Tumble Videos

Looking for non-fiction video?

Search your Tumblebook collection to find selected video clips on a range of non-fiction topics. You can get the URL by choosing "Show Toolbar" once the movie loads. Most clips are quite short, but would make a nice intro to a topic in class.

The iPad version of the picture books are also short videos. When you first visit the TB site, choose "Mobile" from the upper right and hit go. Then you'll get all the iPad-ready (movies) books that you could project and "play".

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Awful Library Books - A look at weeding

"Hoarding is not collection development"

http://awfullibrarybooks.net/

Daily posts feature questionable titles found in actual (public) libraries. Good for a head shake and a sometimes horrified chuckle.

"Librarians, bibliophiles, and lovers of nostalgia are all welcome here. Your librarians for this site are Mary Kelly and Holly Hibner. We are public librarians in Michigan. We have both been holding court at various reference desks for over ten years and love talking about library collections and library service. We also regularly present and consult on various library topics."

http://awfullibrarybooks.net/why-weed/

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Six-Word Memoirs - SMITH Magazine

It's all about word choice

http://www.smithteens.com/

Look at some examples of this writing form.

"Writing in Six Words is a simple, creative way to get to the essence of anything—from the breaking news of the day to your own life and the way you live it. ...More than 700,000 short stories have been shared on Six-Word Memoirs and its younger cousin, SMITH Teens. In classrooms and boardrooms, churches and synagogues, veterans' groups and across the dinner table, Six-Word Memoirs have become a powerful tool to catalyze conversation, spark imagination or break the ice.

Main site: http://www.sixwordmemoirs.com/index.php

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Take the Ed Tech Challenge

A technology integration course for educators

http://www.edtechchallenge.com/

"This a self-paced, scaffolded technology integration course for educators. This course was the collaborative effort of school districts all over the nation- and the content for this course was created by technology integrators, classroom teachers, Google Apps Certified Trainers and Teachers, and ISTE award winners. All of the suggestions we give are grounded in practice- they are techniques we actually use and we know work! We've flipped this course so that you can learn when you have time, and we've created templates, videos, and resources so that you can start using those tools right away."

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Katzie Learning Commons: Building Fun!

Maker Spaces in your library?

http://www.katzielc.blogspot.ca/2013/11/lego.html

Lynne (my wife) shared this activity on her library blog after reading "Building Our House" with the Gr 3s. She had bought a number of base plates, doors, windows and regular blocks of "Briktek " (which works with Lego) from Scholar's Choice and hopes to incorporate regular building sessions when she can.

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Media Literacy 101 | MediaSmarts

Media & Digital Literacy Fundamentals

http://mediasmarts.ca/media-literacy-101

MediaSmarts explore digital literacy and media literacy and the underlying aspects and principles for each of these skill sets.  To help teachers introduce key concepts of media literacy to elementary students, MediaSmarts has partnered with Concerned Children's Advertisers to develop a suite of videos on each of the key concepts. Each video is accompanied by a lesson plan that reiterates the main ideas from the videos and helps students expand and apply what they've learned.

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Numberphile - Videos about Numbers and Stuff

Love numbers?

http://www.numberphile.com/text_index.html

Brady Harren posts videos that explain a range of number concepts and math ideas!

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The Complete Twitter Guide

Get your black belt in Twitter

http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/download-guide-twitter

"Even though half the universe is on Twitter these days, beginning out of nothing isn't always that evident. If you really want your Twitter to fly high, it doesn't end with just creating an account. In 40+ pages, this guide from MakeUseOf (May 2010) tackles every Twitter feature, tip and trick you can think of. Learn to work the interface, how to tweet from your desktop, as well as cool Twitter bots and funniest people to follow. This free Twitter guide will get you a black belt in Twitter in no time.

(Some of the sites referred to are no longer active, but the basic information is a good overview for new users.)

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Apprendre le français – Cours et exercices gratuits avec Bonjour de France

Un « cyber-magazine » éducatif gratuit

http://www.bonjourdefrance.com/

"Bonjour de France est un « cyber-magazine » éducatif gratuit contenant des exercices, des tests et des jeux pour apprendre le français ainsi que des fiches pédagogiques à l'attention des enseignants de français langue étrangère (FLE). À travers ses différentes pages, ce magazine se veut aussi un outil de promotion de la francophonie. De nouvelles rubriques interactives apparaîtront régulièrement afin que ce site soit pleinement un lieu de ressource et de partage."

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Books Of Remembrance

Consult the virtual version of the Books of Remembrance.

http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/books/todays_page

Spend some time in remembrance of those who fought for Canada. Read their names and in many cases, view their picture, their gravestone and read a short biography.

"The Books of Remembrance are kept in the Memorial Chamber located in the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill. Each day, a page in the Books of Remembrance is turned to commemorate those who gave their lives in service to Canada."

