May Already?

The end of the year is such a paradox.  Trying to wind down as the year comes to a screeching halt while attempting to keep the students engaged until the end is definitely a balancing act.

So we have a few new decorations to show off, and I did create one more reading challenge to attempt keeping the students interested.

Our book displays...

Here's a close up of the "Read Box." (Swiped from Pinterest - of course)

The reading challenge I designed was a bit more tricky.  We are picking up all the library books on May 16th, but school isn't out until May 23rd.  So I decided to push the Open eBook app.  As a Title I school, Summit students are eligible for this collection of eBooks... and it's free.  There are thousands of contemporary titles for all ages.  This service was available a couple of years ago, but I am just starting to push it now.

This library of ebooks would not even be possible without the great sponsors who donated to the cause.  Thank you to First Book, Digital Public Libraries of America, Baker & Taylor, the NY Public Library, and many more.  To read more about Open eBook and to see if your school is eligible, here is that link: http://openebooks.net/

So I wanted to create a challenge where the students would need to download the Open eBook App, read one of the books, and then respond to that book on Flipgrid.  I've heard so much about Flipgrid this year, I decided to hop on the bandwagon.  So I have a SHS Library Flipgrid with not much on it yet.  I just created it a couple of weeks ago.  This is my first challenge to incorporate the tool.

Here is the challenge... 

And here is the Library's Flipgrid, https://flipgrid.com/5crv9i

Like I said, there isn't much on it yet, but I hope to remedy that with this challenge.

Some of the students are resisting this challenge because they prefer print books.  I was hoping they might decide that an eBook is better than no book when they have no access to the school library and limited access to the public library this summer.  In addition, using eBooks also allows me to extend the deadline to the last full week of school.  I don't have to collect the eBooks!

Every day is an adventure!

TLA Conference

It's nice to revisit the learning that took place at a conference.  Reflection brings these new ideas to the front of my brain and reminds me of all I said I was going to do now that I have this new information.  For some reason, TLA really resonated with me this year.  I have always considered TCEA just as relevant as TLA.  Now that both have a little bit of library and a little bit of technology, I am beginning to think I need to alternate years and not go to both in the same year. Anyway, enough about that.


I brought mom along since TLA was in Dallas this year.  She came one other time when we were in San Antonio.  I thought she might enjoy going again and seeing all our friends and the authors.  In fact, some of our best sessions were author panels.


We started off by attending the Conference Orientation session because the DHS Librarians, Blanca and Alleasha, were on that panel.

Under normal circumstances, this would not be a session I would attend.  It was mostly for first-timers, but one should always be there to support a friend.  Mom and I weren't the only experienced conference goers in this session...

It was good to see all of my former colleagues who are now some of my closest friends.  Lots of librarians were here this year since the conference was in our back yard, so to speak.

After the orientation session, mom and I went to two author sessions, one for Texas authors and one for YA with strong female characters.  It is always refreshing to hear an author talk about his/her own work.  The following day we also went to the LGBTQIA author panel, and that was the most entertaining one of the bunch.  We laughed and cried all the way through that session.

Of course one of the highlights of the whole conference was listening to Rick Steves. 

He makes me want to travel again.  I even bought his book, "Travel as a Political Act."  He made a lot of interesting points about how travelling can help us understand cultures we don't know much about or even fear.

One of my favorite sessions that was not an author panel was about Escape Kits. The speakers with the lock boxes came from the public library and the school library.  It was nice to have both perspectives.  Some things I took away from that session...

• how to organize a whole class around one lock-box
• creating them for general circulation after using them with a class
• if you create your own game, have someone run through it first to catch the mistakes

Another noteworthy session included another former Duncanville librarian, Gabby Brown, who is now in Rockwall, did a bang-up job explaining how her summer library program works.  She is a school librarian who opens her library once a week for family programs and book challenges.  There were other presenters at that session, but for my money, Gabby had the most practical set up.

Friday morning, we went to Teri Lesesne's book talk where I generated a really big list of "must order" books for next year.  I snagged one at Barnes & Noble just a couple of weeks ago, and it was fantastic.  I highly recommed "The Poet X" by Elizabeth Acevedo.  It is a quick read, but it is powerful.

All in all, mom and I attended 11 sessions.  I' m not sure if I really clicked with TLA this year because of the new perspective I have working in Mansfield.  However, I do feel as if my job has been more about the books and getting students to read than it has been about technology this year.

Every day is a new adventure!

It's April. How's that New Year Resolution Coming Along?

