When It Comes to Holocaust Awareness, We Need to Raise the Bar | Teaching Tolerance - Diversity, Equity and Justice. April is Genocide Awareness Month. It’s also testing month, prom month and the lead-up to the last month of school in many parts of the country. As a result, the critical learning opportunities afforded by Genocide Awareness Month can be overlooked—but it’s time to bring these lessons back into the spotlight. As the events of this week have shown, the need to deeply engage this topic with students is more acute than ever. We’ve written before about hateful acts of anti-Jewish bigotry being on the rise. Also in the news yesterday was White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. Spicer has since apologized for his choice of words and acknowledged the seriousness of his misstep.
Words uttered by the spokesperson for the country’s commander-in-chief inherently hold meaning. Given the voracity of his apologies, the more likely meaning is that Spicer has a hazy understanding of the Holocaust, which led him to unthinkingly make remarks that were grossly insensitive and historically inaccurate. 12 Insta Easy Instagram Library & Literacy Promotion Ideas. What’s the point of Instagram and why should you spend your precious time and money on it? Well, don’t worry about the cost, because it’s FREE! So, all you really need is creativity and a few minutes a day to make meaningful, fun, and lasting connections with your community. And with Instagram you get a twofer! Even maybe a threefer, fourfer?!
But to be truly effective with those connections using social media, your graphics, caption copy-writing, conversation, and photography skills should strive to be, positive, professional, and on point. Shelfies – The easiest way to share on Instagram is taking the humble shelfie. But most of my teens love to show off their latest book, and even tag themselves in the picture! Using both Instagram stills and up to 60 seconds of video you can easily create engaging book promotions or mini book advertisements using Instagram. Video book promotions can be staged as mini-commercials, trailers, or as book talks. Post-It-Book Reviews #BookDropLife. 5 Minute Librarian: 8 Simple Photography Tricks Every Librarian Should Know.
Let's talk about library photography. If you are lucky, newspaper reporters will come in and cover your programs. But even if they do, it is still important to take your own pictures of your events for the library website and social media, at the very least. However, photography is something that they don't teach you in grad school, so we're left to our own devices.
Over the years, I've learned a few tricks that have upped my photography game. Maybe you'll find these helpful, too. #1. Camera type does matter! I couldn't believe how much of a difference it made when we bought a DSLR camera, the Canon EOS Rebel (thanks to the our teens voting for a Photography Makerspace) . #2. A photographer expert gave me this great tip that I never even realized -- if you focus on the performer, you are giving that performer free publicity. . #3. So, to help you get a good spot for focusing on your patrons' faces, you should plan ahead. . #4. I learned this trick when I was taking shots of my newborn. . #5. VIDEO : Using Instagram for Teaching and Learning. Nerdy, Nerdy, Nerdy!: Using Instagram as a Classroom Tool. Have you ever heard that phrase, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em? " Well, that's what led me to create a class account on Instagram.
So the kids are technology pros. We get that. They know all kinds of Internet-y type stuff before I do, and I'm pretty tech-savvy myself. The kids have a billion different types of online accounts and are on them ALL. Do I believe that 5th graders should be using all this technology? How'd this all begin? "Hey, I'm gonna create a class Instagram account. Student: "What if I don't have Instagram? " Me: "That's okay. Another student: "But what if I go on and answer, but my answer is wrong?
" Me: "Who cares! Another student: "Could I use my notes to answer your questions? " Me: "Absolutely! Another student: "Could I look up the answer on my computer? " Me: "You mean research? Another student, hesitantly: "What if... Me: "Great question. That conversation right there proves to me that it was worth doing. So let me walk you through how I use it. So, a few tips. 10 Surprising Ways to Use Instagram in the Classroom. Move over, Facebook! If you teach middle or high schoolers, you know that Instagram is one of the most popular social media channels for teens and tweens today. And while it may not seem like it at first, there are many applications for Instagram in the classroom. Of course, it's important to protect students' privacy, especially when using a public channel like Instagram. If you're interested in trying any of the ideas below, we recommend creating a classroom account that you set to "private" and carefully vetting any potential followers.
OK, disclaimer over! Showcase students' work. What do you think, teachers?