Professional Development Resources

As we begin to address the standards and indicators in our new APPR, we note that there are at least two which address the need for educators to make use of "research-based" and professional resources. The library offers a wide variety of materials which may be of use to you in regard to satisfying this requirement.

Applicable APPR Standards
Standard 3.1 Teachers use research-based practices and evidence of student learning to provide development, including students' cognitive, language, social, emotional, and physical developmental levels.

Standard 7.4 Teachers remain current in their knowledge of content and pedagogy by utilizing professional resources.

Professional Development Resources

Print
Are you aware that the HS Library is home to a separate Professional Development collection?    Topics range from books on assessment to bullying to use of Web 2.0 tools in the classroom.  We also offer professional magazines, such as Reading Teacher, Mailbox, and Scholastic Instructor.  Please see library staff for assistance in finding these materials.  New titles are added regularly - be sure to check OPALS.  And, as always, recommendations are welcome.

Recently added titles include:
The Common Core Lesson Book, K-5
Writing to Persuade: Minilessons to Help Students Plan, Draft, and Revise, Grades 3-8
Fires in the Middle School Bathroom: Advice for Teachers
The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander

Electronic
In addition, be sure to check out the GALE database for education periodicals and reference materials.  For example, if you are interested in learning more about the "flipped classroom" theory, visit GALE and do a search.  There are several articles which describe the pros, cons, and practical application.  Passwords are available from the library media center.

There's an App for That

Common Core Standards By MasteryConnect
"View the Common Core State Standards in one convenient FREE app! This app includes Math standards K-12 and Language Arts standards K-12. Math standards include both traditional and integrated pathways (as outlined in Appendix A of the common core)."

200 Free Kids Educational Resources: Video Lessons, Apps, Books, Websites & More

Media Literacy & Lesson Plans! November, 2012

Project LookSharp

Library of Congress and Media Literacy Workshop, November 8, 2012

Media Literacy :
The ability to access, analyze, evaluate and produce communication in a variety of forms.  The decoding and analyzing of documents, including all types of media and primary resource documents.

The integration of critical thinking, literacy skills, and the decoding of media are intertwined and give educators and students alike the ability to form habits of inquiry.  When we present multiple media with various points of view, and question students about perspective, context, evidence, and purpose, we are providing them with a way to better synthesize information for greater comprehension and recall.  We are also asking them to support assumptions and bias with evidence, both from visual and text based media.

Project LookSharp (Ithaca College) provides teachers with unit and lesson materials that involve the decoding of various media as integrated into core curriculum subjects.  Please visit the Project LookSharp website for downloadable curriculum kits and other materials.  In addition, the Library of Congress Teacher Resources "offers classroom materials and professional development to help teachers effectively use primary sources from the Library's vast digital collections in their teaching."
  

What to buy? Holiday gift reviews

It seems every year I must buy a new electronic gadget for my daughter at holiday time.  Last year it was the gift that keeps on giving - the iphone4.  Giving and giving and giving - oh, those data plans!  This year, though, my big plan is to go all IRL on my kid.  Nothing to plug in.  Nothing to download.  Just good old fashioned stuff.

What a maze we have on our hands, though, if we are thinking of buying a new electronic device.  From trying to figure out which device suits our needs - ereader or tablet - to knowing how many gigs of memory we need to do what - we certainly don't want to swerve too much on our learning curve.

Below are some useful links with reviews and discussions of current device and gadgets.  It is my hope this will help you navigate and make the purchase that suits your needs.

One final note - if you are purchasing technology that goes online for your child, you may wish to consider downloading monitoring or content filtering software (check here for reviews).  Be sure to read the terms of use for apps and look for "opt out" boxes which will allow you to protect your child's personal information.

Reviews & Info

Kindle vs. Nook vs. iPad: Which e-book reader should you buy?
Nexus 7 Edges Out iPad on Holiday Wishlists
Cnet Holiday Gift Ideas and Gift Guide 2012 - Cnet
8 Apps You Don't Want to Miss

What's new in smart phones, tablets, e-book readers, and more, Consumer Reports magazine: August 2012 
Engadget - AOL's reviews

 

 

Keeping Kids Safe - November, 2012

DATE TO REMEMBER:
November 7, 2012, 7 p.m.
Where: LCS High School Library
Mary Rokhvadze and the LCS Media Club will be presenting "Keeping Kids Safe: An Internet Safety Workshop" for any adult, family member, or student who is concerned about Internet Safety and staying safe online.  This workshop is free and pre-reigstration is encouraged, but not required.   Please contact the school at 432-2050 to pre-register.

