Skype Translator: I'm excited

So, I'm excited.  I know, that doesn't really take a whole lot, but friends, this is exciting.  Microsoft has added a real-time translator to Skype!  In fact, you can just go ahead and download the Skype Translator preview here.  

At Downingtown's first EdCamp this year, I was really interested in fellow librarian, Christy Brennan's (@christybrenn) presentation of Google Hangouts and I started wondering how I could work this into our work at West.  I didn't get much beyond that honestly... It's been tabled for next year. I'll get to it, I promise. This, though, I don't have to wonder all that much about.

Immediately, I thought of our language classrooms, of our elementary students who have just started their language journeys in Rosetta Stone, of our African-Asian Studies students, of our Holocaust Symposium, of our student exchange programs, and the list goes on.  What gets me is the video below.  Check out the looks of wonder on those students' faces.  Notice when the children say "I would love to visit you someday."  Think of these connections and of those boundaries that are immediately traversed and overcome in an instant.  Think of where these kids can go virtually, and then maybe someday,  physically.  And then, come back to that wonder on the students' faces.  Isn't that what we are all about, that spark?

So, I'm excited.  Let me know if you are too, and we can do something about that.

For more details, please check out these two blogs, especially Joyce Valenza's: 

Richard Bryne's Blog: "Skype Translator Preview Opens to All Windows 8 & 10 Users" 
Joyce Valenza's Blog: "Translator is Here.  Forget the Four Walls Thing." 

Hey, friends! I'm going to just go ahead and say it: this blog post is information overload.  In fact, that's kind of the point.  We are so overloaded with information every moment of every day.  Today, I'm specifically talking about the "tips and tricks" sort of overload.  You know, the kind of overload that you look at and say, "That's awesome. I'll definitely use that," and never look at again, not because you don't still think it's awesome or you didn't intend to use it but because life happened.  I've heard quite a few people say that they wish there was a place where all of these tips and tricks can be organized... enter: libguides*.  

I've created two libguides that I hope will be useful for you: 

Tech Tools: This libguide focuses on organizing tools and apps that you and your students can use by subject area. 

Open Source Content: This libguide organizes sites and tools that are content oriented and give you stuff that you (or your students)  can freely use within your teaching (or learning). 

Why reinvent the wheel?  These libguides are just a start, as more tools come across my virtual desk, I intend to add them to this growing list.  As you use and discover tools yourself, please feel free to e-mail me at mnass@dasd.org, and I will happily add them as well.  My intent is that when we are working and think, I need some sort of timeline thingy... we can remember to just click on this libguide and find the appropriate box of timelines for you to explore.  

Also, these libguides were not curated in whole by myself, but rather, by an amazing team of individuals that I happen to be connected to.  Kristie Burk, our amazing Cyber Coordinator who oversees our Blended program at Downingtown, has this great blog you should follow.  I got lots of these tools from her blog.  I attended a training given by the lovely Michele Gill of PLS/3rd Learning.  She and her colleague, DeLaina Tonks, have developed two wonderful Google Docs that Michele gave me permission to build off of and share. Please feel free to join this team of curators and share what you've found to be useful!  

Until then, happy exploring! 

*What’s a libguide? In Downingtown, our librarians create libguides that organize and deliver information, content, resources, etc.  When in doubt, ask your librarian! J

Google Templates: Another Way to Use Google Apps in the Classroom

Templates

             Disclaimer: I'm a huge fan of Google Apps in the classroom for many reasons, but one is because it is an equalizer.  Everyone has access.  As a librarian, I'm all about equitable and awesome access for all.  However, I've run across a few problems that I just didn't have time to investigate, and one of those problems was the lack of templates.  My husband needed help writing his resume and where is my resume wizard?  And recently, one of my favorite teacher friends, Shelly Francies, had this incredible idea for a lesson, but it called for a newsletter template.  Argh! Where's my newsletter template!  In a time when we ask many of our students to work digitally and outside of our school environments, we cannot expect that they all have a particular software program at home.  There had to be an answer.  Enter Google Templates!  

              I've written before about the usefulness of the Google Add Ons that can be linked to Google Docs, and this is one of those.  Truth be told, I knew they were useful, but I spent little time exploring.  Who has the time?  Today, I took a quick dive into the apps that can be connected to Drive and found a wealth of potential for teachers and students.  I've attached the screen cast that I developed for that class that needs newsletters.  It shows you how to:

• Find the apps to connect to your Google Docs
• Quickly navigate through those apps, with a brief stop-over into the teacher and student section. (So much to explore here!  Maybe another time...)
• Search for specific apps and link it to your Docs
• Use the "research tool" to help create your product.  (Do you know about this yet?  You should!)

