Thursday, April 14, 2011
Don't let them rattle your cage...
The end is coming! No, I don't mean 2012... I mean the end of the school year. I spent the last couple of days at a workshop about restraint training. One line in particular stood out to me: "Don't let them rattle your cage." How many times as an educator (or even parent) have you let a child's behavior impact your day, mood or attitude? I don't care if you are teacher of the year, this job can get to you. There are days that are worse than others, but how do you get through? And sorry, I don't have the answers to that one either! But I challenge you as this school year starts to wind down to figure out the ways to keep yourself sane and refreshed. You chose this job because of the rewards it offers. Keep those rewards in mind as we make our way to the finish line of another year...
Monday, March 28, 2011
No I Didn't Fall off the Face of the Earth...
Wow -- its been over a month since the last post and I truly apologize. Life, as they say, has gotten in the way. I'm in the last semester of my Master's of Library Science program and work has been tough lately (but I have a job and am very grateful for that in this economy or any!)
As testing is ending here (hopefully the same for other areas of the country), we now begin the grind to the end. I find that this is one of the truly most difficult times of the year. The students are burnt out from testing (teachers too!) but there is still more left until the end of the year. So, how do you keep students motivated? For me, I offer the following suggestions:
1.) Authentic, project based learning. I am trying a letter writing activity with students about building a monument to a local figure.
2.) Bring out the new technology! I am going to try some new technologies with them, such as creating audio or movie projects.
I wish I had more suggestions, but one of my last papers is calling... Please feel free to share any other ideas in the comments!
As testing is ending here (hopefully the same for other areas of the country), we now begin the grind to the end. I find that this is one of the truly most difficult times of the year. The students are burnt out from testing (teachers too!) but there is still more left until the end of the year. So, how do you keep students motivated? For me, I offer the following suggestions:
1.) Authentic, project based learning. I am trying a letter writing activity with students about building a monument to a local figure.
2.) Bring out the new technology! I am going to try some new technologies with them, such as creating audio or movie projects.
I wish I had more suggestions, but one of my last papers is calling... Please feel free to share any other ideas in the comments!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Evernote for Teachers
(hat tip to Educational Technology Guy for this one!)
I've read about Evernote and it's been on my list of things to try for some time now. For someone like me who is constantly bookmarking sites, clipping articles and just randomly storing bits of knowledge, this FREE service is a God-send! Evernote allows you to save workspaces from your PC, Smartphone or through their website. You can access these notes from the same items as well. So if I'm on a field trip with students and want to take notes, I can do so on my cell phone and then access them from the computer back at school to make quizzes or such. I've also used the site to bookmark favorite crafts that I'd like to try with my son someday. I am also trying to explore using this for lesson planning to keep resources together. I'm still playing around with it, but know that its worth a look at for you too!
I've read about Evernote and it's been on my list of things to try for some time now. For someone like me who is constantly bookmarking sites, clipping articles and just randomly storing bits of knowledge, this FREE service is a God-send! Evernote allows you to save workspaces from your PC, Smartphone or through their website. You can access these notes from the same items as well. So if I'm on a field trip with students and want to take notes, I can do so on my cell phone and then access them from the computer back at school to make quizzes or such. I've also used the site to bookmark favorite crafts that I'd like to try with my son someday. I am also trying to explore using this for lesson planning to keep resources together. I'm still playing around with it, but know that its worth a look at for you too!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Black History Month Resources
February is Black History Month and many schools have various celebrations to honor the achievements and contributions of African Americans. One of my goals is to broaden students' perspectives when it comes to Black History Month. Many students default to certain well known figures. I encourage them to study lesser known figures to widen their knowledge base. How about Elijah McCoy (from whom we get the term "the real McCoy)? There are a number of great resources out there, here are just a few of them:
Biography.com has a section devoted to biographies of historic African Americans here.
Library of Congress' website is geared more towards advanced readers.
Garden of Praise has many biographies for kids, including many African Americans.
History.com's Black History Month page is here.
Infoplease has many resources that I have used and modified for different ages.
(image from africaontheblog.com)
Biography.com has a section devoted to biographies of historic African Americans here.
Library of Congress' website is geared more towards advanced readers.
Garden of Praise has many biographies for kids, including many African Americans.
History.com's Black History Month page is here.