The latest statistics from the Pew Research Center on Teens and the Internet remind us that the average teen spends more time online than they do doing nearly anything else in their lives (31 hours a week!).  Do we know what they are doing, who they are talking to, and what they are seeing?  Going on the Internet, playing games, and even texting are such singular, individual activities that it seems impossible to know everything our children are doing.  But, the dangers are real.  While it is easy enough for even adults to be maniuplated online through advertising, scams, fake emails and friend requests, it is even that much easier for predators and scam artists to 'take in' our kids.   Please plan to attend this informative workshop for hands-on tips on how to protect our children and keep them safe(r) online.

Did You Know...?
Google has a safe search option which allows users to restrict objectionable and adult content from appearing in your search results. You can access Google's Safesearch by visiting www.google.com/preferences directly OR by clicking on the gear icon after completing a google search.  Use the Strict, Moderate and no Filtering options to

Please read the Inside Search article for more on how to filter objectionable content.

Library Equipment

Per special request, we are re-posting last year's Welcome Back blog post! So...Welcome Back! We are providing information on the equipment and services available through the LCS libraries. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Equipment
(most equipment circulates via the elementary library)

Netbook Cart
Digital Video Cameras
Flip Cameras
Digital Cameras
Document Cameras (ELMO)
Laptops
LCD projectors
Overheads
Jumpdrives
Memory Cards
Kindle e-Book readers (NEW)
DieCuts and Machine
BookBinder
TV cart
Headphones
Ipod

**Please contact the HS Library to schedule classes in the computer lab.
Materials
Books
DVDs
CDs
Playaways (NEW)
Magazines & Newspapers
Art prints
Jackdaws
Databases (see library for passwords)
Streaming video (Webmax)
Services
Instructional Design Assistance
Team Teaching (integration of Information Literacy Skills)
BookTalks!
Assistance with online resources and software
Database and Information Skills Instruction
Creation of subject matter pathfinders (list of print & online resources)
Overhead projector maintenance (replacement bulbs)
Laminating& much, much more!
Special Collections
Preschool Bookbag Program
Faculty/Staff Book Swap

Online Safety

Online Safety

This year the library media center's theme (if you will) is Internet Safety and ways to remind our students how to safely use the many tools the Internet has to offer.  To me, the Internet feels like a relatively new means of getting information and connecting with family.  For many of our kids, it is a way of life - and they have known no other.

So...what do we tell them without seeming like we are antiquated?  After all, they are the ones who have grown up with cell phones, laptops, and intricate gaming devices.  Do we even have a chance when it comes to sounding knowledgeable about technology around tweens and teens?

Here are a few of my own personal observations in regard to teaching children how to be safe online.  Later posts will follow up with ideas for lesson plans and online sources to go to for information.

• Speak the same language as kids. Keep a dialogue open about what happens online.  Ask them about their facebook or other social networking tools.  For a lot of kids, facebook isn't in addition to their regular social life - it IS their social life.
• If you have a facebook, go on it and see how our students are treating one another.  You don't have to be their friend to view their profile if their profile is public.  Once a child knows you can see how they act (even online!) they are less likely to be 'inappropriate' or mean (or have a public profile!).
• Tell kids that you can see their profile.  Ask them why it isn't set to private.
• Be knowledgeable - understand that employers are now asking for people's facebook accounts.  Everything we do online potentially exists forever.  So, that 'gone wild' picture from when someone was 16 may just prevent them from landing a job some day.
• In my own home, computer time is often family time.  We sit together and do things online.  Last night we designed sneakers online!  I know what my daughter is doing on the computer and iphone and she knows I will check from time to time. 
• Don't assume students know what NOT to do online.  Remind them not to put ANY information online for ANY reason without asking a parent or guardian first.
• Remind kids - if you wouldn't say it in person - don't say it online!

These may be obvious tips, but I hope they help. I do cover these things with our 7th grade Info Tech students, but it always helps if respected adults reinforce. Please feel free to post your own tips and suggestions for keeping our kids safe online.

Playaways in the library

The library now has 12 playaways to lend to teachers. These devices are audio books in mp3 format. They include the full text of the book as well as earbuds for the listener. They are excellent for use with students who need to listen to a book. Titles have been selected based on books read in the classroom.

Titles on Playaway

Anthem
Bridge to Terabithia
Catherine, Called Birdy
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
The Egypt Game
Fallen Angels
Lucas
My Side of the Mountain
On my Honor
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Secret Soldier
Stone Fox

More Kindles in the library

An update...

The library has purchased and cataloged four additional kindles for use in the classroom. We now have a total of 6 to lend out.