For those who are following along, my 2018 New Year's Resolution is to make my reading more visible.  I have to say, in doing so, I think I am actually reading more.  That was not the intention, but I guess it is a happy accident.


Here is a look at my library bulletin board now.  Actually this was almost a week ago, and I already need to update.

 I finished Deep Dark Blue by Polo Tate a couple of days ago (book 15),

and now I am reading On Texas Backroads (book 16) by Carlton Stowers.

I am enjoying Carlton Stower's collection of Texas short stories more than I did Polo Tate' memoir of her time at the US Air Force Academy.  There wasn't much I could relate to in Deep Dark Blue.  My dad was in the army, but I would not call us a military family.  In addition, Polo went through a lot of heartbreak and violence I honestly found depressing.  Again, not really applicable to my college life... thank goodness.

On the other hand, Stower's stories of his adventures in Texas are interesting and places I know and have visited.  So it is probably safe to assume I will be finished with book 16 this weekend, and will need to revisit my stack to select book 17.

March Madness

There are lots of things to do during March.  In addition to helping our Junior English classes with their research, we also swapped out our winter displays for something more appropriate for Spring.

For Women's History Month ...  

For Spring ... 

I also organized my first March Madness book bracket.  Blanca always did the whole shebang with 64 books.  That seemed a bit daunting for my first try.  I decided to stick with the "Sweet 16."

Before voting, I had to build some hype.  So I advertised early, and I even put up a poster in the Commons area for easier access to the voting ballots.

The part I was not looking forward to was making the bracket.  I went to Pinterest to see what I could find.  I ended up with this.

Then I had both teachers and students vote for their favorite books to set up the tournament at the start.  We ended up with quite a range as you can see.  I provided both written and visual brackets for everyone.

We have made it from the Sweet 16, to the Elite 8 ...

Next week will be the Final 4.  After that we will vote for the Top 2 and the Champion in the same week.  Both the students and faculty members are anxious to see how this first March Madness ends.  It's fun to talk to people in the hallway about how this game has unfolded thus far.  However it may end, the library wins because both students and the faculty are talking about books.

Every day is an Adventure!

TCEA 2018

This post is a bit late in coming, but I always like to recap my adventures at TCEA.  I do love going to the technology conference each year to learn about new things.  This year did not disappoint.

Here are some of the highlights of the trip ...

Waiting for our keynote speaker, Marlee Matlin.

Presenting at the library academy, "Socially Booked."

Coding at the TCEA Makerspace.

Dinner with Kathy Tran (no photo taken) :( 

Last, but certainly not least, the sessions.

Sessions I visited that were intended for librarians.

• Top 25 Tech Tools for the Teacher-Librarian
• AASL Best Websites that Rock
• Socially Booked (our presentation)
• 50+ Makerspaces for the Secondary Library
• Google Classroom in the Library 
• Bilingual Booksnaps using Google Drawing

Sessions I visited that were intended for all audiences (teachers/librarians/administrators/curriculum coordinators/etc.).

• Gamify Learning with Digital Badges
• Relevant Learning using Digital Badges
• Curriculum Tie-Ins & the 3D Printer
• Augmented Reality in the Palm of your Hand
• Breakout EDU in Forney ISD

My top 3 picks ...

• Relevant Learning using Digital Badges - I am trying to get a reading program started where the students can earn badges for reading different genres.  This session seemed manageable.  The presenter was concise and didn't try to create her own badge platform.  She rigged up a system where an automatic email went to the student once he/she filled out the appropriate google form.  That is something I could do.
• Augmented Reality in the Palm of your Hand - Using Aurasma (which is now called HP Select), students created an "about me" cube.  The cube could be adapted for other uses.  The app seems easier to use now.  I tried it a few years back with the Duncanville Art Show.  Although, most of the auras worked, it was a LOT of front loading which took longer than I anticipated.  The app has gone through some changes since then.  
• AASL Best Websites that Rock - there were many websites/apps I have heard of or had used before seeing this presentation, but there were a few new ones too.  Buncee was new for me.  This is for digital storytelling or interactive multimedia presentations. Sugarcane was also introduced in this presentation.  Apparently there are all kinds of educational games on this site.  Of course, there is Flipgrid.  I have heard about this site, but I have not tried it yet.  Everyone is talking about it though.

I enjoyed the conference and learning new things.  I enjoyed hanging out with Karen and Blanca.  I enjoyed bumping into colleagues and friends. I even enjoyed presenting at 8 o'clock in the morning.

Every day is an adventure!

