Technology Tools-Starfall for young learners

       One of the best computer tools for young students is Star Fall.  If you haven't heard about Star Fall , I would be greatly surprised.  Librarians, computer teachers, and classroom teachers can all use Star Fall to help students learn reading, math and much more. It is a fun site for students .  All the times I have used this, students think they are playing' but they are also learning a lot.
      They listen and read stories.They  learn  letters, reading,  and phonics. They also learn about using the computers , learning to select and move items.Stories and letters are read to the students so they can listen and learn letters and word sounds.
     There are math skills also  on the site. It is an all-around wonderful site for students to use , possibly during lab time, in the library as part of their e books, and in the classroom as a center during reading or ELA time.


Starfall

Technology tools- What we need for our students

      Another great tool for librarians and teachers is the Bookemon site. Although you can purchase hard cover books that are written at the site - you do not have to.   It is a great site where students can create and make their own books and stories.
       Classmates can also work together on projects.  Books are made in a 'bcloud' so students working in pairs( or more) can add text and photos and edit their work.  There is a special spot for educators ( Edcenter) to have their students do and view their work and other  students work. check out this site to see how use full it would be for  your classes.
     This would be a great place for teachers to promote their student writing.


Bookemon
 

Library Sparks- Next Article

          Watch in December for my  next article  in Library Sparks!!  This is my third  article  in Library Sparks. This  will be on the  non-fiction book pass and how to use it for several lessons on  non-fiction book parts and beginning research  projects.   If you had seen my last article on Fiction book passes- you may want to check this out. I have used these lessons to showcase my new nonfiction and also teach the research process to younger students.
            Library Sparks is one of my favorite resources . There are so many great ideas in that magazine!  What is your favorite library journal?  Watch for my October Giveaway - coming soon!

http://www.highsmith.com/librarysparks//librarysparks

Technology Tools & Websites

       I spent the morning at the dentist with my husband. He had to have two teeth taken out - Ouch!!  Now that's that is done his mouth should feel better.  Check out  my new page- Technology tools/ Websites. I will update it several times a month. Right now I am putting links on  that I discussed in the summer blogs.  I hope this is helpful to the techies - instead of pulling up old blogs you can just go right there and see the  links and  go straight to them.   Let me know what you think.
    Good day to be off- the sun is shining and it is pleasantly warm out. 

Technology Tools- What we need for our students

                 So far  most of these tools are interactive sites that we use with our students to provide a e  more engaging , compelling, interesting, and competitive education for our 21st century learners.  Porta Portal is one way to organize them all.  A Porta Portal is a site that you design and organize specific sites for students to use  in their day to day work for you. The sites are already there and ready. The student does not have to search for them and they are easily accessible. There is no cause to get on a questionable site when looking for something else. So this is a safe place for  you to  collect the sites you want  students to use.
  
              Once you design your site and add you desired  addresses, you are pretty much done until you want to add more , change the arrangement , or color.  The one thing I try to do each year is make sure that all the sites are still linking, My example needs to be gone over and fixed / removed becasue there are soem sites that are no longer working,

               If your class does a lot of  web work, always point  the students to your portal portal- for  an easy way  to get students to find out what they need to know.

              Here is the link to the portal portal that I designed many years ago. There are a couple of links that no longer work and need to be removed.
 http://my.portaportal.com/

            Here is the link that will bring you to where you can sign up and design your own porta portal. Follow the prompts on the left hand side to create your own portal.  When  you are logged in you can begin to organize  and add your sites. Create categories that make sense for your students. It is pretty easy to get this up and running.  Have fun!

http://www.portaportal.com/index.php

 

Guest Post - Darcy Pattison- Author

2ndGradeReading.NET and 3rdGradeReading.NET

Why would you devote a website just to books for 2^nd graders or 3^rd graders?

First, books change lives. We know that the right book for the right child at the right time can do wonders. It can create a lifelong reader, it can encourage, it can comfort, it can—well, in short, change a life. That means each student’s needs are important.