Please contact the elementary library to schedule use of these readers. Also - let me know what titles you would like to see purchased and added to the kindles. One title may be added to six kindles!

Kindles in the Library

Kindles in the Library

Last year the library purchased two Kindle eBook readers to circulate for classroom use. We have recently added several titles which correlate to assigned classroom reading. Titles available on our Kindles are listed below. To borrow the Kindles please contact Judy MacLachlan in the elementary library.

In addition, as some of you know, the ONC BOCES Media Library also circulates Nooks for classroom use. Teachers are able to borrow a complete classroom set of Nooks from BOCES. Please ask in the library to check for available titles. Nooks can be ordered via the SNAP (Webmax) catalog.

Kindle Titles Available in the LCS Library

Achebe, Chinua – Things Fall Apart
Aesop – Aesop’s Fables 
Anderson, Laurie Halse – Fever, 1793 
Austen, Jane - Emma
Austen, Jane – Sense and Sensibility
Austen, Jane – Pride and Prejudice
Avi - Poppy and Ereth
Babbitt, Natalie – Tuck Everlasting
Brittain, Bill – The Wish Giver 
Calkhoven, Laurie - Boys of Wartime: Daniel at the Siege of Boston 
Carroll, Lewis – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland 
Cushman, Karen - Catherine Called Birdy
Choldenko, Gennifer – Al Capone Does My Shirts 
Clements, Andrew - Frindle 
Collins, Suzanne – Catching Fire
Collins, Suzanne - Hunger Games
Collins, Suzanne – Mockingjay 
Cushman, Karen - Catherine Called Birdy 
Decamillo, Kate - Because of Winn-Dixie
Eastman, P.D. – Are You My Mother? 
Eastman, P.D. – Go Dog Go 
Gardiner, John Reynolds – Stone Fox 
Harrison, Amina – The Egypt Game 
Horowitz, Anthony - Stormbreaker 
Knowles, Sir James – The Legends of King Arthur 
Lowry, Lois – Number the Stars 
Lubar, David - Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie
Melville, Herman - Bartleby the Scrivener 
Melville, Herman - Billy Budd 
Mikaelsen, Ben – Touching Spirit BearT
he New Oxford American Dictionary
Paterson, Katherine - Bridge to Terabithia
Paulsen, Gary – Hatchet 
Perry, Marta – Hide in Plain Sight 
Rawls, Wilson – Where the Red Fern Grows
Shakespeare, William – Macbeth
 Shakespeare, William – Works of William Shakespeare
 Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft - Frankenstien 
Speare, Elizabeth George – The Sign of the Beaver 
Spinelli, Jerry – Loser 
Stevenson, Robert Louis – Treasure Island
Swift, Jonathan – Gulliver’s Travels 
Twain, Mark - Adventures of Tom Sawyer 
Warnock, John W. – One Fist, Two Fish
Wells, H. G. – Invisible Man 
Wells, H. G. – Time Machine 
Wright, Hamilton – Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know

College ready research skills

Are our students ready for college? Do they have the information skills required to conduct higher-level, academic research? In April of 2010, the magazine “School Library Monthly” interviewed college professors and students and reported on the number of college freshmen who had been given adequate preparation in terms of research skills. The article states that “59% of college instructors are dissatisfied with the ability of high school graduates to do research.” And, in fact, surveys of students revealed that much less than half of all high school graduates felt they had basic research skills. In light of these findings, a basic checklist of student skills was created by Patricia Owen and M. Oakleaf. Listed below are some of the research skills your student should expect to have upon graduating high school. I begin developing these skills from 5^th grade on.

 Define a research question or topic that’s not shallow or “pop”

 Understand that Web search engines rarely locate college-appropriate information

 Find and use different forms of information

 Distinguish between OPACs and online databases

 Conduct effective searches using keywords, Boolean logic, and field searching

 Find full text articles

 Find books using Library of Congress classification

 Weed through and evaluate search results to find adequate and accurate information

 Use evidence to synthesize, communicate and argue a thesis

 Cite sources properly using multiple citation styles

 Write without plagiarizing, use in-text citations

Inquiry, the Library, and Common Core Standards

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." -William Butler Yeats

• Inquiry, the library, and Common Core Standards
  As most of us know, the National Common Core Learning Standards were revised last July in NY to emphasize inquiry. Inquiry-based learning has long been at the heart of the American Association of School Librarian's Standards. As we are asked to have a shared responsibility for the literacy development of our students, working together should be a natural step in integrating inquiry and research based skills. By reviewing the new state APPRs, we can take note of the collaboration and integration that is expected from each of us.
  
