)
Shall I refer you, dear readers, to our school blog? Just finished a research project with third grade. We were studying "rapid changes to the earth's surface." IE Natural Disasters. After all of my frustration with Visual Communicator on our live morning announcements ... these videos post-edited in iMovie? A SNAP. Also, my first try with it. I'll get better. The kids were already awesome. We tried something new this time ... the kids were in the library all day. We started with electronic sources; then they went to specials. They came back and we did print sources; then they went to lunch. They came back and we started writing and revising. Then filming! Pros to this method ... no one has to remember this class is coming at 9 on this day, 10:30 another day, 1 another day. The kids don't lose their notes because they never take them home or even back to class in between. Cons? Was a little hard to keep them all on task all day. And it might be nice for them to have some at home time to process and maybe to ask friends and family who might have experienced a wildfire or an earthquake. But all in all? Great bunch of days.
Upcoming fun? Second grade is always ready to do something. On Tuesday we are going to read books about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. We'll brainstorm important events from their lives and make a list. (I'll have one ready, as well, with the events printed out on small slips of paper ready to hand out.) The kids will illustrate their event onto either penny shapes or dollar bill shapes. Glue those on a backing sheet of paper with their event glued underneath. Voila! Either a hang up in the hallway timeline or a human timeline where the kids have to put themselves in order. I'll take pics and post. Oh. And once the list of dates and events is finished I'll post that, too, if anyone is interested?
We also have a habitat project coming up. Still thinking it through ... but we may go with a "zookeepers convention" where they will research their animal and it's basic needs and then create a diorama of a possible zoo exhibit that would fit all of those needs. Trying to convince another school to do the same project and then we'll Skype with each other to have the kids present their findings. Still thinking it all through! This won't start until late February and may run for a while. Anyone have a suggestion to "bump up the rigor"?
TCEA 2012
I'm done! I'm done! I'm done! Two presentations ... presented. Lots of others attended.
I would give myself ... a B. Maybe a B+. That's decent for my first try at a state level, isn't it? Some things went really well. I do know my content. Some things ... not as well. I get nervous and talk too fast. Anyway. Enough of me rambling. On to cool stuff I learned. Or was reminded off. Had actually heard about a lot of it at one time or another but in an information overloaded world it's easy to forget. Good to be among like minded people. ;]
PS Because I was driving back and forth I never stayed past 4.
Added a pic to make it a bit more interesting. Go here for this pic if the embed code doesn't work. Yay for people who CC their work!
Google Apps. COME ON, DISTRICT. Let's get moving on it! Or, I should be more patient. I know it's in the works. I'm sure there's a lot behind the scenes I don't even know about. Would be so exciting, though. I do what I can with sharing Google Docs and using Google Forms. Need to try harder and not get impatient (or back off!) when others don't see the use right off. The kids WILL NEED this "work from the cloud" ability. It's not on any standardized test. Other than the one called life.
Tammy's Favorite Technology Tips. I'd miss the kids. And I'd go nuts with all that traveling and having to talk to so many big groups. And ... there's a lot more to her job. But that is a fun side part. Just talking about COOL STUFF. Takeaway #1: I MUST LEARN EVERNOTE. I've had an account for a while but have not even by a long shot ... and I do mean LONG SHOT ... am I using it to it's full capability. And considering how terrible I am at keeping "stuff" where I can find it again (I know. How embarrassing. A disorganized information professional) this could be a great lifesaver. Copy Paste Character looks like fun! I'd heard about Class Dojo on a couple blogs but hadn't seen it until she showed it to us. It actually looks ... I mean, I'm not sure about the "negative points" being shown to everyone. But the positive feedback is awesome.
Tech Integration with Dr. Seuss. This presenter was doing great things with her special ed students. They were on video interviewing others about their favorite books. They made some great ppt slides. Still thinking through how I might use some of her ideas. When I figure out why I keep getting errors every time I try to download handouts from the TCEA website I'll come back and link to her stuff!
QRazy about QR Codes. SO COOL. They offered some great ideas on how to use QR codes for class instruction ... sorting activities, self checking vocab, etc. I SO WISH we had more than 3 iTouches that had cameras. Will start with what we have, though! (PS Must also check ... YouTube is often blocked on the iTouches ... but what about linking to book trailers?) Go here and scroll down to the bottom for the info on their presentation (and of course look around at their other stuff ... I've seen them present several times and own a couple of the Print, Cut, and Fold books. AWESOME! Actually, they ran the next presentation I attended as well. So ... explore that Digital Goonies site!
Then I went to the Sweet 16 Digital Projects presentation. Go to LiveBinders and search AUTHORS for ebenno. Among other things she showed us a couple of cute music videos her kids had made using music from Discovery Ed. I usually am not a big fan of kid music ... but wow. Way to learn the difference between living and non-living. She also talked about a couple avatar creators I'd never seen. And some nice digital storytelling ideas.
