If Librarians Were Honest My mother was trained in library science, but went on to have a career in software systems. Perhaps it was this epigenetic guilt that planted the unconscious seed for Brain Pickings — my personal digital archive of reading — which was born, twenty-one years after my mother completed the degree she would never use, in the city where Benjamin Franklin founded the world’s first subscription library. As library-lover Steve Jobs memorably remarked, “you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards,” and these formative dots have since been connected to paint a clear picture of my deep love of libraries — those most democratic cultural temples of wisdom where we come to commune with humanity’s most luminous minds; where the rewards are innumerable and destiny-changing, and the only price of admission is willingness. Befittingly, in the context of free libraries, the poem begins with Benjamin Franklin’s colorful complaint as an epigraph of sorts:
Comics for Engaging Students! 24+ Resources & Ideas “At a young age, I was interested in comic books, which was really how I learnt to read.” – Nicolas Cage Today, I will be conducting a webinar, Teaching with Comics, for Simple K12. I wanted to share the resources from the presentation in case you can’t join us. Comics can be powerful learning tools. They are brain friendly. Enjoyed these ideas? Students can do the following with their comics: Retell a historical eventWrite dialoguesSummarize readingsCreate the setting and situation appropriate for idioms and phrasesPost an interviewExplore societal issuesExplore the language in jokesExplore political issuesIntroduce themselves to their peersShow how to accomplish a goalExplore the meaning behind quotesGive visual instructions- Howtoons.com is full of great instructional comicsHighlight the rulesCreate a context for math word problemsTell the newsExplore various definitions of a wordVisualize research Learn with Comics Comic Creation Tools and Apps Bookmarks
Tips and Tricks — Creator's Hub Lecciones de mecanografÍa | Tutor de mecanografÍa | Teclado Español Nuestras lecciones gratuitas de mecanografía, suministran un paquete de "Cómo mecanografiar" completo. Un diseño de teclado animado y un tutorial de mecanografía con gráficos de las manos, son utilizados para corregir sus errores, mostrandole la forma correcta de mecanografiar y facilitándole de esta manera el aprendizaje y la práctica. El nivel de dificultad de las lecciones aumenta gradualmente, ya que comienza con sólo 2 caracteres y termina con el aprendizaje de todo el teclado. Consejos para el éxito: Mientras practica mecanografía - no mire el teclado - ni siquiera un vistazo rápido!
10 things classroom teachers need to know about modern school librarians | Trust me, I'm a librarian 1) We hate quiet. Oh, sure, the typical view of a librarian is an older woman, in a cardigan and cat-eye glasses, with a tight bun, shushing everyone who dares to make a sound. That may have been the case a long time ago, and may still be the case with some dinosaur librarians (they still exist, sorry!), but generally, librarians don’t like quiet. Quiet means that no one is collaborating. This isn’t to say we don’t appreciate students working alone or a student reading alone, but the library is a common place where everyone can work together and communicate. 2) We love collaboration. We love to see students collaborating, but we also love to collaborate with you, our classroom teachers! 3) We are technology people at heart. The printed page may die at some point (most of us hope it won’t). If you have a new Web 2.0 tool that you want to try, ask us. 4) We don’t read all day. We wish we did. 5) We don’t know everything. Sadly true. 6) We’re all passionate about something. Like this:
The Top 5 Free Typing Tutors: Exciting Ways to Learn and Practice Keyboarding Home > News > The Top 5 Free Typing Tutors: Exciting Ways to Learn and Practice Keyboarding Check out our top 5 FREE typing tutors below. 1. Dance Mat Typing - Dance Mat Typing is a colorful, interactive website that teaches children ages 7-11 to touch type. There are 4 levels divided into 3 stages; Level 1 being the easiest and gradually increasing in difficulty. 2. 3. 4. 5. Why digital natives prefer reading in print. Yes, you read that right. Frank Schembari loves books — printed books. He loves how they smell. He loves scribbling in the margins, underlining interesting sentences, folding a page corner to mark his place. Schembari is not a retiree who sips tea at Politics and Prose or some other bookstore. “I like the feeling of it,” Schembari said, reading under natural light in a campus atrium, his smartphone next to him. Textbook makers, bookstore owners and college student surveys all say millennials still strongly prefer print for pleasure and learning, a bias that surprises reading experts given the same group’s proclivity to consume most other content digitally. “These are people who aren’t supposed to remember what it’s like to even smell books,” said Naomi S. In years of surveys, Baron asked students what they liked least about reading in print. It can be seen in the struggle of college textbook makers to shift their businesses to more profitable e-versions. “I don’t absorb as much,” one student told Baron.