  For years, librarians have been considered by school districts to be experts in instruction design and curriculum development, embedding the use of technology, inquiry, and research skills into all areas of the curriculum. As we review the new standards, we can see that these skills are essential for our students as we make them college and career ready. I have provided the links below to help you navigate the world of Common Core. In addition, I hope that we can work together more closely in helping our students develop strategies for navigating information-rich text
  

LINKS

EngageNY - Information on Common Core
Common Core "Shifts" - pdf
Mary Ratzer's Standards Based Vision

State approved Teacher Rubrics (APPR)

AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner
(National standards for the Library Media Specialist)

Online tools for educators

October 14 LCS Faculty Workshop

GOAL: To discover online tools which will enable you to 'go paperless' in your classroom while providing engaging ways for your students to take tests and hand in assignments.

Links!

Classmarker.com - Create and administer online quizzes and tests for students of all grade levels.

Google.docs - An easy way to store and share documents, presentations, and other file types.

Blogspot - Communicate with students online and provide a forum for students to actively participate in discussions. Post questions and read/respond to student comments.

The databases! Please see the bookmark of passwords to log in to the Laurens databases. Visit the library's website for links to all databases.

Also...have you heard about youtube for teachers? Youtube has created a teacher channel which contains curated video lists which are suitable for teachers to use. There are many useful videos and uses for youtube in the classroom - check it out!

Please let me know what you would like to get out of this workshop. Is there anything you would like to see covered in-depth or questions you have which are not part of the pre-selected topics? Please let me know by posting a comment. You do not need to sign your real name. Thank you!

New collections in the library

New Collections!
If you haven't visited the libraries in a while, you'll be in for some surprises. This year we have focused on creating new collections in each of the libraries.

Pre-School BookbagsAs we know, the more we read to and with our children, the more their comprehension skills and life-long reading habits will improve. Preparing pre-schoolers for school by reading to them is one of the building blocks to successful learning. This year, in collaboration with Jen Sanders, the elementary library has created a pre-school bookbag collection. These bags circulate to families in the LCS school district who have pre-schoolers at home.

At this time, we have 15 canvas bags each with 5 books on a certain theme. So far, we have signed up four families for family library cards who have come in to borrow these bags! We hope to extend this program in the future by purchasing more bags and offering incentives for those families who reach a 'Read at Home' goal.

LCS Staff Book ExchangeThis year, we have also created a staff book exchange in the High School Library - and, it has really taken off! We already have at least two full shelves of books which are of interest to adults which faculty and staff have brought in and are welcome to come and borrow. Even if you don't have anything to swap, please feel free to stop in and borrow some books for summer reading. We also have many young adult books in the HS library which are of interest to adults. So, don't forget to pick up a couple (or a few) books for those long, lazy (we hope), summer days.

Career CenterTeachers' goals this year included collaborating with the library or Library Media Specialist in some capacity. One way of doing this was to recommend books to add to our collection. Mrs. Sider recommended several specific titles on a variety of topics, including careers. Several of these books, including a five volume set of "The Encyclopedia of Careers," were also very useful for an extensive project in Mrs. Dutcher's class. We created a 'Career Center' in the High School library which highlighted our new titles and also included several other books on careers - helping our students to identify possible jobs and future goals for themselves.

Have a great summer and See You in the Library!

E-Readers

Kindles and E-Books - oh my!

The LCS Libraries recently purchased two Kindle e-book readers. These readers allow the user to read the full texts of books (all kinds!), magazines, newspapers and much more. At this time, each library has one Kindle for use. Teachers are welcome to use these readers in their classrooms and the readers are available for overnight loan. Students may use the readers in the libraries.

At this time, we are hoping to provide students with access to reference sources on the High School Library Kindle. As we know, students are much more likely to head to an electronic resource than the library's reference section. By providing exceptional print reference tools in an electronic format, we can encourage students to use quality information. If you have an upcoming project which will require students to use reference tools or print resources, please let me know. One of the advantages to the e-book reader is 'on the fly' purchasing.

Our Elementary Library Kindle will be also be used for reference material, fiction, and the classics. Amazon offers many titles for free (especially those in the public domain). We will be using the Kindles to provide access to titles we otherwise couldn't afford to purchase, but should have on hand anyway - such as all of Shakepeare's works and a variety of poetry.

No matter what your project or use for the Kindle may be, please let me know if you have suggestions of titles for purchase. And, be sure to stop in the library to check out these useful and very cool devices!