There are just so many applications and customizations to the Google Apps.  Mrs. Francies and I were remarking today on what a useful skill set this is for our students.. to know what tools are available to them (for free!), how to customize them, and then how to utilize them to create a product that best reflects their learning and ingenuity.  I don't know about you, but I think that's pretty cool.
**Note: the template app that I connected in this video is called Drive Template Gallery

A Visit with Beth Kephart

The following post is written by Beth Kephart, author of many books, but notably, for this visit, Going Over.  She was so kind to spend the day with us in recognition of "PA Forward Speak Up! Authors & Illustrators Speak Up for PA Libraries."  It was truly a great day here at WEST!  Our students eagerly learned about Ms. Kephart's writing, about the Berlin wall, about walls (both real and imaginary, both in the story and in their own worlds).  They wrote poetry, created graffiti, and shared.  Our book club met with her to discuss the book, the writing process, and their inspirations.  One student pulled up his own writing on his iphone to share with her.  I was so proud of our students, and so thrilled to be a part of one of those moments that reminds us why we do what we do, in both libraries and in education.  Thank you, Beth, and to the amazing people behind this day, for making this happen for our students! 

The Berlin Wall poetry and art of Downingtown West (incredible)

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2014

Yesterday, as part of the Speak Up for libraries program (of which I wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer here), I spent four consecutive periods with the very special students of Downingtown West and their beloved (for such good reason) librarian, Michelle Nass. We talked about the role of libraries in our lives, and the treasures we've found there. We learned some of the history of the Berlin Wall (history libraries helped me uncover) and reflected on the metaphorical and physical walls that still separate us. We listened to Ada and Stefan of my Berlin novel Going Over weigh the consequences of freedom, asked ourselves when, if ever, we'd take the risk to jump a wall, wrote poems, and made graffiti art.

After school during the book club hour, we talked about how books get made, what editors do, the difference between writing and publishing, and the writer friends I've come to love.

I was staggered by the receptivity, creativity, and generosity of these students. Their willingness to dig in deep, to answer hard questions, to write—and eagerly share—their work. I came home with a fat file of poems and art, wanting to share every sentiment and drawing here. Space is my limitation. I share a few poems below, a collage of art above, but please know this, Downingtown West: all of it was special, and so are you.

Write about what risks are worth taking, and freedom is, I prompted. This is what happened:

What is life 
but a bundle of risks
a handful of desires.
We get thrown in the mix
of temptations and hopes
but in order to obtain
the things that we want
we must go through pain.
— Mike Lodge

Freedom isn't free.
Yes, that's the irony.
We hear its cry.
We hear its call.
Yet here we are
at an ancient wall.
A wall we cannot live without.
A wall that fills us up with doubt.
And some of us will take a risk.
Some of us will die to have it all.
That freedom filled with irony.
For that I would fall.
— Micky

Freedom
It's not impossible,
but it's not clear.
It's what lies in the future that is feared.

But what's life without freedom?
A life of being caged?
The only thing that gives us freedom
is change.
— August Walker

Not much is worth risking my life for.
Family, friends, love, freedom come to mind.
Would you risk everything now for a chance at freedom?
If everything could be lost, would you try?
One moment you're there, the next you're gone.
Never to see your loved ones again.
Is it really worth it, for a chance at freedom?
— Samantha Goss

Can you go against the stream?
Fight the system?
Make your own path?
It will be hard.
Blood. Loss. Isolation.
You are a soldier with no army.
You are a lone soul looking for a place
to call home.
Stay strong.
— Megan

To rebel against the evils which control
our very lives.
In hopes to prevail against the wings of Freedom
and its vibes.
These days our right to think different is
challenged by all.
Yet without the help of others our ideas
will surely fall.

What is worth my life?
What is worth my death?
What will hold me back?
What will set me free?
Love
Freedom
Freedom
Love
That is all I need.
— Emily Gibbs

Many, many thanks to Michelle Nass for organizing this day. Thanks to the students. Thanks to the librarians who do what they do and keep their doors open for us. And thank you to Jennifer Yasick, with whom I began this beautiful day.

