Library Links

"Content that might be of interest to Teacher-Librarians..."

18.2.11

Want to watch a good book?

Movies based on the Book
This site is a compilation of over 1,250 books, novels, short stories, and plays that have been made into motion pictures. Utilizing the Internet Movie Database as the authority, all movies in this collection have been released as feature-length films in the United States, in English, since 1980.
=================

Stories read by actors

StoryLine - online
This site makes a great listening center. Students can go through this site in groups of 5-6, other times, let the whole class listen. See real people (media personalitites) reading real books! (ie Betty White reading "Harry the Dirty Dog") Stories include activities and downloadable guides. Stories also have closed-captioning.

Help them pick a book

More tools to find books for readers:

"WhichBook"
This UK service connected to the public libraries in Britain allows you to pick a series of attributes (on a sliding scale) and then view a list of suggestions. (Residents of the UK can even borrow the novels from their local public library.) In some cases, you can read a snippet from the book choices.)

"What's Next?"
Series lists from Kent District Library
Links also to Amazon which allows you to read the first few pages of most books.

"Literature Map"
I've mentioned this site before. A great "visual" representation of an author and his/her realtion to the constellation of similar writers. The closer two writers are, the more likely someone will like both of them. More of an author-suggester than a book-suggester.

Iowa RA list wiki
Suggested reading lists assembled by the Iowa Librarians' Readers' Advisory Group.




Astronomy Apps

A colleague here in Richmond is using iOS devices to teach an Astronomy unit. See the link for her list of apps:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/49108571/Astronomy-Apps
label: , ,

Apps for iPad, iPhone, iPod

For those of you using iOS devices in the class, or thinking about it, here is a great list of apps, divided by subject area. Eric Sailers has put together this document with an eye to the needs of teachers and kids in Special Ed, but the results apply to all kids

17.2.11

Teen & Kids booklists

Children’s & Teen Booksites

Kidsreads
Kidsreads is the best place on the web for kids to find info about their favorite books, series and authors. Reviews of the newest titles, interviews with the coolest authors and special features on great books are our specialties. And for even more reading fun we have trivia games, word scrambles and awesome contests!

Guys Read
GR is a web-based literacy program for boys.  Our mission is to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers.

Teenreads
Part of The Book Report Network, a group of websites founded in 1996 that share thoughtful book reviews, compelling features, in-depth author profiles and interviews, excerpts of the hottest new releases, literary games and contests, and more with readers every week.

Teen Booklists
A website featuring out of the ordinary booklists for teens, written by Jennifer Hubert that has been an online presence since 1998. Teens can not only respond to the reviews but write their own. Reading Rants also exists as a book for adult professionals who work with teens.

No Flying, No Tights
A website for reviewing grahic novels for kids up to 12 (Sidekicks), teens (Main Site), older teens and adults (The Lair.)

Selected Genre Reviewing Sites

Stop, You’re Killing Me!
SYKM is a resource for lovers of mystery, crime, thriller, spy, and suspense books. We list over 3,500 authors, with chronological lists of their books (over 39,000 titles), both series (3,900+) and non-series.

Genrefluent
Reviews of the best recent novels in various fiction genres

African American Literature Book Club
AALBC is the largest and most frequently visited web site dedicated to books by and about black people. Founded in 1997, by Troy Johnson, AALBC.com is a source of author profiles, book recommendations, active discussion boards, writer resources, informative articles, videos, and book reviews.

Selected Comprehensive Book Sites


Overbooked
It is resource for ravenous readers. Special efforts are made to alert readers to books that they may not become aware of via other book-related resources. Overbooked considers eclecticism to be a good thing and encourage omnivorous reading.

Fantastic Fiction
Bibliographies for over 30,000 authors. Browse to find an author by surname, or search for an author or book. Information on over 350,000 books. Throughout the site, just click on a book to see its cover picture, description and publication details

BookSpot
BookSpot.com is a free resource center that simplifies the search for the best book-related content on the Web. Featured sites are hand-selected by BookSpot.com editors and organized into intuitive categories, such as bestseller lists, genres, book reviews, electronic texts, book news and more.