Then I went to a presentation on Library Design ... how to remove obstacles to learning and collaborating and finding information for students and staff. This one I also need to think about some more. I'm sure more could be done in our school space. I let the hallway space (ie we don't have walls at all in our library ... basically in the middle of a a major traffic hallway where it's not unusual to have 12 classes walk through on their way to lunch. Or a poor little one who's not feeling well on his way to the nurse. Or an upset little one crying because mom/dad are enrolling brothers or sisters. Or classes waiting in line for the bathroom in the biography section. Or waiting to be picked up from lunch in the 590-640 section. I have to bloom where I'm planted, right? The kids deserve the best I can give them. BUT I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO DO! Constantly stopping lessons to ask distractions in the hallway to move along doesn't work. Raising my voice just to be heard over the din doesn't work. Bells don't work. Ignoring it doesn't work. If I can barely keep my concentration straight ... what is it like for a 3rd grader?
Research Made Fun. Imagine my surprise to not hear the word library or librarian spoken once. I don't mean to disparage it too much. This teacher and ed tech person really did a pretty decent job with their kids. I just felt badly that I think it could have been EVEN BETTER. Want to try some of the backchanneling they did. Must see if Primary Pad is available through our filter. Might be fun to try it along with a class in a different building. Take the collaboration outside of the school even. Or Primary Wall.
75 Creative and Useful Imaging Websites. WOW. He works with HS kids but said a lot of these could be used with younger students and he's right. SO MUCH FUN! Will post more on specifics as I use them with students.
Then here's another set of LiveBinders worth checking out. Go here for a list. I only went to one of their sessions but my friend went to another. Pretty good stuff! More people to follow. I enjoyed the discussion among the other attendees as well. Twitter was mentioned a lot. Made me realize I need to "talk" to more people there instead of just listen. Contribute and not just consume. Might be worth a blog post or a new blog page ... Twitter for Beginners, Library Style. Some people don't know about #mglitchat or #yalitchat or #titletalk or #tlchat or #edchat. COOL STUFF. Plus how Twitter incorporates with Flipboard or Hootsuite or Tweetdeck.
I would give myself ... a B. Maybe a B+. That's decent for my first try at a state level, isn't it? Some things went really well. I do know my content. Some things ... not as well. I get nervous and talk too fast. Anyway. Enough of me rambling. On to cool stuff I learned. Or was reminded off. Had actually heard about a lot of it at one time or another but in an information overloaded world it's easy to forget. Good to be among like minded people. ;]
PS Because I was driving back and forth I never stayed past 4.
Added a pic to make it a bit more interesting. Go here for this pic if the embed code doesn't work. Yay for people who CC their work!
Google Apps. COME ON, DISTRICT. Let's get moving on it! Or, I should be more patient. I know it's in the works. I'm sure there's a lot behind the scenes I don't even know about. Would be so exciting, though. I do what I can with sharing Google Docs and using Google Forms. Need to try harder and not get impatient (or back off!) when others don't see the use right off. The kids WILL NEED this "work from the cloud" ability. It's not on any standardized test. Other than the one called life.
Tammy's Favorite Technology Tips. I'd miss the kids. And I'd go nuts with all that traveling and having to talk to so many big groups. And ... there's a lot more to her job. But that is a fun side part. Just talking about COOL STUFF. Takeaway #1: I MUST LEARN EVERNOTE. I've had an account for a while but have not even by a long shot ... and I do mean LONG SHOT ... am I using it to it's full capability. And considering how terrible I am at keeping "stuff" where I can find it again (I know. How embarrassing. A disorganized information professional) this could be a great lifesaver. Copy Paste Character looks like fun! I'd heard about Class Dojo on a couple blogs but hadn't seen it until she showed it to us. It actually looks ... I mean, I'm not sure about the "negative points" being shown to everyone. But the positive feedback is awesome.
Tech Integration with Dr. Seuss. This presenter was doing great things with her special ed students. They were on video interviewing others about their favorite books. They made some great ppt slides. Still thinking through how I might use some of her ideas. When I figure out why I keep getting errors every time I try to download handouts from the TCEA website I'll come back and link to her stuff!
QRazy about QR Codes. SO COOL. They offered some great ideas on how to use QR codes for class instruction ... sorting activities, self checking vocab, etc. I SO WISH we had more than 3 iTouches that had cameras. Will start with what we have, though! (PS Must also check ... YouTube is often blocked on the iTouches ... but what about linking to book trailers?) Go here and scroll down to the bottom for the info on their presentation (and of course look around at their other stuff ... I've seen them present several times and own a couple of the Print, Cut, and Fold books. AWESOME! Actually, they ran the next presentation I attended as well. So ... explore that Digital Goonies site!
