Library Links

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

11.12.15

Telling the difference between Google ads and search results

How savvy are 12 to 15 year olds in reading search results?


We still have work to do in helping our students be better searchers!

"In the tests carried out by Ofcom earlier this year, children were shown screenshots of Google search results for the term "trainers" and asked whether the results at the top of the page were either a) ads, b) the most relevant results, or c) the most popular results. Despite the fact that these topmost search results were outlined in an orange box and labelled with the word "Ad," they were only recognized as such by 31 percent of 12- to 15-year-olds and 16 percent of 8- to 11-year-olds."

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The Surprising Truth About Learning in Schools | Will Richardson

Help kids develop into powerful learners

A message we've heard before about the disconnect between what we know kids need to learn, and how we typically structure the school day and activities.

"Will Richardson: 'We know how to help kids develop into powerful learners. Now, we just need to make that happen in schools.' A parent of two teen-agers, Will Richardson has spent the last dozen years developing an international reputation as a leading thinker and writer about the intersection of social online learning networks and education.  Will has authored four books (with two more on the way), including "Why School? How Education Must Change When Learning" and "Information are Everywhere".

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10.12.15

Carnaval, mardi gras, Carnaval...

Doing a "Carnaval" Theme in February?

Don't forget to check out the "Carnaval" items at DRC.
Here's an NFB link to stream a short "archival" video from 1956.

See below for some additional online resources to explore:

The Official Carnaval Site

The Québec Region Tourism site:

360 panoramas (with sound)
(It's like being there!)

Chanson du carnaval (karaoke)

Lots of clips, both official and personal
(See also suggestions in sidebar of Youtube)

a Carnaval Lesson Plan

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9.12.15

Google Gives You a 360° View of the Performing Arts

Stand virtually on the stage in these videos.
"Through a series of 360-degree videos, you can now  "stand, virtually, on the stage of the Palais Garnier, among the dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet",  "journey to Stratford-upon-Avon and keep up with the Royal Shakespeare Company" or "go onstage at Carnegie Hall, where the video places you in the middle of the Philadelphia Orchestra."

Click and drag to view the performance from every possible angle from your vantage point.

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7.12.15

iPad Lessons for teachers - video playlist

Short, bite-sized, iPad inservice


Looking for short, bite-sized, iPad inservice?  Then "iPad Lessons" is the channel for you. The goal is to provide simple, convenient video tutorials that fit into a teacher's busy schedule. These videos are short and to the point. Watch them over and over again until you feel confident.

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Shadow Puppet - a 30hands alternative

Tutorial & download links

The most recent update of 30Hands significantly changed the free version of their app. (You can now only make five slideshows on each iPad and only export 3 times.)  Now what!? You might want to try Shadow Puppet. The app is fairly easy to use and it allows students to create and export narrated slideshows much like 30 hands.

Some features:
  • Cites photos sources used from the internet.
  • Text can be added to each image.
  • Music tracks can be added.
  • There is an option to "redo" a recording on a page. (but you must decide before moving to the next slide.)
  • You must save to preview.
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A Tour of High-Quality Open Education Resources (OER) for Writing

Abundant, rigorous and delightful (yes, delightful!) writing lessons


"Here is a list of some useful Secondary and higher education writing curricula/pages. In order to appear in this post,  the writing courses and lessons had to be free, permanent and public, support the writing process and encourage student inquiry (among other things)"

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Kiddle - Custom Google Search for Kids

Designed specifically for kids

"Kiddle is a Google Custom Search where the results are illustrated with big thumbnails making it easier to scan the hits. Thumbnails also serve as visual clues which are helpful for kid users. The large Arial font offers better readability for kids and the results use safe-search parameters."

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4.12.15

Privacy Activity Sheets for Kids

Six activity sheets to get the conversation started


"Kids today go online earlier in life than ever before – [...]  We have created these six activity sheets to give parents and educators a fun way to get the conversation started. The sheets appear in order of difficulty, ranging from very simple (a colouring page) to more difficult (a simple cryptography activity)."

There is also a link to the "Social Smarts" comic/graphic novel.

All materials are also available "en français"

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3.12.15

Promote your library on Twitter

Tweet your displays and activities!

Do you want to tweet out your library happenings but feel you need some pointers? Try creating a PicCollage image first. You can use colours, overlay text and apply some cool effects and frames. The finished product can be saved to your camera roll and then uploaded as a single pic to tweet out to parents, colleagues and the world!

Here are a couple of videos (and a help page) to review the basics:

Video: PicCollage (How to create a collage)

Help Doc: Post Twitter pics on iPad

Video: How to use Twitter on the iPad (more general explanation of options of your options.)


Finally, here are some more ideas for tweets.