All Things February

In my endeavor to create decorations that are meaningful, here are the latest book displays. (Thank you Pinterest)

In addition, I decided to use one of our past contests, modify it a bit, and bring it over to Summit.  It is the "Quotes of Love by Famous African-American Authors."  So the premise is simple; identify the authors of the quotes given.

The student and staff member with a perfect score will win a prize.  If there is more than one perfect score, there will be a drawing for the prize.  I only made 1 student and 1 staff prize.

To help the participants along, I created "hints."  These hints are on Twitter using #shslovequotes,

... and they were also posted around the perimeter of the library for those without a Twitter account.

In the end, I had 3 perfect staff scores and 6 perfect student scores.  As promised, I did have to draw names.  

Here are our winners.

         

Every day is an adventure!

Socially Booked

Although Karen, Blanca and I are now on separate campuses, it did not deter us from submitting a proposal to TCEA.  This year we are creating activities that encourage students to read.  Blanca concentrated on the "Reading Restaurant," which can also be "Book Tasting."  Karen did "Reading Restaurant" and "Book Speed Dating"(which can also be a "Book Walk" for the younger students).  I concentrated on "Blind Date with a Book" (which I also called a "Book Reveal" for the 9th graders) and "Book Speed Dating."  None of these are new ideas, especially if you have been to Pinterest.  Our twist was to infuse a bit of technology into the mix.  So if  you put that altogether, you get "Socially Booked."  Here's our blurb in the TCEA program...

I have to admit, it was a lot of fun to prepare for this presentation.  My biggest challenge was recruiting teachers since I am the new (and only) librarian on campus this year.  I didn't see as many classes I as would have liked, but I am very appreciative of the ones who did come.  I saw 11 classes in total.  I did 3 "Blind Dates" and 8 "Speed Dating."  To be honest, I did not try the reading restaurant/book tasting because the thought of transforming my library into a restaurant was too exhausting for me.  However, I must admit, my "Blind Date" events had A LOT of prep work.

The technology I used with my events include QR Codes, Kahoot, Padlet, Twitter, Instagram, Piktochart, and Google Docs, Slides and Forms.  Below you will find my prep notes (including the technology I used) and lessons for my part of the presentation.

Although I only did 2 out of the 3 reading activities, there ended up being 4 different lesson plans. I adjusted and reorganized as I found something that worked better than my original plan.  You know how that goes.  The "Book Reveal" was handled differently than the "Blind Date with a Book" classes.  One set of "Book Speed Dating" was slightly different than the other.  You'll see what I mean if you continue reading.

Book Speed Dating with Coach Thomason's classes

Coach Thomason was the first teacher I talked into the speed dating activity.  Coach Thomason teaches 4 sections of English IV.  Each class has 28-32 students. Here is what the activity looked like, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E--VP7fWt1HiQEQ0Gq4D_tNtmVTbBuqy/view 

Here is what I did to prepare for these classes

• Decided upon 7 genres to display (if I did this over again, I would send out a Google form to ask the students their favorite genres ahead of time)
• Pulled 15-20 books per genre and place them on a cart near the designated area for the classes
• Made genre signs to put on each of the tables.  My example: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SxvuMwG_BNoRA1bWO8Ua8N1CyzUEyWdz/view?usp=sharing
• I had 14 tables in the biggest area of the library.  So I pushed 2 tables together to create 7 genre stations.
• Created a Kahoot quiz to review the genres
• 5 minutes before the class came into the library, I passed out the books, one per seat. 

Some organizational tips during the activity

• I had 7 genres stations, but the students were only going to travel to 4 tables.  So I let the students know ahead of time that they needed to choose their tables wisely because they weren’t going to all 7.
• If the student found a book at the 1st table he/she really wanted, he/she could take that book with him to the 2nd table.  If he/she found a better book at one of the other stations, I would take the book no longer wanted back and put it on my cart.  Since I pulled so many books, if the student could not decide, I gave him/her both books.  Who am I to deny a child who wants more books instead of less!
• If the student was unable to find a book among the tables, the teacher allowed the class to browse the shelves for 10 mins.
• As the students travelled from one table to the next, I took that time to fill in the holes where the books had been taken.