Readers' Advisory Tips

Ohio Public Libraries has a great webpage that walks library staff through the Skills and Goals of a Readers' Advisor. Offers some great hints and tips that could be used in the school library (just swap the word "patron" for "student".)

16.2.11

What Should I Read Next?

Build Reading Lists Using Reader Suggestions
"Enter a book you like and the site will analyse our database of real readers' favorite books (more than 75,000 different titles so far, and more than a million reader recommendations) to provide book recommendations and suggestions for what to read next. (You can register for free on the results page and build your own favorites list.)"
Depending on the title or author the results may be plentiful or sparse.
===============
novel suggestions,

Kiddie Records Weekly

Classics From The Golden Age
KRW "began in 2005 as a one year project devoted to celebrating the golden age of children's records.  (1940s & 50s)  Many of these recordings were extravagant Hollywood productions and featured big time celebrities and composers."
Some of the audiofiles also come with images from the storybook, and some are posted on Youtube as well.
=============================

Library Program Framework

An overview of the program we deliver in our district.
(Graphic on Sribd)
==============
Framework, library,

Age of Persuasion podcast - Greenwashing

Season 5: It's Not Easy Being Green: Green Marketing
Aired January 8th/13th, 2011

(Forward to your Marketing or Business Ed teachers.)

"In the world of marketing, advertisers can create their image and messages with virtual freedom. But that's not the case when it comes to "green" products - because the scrutiny is too intense. This week, Terry O'Reilly looks at the ever-changing world of Green Marketing. He'll look back at how the green movement started, how it's evolved, how marketers navigate the shoals of green marketing today - and what it all means to everyday consumers. One thing for sure... it's not easy being green."

As a bonus, this season, all the visual content from all the episodes will be posted on each podcast page, so your Age of Persuasion experience is enhanced. (Good to use with classes!)
==================
Age of Persuasion, advertising, marketing, greenwashing,

Lists of iPad apps

Some iPad apps being used in schools.
Some free, some not!

Fraser Speirs' Blog
Apps for High School (but some would be fine for intermediate as well.)

Assistive Technology Center
Scroll down the page for the list of apps by subject area




90 second Newberry

Compress an award winning novel and enter the competition!
James Kennedy's and NY Public Library's 90 Second Newbery Film Festival is now open.
"Make a video that compresses the story of a Newbery award-winning book into 90 seconds or less. It turns out that any book, no matter how worthy and somber, becomes pleasingly ludicrous when compressed into 90 seconds. Please watch our very first entry, in the video above: a 90-second version of A Wrinkle in Time (1963)."
Compress a Newbery winner or Honor book in a 90 second video (not a book trailer) and enter by September 15.  Should be fun and creative!

TED talks arranged by subject area.

The History Teacher's Attic
"This blog is intended for educators in general, but with special attention given to history and social studies teachers." The author has posted a great list of TED talks arranged by subject area. These presentations could be used as a jump-start for discussion in a high school class. (NB Always preview the clips first!)

====================
TED talks,

A reverse image search engine. - where does that image come from?

Who else is using that image?
TinEye is a reverse image search engine. It finds out where an image came from, how it is being used, if modified versions of the image exist, or if there is a higher resolution version.
Video explanation:

Essential Education in a Changing World

Curriculum 21: Essential Education in a Changing World
Heidi Hayes Jacobs
"What year are you preparing your students for 1980? 1995? 2025? Provocative and practical, Heidi Hayes Jacobs asks us to replace our dated curriculum with contemporary content and skills in a deliberate process called "upgrading." The strategies from her book Curriculum 21: Essential Education in a Changing World empower educators with specific ways to integrate web 2.0,digital tools, and global portals into each classroom."
(Link to video, scroll to bottom of page.)
-----------------------------------
Pro-D, ASCD, Curriculum 21,