"Using Twitter right from your cell phone  [or iPad]  enables librarians to provide the entire school community with a window into their library. Tracy Karas a Librarian in New York City uses her phone to Tweet updates about new books that have come in, to celebrate student successes, to provide reminders about upcoming events and more."  [LINK]

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Changing YouTube Playback Speed

Slow the video for second language learners!


Adrian explains how to change the playback speed of a Youtube video. While he mentions why you might want to speed up the playback (ie. boring clip), second language teachers will be delighted to know that you can select 1/2 playback too. While the audio quality will vary depending on the original enunciation, it can make a rapid-fire French video much easier to grasp for FSL students. (ELL teachers could also find this useful.)

Tip: Don't forget to see if the clip has captions - sometimes the "on-the-fly" captions are laughable, but you might be lucky.


(merci ALP de m'avoir donner la suggestion!)

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24.11.15

Reading FollettShelf titles

Follett BryteWave options

Accessing your FollettShelf titles is easy using the link on the left-hand side of your Destiny catalog.
Using your school ID and log-in when prompted, you can read FollettShelf titles in your browser window (ie. Firefox, Safari, Chrome.) The eBooks I have purchased are single user titles, but your school may opt to purchase multi-user titles via Titlewave.

If you want an enhanced reading experience, you can use the Brytewave app. There are many versions available for pretty much any device. (Note: the Mac app can be downloaded and run from the Documents folder - it doesn't need to be dragged into the Applications folder.) I will be offering workshops on FollettShelf in the next couple of months with more pointers - stay tuned!

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The importance of skepticism in science: Joe Schwarcz

Great science-minded video
Here is an interesting TEDx presentation on the role and mistrust of chemistry in everyday life. Good vid for secondary Chemistry students. Joe Schwarcz, who works on educating the public about science, discusses the importance of skepticism in science. He has written a number of great titles on this topic.

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The Media as Portrayed in Movies: A Popular Topic

Analyzing the Media Through Docudramas
"Do your students know that when they watch docudramas, they're not watching history as it actually happened? Do they understand the "artistic license" that movie makers utilize when they contract to take an historical event and condense it into a two-hour film? [...] For every film that is released "based on true events" there are plenty of legitimate news stories, blog posts, or social media postings that attempt to pull back the curtain on what the filmmakers got right and what they might have altered and why. [...] Challenge your students to find news sources that are pulling back the curtain on the current crop of docudramas."

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Making Nonfiction from Scratch - preview book

Create delicious nonfiction full of passion, voice, and insight
"Do you have students whose nonfiction writing is formulaic, devoid of energy and voice? In Making Nonfiction from Scratch bestselling PD and children's book author Ralph Fletcher offers a candid critique of how nonfiction writing is often taught in schools and gives teachers the inspiration and strategies they need to help their students write authentic nonfiction."

Click on the Product preview button


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18.11.15

UbD resources from Jay McTighe

Support for your use of "Understanding by Design" planning

The resources tab on the JayMcTighe website has a number of useful links for teachers wanting more support as they explore UbD planning with their students. Of interest is the "Downloads" section, which offers Design Tools as well as sample Essential Questions for a range of curricular areas.

There are some helpful videos on the site as well: http://jaymctighe.com/resources/videos/

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"Love Over Fear" - A video response to the Paris attacks

Stay strong and stay together
Published on 16 Nov 2015
Ammar, Thomas, Matt and Derin are from 4 different countries and were particularly affected by the ISIS terror attacks from these past few weeks. "At a desperate time, we felt like the most important thing to remember is that we let them win if we divide ourselves... As people we have to stay strong and stay together. Love to you all."

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Story Monsters Ink - magazine

December 2015 issue available
"Story Monsters Ink is a free, subscription-based digest that gives parents and educators the latest news about award-winning and debut books. The magazine also features an author profile each month, listings of authors who visit schools, back to school and summer reading guides, listings of newly published books, as well as other articles about book trends, bookstores, author news, etc."
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The Lord of the Rings Mythology Explained in 10 Minutes

Middle-Earth simplified!
If your students are intrigued by "The Lord of the Rings", either books or movies, and want a quick primer (Magic Card style) on the mythological background, these 2 videos are for you.

"Presented in a rapid fire style like that of motormouth YA novelist and video educator John Green, "The Lord of the Rings Mythology Explained" is exactly that–two very quick tours, with illustrations, through the complex mythological world of Middle Earth, the setting of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, and other books you've maybe never heard of. These videos were made before the final installment of Jackson's interminable Hobbit trilogy, but they cover most major developments before and after the events in short book on which he based those films."

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17.11.15

ELA Authorized Novels - Alberta Ed

Authorized Novels and Nonfiction Annotated List -Gr 4 to 12 (2005)



Some suggestions from Alberta - you might find a title or two - notice that the lists are already a few years old!
This annotated list provides short quotation summaries, suggested themes and literary features. It also identifies potentially sensitive issues. This list also includes video titles that have been authorized to support some elementary and junior high school titles.

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