Tag Archives: Teachers

Books

Book Bouquet: Teachers Who Make A Difference

Each week we assemble a collection – a bouquet, if you will – of books you can read for yourself, or use to build into a display in your library. As always, the books we link to have info from Amazon.com. If you click a link and then buy anything at all from Amazon, we get a small percent of their profits from your sale. Yay!!! Thanks!!! We really appreciate the assistance! 💕😊

We have some really impressive members who work in school libraries and help teachers integrate tech tools into their classrooms. So we want to share some reading suggestions about books featuring awesome teachers!

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
“For all the ten years of her life, Hà has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, and the warmth of her friends close by. But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hà and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, Hà discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food . . . and the strength of her very own family.”

Twerp by Mark Goldblatt
“Julian Twerski isn’t a bully. He’s just made a big mistake. So when he returns to school after a weeklong suspension, his English teacher offers him a deal: if he keeps a journal and writes about the terrible incident that got him and his friends suspended, he can get out of writing a report on Shakespeare. Julian jumps at the chance. And so begins his account of life in sixth grade–blowing up homemade fireworks, writing a love letter for his best friend (with disastrous results), and worrying whether he’s still the fastest kid in school. Lurking in the background, though, is the one story he can’t bring himself to tell, the one story his teacher most wants to hear.”

Sahara Special by Esme Raji Codell
“There are two files on Sahara Jones. The one the school counselor keeps is evidence that she’s a fifth-grader who needs special education. The other is the book Sahara is secretly writing, her Heart-Wrenching Life Story and Amazing Adventures. The latest chapter in her book unfolds when her mother insists that she be taken out of special Ed. So Sahara is facing fifth grade in the regular classroom, again. But why even try to do the work, Sahara wonders, if everything just winds up in the counselor’s file? Enter Miss Pointy, the new fifth-grade teacher. With her eggplant-colored lipstick, and strange subjects such as “Puzzling” and “Time Travel,” she’s like no other teacher Sahara has ever known. Through Miss Pointy’s unusual teaching, storytelling, and quiet support, Sahara finds the courage to overcome her fears and prove which file shows her true self.”

Dancing in a Distant Place by Isla Dewar
“A warm and intelligent novel about a young teacher who throws herself into the lives of her students in the hopes of forgetting the past, only to find it returning more vividly than ever.
When Iris Chisholm arrives in the tiny Scottish Highland community of Green Cairns, she’s still in a state of shock–not so much from her husband’s untimely death as from the discovery that he’d gambled away all their money and even their home. In addressing the problems of the children at the school where she works, Iris finds distractions from worries. Further distractions come in the shape of a honey-tongued lawyer and a gentle handyman. This is a novel with wit and heart from an author who is quickly rising in the ranks of international women’s fiction authors.”

The Class: A Life-Changing Teacher, His World-Changing Kids, and the Most Inventive Classroom in America by Heather Won Tesoriero
“Andy Bramante left his successful career as a corporate scientist to teach public high school–and now helms one of the most remarkable classrooms in America. Bramante’s unconventional class at Connecticut’s prestigious yet diverse Greenwich High School has no curriculum, tests, textbooks, or lectures, and is equal parts elite research lab, student counseling office, and teenage hangout spot. United by a passion to learn, Mr. B.’s band of whiz kids set out every year to conquer the brutally competitive science fair circuit. They have won the top prize at the Google Science Fair, made discoveries that eluded scientists three times their age, and been invited to the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm.”

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Angie's recap of EdCamp MidMN 2016

empty swingsWritten Thursday, June 9, 2016
By Angie Gentile-Jordan, CMLE Office Administrator

This summer I got to be a part of EdCamp for the first time, and I’m still in awe of the positive energy from the event. Seriously, even just re-reading the notes from the sessions that I missed was fun! I’m so impressed with the amount of knowledge and enthusiasm from our local educators.

This event is what is referred to as an “unconference.” That means the agenda for the day is drawn up in real time by the people participating. A simple explanation is that one attendee names a topic they would like to learn more about, and the audience is asked if there is anyone in attendance that could teach on that topic. See here for more explanation. It was a new concept for me, but makes total sense. In the fast-paced world of K-12 education a schedule made ahead of time might not be relevant by the time the event rolls around.  You can check out the schedule from EdCamp MidMN 2016 here.

I had such a hard time choosing which sessions to go to! I was curious about all of them. But I narrowed it down to these four: Digital Organization, Digital Citizenship, Tech Integrationist Discussion, and Culture of Reading.

Digital Organization: I learned about the challenge of using technology in the most efficient way in regards to keeping students organized. Educators shared about their experiences using different platforms like Schoology, Skyward, Planbook, and even just regular paper planners. The age of the student plays a huge factor in deciding which platform to use. Parental involvement also makes a difference with how likely a student is to actually use their planning tools. There was also a discussion on how “in your face” these reminders and planners should be, and when students need to take responsibility for remembering their obligations.

Digital Citizenship: This conversation began with several attendees voicing their frustrations with using the Common Sense Media site to teach kids how to be smart online. There is also the challenge to find time within the school day to talk about digital citizenship. There was agreement that it needs to be an ongoing conversation, beginning right away in kindergarten, and that each age group needs to have it’s own tailored content. Since many schools have gone 1:1 with their devices, that presents another challenge of how to handle a situation in which a device is used inappropriately. Many in the discussion shared that taking the device away isn’t the best answer, since the student does need that device to complete schoolwork. Some suggestions were to close the App store, turn the device in at the end of the day, or just plain old detention. There was also a conversation about trying to teach students how to use social media in an appropriate way – the example was given from an instructor that created Facebook and Twitter accounts from the point of view of characters in a book that they were reading. The students then were able to use those accounts from the perspective of the characters, which gave them experience in how to create and react to content on social media and online.