Second, with the education reform bringing in the Common Core, teachers and parents are looking more closely at the grade level of books. As librarians and teachers, we are also looking for teaching materials that fit the bill for the Common Core. Our staff screens every book for its reading level and suitability for the second or third grade. We know that these books are a great read for students.

Third, we believe that kids should be reading contemporary literature. What does your child or student watch on TV?

• Reruns of “I Love Lucy”?
• Reruns of “Gomer Pyle”?
• Reruns of “Lassie”?

There’s nothing wrong with classics, but if your student ONLY watches reruns, something is out of whack. Today’s students need today’s literature. Not reruns.

A recent study of books read by kids revealed that Dr. Seuss was the most popular author for K-3rd grades. The classics are great, we love them. But it appears that classics are 75-80% of what kids are reading in school. Something is out of whack.

Instead, 2ndGradeReading wants to encourage kids to read contemporary literature, nonfiction and fiction. Publishers are turning out exciting, engaging, contemporary work in every genre. Kids are missing out on books meant for their generation.

Finally, we understand that teachers, librarians, students and parents are all busy. Even if you agree that kids should be reading the best of today’s literature, who has time to read through the stacks of books to find the gems?

We do. We screen through the mass of books looking for the best. And we make sure you hear about it. Our newsletter goes out three times a week, each time featuring a brand new book. Do we expect that you will love every book we review. Of course, not. But we hope you will find unexpected gems. We hope you will find the right book for the right kid—and change a life.

2ndGradeReading.NET and 3rdGradeReading.NET offer reviews of contemporary, grade-appropriate books for kids.

What we need for our students- Part 6

    Another program to engage and encourage our students is Voice Threads.  This is a subscription based online tool where students can share their voice and their work.
   We have used it  the final part of a project . Students in grades 1-2 were beginning a unit on nonfiction and research. I worked closely with the teachers and students  preparing them for research  and having them do research with books and  a specific database.
     Then students did illustrations ( posters) of their animal and wrote a report on their animal. . I took photos of the illustration . Then the students read/ told about their animal. Both of the these were placed on Voice Thread ( which lives on our website so it can be viewed from home)  A couple of rules we follow, students never mention their last name.  Last names are also NOT put on the web.
     Older students use voice threads to write and illustrate book commercials. They love to do this!

Check out the site on Voice Threads and see if you think it would for your students.

 Free to Help you get started and see if you like!

http://voicethread.com/support/howto/Account_Types/Free/


Educator Voice Thread

http://voicethread.com/products/k12/

A new site for book reviews!

             I recently started doing book reviews for a really interesting site  (2ndGradeReading.net.)
This site has been developed by Darcy Pattison. This author believes that Reading Changes Lives. Yes, I totally agree with her. What librarian, and teacher would believe otherwise?  She  also , like myself, had a family that love to read.
           This site would be great to share with your  first, second and third grade teachers. It highlights some of the newest and best books. Coming soon will be a 3rd grade site.

           Find it here:     http://2ndgradereading.net/

            Darcy's Website for her books can be found at  .http://www.darcypattison.com/darcy-pattison-books/   .   She also is dedicated to the common core so that is a site to become familiar with.

What we need for our students.

     There are many free available web tools that we can use with our students to help them with reading and writing.  One I have found is at Kids.Com and  gives the younger students an opportunity to work on line writing and creating story's.. This site provides writing prompts and characters. It is a fun site and students will enjoy using it and working with it.
     The students will find  they can vote on this week's stories and read last week's stories.  There is a writing challenge . There are games that students can play.
  Check it out and see if  this will be beneficial  for you and your students.


http://www.kidscom.com/create/write/write.html

A New School Year!

     A new school year! Time for new schedules, meetings, Common core standards, and library information skills and library literacy!  But the most important are the students! We need to instill a love of literature, learning, and reading. 
    I am reading The Book Whisperer  Awaking the reader in every Child. ( Donalyn Miller)  This is an excellent book that all teachers should be required to read.   This reading teacher shows how  she instilled the love of reading by allowing readers to read what they choose . I hope to write a review here or on Amazon.