Book Speed Dating with Ms. Hollinger's classes

Ms. Hollinger teaches 4 sections of Intro to Child Development.  Each class has 18-22 students. Here is what the activity looked like for her classes,

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NuZS27Ut8lCcBhahPQ4jwI4KCRuQJUCw/view

Here is what I did to prepare for these classes

• Decided upon 7 genres to display (same 7 as the other classes so I could reuse the Kahoot quiz)
• Pulled 15-20 books per genre and place them on a cart near the designated area for the classes
• Made table number signs to put on each of the tables (not genre signs). Instead of grouping tables by genres, I mixed the genres on each table.  This eliminated students travelling from table to table.  Instead, after reviewing a book, the students would pass the books to the right and start over.
• I had 14 tables in the biggest area of the library.  So I only used 7 of the 14 tables.
• 5 minutes before the class came into the library, I passed out the books, one per seat. 

Some organizational tips during the activity

• During Kahoot activity, we played in teams.  The person with the device used their table number for the name of the team, and for nicknames, it was student initials only.  No extra words, nicknames or emojis.
• If the student was unable to find a book at the table where they chose to sit, the teacher allowed the class to browse the other tables  for 10 mins.
• After the class left, I filled in the blank places with the books I had previously pulled.

Book Reveal with Ms. Shipe's Anime Club

I targeted the Anime Club for this particular event because I just received a big shipment of books, many of them were graphic novels and manga.  I thought it would be fun to introduce the students to the new books. Here is what that activity looked like,   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1clE80I2U8NhMOHqrurryKO91iHaR9J5W/view

Here is what I did to prepare for the Anime Club

• Decided upon 6 manga/graphic novel genres to display.  I picked the most popular from the manga survey the students took the week before. 
• Decided to call the activity a “book reveal” instead of “blind date with a book” because most of the group consisted of 9th graders (according to the survey) who probably don’t “date.”  
• Pulled 5 books per genre and placed them on a cart.  I took photos of the first page of each book. Then I posted them to Twitter using #bookreveal and #shsbook1 (or whatever book number I designated).  

   

• I picked a different color for each genre and wrapped the books.  Then I wrote the hashtags on each book and numbered them.  Once the students saw the color of their book and the hashtags, they could use their devices to find the book on Twitter to try and guess what they had.  Some students worked in pairs or in groups of 3-4.
• I had 6 tables in the smaller area of the library.  So I used all 6 tables.  Since this was a club event, I did not number the tables and the students were free to roam about the tables at will.  I did not time them.

Some organizational tips during the activity

• If students didn’t bring a pen or pencil, I had colored pencils on each table they could use.  BTW, I found that colored pencils are more likely to be returned to the table; pens and pencils tend to walk away.
• If the student was unable to find a book among the tables, I showed them our manga section where they could choose one or 2 of their favorites.  However, most of them picked a new book from the book reveal activity.

Blind Date with a Book with Ms. Hollinger's classes

Ms. Hollinger has an additional 2 classes of Principals of Education.  We decided to treat these classes differently and do the Blind Date activity.  This is what the activity looked like for her classes, 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/106hK8YQcgKharfnRgSUO2sYr64Zhpfn0/view 

Here is what I did to prepare for these classes

• Decided upon 7 genres to display (same 7 as the other groups to reuse the Kahoot quiz)
• Pulled 8 books per genre and placed them on a cart.  I took photos of groups of 4.  So each genre had 2 photos.  I created QR codes to go with each set of 4 books.  I picked a different color for each genre and wrapped the books.  Then I placed the QR code on the outside of the book.  Once the students scanned the code, they knew that their book was one of the 4 books in the picture.

• Made table signs, not genre signs as I decided to mix the genres on each table since they were color coded.  My example of table signs: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lsr6enjXAjS9ln11RTEE658zSqH1-WVwXfAUm-VM28s/edit?usp=sharing
• I have 14 tables in the biggest area of the library.  So I used 7 tables since I needed 7 genre stations and put the table signs on the tables selected..
• 5 minutes before the class came into the library, I passed out the books, mixing the genres, one per seat. 

  

Some organizational tips during the activity

• During Kahoot quiz, students played in teams.  The name of their team was the number on the table, and their nicknames were the students’ initials.  No extra words or emojis allowed.
• If students didn’t bring a pen.pencil, I had colored pencils on each table they could use.  BTW, I found that colored pencils are more likely to be returned to the table; pens and pencils tend to walk away.
• If the student was unable to find a book among the tables, the teacher allowed the class to browse the shelves for 10 mins.
• As one group of students left and another took its place, I used that time to fill in the gaps where books were taken and checked out.

I realize this post was rather long.  Sorry about that.  I hope that is not any indication of how long the presentation is going to be.  For those of you who are going to TCEA, we are presenting at 8 am on Thursday, Feb. 8 at the Hilton near the Austin Convention Center.

Every day is an adventure!