READ poster idea

Create "READ" posters of your staff and students

Snap a picture of a staff member reading in their natural environment. Import the pic into BigHugeLabs and use the motivational poster template. (I chose portrait mode).

http://bighugelabs.com/motivator.php

You can change the message, the subtitle and the colours to match the photo you've chosen. Your finished product can be printed "letter size" on a colour printer, or used on a webpage. (If you want to pay for it, BigHugeLabs will even print a real poster for you and mail it.)

You can make this even more fun by using the SmartBoard software (Notebook). Import a staff picture, use the "Set image transparency" feature to remove a single colour background and then superimpose it on a second image. (ie an amazing background - cliff edge, Everest, Pamplona, etc.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2p3MqXaMlI 

The final combination result can be captured as a screen shot and uploaded to BigHugeLabs and used with the poster template.

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WebPath Express - now search by Lexile

Want to make your Webpage searches more useful?

Destiny's WebPath Express searches a database of webpages carefully selected by Follett. These results are ranked by age/grade-level and tagged with topic terms, type of resource (ie. biography) and come with a short description of the site. You also have the option of restricting by domain, language, format and source. What's new is that you can now sort your search results by Lexile.

Access the eLibrary from the Destiny page, and choose "WebPath Express" from the left-side tabs:

Run a search on your subject of interest, and then in the results, select the Lexile range you want, and click the "Get Results" button. This should help you find more usable websites.

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Dictionary of Canadian Biography - added to HS Visual Tab

"A biographical reference work for Canada"

http://www.biographi.ca/en/

"There are now almost 8,500 biographies on this website, comprising the complete contents of volumes I to XV, which describe the lives of those whose deaths or whose last-known activities occurred in the years 1000 to 1930. Also included are entries on voyagers whose verifiable dates precede 1000 – Saint Brendan (Bréanainn), Eirikr Thorvaldsson (Eric the Red), and Herjólfsson Bjarni – and more than 70 biographies of individuals who died after 1930.

Secondary schools will notice the addition of the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online" to Destiny's Visual Tab. (Also viewable in French) The complete work will span 1000AD to 2000. Content from Volume 16 is currently being added and the remaining volumes (up to 22) will be added over time.

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Mathematics and Science in SD38 - Janice N's blog

Want some great Math and Science ideas?

http://blogs.sd38.bc.ca/sd38mathandscience/

Janice shares some of the work she has been doing in Math and Science. Many of her ideas incorporate iPad apps as a way of representing learning and documenting findings. (Some of her video content is still on her original blog: http://sd38mathandscience.blogspot.ca )

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Grade 7 shelf anyone?

What are your Grade 7s reading?

Some TLs are building a shelf to entice Grade 7 readers and give students something to look forward to in their last year of Elementary school. What defines a Grade Seven Shelf? "Edgy but not too edgy! Socially relevant! Controversial (maybe just a bit), lots of drama, challenging themes ....etc. etc." What are your criteria? Share the titles you label Grade Seven Only and help your colleagues generate a must-have list.

Some possible cadidates:

• http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/grade-7
• http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/grade-7-shelf
• http://www.shelfari.com/groups/84781/lists/read
• http://www.shelfari.com/groups/96404/lists/read
• https://www.librarything.com/tag/grade+7
  

See also: MiddleShelf Digital Magazine

Middle Shelf is a digital review magazine about books for middle grade readers and features author interviews, reviews, excerpts, and more

http://www.shelfmediagroup.com/pages/introducing-middle-shelf.html

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Creating a Culture of Reading!

We're All In This Together

http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2014/05/23/were-all-in-this-together-by-emily-meixner/

How do we create a culture of reading? Emily Meixner offers some important steps we can take:

".... The truth of the matter is, we can't really establish a culture of reading in schools unless everyone is on board, unless everyone is, at some point or another, visibly a reader.  From the administrative offices to the library to classrooms to the lunch room to the locker room, we have to become one big team with one very explicit mission: to prove to students that when it comes to reading, we're all in this together.  We're totally and fully and happily in cahoots with each other...."

