Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 26th from 4-7pm! We will be in the Bremer Community Room at the St. Cloud Public Library and will have so many things to share with you!
The grant is funded in part with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education using federal funding, CFDA 45.310 – Library Services and Technology Act, Grants to States Program (LS-00-19-0024-19).
This year, we are so excited about our Year of STEAM at CMLE! And we’re especially excited because we received a grant LSTA grant from the MN Department of Education, the State Library Services, with money from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), we were able to buy VR/AR kits we will be sharing across our member school libraries!! These headsets are sturdy and meant to be used in schools. When you receive the headsets in your school you will also be given access to an online Portal that contains hundreds of curriculum-aligned lesson plans that incorporates the VR/AR technology.
We will have an application ready soon, but for now, if you would like to request a kit, just email admin @ cmle.org. We’ll have some questions for you and will work out the details! (Please keep in mind these kits must be coordinated through your school library).
We are holding a Fall Welcome Back Event on Thursday, Sept. 26th from 4-7 at the St. Cloud Public Library and will be happy to bring kits along to distribute to members that have contacted us and applied ahead of time.
Otherwise, we’ll have signup sheets and more information available at the event. Plus, you can try the VR headsets for yourselves! (They are seriously cool).
We are working with the vendor to schedule formal in-person training sessions and will announce them when we know more. In the meantime, you can get started on our vendor’s website – browsing around to get some ideas you might want to try when your kit arrives.
Also, browse this document! It’s the setup and user’s guide. You also NEED to show this to your IT people before your kit arrives, so they have time to make any modifications. (Show them page 27: Technical Guidelines.)
Watch this video to see what the headsets look like, and watch our website all year for updates from schools that are using the headsets in their libraries and classrooms! Of course, email admin @ cmle.org with any questions.
The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announced their picks for Best Apps for Teaching & Learning 2019. “Apps recognized foster the qualities of innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration and are user friendly to encourage a community of learners to explore and discover. “
Quizlet is a free app “which enables teachers and students to create digital flashcards. Quizlet can also automatically generate interactive games and even tests of the material you enter into it. Five or ten minutes of typing (or pasting=) upfront can yield literally hours’ worth of automatically-assessed activities inside and outside of the classroom. “
Platform: iOS & Android Cost: FREE Grades: All
The Quizlet site has a blog where teachers can contribute posts sharing how they’ve used the app in their classrooms. This post discusses ways to use the app in a math classroom.
Check out this review of the app from Common Sense Education. This article from the AES Educator blog shares some pros and cons of using the app in the classroom. And this post from We Are Teachers gives six ways to incorporate the app into your classroom!
Watch this video to see some of the ways to use Quizlet:
If you’d like to meet us at this event, please RSVP below!
Next Tuesday, Sept. 17th author Chris Abani will give a reading at the Gorecki Family Center at the College of St. Ben’s at 7pm.
From the St. Ben’s website: Chris Abani is known as an international voice on humanitarianism, art, ethics, and our shared political responsibility. He is a bestselling novelist and poet PEN Freedom-to-Write winner. Check out Abani’s work here.
This event is free but you do need tickets. Find them at the St. Ben’s website and let us know below if you’d like to meet up beforehand or at the event:
The East Central Regional Libraries are part of our CMLE system and we are so excited to help share the news about the many wonderful events celebrating their 60th Anniversary!
All of these events are free and for all ages. Make sure to get your 60th Anniversary Passbook stamped for a chance to win a ton of prizes!
You can get more information from their article here, or read on for a taste of the great programs coming your way! And congratulations, ECRL!
Her music is original, drawing on the influence of classic country, bluegrass, folk, and her own thoughtful spirit. This program begins with Becky Schlegel’s performance from 6:30-7:15pm, followed by an open house from 7:15-8pm.
Belle Amour is a fun, high energy jazz group that performs vintage jazz standards with a touch of international flair. This event begins with Belle Amour’s performance from 6:30-7:15pm, followed by an open house from 7:15-8pm.
Award-winning journalist Boyd Huppert got his start in broadcasting as a 16-year-old announcer at his hometown radio station in River Falls, Wisconsin. He joined KARE 11 in 1996, where he now produces and hosts the weekly Land of 10,000 Stories segment. Boyd’s presentation begins at 6:30pm and will be followed by an open house until 8pm.
Briand Morrison is celebrated by many as the North Shore’s finest jazz guitar player. He plays music on a full-time basis and is praised for his clear sound, unique style, and dedication to music. Morrison’s performance from 6:30-7:15pm will be followed by an open house from 7:15-8pm.
Come on down to the library for some good ol’ American folk music with Corpse Reviver, a Minneapolis trio that likes to play music from the Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music. The program begins with Corpse Reviver’s performance from 6-7pm, with an open house to follow.
Get ready to go on a musical journey where the world shines a little brighter. Kiki and Greg, from the group Dancing Light, fuse folk, classical, rock and pop genres for a unique musical experience. This program begins with Dancing Light’s performance for the first 45 minutes, followed by an open house.
Let’s go back to the ‘50s! If you’re into the music of Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and the like, then you will love Holy Rocka Rollaz. This high energy trio will perform from 6:30-7:30 pm, with an open house to follow.
From sad and somber slow tunes to swampy, caterwauling stompers, Mike Munson’s music is a master class in creative blues composition and performance. His performance from 6:30-7:15 pm will be followed by an open house from 7:15-8 pm.
These programs are funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
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