What Administrators Want from their Librarians

     What do administrators want from their librarians?  Librarians are asked and need to do many things as we have seen in the past blogs.   Most of us love to learn about new ideas, strategies, resources and books. We love working with students, teachers , and parents.  As part of our jobs, we need to learn about  new  ideas and we need to model that love of learning to our students and teachers.
 
    Most of all ,the Librarian does not work alone. For a school to have a successful library program it takes everyone (  librarians, , teachers  , and administrators) working together for the students to be successful in their education and in their lives.


 

What we need for our Students- Part 5

     As  librarians we are in a profession focused on preparing students for the future. So we need to keep learning the new technology so we teach them how to use these tools safely and effectively.     Most of these tools  allow students to  create and build knowledge.
   A tool that I have used  with students is Wordle.   Wordle is a toy where students create visual displays ( clouds) of words in multicolor  and multi-sized graphics. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the text. You can  change your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. These images can be shared by link or printed out.
  
   What I have done is used this tool as a culmination of a resource project. We have done research on women , presidents, and  science topics. Then students make a Wordle either for a final project or as center to a poster about their topic. Students love to see how theirs and their classmates Wordle comes out.

. Check out this site and see what you think. Has anyone else used Wordle-How did you use it with your classes?

http://www.wordle.net/

What Administrators want from their Librarians

      For those of you who have been school librarians for a while can attest that our jobs and responsibilities  have changed quite a bit over the years.   When I first started ,  the emphasis was only on print resources . At the time , that was all there was.
      But over the years, the profession and the collections have changed.  Now we are the keepers and teachers of technology. We are called to help teachers integrate technology into their curriculum.  We need to teach students to use the online card catalog , and data bases. We need to update and teach students and teachers on Web 2.0 tools and integrate these into the curriculum and the common core standards.
    Yes- now we are technology integrators! So we need to keep up to date on the latest  technology- e-books,  book apps, date bases, web 2.0 tools and more.

What we need for our students- Part 4

        In the 21st century  students will  need  many technology  skills. Students  and staff can use WallWisher to  provide comments and thoughts on books being read,  questions about topics and subject areas of study, and  new ideas and new knowledge learned and shared..  Students love to use wall wisher. Once you show them how it works,  some will go on and make their own wall to share  thoughts and knowledge with their classmates and friends.
   
       On our library website we use Wallwisher to get students to comment about books read, ask questions about books, and recommend books they have read.
       
      There is so much you can do with Wallwisher- you just need to poke around the main page and you will see just some  of the possibilities.  Once you have taught the students and staff how you use Wall Wisher then- just get ready to create. Students and teachers can make notices ( for classroom- assignments, sports, ect), post messages, hold discussions, brainstorm ideas,  collect feedback, bookmark favorite sites , and teach concepts and have students complete assignments.
 
     Does any one use WallWisher? What do you use it for? Any new ideas that you can share? Please comment here and share your ideas.

 http://wallwisher.com/





 

What Administrators want from their Librarian- Part 4

      What do administrators expect from their Librarians?  Many administrators do not have a clear idea of what to expect but as librarians and leaders we need to promote ourselves and our programs, and how we can assist students in becoming better learners. One way to do all of these items is to become part of our school s professional development team.  When we do that we can teach the staff about all of our resources.
      So what do we teach?  Just a few examples : How to use our website , how to use the online card catalog, how to find resources, how to integrate library materials into the current curriculum, how to use the data bases  for school state wide support ( In NY we have Vtial New York, along with several others- Engage NY , and CommonCoreCurriculum. )
 
     When do we teach ? In the summer, at the beginning of the school year where there are various meetings, during conference days,  hold  mini workshops before and after school, during teacher prep.
 