Infoplease has many resources that I have used and modified for different ages.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Be a Beam, not a wall...
If you don't know who Shelly Terrell is, you SHOULD! She is the queen of Twitter and quite the inspiration! She is the creator of the 30 Goals, a program that aims to achieve 30 small goals over the course of February and March. I love this idea simply because small steps can truly lead to great change. You don't need to move the mountain in one day; take it one bucket at a time...
Today's goal was to be a beam: support someone in a hidden way. Just as a beam supports a structure internally and is not "out there" for all to see, we as teachers, librarians and education professionals need to be that beam for each other. Let's face it, education right now is a hot topic and fingers are constantly being pointed (many times at us!). If we are just isolating ourselves, we are adding to that conflict. By working together, we can prove to the outsiders (politicians, talking heads, etc.) that we are a community that is about building up, not tearing down. We strive to build up our students, communities and each other.
So my offer as a beam is to share with you the resources I've found and some of my thoughts on this blog. With that in mind, I decided to share a "therapeutic" website with you today. For those moments that you just need to clear your head, try this. It will help relieve some stress and hopefully give you that moment you need to organize your thoughts....
Today's goal was to be a beam: support someone in a hidden way. Just as a beam supports a structure internally and is not "out there" for all to see, we as teachers, librarians and education professionals need to be that beam for each other. Let's face it, education right now is a hot topic and fingers are constantly being pointed (many times at us!). If we are just isolating ourselves, we are adding to that conflict. By working together, we can prove to the outsiders (politicians, talking heads, etc.) that we are a community that is about building up, not tearing down. We strive to build up our students, communities and each other.
So my offer as a beam is to share with you the resources I've found and some of my thoughts on this blog. With that in mind, I decided to share a "therapeutic" website with you today. For those moments that you just need to clear your head, try this. It will help relieve some stress and hopefully give you that moment you need to organize your thoughts....
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Collaboration with Teachers
I'm starting the last of my classes for my MLS (Masters of Library Science) degree (graduate in 5 months!) and one of the first discussion boards I posted to is about collaboration. This post made me reflect on how I've collaborated with teachers in my building and some tips regarding it:
1.) Put yourself out there! Teachers are not going to come running to you -- they have enough on their plate and sometimes don't realize that you are there as a resource. Send emails, chat at lunch, put notes in mailboxes. Then start with the teachers that are interested.
2.) Familiarize yourself with the curriculum. I know this sounds like a given, but many librarians can get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of running a library. Start small – get pacing guides or overviews from the various departments/grades. I find that working with the content areas (Social Studies and Science) or other specialists (Art, Music, Gym) is an easy way to start. Many districts are pushing for reading across the curriculum and you can be a HUGE asset in that regard. Suggest book titles to them or collaborate on a project (see #3).
3.) Project based learning – Learn it and Love it! I will be doing a blog post on this in the future. But I have found that collaborating on a project divides the work equally and then a rubric that both parties agree to can be devised. Then grading can be shared (a common concern).
4.) WebQuests (see previous post).
As closing thought, think of collaboration as your way OUT of the library. You can extend yourself beyond the walls of the library to the school at large. Remember, you are an asset to your building and have much to share with your colleagues, you just have to make the connections!
1.) Put yourself out there! Teachers are not going to come running to you -- they have enough on their plate and sometimes don't realize that you are there as a resource. Send emails, chat at lunch, put notes in mailboxes. Then start with the teachers that are interested.
2.) Familiarize yourself with the curriculum. I know this sounds like a given, but many librarians can get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of running a library. Start small – get pacing guides or overviews from the various departments/grades. I find that working with the content areas (Social Studies and Science) or other specialists (Art, Music, Gym) is an easy way to start. Many districts are pushing for reading across the curriculum and you can be a HUGE asset in that regard. Suggest book titles to them or collaborate on a project (see #3).
3.) Project based learning – Learn it and Love it! I will be doing a blog post on this in the future. But I have found that collaborating on a project divides the work equally and then a rubric that both parties agree to can be devised. Then grading can be shared (a common concern).
4.) WebQuests (see previous post).
As closing thought, think of collaboration as your way OUT of the library. You can extend yourself beyond the walls of the library to the school at large. Remember, you are an asset to your building and have much to share with your colleagues, you just have to make the connections!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Aesop's Fables online
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