Tech Integrationist Discussion: This session was a chance for tech integrationists to share the responsibilities they are tasked with at their schools, and also the challenges that go along with the position. Two challenges that were common were differentiating themselves from the IT or tech department, and getting teachers to allow them into their classrooms to help with incorporating technology into their lesson plans. Some solutions presented were sending out a Google Form to teachers asking about what they would like to learn, and then setting up an appointment, and following up afterwards. Another strategy that worked well for one attendee was trying to get “in” with at least one teacher per grade level, because people are more likely to listen to their peers.

Culture of Reading: This was by far the biggest session of the four that I attended. People were packed in the room, and some even had to stand in the doorway! It was so exciting to see people dedicated to encouraging kids to read! People shared some ways that had worked in their classrooms to help kids love to read: incorporate choice and have students select which books they actually want to read, make summer checkout available for reading over break, and featuring Book Talks so students share what they like to read with each other. Another option that sounded like fun was a “Book Tasting” where a teacher had selected books to be appetizers, main course, and then dessert, where kids were able to get five minutes to sample at each station. There was also discussion of the best ways to ensure comprehension and that the students are being challenged in their reading choices.

7407206_origThank you to all the educators that made EdCamp MidMN 2016 successful! You were all so welcoming, and I appreciated the chance to find out what content CMLE needs to feature in order to be a support to area educators.

Image credit: https://unsplash.com/(Aaron Burden), licensed under CC0 1.0

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

How will you deal with end of the year burnout?

I have a plan. (187/365)Many of our academic librarians are already done for the academic year, public librarians are gearing up for summer reading programs, and our K-12 audience is usually coming to the finish line on fumes. Just in case you want to throw your hands up in the air and simply storm out of the worksite at year end, dig deep, and consider taking the time to reflect on the year. Seriously…even if it felt like this year almost killed you! I find it enormously helpful to take a breath, get honest, and take stock about this time of year. Consider the following questions, and write down (and save) your answers if at all possible.

  1. What was hardest this year? Why?
  2. What brought you joy? How often did you feel joy?
  3. What do you know you could do better next year?
  4. What skills must you learn to feel fully up to speed doing your job?

You may be too tired to set goals, but wouldn’t it feel great to have a plan for next year? Wouldn’t it be nice to end next year without feeling completely exhausted, depleted, or sad? The folks at Edutopia recently wrote a Teacher Wellness post about dealing with burnout throughout the year. You will notice one of the strategies is writing it down! A quick read, and you could even save it to put with your notes from this taking stock exercise I described here! You will enter a new academic year confident that you have a plan!

Have a phenomenal summer, you all deserve it.

Patricia-

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/qc788l4, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Academic, Public, School Media Specialist

Need help with your stretched budget?

Yellow butterflyAre you an educator looking for additional funding? If so, you definitely should investigate the site GetEdFunding.

Sponsored by CDW-G, their mission is to help educators with the funds needed to supplement budgets that are already stretched very thin. The site features thousands of grants and awards that are updated daily. These opportunities are available to both public and private institutions, pre-K and K-12 educators, schools, districts, institutions of higher learning, and also nonprofit organizations that assist these places.

They do require you to register with the site, but once registered, you can do very specialized searches (including 43 areas of focus) to help find relevant grant and award opportunities. They also feature a handy “Deadline Alert” section that highlights which grants and awards will need to be submitted soon.

Click Here to Search for Funding Opportunities.

Remember, CMLE has a grants page too. More info here.

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/zhvcobz licensed under (CC BY-SA 3.0)
General, School Media Specialist

Bringing Professional Development and Tech into a 1:1 District

Photo by Ben Rosett - Unsplash.comMuch is made of the effect a 1:1 move has on students in a school district. But what about the teachers and administration? How are they affected and what can they do to better handle the change? This is the premise behind Edutopia’s piece about bringing professional development into a 1:1 district. In the article, they focus on the Salisbury Township School District and its mission to not only bring 1:1 devices to the students in the district but also change the mindset of its teachers and administration as well.

[1:1] requires a shift in mindset and in the daily practices of school leaders, teachers, and students. In order to support school leaders and teachers to become their most effective at using digital technologies with new pedagogies, it is vital that a district support the digital transformation through varied building-level and district-level professional learning opportunities.

Changing the mindset and daily practices is no small task, but Edutopia gives us some helpful hints:

  1. Align PD goals with 1:1 program goals – with goals clearly defined, professional development efforts can be fine-tuned.
  2. Rethink use of human resources – rethink the human and financial resources dedicated to supporting change.
  3. Personalize the PD program through differentiation and choice –  adult learners come to the work environment with a variety of knowledge.
  4. Instructional Technology Cohorts – professional development took the form of a cohort model over three years.
  5. Summer Academy – professional learning offerings has been provided for professional and support staff.
  6. Conferences and Workshops – encourage staff to attend conferences and workshops offered outside the district.
  7. Learning for School Leaders – school and district leaders meets monthly in a lunch and learn format.
  8. Evaluate PD efforts to meet developing needs – professional development should be monitored and evaluated to stay relevant.

Read the whole article now!

Image credit: http://unsplash.com/BenRosett licensed under CC0 1.0