Library Links

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


20.4.12

Yale University Card Catalog on Vimeo

"It's in the cards..."

A fun example of stop motion animation, with a bit of a "librarian" twist.

"Made to bring attention to the vast collection of old catalog cards stored in Sterling Memorial Library."

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19.4.12

Finding more books like "Hunger Games" - Novelist

Finding Series Information using NoveList
NoveList (a database in EBSCO) can help you answer any questions about the Hunger Games -- or any other series -- that your patrons might throw at you.

Launch Novelist by going to EBSCO (in SD38, via the Visual Tab of your library in Destiny.) Enter "Hunger Games" in the Search box in NoveList. This will take you to the book details page. Look at the bottom of the record for buttons to title read-alikes, author read-alikes, and series read-alikes. Choose one of the options, and click "Print" to give your patrons (staff or student) a list they can take with them. Unfamilar titles can be searched again in Novelist for summaries and tags.

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"Young Adult Books-What We're Reading Now" Blog

An award-winning book blogging site

Pamela Thompson's blog was just awarded the "Texas High School Blog of the Year, 2012" at the Texas Library Convention in Houston for her insightful and interesting reviews of YA fiction.

She is a YA librarian, reviewer, blogger, and writer. Her background is 23 years in education with a B.S. and MLIS. Currently, she is also a YA reviewer and columnist for The El Paso Times newspaper. ( www.elpasotimes.com and type "Pamela Thompson" in the search box.)

As she says: "I love YA lit and read as many new books as I can. I like to be able to recommend books that I have read and enjoyed. I find that working with students, they expect me to have read the best books and want my recommendations."

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Infographic: Information Literacy Issues « EasyBib

Infographic: Information Literacy Issues

EasyBib (an online citation tool) asked library professionals about the status of information literacy in their school - is plagiarism increasing? do kids know how to evaluate sources? are they using databases? is info lit being taught systematically? While the sample size was small (329 responses from K12 and post sec institutions) the results are interesting. Visit the link to learn more.

"Developing information literacy skills is perhaps the most important issue in 21st Century Learning and yet the struggle to do so is an uphill battle. We asked our friends in the library world what they think of the state of information literacy in schools. Check out this cool infographic to see what we learned."

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Library Of Congress - YouTube Channel

Webinars, Video Clips, Interviews and more

This page contains a directory of many of the video series available on the Library of Congress website. See below for a list of some of the topics

  • Topics in Science
  • 2011 National Book Festival
  • Webcasts from the Library of Congress
  • 2010 National Book Festival
  • Music and Concerts
  • Early Films of San Francisco,
  • The Life of a City: (New York from 1898 to 1906)
  • America at Work (up to 1915)
  • Digital Preservation
  • Law and the Library
  • 2009 National Book Festival
  • Origins of American Animation
  • Variety Stage: Vaudeville
  • Music and the Brain

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ESL Learning Resource - from LearnNowBC

Learning Resources for ESL - LearnNowBC

English (ESL) Literacy
South Island Distance Education School (SIDES), Locally Developed Course.
Here is a list of available modules. [LINK here]

Each module is available either online (click on the "player.html" link to view online) or as a downloadable zip file to playat a later time. Modules come with scripts, video animation, quizzes, language games and speaking image glossary.

Sample:
Literacy 1.15: Mother's Day and Father's Day!

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18.4.12

BookBox - Short animated books

Animated books to support emergent literacy

"BookBox is a social enterprise that innovated the concept of "AniBooks" or animated books to support emergent literacy and language skills.  We overcome the distribution challenges of print by reading to children on digital and electronic media. You can watch over 30 stories in over 30 languages, all in HD quality. A simple slider allows you to navigate through all our stories right on our home page. "

There's also an iOS app you can download. Register to get email updates.

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50+ great tips for getting the most out of Google Docs

Use Google Docs to its fullest capability.

"Google Docs is such an incredible tool for college students,... but there are so many options, both hidden and obvious, that there's a good chance you're not using Google Docs to its fullest capability.

We've discovered 50+ great tips for getting the most out of Google Docs as a student, with awesome ideas and tricks for collaboration, sharing, and staying productive."

While some of the "50" could be grouped together to give a more concise list, it's a good reminder of the many reasons "Docs" is such a good collaboration tool.

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Chansons françaises et francophones - French through Songs and Singing

Song resources for students and teachers of French

This multimedia site features streaming MP3s, annotated lyrics, articles and links. The recordings are of songs in the public domain plus artists' originals used with permission. The emphasis is on providing resources for students and teachers of French. The site is best viewed in Firefox or Safari.