What we need for our students - Part 3

        There are many tools a student needs to know to continue working in the 21st century. These are helpful when doing research  actually assist in keeping information and ideas in order. Using the computer for research is the way to go. Students think it is pretty neat keeping all of the information on a laptop / computer.  All of the work can be done and not a pencil or paper needs to be used.
      Students need to know the correct forms for citing sources for their collaborative and individual research work. There are many sites that can be used for this task. Noodle Tools  and Easy Bib are two of the easiest to use.
       With Easy Bib there are many great uses and it is really helpful for citing sources and also organizing your research. 
      Check out Easy Bib - There is a free one for MLA forms.. There is also a school and library edition.. Teach your students to use this and they will have another tool to use for their updated education.




http://easybib.com/

What Administrators want from their Librarian

What Administrators want from their Librarian- continued from Saturday

      As librarians  we are leaders in our schools. Although we are leading from the middle, we need to be active in many aspects of the school community.  Many administrators do no see us as leaders but we need to start being more involved with student learning. With the emphasis on the Common Core, this is the perfect time for us to stand up and begin  to show our presence and importance . Get active on school committees  and building initiatives.   Think of this and let me know what you do to be a visable force in your school.     

   

    How can Librarians lead from the middle? Librarians can be leaders in many ways. By  maintaining their collections and bringing new resources to teachers we are support people. But by assisting with lessons and helping develop  units and lessons to revolve around the common core ( or whatever latest buzz words in the educational scene) we begin to offer ourselves as  leaders in the educational scene of the school.

   

    Also by infusing new technology  and web 2.0 tools into our lessons , and teaching teachers to use these new tools we also begin to show how  librarians change the school community. Start with your classes , and then branch out - try something with just one or two other willing teachers. Their success will provide you with either others asking you to do the same, and word will get out that you are a collaborator. 

   Plan a short  speech about what you have done for your next faculty meeting, and offer to help with others. Showcase your website or one of your databases at another meeting.  Keep it going- Be visible, be vocal about what you can do to help teachers and students.  Be a leader!

What Administrators want from their Librarian

      As librarians  we are leaders in our schools. Although we are leading from the middle, we need to be active in many aspects of the school community.  Many administrators do no see us as leaders but we need to start being more involved with student learning. With the emphasis on the Common Core, this is the perfect time for us to stand up and begin  to show our presence and importance . Get active on the school committees  and building initiatives.   Think of this and let me know what you do to be a visable force in your school.
      Discussion on this thread to be continued on Tuesday.

What we need for our students - Part 1 & 2

 How do you use Blogs or Wiki's in your school and in your library?  How do you and your teachers  use these tools to get students more engaged and interested in learning?  Blogging , I think , is more appropriate for students in the younger grades because  the teacher/ librarian is in control  and has to  approve the comments. This works very well for book discussions, comments and questions about specific events in history,  student writing in response to a prompt / book/ poem.   Please share any ways that you and your staff use blogs with your students.

What we need for our students - Part 2

     As  librarians we are in a profession focused on preparing students for the future. So we need to keep learning the new technology so we teach them how to use these tools safely and effectively.     Most of these tools  allow students to   create and build knowledge.
     A  Wiki is a tool that students  turn to when they are looking up facts . First we need to teach them that Wiki's are not the most reliable source of accurate information.
      However  use Wikis  as a tool when you want several students  to work together to create / provide accurate information at the same  time . Students can work together to create and discuss. The Wiki format is more interactive than a blog, and students really can get involved with their learning and building knowledge.

    There are tutorials on   www.Wikispaces.com

What Does An Adminstrator Want from a Librarian ( Part 2)

     What does an administrator want and expect from a librarian?  A librarian traditionally is a resource specialists. They are trained to assist and teach the location of resources for both staff and student  needs. Whether there is a large project or just a quick question, librarians keep at their fingertips a wealth of print and electronic resources that can get their patrons answers and information they need.
     There is an old saying " You know everything" but librarians do not know everything. But we should know where to find out  any kind of question.
    As a resource specialist , the librarian  helps support the schools/ patrons needs. This  help involves supporting instruction. This information will assist patrons make informed decisions.
    To this task  of being a resource specialist, administrators need to remember that allowing for an adequate budget . This will be necessary for the librarian to complete that mission.  Librarians cannot provide resources that they do not have. If we want our students to be literate then we need to provide substantial resources .  This is an item which can be discussed with the administrator.

