Sandra's Reading Nook

A great way for librarians to stay current with classroom technology updates is Google Certification.  Our district just became a Google for Education District a couple of years ago and the innovative resources available by Google are a great resource for teachers.  However, teachers may also be apprehensive about new technology. I believe that as librarians we must set the example and model the benefits they can provide.  Becoming Google certified will provide reliable credentials so that teachers feel confident coming to you when they need to collaborate on a lesson. The best part about becoming Google Certified is that certificate holders need to update it every 3 years. This guarantees that we stay current with changes and updates.  I've found this great guide to help you with the steps on getting certified.

I know technology can be daunting for some teachers. Believe me, I've seen my share of stressed teachers as they encounter new technology. My secret is to embrace it. I love learning new things and usually do well with technology because I believe the key to mastering any app or tool is to just immerse yourself in it and explore. This is why I really enjoyed this class. All new tools ready to be delivered and shared with other educators. Professional development where teachers can take something and use it in their classrooms so students can create and construct is the best part of a librarian's job. This class not only gives us tools though, it also tells us how to stay current with trends and new technology or applications.  It has prepared us to become great librarians that are future-ready. Here's my Reflection:  I used a web app called Buncee to create the slides. It's a great resource for teachers to use as well. I transferred the slides to Adobe Spark so th...

Listening to Podcasts has increasingly become more popular amongst our students. Teachers can take advantage of this resource to reach students with diverse learning styles and provide opportunities for freedom of expression and creative outlets. In this post, I tried different Podcast apps to experience first-hand what would be more practical for student use. Library Uses: Booktalks Library Experiences Delivery of information on specific subjects Sharing library news & trends Student Use: Listening to podcasts for extra information & enrichment Creating podcasts for: classroom news, historical events,  stories and reader’s theater Students internalize information in order to convey it to others. They need to be familiar with subject matter in order to sound natural while recording. Their podcasts may include special guests where they can discuss current events, issues and/or curriculum topics. These tools are excellent classroom ...

Graphic Novels have helped us revolutionize the way we look at comics in the classroom. They are now becoming the best way to scaffold learning as well as attracting even the most reluctant readers. With the following web apps, students can create their own and apply their knowledge in creative ways that allow them to express and convey their understanding. Toon Doon This site is a great user-friendly way to introduce kids to creating comics. It allows students to be creative while simultaneously letting them focus on content and keeping students from stressing out about their artwork. It can range from being as simple as adding graphics to a canvas to creating your own avatar and graphics! Plus, it lets users search for their images and store the ones they've created. New users would need to become acquainted with the process of saving and publishing or downloading on their own however. It may take a bit of time to explain, but well worth the experience. Pixton ...

Videos & QR Codes in the Library Promoting our libraries is a crucial part of information literacy. Videos are a great way to capture student attention and spread information literacy in one click. These innovative libraries have been creating videos to reach students, showcase their work and promote literacy. Here are some of their best: NHS Library: Best Liked by Students:   In this video, their mascot takes us to the process of checking out books and shows us what is available at the library along with behavior expectations. Most Helpful to Students:   This screencast created by the librarian helps students navigate the library’s website and shows students what they can access through it. The Unquiet Library: Most Helpful to Students: This Screencast helps students obtain creative commons images and downloading them for their presentations. Best Liked by Students:   This video allows students to see themselves thr...

Screencasts: Education trends keep making it easier to access information. Today we look at how Screencasts are revolutionizing education. Now students can access classroom information from anywhere on their devices and teachers can keep students aware of lessons when they are away from their classrooms or if they need to remediate at home. The teacher goes home with you! I created a video to introduce teachers to Epic! so they can use it in their classroom. Screencast-O-Matic offers great features like the ability to choose the size of the area on your screen that will be recorded. You can drag it to any part of the screen you would like to feature. It also allows you to add music and crop the beginning or the end of the video. When you start the recording, however, you will need to install the recorder and the control center was a bit small on my screen. There is a time limit of 15 minutes for recording, but you can easily access the video on a playlist when you log into yo...