Tag Archives: Education

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

The Beloved Book Deconstructed

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Tired, Dusty and Tattered! Photo by Roger Salz and retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.
Tired, Dusty and Tattered! Photo by Roger Salz and retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.

My mother worked in a library for more 36 years before retiring and then re-entering the workforce to work in yet another library. And, throughout the last ten years, each member of my immediate family, including myself, has worked in a library. So to me the sight and smell of books brings back a host of familial memories. But I never really understood what created the unique scents of a book/book collection. I always suspected it was a concoction consisting of one part ink to two parts paper-lovingly combined with a pinch of dust.  Did you know AbeBooks, a subsidiary of Amazon.com Inc., created a short video answering this very question. Click here to listen to their explanation.

In addition, if you are a hardback collector or book enthusiast, here is list of other quick videos you might finding interesting:

  • How to identify a first edition book (link)
  • Book collecting Guide (link) -10 videos

Tip: If you participate in student/class orientations for a library, consider using the video about The Parts of a Book to supplement your presentation.

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Resources for Aspiring Writers!

Writing is a struggle against silence.  ~Carlos Fuentes

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Writing! Photo by Eruchhh and retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.

Writing can be filtered by many genres; biography, business, memoir, fantasy, science, etc. Regardless of the form it takes, writing is a powerful tool to convey thoughts, ideas, and concepts. However, writing can also be a solitary and isolating endeavor. In April, Open Educational Database (OEDb) released a list of 150 Useful, Educational, and Inspirational Blogs for Aspiring Writers. This post is intended for authors looking for insight, encouragement or inspiration. It is also for seasoned authors interested in networking or brainstorming with a peer/peer group.  These resources may make the difference between a completed project or a draft, a published book or unpublished manuscript.

Click here to learn more!

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Gamification in Education

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Games! Photo by Declan (TM) retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.
Games! Photo by Declan (TM) retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.

With technology seeping into most every aspect of life, it is important to take a step back and evaluate what are the best, most appropriate applications in your professional and personal life. How much technology is too much? Does a game/program enhance how a particular topic is conveyed?  Can games induce excitement about certain content?

In September 2012, Edudemic, in partnership with Knewton, posted an article titled, The 100-Second Guide To Gamification In Education.  Gamification is becoming a growing trend in which games are introduced as a teaching tool to supplement the delivery of core curriculum.  Therefore, the question remains, if over 5 million people play games more 45 hours a week, what elements of gaming can be cultivated for education? As a follow-up to this article, this month Edudemic posted 25 Things Teachers Should Know About Gamification.

Here are three points made in the full article;

#11. Gamification is designed with the assumption that players aren’t initially interested. This means games are exciting and engaging enough to capture the attention of an uninterested student and carry them through to the end.

#16. One goal of Gamification in the school setting is to allow kids to be creators of their own knowledge, allowing the teacher to be an assistant to the child’s learning journey.

#18. Gamification models are being used in other educational settings as well, such as job trainings and seminars.

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist

Summer Learning Resources!

Image by Ahmad Hammound-some rights reserved
Image by Ahmad Hammound-some rights reserved

Edudemic (May 2013) posted an article on Ten Resources for Learning Over the Summer.  This is a quick, easily read post for all educators looking to enhance a program or instructional design. Below is a list of the general content areas discussed. Click here to read the full article.

  1. How Do Teachers Inspire Curiosity in Their Students
  2. Teaching and Learning with Videos
  3. Creative Classroom Ideas
  4. Add Multimedia Components to Presentations
  5. PBL (Project Based Learning)
  6. Engage, Inspire, and Educate Interactively Online
  7. Game Statistics and Game Simulation Applications for PE Teachers
  8. Eureka Moments–Fostering & Inspiring Creativity & Innovation
  9. No Homework
  10. Tools for Creating

Tip: When you are ready to begin planning for the 2013/14 school year, consider introducing at least one new idea into your classroom/media center. 

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist

1:1 iPad Technology Institute

Image by Sean MacEntee some rights reserved
Image by Sean MacEntee some rights reserved

Minnetonka High School has fully integrated all 9th and 10th grade students with iPads. By expanding this initiative to include students in grades 8 and 11, it will bring their total number of 1:1 participants to more than 3,100 students.

Is your school thinking about developing a 1:1 initiative? Consider attending the 1:1 iPad Technology Institute on Friday, June 28th from 8:00-3:00 pm hosted by the Minnetonka Institute for Leadership.  By attending this institute you will gain an inside look at how-to approach the 1:1 process on everything from planning, budgets, communications, training, etc.  The presenters will include district staff and teachers. And, lets not forget about the students (end-users) who will have opportunities to share their experiences throughout the day.

If you register for this institute before Friday, May 31st the cost  is $139. Click here to register or learn more about this opportunity.