What we need for our students - Part 1

     Our last discussion was about the  students of today and how we can help  students become learners in the 21st century. One of the Web 2.0 tools are blogs.  I have written about blogs before since I have been doing this blog since 2009.    Blogs are wonderful tools to use with kids. We can get the students to discuss many different topics  by blogging.
     The most common way , especially for librarians are to have book discussions, and comments about what books students are reading. But if we can expand our horizons and get the teachers more involved, there can be blogs about other topics that students are learning about. Let's get creative- how can students use blogs  to enhance and engage in their learning.
     In our district we have a library blog and also a book club blog on our library website. How do your students use Blogs?  Lets share some ideas about what we can do with blogs.


http://www.blogster.com/

http://www.blogger.com/


   Blogs are the refections of one person on which others may comment. Teachers can have  blogs that students can add thought and ideas. Blog comments have to be accepted by "owner" before being published

What we need for our students !( And teachers!)

        Think about our students today- they have grown up with computers and  have always had cell phones. For the most part they are online everyday - whether phone, table, cell phone. They create and participate online every day.  Students are Digital Natives
         As educators we need to prepare students ( and teachers)  in  the Digital Revolution  and teach students how to use technology safely and effectively. As librarians we are the leaders in our school who can do that. We are the ones that have been trained  in the Web 2.0 tools .
   With Web 2.0 tools there are many free sites that allow the user to interact with technology to create information products that can be shared with classmate and the world at large.  Starting next week I will begin to  highlight some of the easiest ones ( and free)  to use with students . These tools help student make learning come alive. They engage the student and make learning fun and exciting. Most  students love to work with technology.  Sign up and follow so you don't miss one of the free tools.!!

Website for Elementary Librarians

     I stumbled upon this  great new site for elementary librarians and wanted to share . Although I have not been through everything on this site , it seems to be chock full of interesting and helpful new ideas  for elementary librarians.  It is called  Elementary Librarian  and has library lesson plans that incorporate common core standards. There are many links to activities and resources. This librarian has really done her home work and  has very nicely shared her information. 
     Every Tuesday is Tech Tuesday ( Today she was discussing Wordle - which I love). There are also  links to Library News, and Ed. Tech News! Check it out!

http://elementarylibrarian.com/

Finally Back up to Speed

 Well  last week the computer got fried by a thunder storm and we finally got it fixed. Now this week , our router died and so we went out and got a new one and set it up yesterday.  Hopefully I will get back in the grove and be up with some more ideas and cool websites and technology. The summer is going fast- it has been very hot and muggy in NE PA. We ate our first tiny tomatoes. This moring I woke  up to find a Mama deer eating one of our big tomates- Boy did I yell.
  Is any one getting ready for school yet??

Neat Site

Here is another site that I came upon in my browsing and I think it will be useful for librarians and teachers. It offers  examples of Reading Trifolds0- which are a near way for students to track and share their reading. There are blank  trufolds that can be printed out and used.   These would also be great to use with guided reading groups, and would also help with assessment of the student reading. I am thinking of ways to use them in library class for the students in grades 3-4.  Let me know what you this about this site and also the trifold idea,

Reading Trifolds

Fabulous site! - The Centered School Library

        I  found the site  to go along with Cari Young's book The Centered School Library!  Actually I had looked at when I first got her book. It is great ! I should do a review for this book.
       Anyway , now that we are past July 4th , I can begin my summer learning! Cari has started a  Summer Tech Camp and she starts out with  creating a power point with your learning as you go along which is a great idea!  The first  idea  is Wildself- which the students would absolutely love!!
  Check this out!!  Go to June  5, 2012 to begin at the beginning!! Have fun.

