Friday, July 28, 2017


Zepnick, Jaclyn

IL

Ray, M. (2016). Changing the Conversation About Librarians. Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryadvocacy.org/recent.html

This Ted Talk by Mark Ray is empowering. He discusses the idea of creating “future ready librarians” and how school librarians need to work together in order to connect and be truly transformative district leaders. Also check out his collaborative endeavor: Project Connect.


Monday, July 24, 2017

Promoting Inventiveness in the Classroom

Christina Young
CA

Schrock, K., Schrock, K., & profile, V. (2017). Promoting inventiveness in the classroomBlog.kathyschrock.net. Retrieved 24 July 2017, from http://blog.kathyschrock.net/2017/07/promoting-inventiveness-in-classroom.html

Some down to earth wisdom and practical "curriculum guide" to promote inventiveness in the classroom. Lots of resources here! 

Sunday, July 23, 2017

School libraries share innovative ideas

Lee, K. (2017). School libraries share innovative ideas. Access, 31(1), 32-35.
 Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=5&sid=3df6ca65-2756-4850-8b29-62f21616481c%40sessionmgr4008&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=121859675&db=lls 

Australian and New Zealand survey that asked school libraries what innovations in teaching are happening right now. The survey lists eight ways that innovations occur on a regular basis in school libraries. 1. the library space has opened up and become more communal spaces that encourage self-made information. 2. schools and school libraries are fostering learnign support through collaboration. 3. Student engagement is encouraged in different ways like starting a graphic novels section and creating a cafe atmosphere. 4. School libraries have embraced technology through makerspaces, codign clubs and more. 5. School libraries have genrefied their collections. 6. School libraries host reading programs. 7. Libraries teach and foster finacial managment for students and the larger community. 8.Libraries try to foster student wellbeing.
De Rego, Tania

IL

Gambrell, L. B. (2011). Seven Rules Of Engagement: What's Most Important to Know About Motivation to Read. Reading Teacher, 65(3), 172-178. doi:10.1002/TRTR.01024  Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=9&sid=7e7bfd2c-7d16-47c5-8266-1d837e97e09b%40sessionmgr102

Discusses importance of intrinsic reading motivation and student literacy achievement potential.  Suggests we should promote an intrinsic motivation to read in students and offers 7 research-based methods as well as 7 tips to accomplish this in the classroom (or library).

Useful , practical ideas on how motivate students to read.
De Rego, Tania

CO

Murray, E. (2015). Piloting the learning commons. Teacher librarian, 43(1), 18-24. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=6320261b-e7d2-4af1-8248-0e4668f4aa6e%40sessionmgr103&vid=21&hid=102

Describes example of school librarian and classroom teacher collaborating and coteaching a 5th grade science unit.  The teacher focused on the content and the librarian focused on integrating technology and the research cycle into the curriculum.

Useful article for imagining how to collaborate with a classroom teacher.
De Rego, Tania

CO

Wilson, M. M. (2012). Boom town or bust? Knowledge Quest, 40(4), 10-13.  Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=ff683839-0931-4670-a428-c98977e2f719%40sessionmgr4008&vid=21&hid=4107

Describes example of librarian and a 3rd grade classroom teacher collaborating on a Gold Rush unit. Together, they used backward instructional design, starting with SLO's, final products, assessments, activities, and due dates.  The lesson started in the classroom with explicit instruction and textbook readings.  Then, librarian helped students create graphic organizer of info using demo with Microsoft Word followed by independent practice.  Students responded to question prompts on library wiki and librarian provided list of resources to help answer prompts.  Students presented posters as a 45 minute sales pitch to other 3rd grade classroom, received anonymous feedback, then reflected on how they would improve speeches next time.

Useful article for visualizing how to collaborate with a classroom teacher.
De Rego, Tania

CA

Stripling, B. K., & Harada, V. H. (2012).   Designing learning experiences for deeper understanding.  School Library Monthly, 29(3), 5-13.  Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=632edacc-6b07-46b1-ad42-f145cd468a6c%40sessionmgr4007&vid=45&hid=4106 

Suggests collaboration with teachers to develop units based on C.L.E.A.R. G.O.A.L.S.  Gives example of a collaboration session with a teacher and the development of a unit together that covers both 21st Century Standards (AASL) and Common Core Standards.  

Useful article for picturing what a collaboration session with a classroom teacher would look like and also how to build a lesson.

Monday, July 17, 2017

What To Put in Your Makerspace (and How to Pay for It)

Paslay, Juliana

IL

Bauerly, T. (2017) What To Put In Your Makerspace (and How to Pay For It). Edsurge. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-07-13-what-to-put-in-your-makerspace-and-how-to-pay-for-it

This article talks about getting a Makerspace started in a school and practical ideas on how to do it with a small budget.

Friday, July 14, 2017

How This School Library Increased Student Use By 1000 Percent

Christina Young
CO

Gonzalez, Jennifer. (2016). How this school library increased student use by 1000 percent.  Cult of Pedagogy, transcript retrieved from: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/episode-38/  

Summary
In this podcast a principal and an administrator from Ohio are interviewed about their transformation of an underused library to a widely used "learning center". Highlights include personalized learning prescriptions and flexible spaces.

Reaction
The reason I tagged this under collaboration / co-teaching is because on of the red flags for me about this article was how their model of co-teaching had very little to do with common teaching and planning and seemed to me like the media specialist was less a collaborating teacher and more of an instructional babysitter. I am really interested in how people balance this in their own libraries.


