Showing posts with label Teacher Technology tools. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teacher Technology tools. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

littlebits- demo

      Yesterday the librarians in my district were invited to an administrators meeting , as they were presenting littlebits.   Littlebits is a company that provides kits with colored coded  electronic building blocks for students to use in classes and in maker spaces,  The emphasis is on the STEAM areas for school use but they say it can be used in all areas.
      I had seen them before- I am thinking it was last year at our SSL conference in August. The presenters did a good job of showing how they could be used.
     There was a group of students who tried out the littlebits, and built cars that they controlled. I wish I would have taken photos-They had a grand time, and at the end they competed in a race. It was fun. 
        Our new assistant superintendent talked about implementing  them in out schools. they also discussed going to several schools to see how they used the littlebits.  It should be interesting!\
       Do any of you have littlebits in your school or library? How are they used ? Are they used in  your maker-spaces? Please comment below- our administration wants input from us regarding ideas.

littlebits.com/

Thursday, July 19, 2018

Promotion Playaways/ Audio Books

    In my library , we have a small collection of audio book playaways. ( Books are read on tape and students  can put in ear plugs to listen). I am trying to figure out how to promote the use of them for the upcoming school year.  In the past years, these have seen a lot of use.  It is one area that I think Middle school students might really get excited about.

   We have a parent letter to be sent home before the student is allowed to check out the playaway for the first time, In the form,it details why the parent signature is required. ( Playaways are not cheap to replace).

     I am also thinking of having a recess playaway club where once a week ,students could come to the library to listen to a specific book. By the end of the month, students would have listened to a complete boo and maybe get the reading bug ( or want to listen to another type of story)

     Does anyone have playaway in their libraries. How to you promote and encourage your students to use them? Please leave your answers or any other comments below. Thanks!
    

Thursday, July 12, 2018

Flipgrid is now free for educators!!!

Already planning for the fall??? Note that Flipgrid (which I know many of you used the limited free version of this year) is now offering their “paid” version COMPLETELY FREE for all to use.
Put it on your “to do list” of a cool way to engage your kids next year and see me if you have questions!
 See my earlier post about using Flipgrid- I will probably be doing several more posts as I want to encourage my staff to use it!

Read about it here:

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Padlet

   Padlet is a computer based program that looks like a whiteboard with bubbles and shapes in which to put facts and information.  Padlet can be used to share information  such as websites, sheets and pdf's, videos, photos. and comments and observations.
  
   Students can complete a research project and put it in Padlet form. Teachers can have a class exhibition of student work. Padlet can be used as a storyboard or for idea mapping.
   
   Students can add information and discuss ideas, or create  fact sheets about topics. Examples on the site  provide endless ideas.Check it out!

Padlet.com

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Flipgrid



    Flipgrid is an online tool that helps students share ideas and learn together. Flipgrid has students make short authentic videos to add their voices to a discussion or question.
   Teachers create a grid for their classroom or school community. They add a topic or question. Student share a short video response to join in the discussion
   Students can view the videos and engage with each other. The teacher moderates the video, provides feedback, and set privacy rules.
    What can you use Fligrid for? Reflect on experiences, share a book talk, discuss projects  , and events, or collaborate with a classmate are just a few ideas,


Flipgrid.com

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Breakout boxes

Breakout boxes – in libraries

     Breakout boxes are an active and immersive problem solving experience where groups of students work together to solve problems and get answers.
   The problem / task can be customized and coordinated to ane content / lesson area. The activity can have students practicing a skill, introduces new concepts, or review material at the end of the unit.
  The breakout boxes come with a large box, a small box, several locks, an invisible ink pen and a UV flashlight.  You can also use a timer if you want to limit time of activity.  
    Breakout edu has many educational activities on their site, created by the company or by educators who put their units on the site. Envelopes hidden in books, under tables, puzzles purchased cheaply, games made on the computer are other ways to create engaging activities. You can also use scavenger hunts. Virtual reality headsets, and other digital resources to create clues and activities for students.
   Creating different kinds of clues require students to work together to figure out answers.
Coming soon- benefits of breakout boxes.





Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Storylineonline-



This is one of the coolest sites I have seen in a long long time- I am so excited
to show this and use this with my teachers and classes!! Boy will this save time
for so many educators. And the students will LOVE it!
If you haven't seen this before - check it out. I want to use this with students for black history month! ( there are many great books here) Also  there are teachers guides for most of the books so you can really use the books for extending learning!!

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Google arts and Culture

Google arts and Culture


 Google arts and Culture is a fascinating site to explore!  There are collections of art, history, and   images / stories about people and places around the world from a variety of  sources.  I could spend hours and hours just browsing. But there is also a search box so  you can ask for specific topics to see what you come up with- I put in World War I and got tons of information  including  articles, videos , images, and primary sources. There is art work, from the time period, photographs, illustrations,  and flyers from this time.  Just check this  out- you will find something that is interesting and you can use!
History, Music, Art and Social Studies teachers are most likely to use this in their classes February's theme is Black History Month - which includes( Under Home)  Black History and Culture. There is enough material here to explore black History  for several months!!

Friday, January 12, 2018

Librarian as a Technology Specialist

  The librarian in the 21st century needs to be also be a technology specialist. In the past we were the keepers of the AV equipment. ( Who remembers those days??)  We were the schedulers / fixers of the movie projector, slide projectors, FS projectors. DVD players, ect.
  Now a days, we may be in charge of the Chrome books, laptops, and I pads that are used by staff and students. But most importantly , we need to step up and be users and instructors in the newest programs and resources,
   This involves using technology to create research projects, using tech to produce lessons, and teaching students how effectively use our sources and cite them.  We also need to help teachers integrate technology in to their lesson,s We can do this by  large group formal staff development  or showing individuals ( or by department) new technologies and new tech tools. So as librarians we need to keep up with the latest  tools and resourcesn.