15.2.11

Do Web 2.0 Right

 Do Web 2.0 Right by Daniel Light
So you want to use Web 2.0 tools in your classroom, but you don’t know where to start? Find out what works and what doesn’t from some teachers who have tried it all.
(From Learning & Leading with Technology Magazine)
===========================

Teaching with poverty in Mind

"Teaching with Poverty and Achievement in Mind" - Video by Eric Jensen
Conference presentation (archive link) (1h57m)
(Archived Live Stream from AC2010, San Antonio Texas. March 7, 2010)

"Teaching with poverty in Mind  - What Being Poor Does to Kids' Brains" - Book

Eric Jensen is a former teacher with a real love of learning. He has taught at all levels, from elementary school through university, and he is currently completing his doctorate in human development.
===================
Eric Jensen, poverty, webinar,

Media Literacy Webinar

Media Literacy: 21st Century Skills All Students Need
Frank Baker is an education consultant who shares his expertise on media literacy with educators around the world. His work has appeared in a variety of journals, including Education Week. (57 min)
"Most of our students are media-savvy, but most are not media literate. Students today tend to believe everything they see, read, and hear, especially if it originates on a screen."
===================
Pro-D, ASCD, webinar, media literacy, Frank Baker,

Brain-Based Learning Strategies Webinars


Dr. Judy Willis, a board-certified neurologist and middle school teacher in Santa Barbara, California, offers a series of ASCD webinars on "Brain-Based Learning Strategies". (These are available on the Pro-D section of the ASCD website.) Click on your choice from the "coverflow" playlist towards the bottom of their webpage. (Some of the audio quality is a bit scratchy.)

==================
Pro-D, brain based, webinar,

Science Times - articles in 3 difficulty levels

Science, technology and environmental articles.
"Science Times is an online news source that provides students with the most up-to-date information about breaking, controversial stories related to science, technology and environmental topics. The use of these science news articles allows teachers to challenge students’ attitudes about science while also promoting scientific literacy."
Every news item has download/printable PDFs that appeal to 3 different reading levels and are applicable from grades 4-12. (> Version A > Version B > Version C)
===================
Science Times, science, reading,

Investigating Pictures - critical thinking strategy

Modelling Strategies - Investigating Pictures
Strategies to help students learn to extract information from photographs. The focus is on using pictures to learn about community life, but the activities could be altered to suit other purposes.
=================

Some Poetry Sites

Eduhound Poetry Site Set

Sites linked:
  • Poets.org: Curriculum & Lesson Plans
  • Poetry Archive: For Teachers (Great intro video on the site on how to use the archive.)
  • Poetry 180 ( a poem for each day of the school year.)
  • Favorite Poem Project: Lesson for Elem, Middle and Secondary Students
  • Guide to Poetry & Literature Webcasts
  • Poetry Writing | Scholastic.com
  • Poets' Corner
=============
Eduhound, poetry.

Library Lesson Plans

Hanover County library media specialists have created lesson plans to complement the National Information Literacy Standards and the Virginia Standards of Learning. The lesson plans are in PDF and Word formats. (While we don't use the same benchmarks, you might find something to use or adapt for your own library program. The Word format allows you to modify the lessons to fit your school.)
 
=============

14.2.11

Can Wikipedia be used by students? Some things to consider...

NCSU: Wikipedia: Beneath the Surface (Good video overview)

Using Wikipedia in the Classroom
Wikipedia can be a constructive tool in the classroom if understood and used correctly. To learn more, read findingDulcinea’s Web Guide to Wikipedia in the Classroom.

Important Caveats

The Top 10 Reasons Students Cannot Cite or Rely On Wikipedia
by M.Moran, CEO of findingDulcinea.
"Wikipedia provides Internet users with millions of articles on a broad range of topics, and commonly ranks first in search engines. But its reliability and credibility fall well short..."
===========
Wikipedia,

TeachersTV - behaviour clips

The Behaviour Challenge: Can you handle it? 
"Encourage positive behaviour in your classroom by gaining inspiration from the Behaviour Hub. A place where you can find tips, videos, resources and features in one easy to reach place."  Explore this interactive project from Teachers TV in the UK to view simulated classroom scenarios. 

