Project Based Learning

   Shannon talked about Project Based Learning and Project Parades. In Project Based Learning, students are engaged in their own learning. PBL helps the students focus, requires higher order thinking skills, ad encouraged  and encourages partner or group work.  There is a lot of discussion among student, teachers and administrators.

    PBL is learning in which the students produce something useful to share with others. In the process of  creating the project , the student leans the inquiry  ( Scientific ) method, howto gather information and facts, analyzing data, write and record the facts ( produce the project) and then finally present the project.

     PBL emphasizes  creativity,thinking skills, cooperation, collaboration, and communication.

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:

• Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
• Personalized Professional Learning
• Robust Infrastructure
• Budget and Resources
• Community Partnerships
• Data and Privacy
• Use of Space and Time
• Collaborative Leadership

MakerSpaces- Evening Event

    At our Institute we had a "MakerSpaces Petting Zoo". NO there were no pets , but what we did see was 16 different and incredible MakerSpaces Ideas for our students.

     The 3 -D printer was of course the biggie~! They used student friendly tinker cards. The students would have a blast with this. and would the staff.  I think it might be best for older elementary , middle and high school students. /students  create the desired object and then can watch as the printer builds the object.

      The Lego stations of course were popular, This I think would be the most easy and affordable for most schools.  They can be used with students of all ages , as there are three different levels of kits. There are robots to be build and also lego story starters for the younger set.

     The Little bits had  electric  modules that snap together . Students create circuits that have movement, light and sound. To me this looks like a system for middle and high school age students. There are 'patterns'to follow' to show students what they can actually build.

  This is just a sampling of some of the ones that  I think would work for   my building;
   

Weekly Reading- The House at Riverton

  Kate Morton has done it again with The House at Riverton !  Before WWI , Grace went to work at Riverton House for the Hartford family.  There is a movie to be made about the family and the tragedies that befell  them - and the tragic death of a family friend.  Grace,w as one of the witness actually knew the truth about what happened.

 The story is told in flashback pattern and brings to life the story of the wealthy family, and how life was lived in the 1920's and up to WWII. Grace tells the story of the family and the members of the household who worked at the house. We get a clear picture of what life was like.

Summer Institute for Librarians

 Wow- what we packed in for a day and half was amazing!  The most fun of course was the 'Maker Spaces Petting Zoo" and  the  Auctions!  
  The Petting Zoo was so cool!  The Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES  was so cool. We got to see in action and try out some really amazing maker space items: 3d printing,  green screens, Ozobots,  little bits, and dash and dot to name a few.  Would really love to do something like this in our library- even though I am really short on space.
 The Scholarship  Auction was fun!  There were great items donated by some major companies( Perma Bound, Kapco, and even some of the Maker Space companies. Then the regular auction  - there were baskets with some wonderful items that groups put together - those brought in the  big bucks. We had fun bidding- tons of laughS as librarians tried to outbid each other. The most popular were the wine baskets, and the Mo Williams baskets.

Summer Institute for school Librarians

   I am so excited to be getting ready for our NYLA /SSL educational leadership institute! It is this week at Cornell University .( Ithaca, NY) The theme this year is Future Ready Librarians: You Lead the Way! 
   The presenters are Shannon McClintock Miller( The library Voice blog@  http://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/ )who is a library mover and shaker. I am sure she will be very inspirational and a motivator   with some new ideas.
   The other presenter is Jim Belair from Monroe.2-Orleans BOCES and an adjunct professor at University of Buffalo.  I am expecting to get some fantastic ideas from this institute. I will share some of the stuff next week in a follow up post.So check back here and see a post or two ob Future REady Librarians, and some ideas on new programs and issues.

Weekly Reading/American Heiress

   American Heiress is another great novel done by Daisy Goodwin .  Set in the 1890's , it begins in Newport, RI.  Cora Cash , as a young American " Princes"becomes a young lady, and is from one of the wealthiest family's in the East Coast.
   Her mother is intent is for her to marry well and into a title. After her debut,  she arrives in England to be brought out in English Society.  Quite by accident ( a horseback riding accident actually) Cora meets a very eligible ( but poor) Duke who rescues her. Their love story ends in a marriage that is both full of love, mystery, and scandal. A very good read you won't want to end.