Then I went to the Sweet 16 Digital Projects presentation. Go to LiveBinders and search AUTHORS for ebenno. Among other things she showed us a couple of cute music videos her kids had made using music from Discovery Ed. I usually am not a big fan of kid music ... but wow. Way to learn the difference between living and non-living. She also talked about a couple avatar creators I'd never seen. And some nice digital storytelling ideas.
Then I went to a presentation on Library Design ... how to remove obstacles to learning and collaborating and finding information for students and staff. This one I also need to think about some more. I'm sure more could be done in our school space. I let the hallway space (ie we don't have walls at all in our library ... basically in the middle of a a major traffic hallway where it's not unusual to have 12 classes walk through on their way to lunch. Or a poor little one who's not feeling well on his way to the nurse. Or an upset little one crying because mom/dad are enrolling brothers or sisters. Or classes waiting in line for the bathroom in the biography section. Or waiting to be picked up from lunch in the 590-640 section. I have to bloom where I'm planted, right? The kids deserve the best I can give them. BUT I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO DO! Constantly stopping lessons to ask distractions in the hallway to move along doesn't work. Raising my voice just to be heard over the din doesn't work. Bells don't work. Ignoring it doesn't work. If I can barely keep my concentration straight ... what is it like for a 3rd grader?
Research Made Fun. Imagine my surprise to not hear the word library or librarian spoken once. I don't mean to disparage it too much. This teacher and ed tech person really did a pretty decent job with their kids. I just felt badly that I think it could have been EVEN BETTER. Want to try some of the backchanneling they did. Must see if Primary Pad is available through our filter. Might be fun to try it along with a class in a different building. Take the collaboration outside of the school even. Or Primary Wall.
75 Creative and Useful Imaging Websites. WOW. He works with HS kids but said a lot of these could be used with younger students and he's right. SO MUCH FUN! Will post more on specifics as I use them with students.
Then here's another set of LiveBinders worth checking out. Go here for a list. I only went to one of their sessions but my friend went to another. Pretty good stuff! More people to follow. I enjoyed the discussion among the other attendees as well. Twitter was mentioned a lot. Made me realize I need to "talk" to more people there instead of just listen. Contribute and not just consume. Might be worth a blog post or a new blog page ... Twitter for Beginners, Library Style. Some people don't know about #mglitchat or #yalitchat or #titletalk or #tlchat or #edchat. COOL STUFF. Plus how Twitter incorporates with Flipboard or Hootsuite or Tweetdeck.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Woo Hoo!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Presenting
So all of my brain power this week has gone to the Simple K12 Webinar I am giving ... EEEK! The day after tomorrow! And then my two TCEA presentations.
Also nerves.
And putting in letters of intent to maybe transfer to either a middle school or two new elementaries. Actually interviewed for the middle school but I don't interview all that well. (See: Also nerves.) Sort of looking for a change but not sure what it should be.
So I will be back. As interesting as my posts ever are they'll be back. Probably not next week ... that's TCEA! And the week after I am actually going on a short trip. (Not that any of my readers would do this but I just have to interject to the Internet at large: "BUT MY HOUSE WILL NOT BE EMPTY SO NO ONE TRY TO COME IN AND TAKE STUFF, K? ONCE WAS ENOUGH.") But then I'll be back.
Also nerves.
And putting in letters of intent to maybe transfer to either a middle school or two new elementaries. Actually interviewed for the middle school but I don't interview all that well. (See: Also nerves.) Sort of looking for a change but not sure what it should be.
So I will be back. As interesting as my posts ever are they'll be back. Probably not next week ... that's TCEA! And the week after I am actually going on a short trip. (Not that any of my readers would do this but I just have to interject to the Internet at large: "BUT MY HOUSE WILL NOT BE EMPTY SO NO ONE TRY TO COME IN AND TAKE STUFF, K? ONCE WAS ENOUGH.") But then I'll be back.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Wonder Wednesday (but not really)
So today's wonder is more me thinking.
I wonder WHY, during the week of prep for three pretty big presentations and a change in administration as well as interviews, when I am super stressed out and don't have the brain power to even read, I choose to do something with the 40 years of broken crayons from the library.
Should be practicing. Should be tweaking presentations. Should be exercising.
But sometimes you just need something pretty. :]
I wonder WHY, during the week of prep for three pretty big presentations and a change in administration as well as interviews, when I am super stressed out and don't have the brain power to even read, I choose to do something with the 40 years of broken crayons from the library.
Should be practicing. Should be tweaking presentations. Should be exercising.
But sometimes you just need something pretty. :]
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