Library Links

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


25.11.11

Store, Share and Sync Files Easily - Dropbox

The Complete Dropbox for Educators

See Jeff's blog to view a number of links he has curated regarding Dropbox and education
"Dropbox is a very useful tool to store online files, sync your computers and mobile devices and share files. With all those capabilities it makes it a natural tool for educators!"

===================

The Full Text Archive

Another way to Access Public Domain Books

Nice clean interface. Titles can be read on the site in an easy to read html format or downloaded as a PDF for off-line browsing. They feature a "book of the day" as well. (The tag cloud does a search on the Amazon site for purchase.)

"The full text archive is a collection of free books that you can read online. You can now enjoy reading them free of charge and Full Text Archive is ever-expanding so please visit often."

=================


24.11.11

Free Web tools to enhance classroom practice

60 in 60: Sixty Web Tools in Sixty Minutes (Webinar)
When: November 17, 2011 (Actual presentation starts at the 4:05 minute mark)
Presenter: Brandon Lutz

"What free Web tools are available to enhance classroom practices? Teachers will leave the presentation with 60 Web tools that can immediately be implemented in the everyday classroom. These tools allow teachers to seamlessly provide differentiated instruction to students on all levels in any subject. Presenter: Brandon Lutz, School District of Philadelphia Introduction by Tara Park, PA Virtual Charter School."

==================




English language learner webcasts (from Colorín Colorado)

Reading to Learn: English Language Learners in Grades 4-6

Many students encounter difficulty as they transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" in fourth grade, and this difficulty can be even more pronounced for English language learners. What can teachers do to make the transition into the upper elementary grades less difficult, especially for their ELLs?

"As part of the Reading Rocket's Professional Development Webcast series, Colorín Colorado offers programs featuring experts who study English language learners (ELLs). Webcasts offer an exciting new way to learn about teaching ELLs. Each webcast features a 45-minute video program, which includes recommended readings, suggested discussion questions. Some webcasts also have an accompanying Power Point presentation."

Other webcasts on the site, see left-hand side of page, halfway down.

===================


QR codes in education

Explore the uses of QR codes
Other sites

"A QR Code (Quick Response Code) is a two-dimensional image that is readable by smartphones with cameras. QR codes were created by a Japanese company, Denso Wave. Developed in 1994, they are becoming popular as a quick way to access specific URLs and other information via mobile devices."

================

Printable Google "Cheat Sheets"

Handy Reference Tips from Google

Print up these "sticker" or "mousepad" tipsheets for the common search operators for Google. Keep them handy for students and staff.

==============

21.11.11

Spell with flickr

Ransom Notes or Quirky Displays!

Spell with Flickr: Erik Kastner has created a PHP & Javascript page that allows you to generate words made from "found" letters on Flickr. Great for titles, banners on webpages, classroom and library displays.

===============

Top 10 Sites for Video Editing

Favorite sites for editing videos
"David Kapuler (an educational consultant with more than 10 years of experience working in the K-12 environment) shares his favorite sites for editing videos -- a valuable skill for technology literacy. For more information about his work, contact him at dkapuler@gmail.com and read his blog at cyber-kap.blogspot.com ."

NB: Some sites may have content that may not be appropriate for all age groups.
==================

Qwiki - reading the news

Represent text news in audio and visual format
There is also an iPad app for this site.
Information text is machine read, and accompanied by images and video clips that illustrate the information being presented.

"We are the first to turn information into an experience. We believe that just because data is stored by machines doesn't mean it should be presented as a machine-readable list. Think of asking your favorite teacher about Leonardo Da Vinci, or your most well-traveled friend about Buenos Aires: this is the experience Qwiki will eventually deliver. This is our goal at Qwiki – to advance information technology to the point it acts human."

=============

5 Things Every School Library Website Should Have

The Adventures of Library Girl

Some recommendations for your library site re-design project:

"...Who is looking at your library's website?  And if the answer is nobody, who do you WANT to be looking at it?  Your students?  Your (current and prospective) parents?  Teachers?  Principal?  District administrators?  Other librarians (like me!)?  [...]

More importantly, though, once these folks arrive at your site, does it provide them with an accurate and complete picture of what your library is all about?  By clicking your links, do they get a taste of how the work you do actually impacts student learning?  If not, it's time for a redesign."

===============

Projects on Skype

Skype in the classroom

"Skype in the classroom was created in response to – and in consultation with – the growing number of teachers using Skype to help their students learn. It's designed to help like-minded teachers find each other, collaborate on projects and share inspiration and resources. Browse all of the projects on Skype in the classroom. (Each project sets out what kind of help is needed.)"

============

UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Curriculum

Media and Information Literacy Curriculum for Teachers
(192 pages, published by UNESCO)

"This Media and Information Literacy Curriculum for Teachers is pioneering for two reasons. First, it draws on present trends toward the convergence of radio, television, Internet, newspapers, books, digital archives and libraries into one platform. Second, it is specifically designed with teachers in mind and for integration into the formal teacher education system.

It is divided into two parts.
  • Part 1 provides the MIL Curriculum and Competency Framework, with an overview of the curriculum rationale, design and main themes.
  • Part 2 includes the detailed Core and Non-Core Modules of the curriculum. (The MIL Curriculum for Teachers will be translated into Arabic, French, Russian, Spanish and, eventually, other languages.)"
===============

Harrison High School Media Center Wiki - eReader info

Some collected "wisdom" about eReaders and formats

A collection of links and ideas for using eReaders. This wiki is associated with the Harrison High School Media Centre and is part of the service provided by the TL to staff and students.

======================

Learn About Robots. etc from Stanford Professors, Free of Charge

Three (Free) Online Courses in Computer Science from Stanford

"This fall Stanford University took a step forward in the open-education movement by offering three free online courses, following in the footsteps of several other elite colleges like Yale University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology."

Three classes are being offered - click on the links for more info - "Machine Learning," "Introduction to Artificial Intelligence," and "Introduction to Databases"

======================

Limit your search results to a specific reading level

Reading level & Google Searching
"Sometimes you may want to limit your search results to a specific reading level. For instance, a junior high school teacher looking for content for her students or a second-language learner might want web pages written at a basic reading level. A scientist searching for the latest findings from the experts may want to limit results to those at advanced reading levels."

To limit your search results to a specific reading level, follow the steps on this page:

Online interactive tools for teaching story elements

Lessons that look at story elements
Here are some great online interactive tools for teaching and representing story elements (from readwritethink.org):

Story Map Comic Strips:
"In this lesson, students use a six-paneled comic strip to create a story map, summarizing a book or story that they've read either read as a class or independently. The story strips that result provide a great way to evaluate student's understanding of important events and elements in a novel."


Picture Books to Teach Characterization
"This lesson uses picture books to demonstrate how writers develop strong, interesting characters. When they are exposed to multiple texts that illustrate effective writing, students naturally begin to think about how that the techniques can be applied to their own writing."

Northwest Coast Cedar House Model

Cedar House model PDF file

"This project is designed to be done at the 4th grade level, but can be easily adapted for older children. Great for exploring Cultures and Daily Life. Have students discuss the symbolic meaning of the decorative designs they choose to use. The house can be created by copying the house patterns onto card stock. Scissors, a glue stick and colouring pencils/crayons/felts are also needed."

PDF File contains: The house pattern, construction instructions, "paper dolls" set, and a short list of library references.

==================