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"Order in the Library"

A flash game to teach shelving order

https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/resources/order_in_the_library_game.swf

This flash based game is good for individual students who want to learn or refresh shelving skills. Use it with your library club members to remind them how Dewey works. You could also use this in a "Game Show" format with a whole class. The tutorial reviews shelving basics and the game lets you practice what you've learned.

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ArtBabble

A showcase high quality art-related video content

http://www.artbabble.org/

"ArtBabble is a website that showcases high quality art-related video content from more than 50 cultural institutions from around the world. ArtBabble is an energetic place to learn for everybody who loves and has an interest in art and particularly for educators who can use it as a way to support their classroom activities. ArtBabble brings art content from different places and perspectives together, easily accessed and found."

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Make It @ Your Library Launches Makerspace site

Interested in makerspace projects?

http://t.co/z3gjB55jRd

"In collaboration with Instructables.com and the American Library Association, Make It @ Your Library has introduced www.MakeItAtYourLibrary.org, a new website tailored to librarians interested in implementing makerspace projects in their libraries. Fully searchable, Make It @ Your Library connects users to projects, based on library-specific search criteria."

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25,000 Authors at Your Fingertips - NoveList

"Is your favourite author a tea-drinker?"

http://www.ebscohost.com/novelist-blog/novelist-article/25000-authors-at-your-fingertips

NoveList has added information about 25,000 authors, including nationality* (where an author has lived, or lives now), author cultural identity** (identity with, or membership in, a particular ethnic, national, or cultural group), author gender, and links to author websites. (Are they a dog person or a cat person? Did they go to college, and where did they go? Do they have a blog? Are they a tea-drinker or a coffee-drinker?) How do you find all of this information? In an author's record in NoveList, you'll see several tabs -- choose the tab called "More about this Author." You'll see the Author Characteristics information near the top, followed by website links. Some authors will also have notes providing even more information about them.

Example: Alice Munro

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Book Club Conversation Starter Questions from TableTopics

Launch fun and engaging conversations

http://mail.tabletopics.com/bookclub.html

Consider using (or creating your own) "table topic" cards to jumpstart book conversations:

When someone finds a really good book, they want to share it with their friends. And, after they've all read it, they want to talk about it. Our Book Club edition helps launch fun and engaging conversations about the books people love. These questions provide an easy way to explore things like the plot, the setting, the characters and so much more.

Sample questions (from the 135 total)

• will this book be relevant 30 years from now
• what one question would you like to ask the main character
• what life lessons are found in this book and do you agree with them
• which specific details created the setting for you
• what alternative title would you give this book

Mrs. ReaderPants: Thematic Lists

Good review site for MS and YA lit.

http://www.readerpants.net/p/thematic-lists.html

"What are you in the mood for?" When my library kids come in and want a book recommendation, this is usually my first question. This is a listing of some of the (admittedly somewhat random) issues that have recently struck the fancy of my teen and preteen readers. All titles listed are middle grade or young adult fiction titles.

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Promoting your collection

Some ideas to create buzz!

Naomi Bates (TL in TX) offered great ideas on LM-Net to promote books in your collection. I've paraphrased some of her suggestions below. (I've also posted a link to her blog at the end of this post.)

• Get out your dystopia....put it out, keep it out, display it.  HOT genre right now!
• Pull some short sports reads for the boys who are reluctant borrowers. (Try pairing non-fiction & fiction books.)
• Set up a data projector, AppleTV or whiteboard and project book trailers while kids are browsing.
• Display books you've read. (And booktalk them!)
• Look for "best friends".  Find a title that has TWO copies and shelf talk it. The friends may want to read the title together
  

More from Naomi on Bulletin Boards (monthly themes)

http://naomibates.blogspot.ca/2013/11/bulletin-board-display-ideas.html

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Off-quoi? | OffQc | Quebec French Guide

Parler français comme un Québécois!

http://offqc.com/off-quoi/

This site is a treasure trove of "québéc-isms" for teachers and students wanting to sound more Canadian when they speak French. Lots of examples of the language in natural settings and some videos too! (Be warned - not all posts are appropriate for school-aged students, so teachers will want to be selective and possibly "re- present" content rather than simply linking to it.)

Lots of extras to explore: such as,  Using "tu" to ask a question in Québec.

(Ça fait-tu du sens?)

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School LIbrary Impact in Infographic format = videos

School Libraries Impact Studies

http://www.lrs.org/data-tools/school-libraries/impact-studies/

Download this clear 1-page infographic that presents highlights from all of LRS's school library impact studies. (Scroll down for seven part video series, produced by Sean Lamborne, LRS Research Fellow, in November 2010 on School Library Impact.)

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What new technologies mean for storytelling - NYTimes.com

Writers tell us what new technologies mean to writing

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/books/review/writing-bytes.html

LEE CHILD: "Technology has changed practically everything to do with "being a writer"

"The Internet has changed (and keeps changing) how we live today — how we find love, make money, communicate with and mislead one another. Writers in a variety of genres tell us what these new technologies mean for storytelling...."

Interesting multipaged, multi-authored article on tech and text.

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