  The Centered School Library

What does an Administrator want from a Librarian? - Collaborator

        What else does an Administrator want from a librarian?     How does the librarian effect the whole school?  By collaborating with faculty and students , the librarian can  help establish  new ways to provide student learning and excellence.
         A library media specialist is collaborator who works with students and teachers.  For the best results in educating students ( and also increase/maintain test scores), librarians work with teacher in planing, instructing, and evaluating learning.
          In collaborating with teachers, librarians integrate information skills and literacy skills into classroom learning. This is by far the most efficient way for students to learn them. With time  and  consistency , the students will see connections to using library resources  and find out how helpful these skills are to  learning and finding out new facts and ideas.
        Being a collaborative partner with the staff  helps both the teacher and the student. The librarian is the extra pair of hands , eyes, and ears. The teacher is not working alone.  Whether lessons are done in whole groups or divided up in smaller groups, students have more individualized  learning . Problems  and questions are more likely to be caught and corrected. Attention given to students will be more concentrated .
         A collaborative lesson is  designed by both teacher and librarian  provides more opportunity  for successful learning and achievement .

What does an Admisitrator Want from a Librarian?

      I have been thinking lately about what administrators want and expect from a School Library Media Specialist. I've also been thinking that many administrators  really do not have any idea about how valuable a school librarian can be.
      Do they have classes when they are taking courses to be a Principal  about the value of a school librarian?  I think not, but I do think they should.
      Number one item on my list is a Library media Specialist is a TEACHER. They work with students in the library, the computer lab, and in the classroom! What do they teach?
     They teach the love of reading and literature. Think  about interactive read aloud' s and author studies.  Think introducing students to genres, and  series, chapter books, and graphic novels, award winning books.
    School librarian also teach students how to be information literate . They teach how to use the resources of books, references, data bases, and the internet. to find the information they need. They show students how to use the latest web based programs to   produce information pieces  to share with there their learning.
     Later in the week or next week  week I have some addoitioanl  items to add to this list of what an adminsotrator wants from their librarians. Keep reading for more.
    Any additional items the librarian does as a teacher?  Please add your comments.
What should you do with this information? Share this in some way with your p;principals and school board and teachers,. Let them know what you can do to assist the students in the quest for 21st century learners.

Last Week of School

It is the last week of school and everything is winding down.!  Hard to believe that another year has gone by.
Inventory done and print outs printed. We did not do to bad- but it is surprising that so many of our professional books have disappeared / I wonder who could have taken them?  Any guesses? So this week I have a few classes and I have to clean up and taken everything down for cleaning. -and bring my plants home. That's about it. I will be writing this summer occasionally  ( probably  twice a week) in preparation  for the new school year.
  I hope to spend time working on my book and hopefully will have it out soon.( it all depends on my editor- my husband)- when he can fit it working on it with me.

Inventory

Yes we have actually started- scanning. It took a little bit to the scanners sycned  but now we are going strong. Stopped a bit yesterday to have a great Caldecot challenge party. It was fun. Tomorrow our break will be the second round of the Battle of the Books.  Still getting books back and in.

Beginning Inventory

 I am getting ready to begin inventory tomorrow, so today I am printing over dues. ( Yes , there are students who still have books out even though the due date was May 31st.)  Then there are the pre- inventory printouts that must be done before we even start scanning. Of course books are still coming in and classes are in here researching and typing!
 Also this week we are doing the Caldecott Pizza party- which is given to the class that reads the most Caldecott's. And we have the second round of the Battle of the Books! Busy Week~

Steps to Inventory

 We are still working towards doing inventory. The books are due but not all in yet. Teachers still have books out that they are using. So besides shelving and reading, the next thing I will do is overdue notices to teachers for student books. I will also send an email to staff asking that all books they are not using be returned to the library so they can be inventoried when we are scanning.
  I also just "ordered"  from our tech person, our two carts with laptops or computers and speakers. We are lucky enough to have wireless and can use the system right at the shelf. It 'beeps'  if there is a problem with the item scanned and the screen tells what the problem is.  This is a long way from what inventory used to be - even when  the first technology came along- we had to upload our scans to the main computer, and print out and them check for problems. Hurray for updated Technology!