27 Classroom Poster Sets: Free and Fantastic Add some color and inspiration with classroom posters. Here are 27 free classroom posters sets for and grade level! These instant download poster sets cover inspirational quotes, learning quotes, curricular content and even classroom management. I’m excited to share these fantastic creations from other teachers with you – there are over 130 printable pages all together in this collection! There’s no shortage of great teaching tips for sprucing up your classroom. If you’re looking for something different – I’ve got your back! Attitude Matters Classroom Posters Source: lightbulbsandlaughter.blogspot.com 1. 2. Source: theresourcefulroom.com 3. 11 Life Skills Posters – Post, discuss and reflect on life skills as part of your positive classroom management plan. Classroom Management Poster Sets Source: kindergartenworks.com 4. source: 3rdgradethoughts.com 5. Source: teaminguptoteach.blogspot.com 6. Source: thecreativeclassroom2013.blogspot.com 7. 8. Source: thebrownbagteacher.blogspot.ca 9. 12. 13.
Engaging students with emerging technologies Chelsea Wright 'Why would a school library run a Tech and Gaming Club?' The obvious quick response is 'why not?' However, in reality a more comprehensive answer is required, because the question needs to be considered in terms of place (the library institution) and profession (librarianship). I believe that Tech and Gaming Clubs align perfectly with the ethos of the school library institution. enhancing access and equityinspiring personal growthopening new thought horizonssupporting and complimenting the curriculumrepresenting the school's valuesconjuring wonder and creativity through investigative learningproviding collaborative activities that serve as anchors for the development and reinforcement of positive human relationships. It is my hope that this article will not only offer some useful examples of Tech and Gaming Club activities, but will also provide professional ammunition for those among us who are being confronted with the above question. Starting a Tech and Gaming Club
50 Fun (and Free) Engineering Games Anyone Can Play - Top Online Engineering Degree If you have a love of engineering, a little time, and no money, there are options for you. The internet comes through again in these 50 fun and free engineering games anyone can play. Give a try to help improve your drawing, math, logic, and more. Fun Drawing Games Anyone Can Play Because it all starts with pen and paper, check out these free, online drawing games. 1. 2. iSketch : A multiplayer game, points are given when correctly answering what the sketch is. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Fun Engineering Tools Anyone Can Use These tools can be fun whether drawing a moustache on something you shouldn’t or trying your hand at an engineering task. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Fun Engineering Games to Play You don’t have to be an engineer to play these games, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. Fun Math Games Anyone Can Play Engineers, students, and more can use these games to learn math, improve their abilities, and have extra fun with bragging rights. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30.
Challenge yourself with Reading Bingo 2014 Is “reading more books” on a list of your New Year resolutions? Retreat by Random House have prepared the 2014 edition of a printable Reading Bingo. It contains 24 reading challenges that will help you read more and have more fun with it. You can approach the Reading Bingo card however you like: beginners, start by getting one line; if you’re more advanced, try the whole outside box on the card; experts, fill in the whole card! This years there is also a special bingo card with challenges related specifically to books geared to teens. Via Retreat Blog. About Ola Kowalczyk Collecting bits and pieces about books and libraries in digital age.