(See other videos here.)
====================
teachersTV,

2011 cross-media prize for "Highrise"

HIGHRISE/Out My Window i jury of education media experts from around the world and a special youth jury of high school students from Switzerland, Germany and France selected the 2011 BakaFORUM finalists and winners. HIGHRISE won the cross-media prize for school and youth education. The interactive web documentary, is one of the world's first interactive 360° documentaries. Delivered entirely on the web, it explores the state of our urban planet told by people who look out on the world from highrise windows. As one of the youth jury members put it: “HIGHRISE opens your mind.”
Watch webdoc HIGHRISE/Out My Window!

Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - NFB

March 21: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Help educate young people about the need to eliminate racism through this playlist , a small selection of films from the NFB collection that look at instances of racism in Canada and support dialogue on equality and diversity.
====================
NFB, racism,

The Canadian Olympic School Program - audio Podcasts from 2010 Olympic Medallists

Audio clips from 2010 Olympians
"A little something inside us will glow this month when we celebrate the one-year anniversary (February 12-28) of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and Canada’s strongest Olympic team in history. Keep this spirit and excitement alive in your classroom with podcasts from 2010 Olympic medallists Joannie Rochette, John Morris, Maëlle Ricker and Clara Hughes."
================
Olympics, podcasts, 2010,

Using a Kobo to "preview" student tastes...

For those thinking about the Kobo, or other eReader, I just read an article reminding me that most eReaders and their associated store will usually allow for the downloading of the first chapter of a book as a preview. Perhaps downloading a whack of YA title previews might be a good way to get kids interested in some authors and genres they might not ordinarily read. Students could vote for new titles based on their enthusiasm for the preview chapter! 


(* It seems that the preview feature only seems to work on the ipad/ipod app, but not the Kobo device itself...dommage!)

Just an idea.
=================

Film about Ray Kurzweil


Transcendent Man is the critically acclaimed film that explores the life and ideas of Ray Kurzweil, the renowned inventor and futurist who shares his vision of the future. (Kurzweil is also known in education circles as the founder of Kurzweil Educational Systems, and is active in the assistive software domain.)


Wikipedia books?

Use Wikipedia to create PDF or print books.
There is an interesting feature on Wikipedia that allows readers to create their own books from Wiki-content. With the book creator (within Wikipedia) you can create a publication containing wiki pages of your choice. You can export the book in different formats (for example PDF or ODF) or order a printed copy. PDFs can be shared, or loaded on eReaders such as the iPad or the Kobo, opening up the possibilities of custom texts for student use. Carefully selected articles might be assembled to supplement or replace traditional text material. This service has been available in other language versions of Wikipedia for some time.

Do you trust Wikipedia? Is it a reliable source?
It seems the consensus is that it can be a good starting point, but information needs to be cross-checked with another source for reliability. And while it is generally shunned for university research, it may have its place in helping students be critical consumers of information.
====================
Wkipedia, ebooks,

Some tips to avoid plagiarising (High School)

Avoid Plagiarism by Paraphrasing Correctly
by James Sullivan
"Anyone who has ever written a research paper has had to decide how to present another writer’s ideas. If done properly, the result is a piece of writing in your own voice that draws from various sources to enhance your own argument. If done without care, the result could be plagiarism. And with the consequences of plagiarism being severe, understanding how to paraphrase the right way is essential."

Reading skills raise school performance - PBS video clip

School-Wide literacy is the answer.
Brockton High School began a schoolwide literacy program to reinforce literacy skills in every class, including math, science and even gym. The transformation at Brockton has been remarkable.
View clip here:
==============
literacy, achievement, PBS,

New offerings for kids on the iPad

Bedtime with the iPad
An interesting article/audio clip from NPR about the new offerings for kids on the iPad.
iPad Storybook Apps And The Kids Who Love Them [All Things Considered]
==============
NPR, iPad, eBooks,


Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)