Inventory- on going

      We are continuing on in our inventory process. As of right now , students have the last week to keep reading . All of our books are due on May31st.   So as we get back the books , we are shelving , shifting, and reading the shelves. 
      Many of the shelves have to be shifted because we have a lot of books . During the year, we shift many times to accommodate the collection.  Certain shelves need to be read- those are the shelves that see the most use. Some shelves only need a quick glance to make sure they are okay.
     What is a great help is that since we are an elementary school, we only go to one or two digits behind the decimal for the non-fiction section.( My predecessor did this and It actually works out very well, both in the keeping of the shelves in order and also the shelving and finding of the books.

It's Inventory Time Again!

     Yes it is inventory time again- well almost. Today was the last day for students to check out books. All our books are due by May 31st.  This gives us time to print our over dues and get them to the Students. There are students that have VERY VERY overdue books.  These students are not allowed to take out any more books- even this week.
    We have begun reading shelves. In my book  ( The Organized Librarian)there is a whole chapter on organizing  the reading and inventory process. We read shelvess while we are shelving books or when we come to a shelf that needs it.
     Many of the shelves are pretty good, many are really out of order. It just depends how much the shelf is used by the students.  What really takes the most time is shifting the books so that all the books fit on the shelves.  We really need more shelving in both libraries , but I know that is not going to happen anytime soon.
   While I am reading shelves, and shelving books,  I look for books that are obviously out of date, falling apart, and ugly. Then I usually check the stats on the circulation system to see : how old the item is( if nonfiction - is it accurate?,  how many times it has been checked out- do we need to replace with the same item or an up to date book)  These questions help me decide if I should pull the book and discard it, or write down the title/subject to order for next year.

Free E book site

Here is another free ( Mostly)  e book site. So far in my searching this looks like fun. You get up to 5  free books every month. There is a fee if you want more than that- but in my book 5 books  a month seems okay because  of the other sites out there- which I continue to search  out and explore. So  check it out and see if you like it also.

They seem to have a lot of variety of books . I could explore this site and find some great reads. The youth section has mostly classics but it would be nice for vacation to read some of the books I haven't read in years.

http://www.free-ebooks.net/

Great Free E reader site!

 I have just discovered a new site for my tablet where I can download books and excerpts of books for free! I can even do the downloading and reading on my PC.  It looks like it will be a great resource for free books! it also links up with FaceBook so you can see what your 'friends ' are reading.
 I have already been on the Project Gutenberg site and that of course is great also. Does any one have another favorite?

http://www.scribd.com/

Conference Report NYLA/SLL

 All I can say is WOW!  This was an amazing conference and I really learned a lot . Now I have to figure out which to do first.
  The highlight of course was Joyce Valenza- 10 Critical Literacies you should teach! How can you do that? I have decided to look over my notes and try to learn just one for now. I am not sure which one it will be yet.


http://springfieldlibrary.wikispaces.com/

If  you look at the left hand side , check out Digital tools, and Digital storytelling. She mentioned some of these, and we had our heads spinning.  She talked of Curation, digital citizenship, and knowledge building. Check out this site - there is so much on it!

Conference Time

 I am off this afternoon to the 2012 NYLA/SSL Conference in Binghamton, NY! Can't wait!  The  theme this year is Expand your Influence- Create, cCultivate, Collaborate , Communicate.
  This year there are some great speakers and workshops: Joyce Valenza, David Wiesner, Margie Preus, and Emily Arnold McCully!!  Also there will be great workshops : ebooks, digital resources, advocacy, and Common Core.

  Some great authors will also be there: Suzanne Bloom, Clara Gillow Clark, Jason Edwards. and Liz Rosenberg and others.

 I am getting ready to be recharged and re- energized!  Coming Back to school with great ideas, activities, and book titles!