7 REASONS TO USE GOOGLE DOCS FOR RESEARCH

Reblog from my post at: http://dtowntechchat.wordpress.com/2014/09/

There are so many awesome places to find breakdowns and infographics that help us improve our use of technology and help nudge our students towards more effective and efficient research.  While scrolling through my Pinterest page, I came across this great blog by Michael Fricano on four reasons why you should consider using Google Docs with your students in your research, and thought it might be useful especially in light of our school’s new Google accounts.  It is well worth the short time to scan over it or read it, in my opinion.

In short, did you know that:

1)      In Docs, under “tools” there is a “research” tab that will open a research sidebar that allows students to search and filter by scholar, images, etc.  They can cite directly from here in APA or MLA format, hyperlink their discussion, pull images directly over, etc.  It is a really powerful tool that will allow the students to be more metacognitive as they work (yes, I used metacognitive… I feel like I’m writing a grad paper).

2)      Under “add-ons” there are LOTS of great, helpful add-ons for writing, math, charting, etc.  The blogger and I both recommend that the students use the highlighting add-on right away.  It allows them to highlight and then gather the highlighted text in a separate doc as they are working on a larger research project, which allows them to think through and organize their work more effectively.

3)      The comment tool—have the students share their docs with you rather than handing in various drafts.  Use the comment tool to help them edit their work.  They can use the comment tool to annotate their notes to show their thinking and come back to it later.

4)      Sharing—the students can share documents with you or their group mates and edit simultaneously, or even use the “chat” function to talk about their work as they do it if they are editing in real-time in separate locations.

5)      Revision History—tracks every change a student makes and time stamps it.  Want to check when a student did the work or how many revisions he/she made?  Here you go.

6)      Connections—their Google Docs will connect with their EasyBib accounts (don’t know about these?  Ask me!) and Schoology so that they will soon be able to submit documents directly from their Google accounts.

7.) Saving—finally, Google Docs save as you go.  For those of you who might have Internet issues or if your students sometimes struggle with the flash drive that doesn’t work or got lost, or if you have students who do not have Word at home and come in with that strange file that you need to figure out how to convert, this feature solves those problems.

Google Docs for research is another great way to collaborate with your school librarian in doing research!  Talk to your school librarian—I know that I would love to work with you and our students on this if you’re interested in adding this collaborative and engaging angle to your students’ research projects.

New Year's Resolutions, or, Things that Keep Me up at Night... Literally.

Hey everyone!  So, it took me a while, but my brain has finally wrapped around the idea that it is a new year, and that I should probably do something about that...  My head has been swimming so much with everything that is going on that it has been hard to write about it, but things are starting to slowly float into some semblance of order.  Sort of.

 This year in West's Library Land is going to be, well, exciting.  We are in the middle of finding vendors to help with a complete library renovation that is going to force us to reorganize, refocus, and rebrand a bit.  I am learning new platforms to help deliver instruction and am exploring more tools to help enhance that instruction along the way.  I am spending a lot of time in professional development figuring out how to help direct the students and teachers that are navigating this newness with me, and we are doing this all in the name of "Blended," or, more specifically, the Downingtown Ivy Academy, which is the formal name for our blended instruction model that will be rolling out next year.

Want to hear more about Downingtown Ivy?  Read our Blended Coordinator's blog here!  

In short, the blended instruction model will allow students to take courses and receive their instruction both virtually and traditionally, in classrooms for part of the week, and attending virtually for the second part.  For now, it seems that the bulk of the students will still be physically in school during those "virtual" sessions, and will be spending their time working both individually and collaboratively in the library, in our (also to be renovated) cafeteria, or elsewhere.

The library, and me, as the librarian, play a very important role in this model.  That role is still being defined, and redefined, but as of right now, my wonderful librarian colleague and friend at our "other" high school and I are busy building an orientation that will help our students access their resources, navigate their digital tools, behave responsibly in this new educational environment, and hopefully, be successful as an Ivy Academy student.  We also will be delivering professional development, designing mini-units that students will be taking throughout their experience in their classes, acting as instructional and technical support throughout their tenure in the classes, and acting as support for our faculty as well.  It's exciting, and challenging!

