11 Ways to use Symbaloo in the Classroom NOTE: This is a guest post by Mimi Chau from the Symbaloo team. Edublogs just rolled out a free Symbaloo plugin available to all users that we think you’ll enjoy! What is Symbaloo? Symbaloo is a free social bookmarking tool. A fun and simple way to organize and store all your digital resources in the cloud. You can categorize your resources, share and access them from any device. Why Should You Symbaloo? Symbaloo helps teachers curate content and share the best of the web with their students. “Help, I’m drowning!” As schools start to implement 1:1 or BOYD methods in the classroom, teachers are required to keep up with the latest technology and teaching methods. And what about the “non tech-savvy” teachers that are struggling with technology? Symbaloo allows teachers to share valuable resources with their students and with each other. How do you Symbaloo in your classroom? 11 Ways to use Symbaloo in the Classroom 1. How do you share links with your students and parents? 2. Music Webmix: 3.
It's Annual Report Season! Here Are Some Tips To Help You Effectively Tell Your Story. At this time of year, many teacher librarians are working to compile an annual report: that is to say a 2-3 page summary of how their work made a difference for students and staff all year long. As someone who has crafted more than one of these babies, I understand and appreciate the work that goes into the shiny final products. Further, I know that the most effective annual reports are not simply collections of data pulled together at the last minute. What Makes A Good Annual Report: I've asked countless librarians this very question as part of a workshop I do regularly on connecting the dots between the library and student outcomes. Identify a target audience. Obviously, creating an annual report is just one way to share the story of your work, Regardless of the format, what matters is that you are sharing it. To that end, I do a lot of professional development for school districts on both school library advocacy and using data to tell the story of school library impact.
4 TED Talks That Help Librarians Explain the Magic of Libraries | New Jersey State Library Since 2006, millions have been inspired by TED Talks: short, inspirational and educational videos by speakers expounding on topics from science to spirituality to dance. TED stands for technology, education and design, and its stated mission is to spread ideas. The talks are often thought provoking and the speakers passionate about their topics. None last more than 18 minutes. While a pleasure to watch, the videos also can provide librarians with a jumping point for their own blog posts and public talks. Here are four TED Talks that you can use to help explain the magic of your public library. Lisa Bu, How Books Can Open Your Mind Lisa Bu is the content distribution manager for TED. “Compare and contrast gives scholars a more complete understanding of a topic. How to use it: This is a great opportunity to recommend and promote the public library’s collection. John Green, The Nerd’s Guide to Learning Everything Online Sir Ken Robinson, Bring on the Learning Revolution
Why reading matters infographic - Smart HiveSmart Hive Infographic on Reading After doing a lot of research on the impact of reading with and to young children, it is easy to see why reading matters. The evidence is overwhelming. Creating this infographic I featured as much of the quantifiable research I could find as well as show the implications of reading with and to children. Why Reading at a Young Age Matters This infographic was created for Harper Collins Childrens with Brandpoint. Next Work Save the Bees →
10 changes a school library must consider in the digital era 6. Showcase: Part of having meaningful resources is by letting students and staff know what’s available, and showcasing content can be done through a number of online platforms, said Luhtala. For instance, GoodReads can be used to highlight summer reading content, while Aurasma can be used as a visual guide to printed content. Pinterest, Destiny Quest, QR codes, and ThingLink can also help librarians showcase collections. 5. “How many kids in the school have internet access at home? Luhtala suggested using Moodle to complete many of these surveys, as well as to assess students during their library literacy classes, since “Moodle allows for mobile assessments, which frees up precious lab time in the school.” 4. “Getting rid of old, ratty books is so important because it not only clears up space, but entices students to use the library. Luhtala is aware, however, that divesting is also supported by funding. 3. “Catalogue but catalogue eContent, and use online tagging. 2. 1.
Benefits of content curation Yesterday, I did a free NTEN Webinar called “The Unanticipated Benefits of Content Curation: Reducing Information Overload” based on my feature article in the NTEN Change Journal in June with the same title. (You can register and download the issue here for free and listen to the webinar recording here) The main idea is that good curation skills can build staff expertise and avoid the pain of information overload. I covered the basics of content curation, how it differs from social sharing, the art and practice of curation, a frameworks to get started, examples of nonprofits using curation, the tools, and some techniques for minimizing information overload and managing attention. With over 600 people registered for the Webinar, it was hard to answer all the questions as the chat stream just flew by and the 90 minutes was up before we knew it. Evolution of the Web Infographic (hat tip Dirk Slater - click for Source) A good curator also knows their audience.
The Absolutely True Adventures of a School Librarian: 5 Tips for New School Librarians (and those who aren't so new) Slideshow Link: 5 Tips for New School Librarians (and those who aren't so new) Congratulations on your new job as a school librarian! It is hands down the absolutely best job...EVER! Below are 5 tips to help you as you enter this new chapter of your life. Being a school librarian can be a shockingly isolating profession, especially after having formed tight, supportive networks while you were a classroom teacher. Find Your People Don’t wait around for your district to connect you. Where To Find Your People Twitter Twitter is one of the best places you can go to connect, share, learn and grow with other school librarians and connected educators. There are a few secrets to truly harnessing the power of Twitter. Hashtags: By following, commenting, sharing, and connecting using hashtags you will maximize your own professional learning. Don’t limit yourself to just these hashtags. Two places to find hashtags for you, your teachers, and administrators are: Facebook Be your own rock star Social Media
How Can Your Librarian Help Bolster Brain-Based Teaching Practices? | MindShift | KQED News Inquiry-based learning has been around in education circles for a long time, but many teachers and schools gradually moved away from it during the heyday of No Child Left Behind. The pendulum is beginning to swing back towards an inquiry-based approach to instruction thanks to standards such as Common Core State Standards for math and English Language Arts, the Next Generation Science Standards and the College, Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards. Transitioning to this style of teaching requires students to take a more active role and asks teachers to step back into a supportive position. It can be a tough transition for many students and their teachers, but turning to the school librarian for support could make the transition a little easier. As grade level and content-specific teachers begin to incorporate inquiry-based approaches into their classrooms, they should look to collaborate on lesson planning with their librarian, Jaeger said.
What happens to your body after you start reading a book Check out what will happen with you when you open a book and start reading it. Warning: some side effects were detected. The “what happens to your body one hour after” infographics have lately become quite a trend. Beer, Big Mac, coffee, or Coke have an effect on our body, that’s for sure, but what about something less material? I was hoping to see an infographic that would analyze the human body after opening a book (finishing it?) The infographic was created by University of Virginia Library. Years? Now imagine what will happen to your body when you start reading a fascinating book with a cup of delicious coffee… Click or tap on the infographic to see it in full resolution. Via U.Va. More infographics to explore: About Ola Kowalczyk Collecting bits and pieces about books and libraries in digital age.
Content Curation Primer Photo by Stuck in Customs What is Content Curation? Content curation is the process of sorting through the vast amounts of content on the web and presenting it in a meaningful and organized way around a specific theme. The work involves sifting, sorting, arranging, and publishing information. A content curator cherry picks the best content that is important and relevant to share with their community. It isn’t unlike what a museum curator does to produce an exhibition: They identify the theme, they provide the context, they decide which paintings to hang on the wall, how they should be annotated, and how they should be displayed for the public. Content curation is not about collecting links or being an information pack rat, it is more about putting them into a context with organization, annotation, and presentation. People and organizations are now making and sharing media and content all over the social web. Content Curation Provides Value from the Inside Out Getting Started