One of the major things our library is used for is for teachers to bring whole classes for a week or more at a time so that the classroom teacher and the librarian can co-teach units often with different stations. This is what teachers in my school want to do and it is also what I was hired to do, but reading about other schools, like this one in Ohio, where students from all different classes come with a “prescription” for what they are working on seems exciting and useful too. That would allow more teachers (and hence students) to use the library in the context of what they are already doing (rather than as a special unit), but it would also limit the teachers who love the co-teaching model. I worry that in a model like the learning center in Ohio, the teacher librarian is instructional babysitting but not really co-teaching in a meaningful way.

Thursday, July 13, 2017

In a Fake Fact Era, Schools Teach the ABCs of News Literacy

Paslay, Juliana

IL

Lapowsky, I. (2017) In a Fake Fact Era, Schools Teach the ABCs of News Literacy. Wired. Retrived from https://www.wired.com/2017/06/fake-fact-era-schools-teach-abcs-news-literacy/

This article discusses ways in which schools are teaching news literacy and the implications of it.

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Microsoft Education

Michele Peabody

Z

Microsoft Education
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/default.aspx
This is a free sign up for educators with free classes in all 21st century technology learning. The Skype in the classroom, Skype Mystery State (3-6grade),  real time virtual museums (provides real time docent), and Ask an Expert (via Skype) is a must for any teacher

Grant Resource Guide

Michele Peabody

Z

Maker-bot-Grant Resource Guide.
http://pages.makerbot.com/MakerBot-Grant-Resource-Guide-Form.html

ForK-12 schools, great resource for education, technology, mathematics, science and Gates Foundation grant resources

Should Teachers Pay Teachers?



Michele Peabody

IL
 
Schoenbart, A. (2017) Should teachers pay teachers? What’s the cost of collaboration?. Tech and Learning, Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/blogentry/12024

Supports the need to step away from worksheets, the teacher pays teachers trend, and collaboration with other teachers, and students with students

Histories of Personalized Learning

Michele Peabody

ET

Watters, A. (2017). The histories of personalized learning, Hackereducation OEB Mid Summit conference in Reykjavik, Iceland. Retrieved 6/2017 from
The author, “I am an education writer, an independent scholar, a serial dropout, a rabble-rouser, and ed-tech's Cassandra” argues that personalized learning has been around for at least a decade, and depending on your agenda, we define it the way we want to. Industries and tech companies agenda is the “personalized computer” and are succeeding in having education follow their lead.

Monday, July 10, 2017

Hip-Hop Education and 4 Other Approaches to Teaching and Learning

Zepnick, Jaclyn
ET

Emdin, C. (2014). 5 New Approaches to Teaching and Learning: The Next Frontier. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-emdin/5-new-approaches-to-teaching-strategies_b_4697731.html 


Famed professor and pedagogy in the hood expert, Christopher Emdin, explores five different ways teachers can engage students in a more effective and exciting manner. Examples include: Hip-Hop Education, Reality Pedagogy, and the Flipped Classroom.

The first video especially lured me in as I have never heard of a science teacher using hip-hop and rap to entice students to learn about photosynthesis. It is inspiring to see new ways of teaching that actually make students want to come to class and engage. Christopher Emdin in himself is inspirational. 




Sunday, July 9, 2017

Makerspaces Blast Off!

Young, Christina
IL


This article focuses on a school in Melbourne, Florida that set up a makerspace with the help of a $10,000 grant from a local telecommunications company. The makerspace is in the corner of the library and consists of countertops, stools, and a whiteboard, a Makey Makey kit, a 3D printer, a Raspberry Pi, Littlebits electronic circuit modules, and a few other simple tools.

There is also a train table where students create Rube Goldberg type machines. Students were initially reluctant to use the makerspace, but after being introduced to youtube videos and peer teaching the makerspace became used. It has been transformative in a social sense as a student who was viewed as “quirky” became a peer makerspace leader.

It was interesting to me that students were initially reluctant to use the space. It was also that makerspaces allow students who may not always feel valued in school to become peer leaders.

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Co-Teaching Without Boxes or Boundaries

Paslay, Juliana

CO

Stein, E. (2017) Co-Teaching Without Boxes or Boundaries. Middleweb. Retrieved from https://www.middleweb.com/33987/co-teaching-without-boxes-or-boundaries/ I found a bunch of articles that gave tips on Co-Teaching. This one was my favorite. I like that it focuses on very specific issues instead of more general obvious ones.

Stanford FabLearn's Paulo Blikstein on the Efficacy of Maker Ed: It's about Process Not Products

Paslay, Juliana

IL

Gomes, Patricia. (2016) Stanford FabLearn’s Paulo Blikstein on the Efficacy of Maker Ed: It’s about Process Not Products. Edsurge. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-05-26-stanford-fablearn-s-paulo-blikstein-on-the-efficacy-of-maker-ed-it-s-about-process-not-products?mc_uid=24373520d43ce16a4903e62f8bf5a5a5&utm_source=EdsurgeLive&utm_campaign=610b7870f0-2016-06-08-EdSurge+Newsletter+Ver+278&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0f1ec25b60-610b7870f0-291804001 I really appreciated this article and its point of view! It’s on how assessment needs to be different when using makerspaces in education. I think it has some good points on both maker education and assessment.

Adorable Youtube video on Collaboration between Teachers and Teacher Librarians

Paslay, Juliana

CO

Heraper, S. (2015) Teacher Librarians and Classroom Teachers: Collaborative Partners. [youtube video] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyYKkh0n7Vg A quite frankly adorable video about the role of the Teacher Librarian as the heart of the school.

Seven Tips For Teaching News Literacy to Eight to Twelve Year Olds.

Paslay, Juliana

IL

Moore, D. C. (2017) Seven Tips for Teaching News Literacy to Eight to 12-Year-Olds. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/2017/06/standards/seven-tips-for-teaching-news-literacy-to-eight-to-12-year-olds/#_ A super great article on tips of how to talk about the news and ‘fake news’ issues going on right now.