Its goals are:

1. To promote French and Francophone cultures
2. To encourage the use of songs in the classroom
3. To provide a resource bank that can grow over time

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Connectome is a mind-bending adventure story

Neuroscience: understanding what makes us who we are

"Sebastian Seung, a dynamic professor at MIT, is on a quest to discover the biological basis of identity. He believes it lies in the pattern of connections between the brain's neurons, which change slowly over time as we learn and grow. The connectome, as it's called, is where our genetic inheritance intersects with our life experience. It's where nature meets nurture."
(Thanks CW for the link)

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Interview with Heather Reisman - Chapters/Indigo

What the future holds for Canadian booksellers

"Michael Enright speaks with Heather Reisman, the founder and CEO of Indigo Books and Music, about what the future holds for Canadian booksellers and how her company fits into the picture."

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Canada's History - Canada and a Better World - digital version

Kayak Magazine: Canada and a Better World

Free educational access of this issue is made possible by a contribution from CIDA  (Subsequent digital issues of Kayak require a subscription.)

"Sixty-four pages about Canada and the world — how we've helped others in the past and how we still help today. And not just adults, young Canadians are out there volunteering in all kinds of ways to build a brighter future for everyone on the planet."

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Histoire Canada - et Kayak - revues numériques

"Des voix unies pour l'espoir" - Revue

Histoire Canada a publié un numéro intitulé "Des voix unies pour l'espoir".  Le magazine "Canada's History" est en anglais normalement, mais grâce aux commanditaires, il y a de plus en plus de français.   La version numérique pour ce numéro est toujours disponible gratuitement en ligne.  (voir lien ci-haut)

La revue Kayak, "Vers un monde meilleur"
Revue pour les plus jeunes aussi disponible en ligne.

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Literature Circle Models

Some ideas and downloadables for Lit Circles

Laura Candler writes: "On this page you can also learn about different types of Literature Circles. I've had some success with all the models below, but all models haven't been successful with all groups of students. Read through the various descriptions and find something that feels right to you. Each description has a link to the part of the page that describes how to do a specific type of Literature Circles."

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Junior Book Award Nominees (South Carolina)

Titles, excerpts, reviews and discussion guides

"Come discover the 2012-2013 South Carolina Book Awards, where each title is chosen to encourage students to read good quality contemporary literature."

The downloadable discussion guides (sample) give an overview of the title and suggest some ideas for discussion, as well as extension activities. Great for supporting lit circle titles. (The South Carolina Junior Book Award nominees are appropriate for 6-8 grade levels. Elementary and High School titles are linked in the sidebar.)

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Bessie Chin Library Facebook Page

Using a Facebook Page for "Good"

Here's an example of a school library that uses FB to communicate with patrons. Students and parents can get updates on their own newsfeed when BCL makes a post.

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Science News for Kids

Resources to help students learn more about Science

"Science News for Kids was launched in 2003 by Society for Science & the Public (SSP) as a youth edition and companion to the Society's Science News magazine. Educators will find timely, interesting news stories and longer in-depth articles about a wide variety of science topics, suggestions and resources for hands-on activities, books, articles, and web resources, and coverage of the world's leading science, engineering, math, and technology competitions for young people."

Many articles in SNK include resources to help students learn more about the topic covered, including: Going Deeper, Power Words, Related Articles, Teachers Questions, and Word Find.

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17.4.12

Comptines et chansons pour enfants

Songs for Kids in French - words and music

Pendant plusieurs années nous avons préparé pour la Classe Maternelle des documents qui permettent aux parents de suivre les comptines que les enfants apprennent à l'école. La plupart de ces textes proviennent du domaine public. Les archives des comptines illustrées sont disponibles sur la page de téléchargement.

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DOAB: Directory of Open Access Books

Discover Open Access books

The primary aim of DOAB is to increase discoverability of Open Access books in order to help scholars and students to access these materials. The directory is open to all publishers who offer academic, peer reviewed books. These resources can be downloaded in PDF format. The list is small, but growing.

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Poems for a Small Park

Poetic connections between Canadian nature and the sublime
(Download entire book)

Blodgett wrote his "Poems for a small park" in English and some in French, but was able to have some of them translated into Cree, Michif, Chinese, and Ukrainian. This reflects Edmonton's unique multicultural ambience and the roles of diverse cultures in the making of the city.