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SLJ SummerTeen 2014 Conference - online and Free

A must for anyone who loves YA/teen literature.

http://www.slj.com/summerteen/

This free online event features authors, illustrators and editors of teen titles. It's completely virtual conference—no traveling and no cost! SummerTeen is a must for anyone who loves YA/teen literature.

"The third annual SummerTeen virtual conference presents popular YA authors talking about their writing experiences and current and forthcoming titles in an engaging, conversational format, including live Q&A with the audience. Get up close with co-keynoters Matthew Quick, author of Silver Linings Playbook and The Good Luck of Right Now and Gayle Forman, author of If I Stay."

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"One Best Thing": A Collection of Multi-Touch Books

Explore a unit, a lesson, or a best practice

http://blog.isaacpineda.com/2014/04/apple-launches-one-best-thing.html

This set of iBook format resources is well worth checking out. Just do a search on the iBooks store for "One Best Thing". These materials are free, and produced by educators for educators.  Apple describes the "One Best Thing" collection as:

A collection of books, created by Apple Distinguished Educators, that demonstrate the use of Apple technologies to transform teaching and learning. Each "One Best Thing" book shares a unit, a lesson, or a best practice and is designed to help another educator implement a successful practice.

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eBooks and pBooks - what do the numbers say?

Do you read eBooks?

http://ebookfriendly.com/libraries-matter-library-infographics/libraries-are-forever-infographic/

[Link to graphic file]

There has been some controversy in the media about the relative merits of paper vs screens for fiction & non-fiction reading. This infographic has some interesting data about the use of eBooks by the general public. Electronic or print – it may not matter in the long run - what really matters is finding that "good book"!

For more info: http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2012/04/04/the-rise-of-e-reading/

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2014 Summer Reading List | Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)

Reading Lists with new and exciting titles

http://www.ala.org/alsc/2014-summer-reading-list

"Updated Summer Reading Lists with new and exciting titles!  Three Summer Reading book lists are available for K-2nd, 3rd-5th and 6th-8th grade students. Each list is available to download for free in color and black and white."  

(Lists can be customized - PDFs have blank customizable fields in the middle panel of page one of the flyer. Put your school and library name, as well as a "plug" for reading!)

The suggested titles page for each list could also be passed on to classroom teachers so they can promote selected novels with their students.

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Tech project changes how a district views its librarians

School librarians are part of the team leading digital transformation

http://www.districtadministration.com/article/tech-project-changed-how-we-view-our-librarians

A district in Nebraska recognizes and embraces the valuable role of teacher-librarians in leveraging the use of digital resources and facilitating technology integration.

"[I]t is vital that school librarians and media specialists are part of the team leading the digital transformation, maximizing resources and expanding knowledge in our schools. [...] They are instructional leaders aligning the curriculum with subscription and open-source digital content. The librarians are showing our teachers, students and parents how to access these curated resources. [...] Leaders are everywhere and media specialists and librarians have this natural opportunity to meet and know all students, and to meet and work with all teachers," Edwards says. "It just makes sense that we would activate and really build capacity for that leadership."

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What excellent library design should be...

Not a warehouse, but a place to delight users.

"We recognize today that the focus of excellent library design should be to delight users, not to warehouse objects. ... In addition to providing shelves of books, libraries today must, at a minimum, provide those catalysts of curiosity that engage the mind and uplift the spirit: natural light, ubiquitous but largely invisible technology and a variety of spaces flexibly designed for independent study or collaboration."

Richard Reyes-Gavilan "How a public library set me free": Washington Post. May 16, 2014.