OPALS

If it's not broken - fix it! Or - make it better? OPALS (our online public access library catalog) has recently undergone a makeover. If you've logged into OPALS in the past few days, you have noticed that it looks and works a little differently. Younger students may initially be visually confused by the changes (call numbers appear on the left of the screen now), but for the most part everything still works the same.

As a reminder, you can access OPALS from any computer that goes online by visiting the school website and then clicking on Library Media Center. OPALS enables you to search for books and other materials in the LCS libraries. And, remember, if you don't find what you want in OPALS, we can usually order it for you from another library.

If you have any questions about how to use OPALS or any other library resources, please be sure to stop by the library and ask. We are always happy to help!

Best Possible Source

Thank you to my four (4!) followers for joining the Library Links blog. Anyone else who has a google or blogger account, please feel free to join the entourage.

Going Paperless...
a pipedream or reality? This fall finds me in the midst of attempting to go mostly paperless in my 7th grade Info Tech class. In particular, I am trying out two free websites which allow students to share documents and take tests.

For Info Tech, we utilize a class blog as a way of posting assignments, activities, and worksheets. If I've created a worksheet, students can download it from the blog and save it on their jumpdrive and samba. When they have completed the assignment (in class), they upload the assignment to http://drop.io, a document sharing website. I download the assignment, make comments, and re-upload for them to review. I verbally give them their grade for the assignment. Viola! Paperless assignments. This works for two reasons - our class is held in the business room and most assignments are done in class. Settings allow the teacher to make the drop visible only to class members. And...no more asking the office to make copies or using up my quota!

In addition to drop.io, I have very recently (as in this week), begun using http://classmarker.com/, a free online test and quiz maker. Classmarker allows teachers to make multiple choice, short answer, and essay tests. Teachers register their students and students are able to take the tests right online. Again, privacy settings and controls are set so that students can only see their work and can only take the test once. I will be giving my first online Info Tech test next week! Fingers crossed as this will save a lot of paper in the long run.

Best Possible Source?

The other day I was working in the High School Library when in walked one of the best and brightest of our seventh graders to do some research for a class assignment. I became curious as to what information she needed after watching some of her Googling strategies. She was typing entire questions in Google, such as 'when was Massachusetts founded' and clicking on links in the hit list such as answers.com, about. com and wikipedia.

My mantra these past few years with students has been: "Always try to find the Best Possible Source of Information." So, when I walked over to ask her what she was looking for, she knew to expect my "What's the best possible source for these questions?" response. And she knew the answer, of course, would be Grolier (in particular, Grolier's America the Beautiful). But, for some reason she was unable to connect the research query with the information literacy skills she had been taught.

It's true that many students are unwilling to use databases or evaluate websites, taking whatever comes up on the Google hit list as fact. However, I knew with this student it was more of a disconnect than an unwillingness. And, a firm instinct to automatically Google when faced with any research topic.

To me, it seems important to integrate and reinforce information literacy skills across the curriculum. We should be asking our students and ourselves - is this really the best possible source of information? Even for personal research, we should all want quality, accurate, viable information. I try not to hover, but when students come to the library I always challenge them to find the best possible source.

Databases & Flip Cameras

Going Paperless
With databases!
As we attempt to save paper (and money) in our school, we might consider the use of databases in terms of assigning Current Events. Newsbank in particular works well for these types of assignments. As you may know, Newsbank is a database containing the FULL TEXT to hundreds of newspapers and news journals from around the country. A variety of titles are included, such as The New York Times, Newsweek, and The Buffalo News. Students can access myriad sources from official newspapers, read entire articles, and cite their sources all in one place.

It's easy to go paperless with Newsbank. Just have your students log in and search for a topic. They can then jot down the citation for the article they choose. To verify their source, simply log in to Newsbank and search for the article they used. 1-2-3! No more copies to be made of magazine articles and you know your students are practicing the much needed skill of accessing quality online resources for the assignment.

All students learn how to use Newsbank in 7th grade Information Technology. Please feel free to stop in the library for a brief one on one review of Newsbank, or any other database you'd like to use. We are happy to help!

Flip CamerasThe library currently has 5 digital video flip cameras for faculty to borrow. These cameras are simple to use - one button and you're recording. All computers in the High School Library have the proper software needed for uploading and editing the video files. Media Club members, as well as myself, would be happy to give you a tutorial on how to use these very handy cameras.

Ideas for classroom video projects include:

• videotape a field trip and have students add a written narrative to go with the video
• record a book review
• create a 'public service announcement' on any number of topics
• tell a digital story
• record a biography (students dress up as person they have researched)
• "Then and Now" project contrasting the Laurens of today with the Laurens of long ago