The powerful images and thoughtful metaphors in these short lyrics show readers the connections between Canadian nature (even within city limits) and the sublime, especially in the overwhelming silence we can sense outdoors – if we pay attention. The poet speaks to change by helping us see natural phenomena around us in a different light each time we read his poems.

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Bricks to Brains: The Embodied Cognitive Science of Lego Robots

Embodied cognitive science via LEGO Mindstorms robots
(Download the PDF of the book)

From Bricks to Brains introduces embodied cognitive science, and illustrates its foundational ideas through the construction and observation of LEGO Mindstorms robots.

Discussing the characteristics that distinguish embodied cognitive science from classical cognitive science, From Bricks to Brains places a renewed emphasis on sensing and acting, the importance of embodiment, the exploration of distributed notions of control, and the development of theories by synthesizing simple systems and exploring their behaviour. Numerous examples are used to illustrate a key theme: the importance of an agent's environment. Even simple agents, such as LEGO robots, are capable of exhibiting complex behaviour when they can sense and affect the world around them.

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Earthday download from Amazon - The Midway Albatross

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross  - FREE Kindlebook Download.
(For 48 hours before Earth Day there will be a free Kindle download (April 19-20.)
Save to your Kindle or your Kindle App. Great for projecting in a classroom.

"On December 10, 1956, early in my first visit to Midway, I banded 99 incubating Laysan Albatrosses in the 'downtown' area of Sand Island, Midway. Wisdom is still alive, healthy, and incubating again in December 2011. While I have grown old and gray and get around only with the use of a cane, Wisdom still looks and acts just the same as on the day I banded her. . . remarkable true story. . . beautifully illustrated in color."

Resources listed on the book page: http://albatross.darcypattison.com
  • Creative Coloring Pages
  • Top 108 Tsunami Resources for Teachers
  • Albatross Videos
  • Plastic Pollution:
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Ideas to Go (PBS KIDS Lab)

Help kids to learn simple math concepts

Here are many great activities for you to do with your child while on the go! These easy-to-do ideas are fun ways for you and your kids to learn simple math concepts. Each activity extends the math ideas also presented in the online games.

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"Embedded Formative Assessment" Book and links

The Importance of formative assessment
"Embedded Formative Assessment" - Dylan Wiliam (2011)
(Book on order for DRC.)

"Formative assessment plays an important role in increasing teacher quality and student learning when it's viewed as a process rather than a tool. Emphasizing the instructional side of formative assessment, this book explores in-depth the use of classroom questioning, learning intentions and success criteria, feedback, collaborative and cooperative learning, and self-regulated learning to engineer effective learning environments for students."

Read introduction and Chapter 5 of the book online
("Providing feedback that moves learning forward".)

Short videoclip of the author

Playlist of assorted D Wiliam clips.
(You may have to click past the 2nd clip if it doesn't play)

Links to some of his published papers.

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Teacher librarian Magazine - The Learning Commons edition

So just what is a "Learning Commons"?
(Teacher librarian Magazine. Dec 2011)

Read more about this exciting reconceptualization of library space. Is it new or just a new way of talking about what we are already doing?

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A "document camera" that won't break the bank

The perfect "camera" solution for teaching and presenting

I have tried this compact $70 camera and it works like a charm. Project manipulatives for math, show close-ups of specimens for science and share picture books in the library. Easy setup, great sharp images!

"The Point 2 View USB Document Camera provides real-time video capture for documents, pictures, and three-dimensional objects — all at hundreds or even thousands less than conventional document cameras and overhead projectors. With its ultra-portable size and featherlight weight, the Point 2 View is a perfect mobile solution for teaching, presentations, distance learning, and video communication of all types."


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Internet @ Schools (Jan/Feb issue)

Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Internet @ Schools
(Full content through EBSCO.  For home access, contact your teacher librarian for a login & password.)

(Free website article):
The article offers information on the iPad pilot initiative and explores its impact on teaching and learning.

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Stephen points out that the reading ecology is changing. Reading may be fundamental, but the way we use reading materials in teaching and libraries will necessarily change as that ecology does.

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Ecological footprint calculators

What if everyone on earth lived like a Canadian?
1) Global Footprint Network (with adult and student version)
2) WWF

"If everyone lived like a Canadian, it would take 4 planets to support us all."

Do you believe this? Use these sites to check your ecological footprint using lifestyle calculators.  Make this as a starting point to talk about what you can do to make meaningful changes.   (Includes a list of many different calculators e.g General environmental footprint calculators, Carbon and energy calculators and Water footprint calculators, etc.)" (Thanks JH)

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