Are there any other New York People going to be there?
How about  the other states - What do you like about your  regional/ state conference?  Send us your thoughts!

Great News for NY and All!

NY Board of Regents Supports School Librarians in All Elementary Schools 

This link arrived on my Face book from School Library Journal. It seems that the NY state regents board is finally getting on board that elementary schools need to have full time librarians to help support and maintain great ELA test scores.   My only question is this - they want schools to have a full time librarian by 2020. What,in the meantime, will happen to all those students that DO NOT have the services of a certified librarian? It seems a long time to wait to make sure the students are  college and career ready! What are your thoughts? What does your state do? How else can we convince them we need this sooner?

On to the Caldecott Challenge rewards

              The Caldecott reading challenge is at the end. Now we begin the quest to prepare for the rewards and the parties.  The first step is checking what the kids have read and how many they have read. That to me is the hardest part- next year I am going to devise a way to make the checking easier! I am not sure how- but there has to be a better way
                
               Then we will set the date for the popcorn and pizza parties  for the classes who  earned them by reading. I also have to figure out  who gets the prizes and what exactly they will. I will be looking in my goodie bags of prizes to see what else I need.

Beginning Chapter- The Organized Librarian

  Begin to Organize

                   

 As   Librarians we have great jobs, working with patrons (adults or students) to help them find books to read for pleasure ,or information.  With today’s technology, we also need to be able to help patrons with current electronic resources to complete work projects or finish assignments.

Librarians  have a lot to do to maintain their libraries and the resources in them. We want patrons to get the books that they want or the information they need.  Getting everything done seems almost impossible.  Organizing each day and week will help librarians accomplish what needs to be done to sustain the library programs and resources

Battle of the Books- on to round two

  Our first round of the Battle of the Books was held in the beginning of April. Now I am planning the second round.  I have to check with my Administration to see what would be appropriate date and time. Usually we have an assembly with grades 3-6 attending.   My vice principal and I have to discuss if we want to do that again this year.  Then it finalizing the prizes- One of my teams wanted to know if the first place team could pick their prize- something to think about!  The kids are still reading and re- reading the list of books.

A great website for 4th & 5th Grades

 Here is a link to a website designed for students in 4th and 5th grade who are learning about plants. Students read and look for clues, do experiments, and solve problems while learning about plants. It is a fun learning experience! Have your students check this out!


Great Plant Escape

Borrowing Books on my Tablet!

It our Easter / Spring break ! Back in November I got a Pandigital Tablet which is really cool !  It can do a bunch of things- surf the web, buy and read books/ samples from Barnes & Noble, games, photos, facebook.
But just this week I finally figured out how to borrow books from my one local library!  That is really Cool!!
Anyway  first I had to download Adobe reader. Then I downloaded the Freading app.  The books are listed there and I have three weeks to read them and then they disappear. You can renew them if need be.
  Now all I have to do is figure out how to borrow from my other local Library- ( That is the advantage of living on the border close to two states)I think it is the same deal but for some reason I can't log in.  I am actually reading Adult books over this break. Not to worry - I 'll be back to my favorite- children and tweens come next week when we go back to school.

Round 1 - Battle of the Books!

 Yesterday ( April 4th) we held our first round of the Battle of the Books! The students had fun- you should have heard the yeah's  and hurray's each time the teams got the answer right! Now on to the second round! Students had team posters that some of them spent a lot of time on. Here is a photo from the 6th grade team who came in first in their round.

Caldecott Challenge

 Our Third graders are  doing  a Caldecott Reading Challenge. This is voluntary reading challenge.  If  all students participate  in a class  and read at least 12 Caldecotts  over  5 weeks,their class receives a popcorn party. The Class that reads the most  Caldecotts gets a Pizza party.   The student in each class that reads the most  books also get a prize.  The student that has read the most of all  gets the biggest prize. So there are lots of opportunities for parties and prizes. We have a great time at the Pizza party- that is where we hand out the prizes and dance and sometimes have games.  The kids love the challenge and love reading the Caldecotts!