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Invitation to Register for BCTLA Summer Institute

Registration is now open for the BCTLA's 2014 Summer Institute, Participatory Culture and the School Library in the 21st Century featuring Buffy Hamilton.  (August 26th, West Van) Ms. Hamilton is a teacher librarian and author of the award winning blog, The Unquiet Librarian.  She is what most of us aspire to be: a front line teacher librarian whose knowledge of literacy runs deep and broad, is researched based and is practice oriented.  Several of our BCTLA executive members have heard her speak and have raved about her presentations.   KidsBooks will also be presenting, offering book talks on new titles for a new school year.  Please register early as this summer institute is likely to fill fast. Here is the link: http://www.bctf.ca/bctla/info/pro-dev.html. 

P.S. You can follow Buffy Hamilton on Twitter or Facebook. 

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How to share IDs and passwords

Letting your school community know!

Remember that your students and parents will need to know the ID and password for your school if they are going to use any of the district eResources from home. Here's a suggestion: print mailing labels with ID and PW and stick them to bookmarks, print newsletters and agendas, etc. Don't forget that we cannot share this information on an open website! (There are a couple of lawsuits working their way through the legal system on this very issue.) You might also want to remind your teaching colleagues to check their blogs and class sites too.

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How to Decode a Tweet

What are all those @s and #s?

http://edtechsandyk.blogspot.ca/2013/01/how-to-decode-tweet.html

Sandy Kendell explains what the different elements of a typical tweet are used for.

"When you first start using Twitter, one of the things you have to figure out is how to decode Tweets. What does each part represent? What does it mean when a word starts with a #? ..."

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Elections Canada - Teacher resources

Spark Interest in Voting in Your Classroom

http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=vot&dir=yth/tea&document=index&lang=e

Many downloadables, in both offical languages

"Educational Products and Resources – We Provide the Tools! Elections Canada offers elementary, secondary and ESL teachers free educational resources, tools, activities, information and links, all designed to make your work a little easier."

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How concerned should we be about reading level?

What do you read for fun?

http://www.mackinvia-connext.com/2014/05/15/why-do-middle-high-school-students-choose-books-with-lower-reading-levels/

Tracy Luehrs writes a spirited defence of teen and adult reading habits in the wake of a study that maintains teens are choosing below-grade-level books when they read for pleasure. (read her complete article)

"...I know that I'm preaching to the choir, but I have to say it: Challenging fiction is more than just big words. Fiction, especially after elementary school, is challenging because of characterization, themes, figurative language and all that other stuff which is hard to put a number on."

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Reading A- Z Level Correlation Chart

What level is that again?

http://www.readinga-z.com/readinga-z-levels/level-correlation-chart/

On the back of the book it says: "Level B, Age 4-6, Grade K, Reading Recovery 1, DRA- A1, PMR Starters 1, Lexile BR-70" .... do the terms and the levels seem a little confusing? Here's a great chart that lets you see at a glance how the different systems compare to one another. The next time someone asks you if a "PM reader 5-6 yellow red" is the same as Lexile 300, you'll be able to say "yes" with confidence!

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Building Literacy with Popular Web 2.0 Tools

Teaching Literacy in the Digital Age

http://www.iste.org/docs/excerpts/LITTEC-excerpt.pdf

Here is an preview chapter from "Teaching Literacy in the Digital Age" (Ch 14) published by ISTE. The author discusses the use of Blogger, Edmodo, Wordle and Audacity to promote literacy.

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Red Cedar Nominees for 2014/2015

Get a jump on your summer reading!

http://www.redcedaraward.ca/index.php

The nominees for next year (2014-15) are:

• Ultra by David Carroll
• The Metro Dogs of Moscow by Rachelle Delaney
• Home Ice Advantage by Tom Earle
• Poser by Alison Hughes
• The Spotted Dog Last Seen by Jessica Scott Kerrin
• September 17 by Amanda West Lewis
• The Hidden Agenda of Sigrid Sugden by Jill MacLean
• Athlete vs. Mathlete by W.C. Mack
• Pieces of the Past (Dear Canada series) by Carol Matas
• Amelia and Me by Heather Stemp
• Curse of the Dream Witch by Allan Stratton
• Enigma (Camp X series) by Eric Walters
  

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