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Smithsonian Learning Lab

Smithsonian Learning Lab is a free resources of digital resources. There are more than a million images, recordings, and texts for use by students and teachers, or anyone who wants to investigate digital sources.   The SLL is designed for discovery, creativity and  sharing. There are more than one million images, recordings, and texts. Search results display pictures that you can click on.  you can add notes, tag questions , save and share.

The learning lab helps build critical skills by having students  select , organizing and create new resources.  Enter a subject that interest you  in the search bar. Keywords can be from broad to specific/ Search results in an image grid but can also be changed to a list view.
There are resources and learning lab collections tabs at the top.  resources can be individual or a group. A curated group of resources will be a collection or resources.

  There are icons to help you distinguish between images, video, audio, and text, There are also learning resources( lessons , games, interactive online exhibition websites.
  users can collect resources, save them to favorites and also share resources with co- workers and colleagues.

https://learninglab.si.edu/

Friday, August 18, 2017

Shannon McClintock Miller



   Shannon McClintock Miller  was an awesome presenter a our NYLA Institute. The theme was "Future Ready Librarians :You lead the way!"  She had so many fantastic new tech tools to use with students. I will try and highlight them as I go back over notes and play with them and see how they work.

  Shannon is ten"Future Ready Librarian  and Project Connect " Spokesperson. So her first part of her information was about the spokes on the wheel of a future ready schools  framework.( New York is a Future Ready school state)

   School Librarians lead, teach,  and support their school s and districts future in education of students.As librarians we an connect staff and students to the leading edge of digital learning,

 If you look at the list below, you can see the different spokes  . Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessments  is the spoke that Shannon spent the most time discussing the newest digital  resources,
( I could not seem to copy the graphic!)

THE 7 GEARS OF THE FUTURE READY FRAMEWORK ARE:

Friday, June 16, 2017

Toonbooks.com

 Toon.books.com

      Although Toon.books.com  is  a site that is selling  their books , there is a lot of content that can be used by teachers who want to incorporate cartoons  or graphic novels into their classroom. Under the Educators tab, you can find a Comic Genre study, an article on Why Comics? And also CCSS-aligned Teachers' Guides which includes common core standards, lesson plans, and activity sheets.  There are also guides to some of their books.


        Under the Just for Kids tab, you will find cartoon makers,  read along videos, toon craft activities, and tips for parents. So I think this would be a good site for teachers who want to use cartoon and graphic novels  in their classroom.

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Elink- site for Curation or Pathfinders!

Elink is a free site where one can share information using computers, tablets,  or phones.  It is easy to publish and edit the content on the go. This will help students (and others) share online content .  So you could include videos, webinars, podcasts, articles, images, google docs and more.
  Curating with elink is a simple way to  share. You choose a template, add the links or articles, save the content  and then share your elink webpage.

It is easy to use . I use it to create pathfinders for specific student projects. Then I post on the library page and students use the links to complete projects. 
 This was one of the links in the Curation post that I wanted to try first- I made a pathfinder today for one of my teachers- It was really easy to set up! I will do more of these!

Thursday, March 30, 2017

TeachersToolkit.com

Teacher’s Tool kit

    This site is a great source of teachers, On the main page you will the tab for tools. It gives teachers a variety of tools that will help them plan activities and engaging lessons for students.


  There are so many good ideas here!  On the very left hand side the tools are group into categories: opening activities, partner practice, group practice, reading strategies, and games just to name a few. I found so many interesting activities here! Share with your teachers, you will be a rock star!

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Middle Web- great for Middle school professionals

 https://www.middleweb.com/


   This site called Middleweb is an astonishing collection of informative and interesting articles about middle school teaching for grades 4-8. There are some great articles on good questioning techniques which caught my eye. Also there are articles on teaching strategies, writing, and assignment assessment, Articles on most subjects are covered.

  The site focus is on teaching and learning. There are also news clips  and book reviews. There is also a collection of resources which I want to check out.  An additional newsletter  can be received  by signing up. If you are a middle school person ,teacher , librarian, or administrator you need to check this out,

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Library Databases & Passwords

   Last week got away from me and I did not post- guess it was the first week of school thing.  Anyway I am planning a type of book mark or "cheat sheet"  for use by my staff and students.  This will provide  the log in and passwords  to our school databases. ( could also be adapted for the public library  if they have passwords)

   Students will be shown the  log in and passwords when I instruct them on the databases. I will have the 'bookmarks' available  for anyone who wants them during a research project for their use and to keep. We will also have copies at the circ desk in the library, by the computer bank in the library, and also in the computer lab.   Another larger copy can be taped to the laptop carts that are used by the students in their classrooms.
  I am also planning to give the teachers laminated  one for their personal use. This will help keep students and staff   to have easy access ( and a reminder) to the effectiveness of the databases.

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

What students can do on blogs

 What is the right age to begin blogging? For starters we could ask older  students( 4th and 5th graders) to do some critical thinking and writing  by asking students to find interesting and relevant   to our subjects  websites . We can show them how to write about what is useful about the sites.  They could also write their reactions to what they are reading or doing in the classroom.

  The other thing we can do is to bring primary sources( authors, scientists, politicians) into he blog and have students  ask questions and then reflect on the answers given.

  Middle school students can be asked to become experts about topics they care about. They can  research, share this on class  blogs and take questions from classmates. High school student s can use blogs for extend study or reflection on a topic. They can reflect  and build on previous ideas and knowledge. They can give feedback into class mates, advance new ideas and analyze the topic or subject at hand.

 These are broad ideas on beginning blogging with students  , I would love any ideas about what you do with your students.