I wanted to take a moment, in New Year's Resolution mode, to write down some thoughts that have been keeping me up at night (How nerdy is that?!  Go to sleep, Michelle!) as all of this swims in my head:

Schoology-- 

I'm just at the very beginning of learning Schoology, and I love it.  It was introduced to me by my friends as a "Facebook for schools," and yeah, sort of, but it's so much more... like a Facebook mixed with Blackboard, maybe?  Anyway, as I'm playing around with it, building my "course" and helping others build theirs, I hear that our school will be going to Schoology next year, and that possibly lots of IUs in our area will as well.  That made me think, library friends, shouldn't we take the lead on this one?  Should we start migrating some of our stuff, nestling in, and becoming comfortable in Schoology so that we can help our colleagues and students to do the same?  There's a function for groups in Schoology where we could form a "librarians'" group to share content and start the discussion.  Maybe join me there?

While I'm there...

Schoology also integrates with several apps, including Evernote (which functions much like OneNote that I blogged about here)-- maybe I should switch over since they work together?-- Remind 101, and Google Drive (a.w.e.s.o.m.e).

Remind101-- here comes one of those resolutions.  I need to figure out how to use this.  Pronto.  How cool would it be if our kids were hooked into the library this way?  There's got to be a way to integrate this with Destiny and allow the students to receive text message reminders of overdue materials.  There are other ideas for how this could be used, but that's another blog... I'll think about that one.

Anyway... this is where you come in.  I need your help... I know there has got to be others out there in the same boat.  Is your school going blended or have you already?  Are you thinking about it?  Let's touch base!

Are you already on Schoology?  Thinking about it?  Let's make a group!

Do you have any clue how to use Remind101 in the library?  Let me know!  I'm stuck!

Feel free to comment here or contact me at mnass@dasd.org.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

:)  As always, library friends, happy reading!  Thanks for sharing the library world with me!

Using OneNote to Organize My Library

**This blog was originally written for and posted on the PSLA Blog.**

Recently in a listserv there was a discussion about digital portfolios, and I immediately thought of my OneNote notebook.  As a disclaimer, I did really learn about OneNote through a Microsoft In Education (or is it Microsoft Partners in Education?) training, but I'm not affiliated, nor am I "pushing" OneNote for them.  I know that there are other platforms out there, like livebinders, which I'd love to learn more about, but there I was, sitting in a training, seeing all these cool things that OneNote could do, and I had OneNote on my school laptop and voila! I'm a OneNote user!

How I Use OneNote Currently

I started small: I opened it up and made a notebook for that school year.  Every school year since, I have done the same thing: in August I start a new notebook.

The notebooks function just like, well, notebooks.  You have section tabs up top that divide the sections, and create pages in each section along the right hand side.  I like that you can click anywhere in the page and type, that you can drag and drop things in, that you can save files, that you can easily input screen shots and comment on them, but most of all I like that it just seems to work for the library world.  At least for me.

To give you a glimpse into my current notebook, here is a screenshot of one of my pages:

The tabs across the top, for me, are Induction (yes, I have to go through it again since I switched schools), Professional Development, Library Administration, Programming, Blended (we are starting a blended academy-- more on that in another blog), Budget, Curriculum, Communications, Library Club, Planning, Logins.  Some of these sections are password protected.  Each section is then broken into pages that grow throughout the school year.  At the close of the school year, I will go through the process of turning this notebook into a portfolio that I can use for my end of the year evaluation.  

I use this notebook for everything.  I collaborate and co-plan with teachers in the curriculum section.  I build out my budget, send budget related e-mails to, and keep track of purchasing in the budget section.  I have a page in the curriculum section for each class that comes in (okay, maybe I'm not that good... most classes, when I remember) and handouts for what we did (most of the time).  I keep track of all of our contests in programming and the library club minutes, ideas, and events in library club.  

Next year I will be able to reference this year's notebook for a reminder on how I did things in previous years.  

How I'd Like to Use OneNote in the Future

There was talk in the listserv about organizing our digital portfolios around Charlotte Danielson's Framework For Teaching.  I love that idea as it would be much easier to translate the onenote notebook into the digital portfolio.  Does anyone do this this?  I'd love to hear/see what you do!

I'd also love to start working with students in OneNote.  Especially as we continue to have more students bringing their own devices, I'd love to show them how to organize their notes and their thoughts into notebooks for the year.  These can also become portfolios for classes.  I love that students can record lectures and/or their own voices in onenote.

Finally, I'd love to figure out how to put my notebooks "in the cloud."  So far, I think I've found that my school's version needs to be upgraded to 2010, or we need to go to Microsoft 360.  When that happens, game on!

Here are some links I found for further information.  I'd love to hear your thoughts and your additions to what I know.  Let's work together on this!

Using OneNote Mobile
Cool Examples of Teachers Using OneNote in Education
OneNote Video Tutorials