Get Connected!

"Twitter usage among U.S. teens has doubled in less than two years...there are now more than 200 million active users...posting more than 175 million tweets a day."  

-Jeff Dunn in Edudemic Magazine

Recently, I saw a tweet by a student who was complaining about his school having a twitter account.  Although he couldn't elaborate upon his frustration in under 140 characters, the gist of his lament was that twitter is a social platform and not a place for schools, that the school website fulfills that purpose, so schools should vacate twitter and leave the kids alone.  This made me reflect upon several things (including the student perception of my own tvhs_library twitter account), but mostly had me ruminating upon the student's (perhaps students'?) lack of perspective on how social networking, like twitter, and digital tools, like apps, can be useful and essential to their academic and intellectual lives. So, I started searching, and below are the results of that search: a list of relevant twitter accounts, facebook pages, and apps that a student could use to get started on his/her way to becoming a digital citizen who uses social and digital tools to engage in the larger, global conversation. Here's to getting connected!

By the way, these tools aren't just for the students:  

"Professors who use Twitter for personal information were perceived by students to be more credible and approachable than those who did not, according to a study released in 2011."

-American Library Association*

Give it a shot!  

Twitter

Twin Valley Specific

@tvhs_library  --Follow the library--we tweet about general library on-goings, school events, interesting things we find and think you might be interested in, etc. etc.  

@tvraiders   --Follow the athletic department and keep on top of sports scores and news.  

Other Accounts You May Want to Follow: (blurbs are not mine)

@WSJ, @BizJournals, @BreakingNews or @NYTimes-Unfortunately, becoming a young adult means you’ll need to at least pretend to be an active member of society, which typically consists of knowing what’s going on in the world. Even if you simply read the tweet headlines, such as “JPMorgan Fear Traders Hid Loss, Now at $5.8 Billion,” you can instantly seem approximately 67% smarter than your peer by randomly throwing this small anecdote into casual conversation. Ideally, you’ll actually have a clue what’s going on, but having a clue is half the challenge.

@KhanAcademy Khan Academy has 3,300 videos and multiple practice exercises for a number of content areas.

@VolunteerTEENnation VolunTEENnation connects teen volunteers to teen volunteer opportunities.

@USNewsEducation US News & Education provide numerous tips for transitioning into college.

@ScholarshipGuru

Got scholarships? Follow the official account of ScholarshipExperts.com to receive tips on winning scholarships and follow links that direct you to information about awards…up to four new awards every day!

@PLTWorg   Project Lead the Way

@NationalTSA   National Technology Student Association

Facebook

TVHS Library-  Look for library announcements, new books, library and school events, and other interesting finds.

Twin Valley High School Athletics- Keep up to date on sports news and announcements.

Technology Student Association

Pennsylvania TSA

Project Lead the Way

Apps

For Twin Valley Students

Destiny App: From Follett-- This app is for our online catalog.  Just enter library.tvsd.org for instant access to all of our books and e-books. Happy reading!

Google Apps:  Specifically, I would install google drive so that you can manage your saved files from both school and home.  See Mrs. Nass for help with your username and password.  

General Apps (Blurbs are not my own)

Barefoot World Atlas:  zoom in from outer space and land anywhere on Earth with narrated bits, delightful animations, background music, and real-time data that inform about the amazing range of traditions, cultures, geographical features, and animals found on our globe

The Sonnets by William Shakespeare: With extensive notes and commentary, this app displays videos of famed actors performing each of the Bard's 154 sonnets, a facsimile of the 1609 Quarto, and other noteworthy highlights.  

Wonders of Geology: includes breathtaking visuals, a concise text, and a narrated tour of

 http://edudemic.com/2012/12/why-students-should-use-twitter/ some of our nation's most spectacular natural sites.  With features that transform basic science concepts into fascinating brain food, and flawless navigation, this app is a student's go-to text.  

Fragile Earth: 170 pairs of before/after photos that reveal the devastating effects of natural phenomena (like hurricanes) on our planet.  Also explored are the harmful consequences of urbanization, mining, and global warming.  

The Chemical Touch: Select different elements to learn more about their properties and get definitions of nucleobases, as well. You can even sort the table with different colors to identify periodic trends — and hopefully, make your chemistry homework less complex than amino acids. If you need in-depth explanations of different concepts, the app will open Wikipedia entries.

Essentials by AccelaStudy: Learning a foreign language is a core part of high school curriculum. Whether you've enrolled in fourth period French, Italian, Spanish or Chinese, this app will be your study guide. It provides pre-made flashcards for learning vocab and audio quizzes to help your speech and pronunciation.

Evernote Peek: Making flashcards is a tedious process that most students don't have time for. Evernote Peek takes the work out of the process. The app turns your iPad and Smart Cover into makeshift flashcards. And don't worry, if you don't have a cover, the app creates a "virtual cover."

Graphing Calculator: Graphing calculators are expensive, but it's almost impossible to get your calculus homework done without one. Consider investing in this app instead.It quickly plots and traces multiple equations on the same graph, using a custom keyboard to speed up entry. It even supports graphing polar and parametric equations and much, much more. Plus, you can take screenshots of your calculator to email graphs to yourself.

Math Formulas: Struggling to keep your trigonometry formulas separate from your algebraic formulas? This app is your math savior. It stores frequently used forumlas for easy access and lets you favorite the apps you reference the most. It even delves into calc, geometry and probability, and displays images so you can put the formulas into perspective.

Easel SAT Prep Light: The SAT is one of the most important tests in a high schooler's career. This app makes preparation easy and hassle-free, so you can keep your sights on test day.The app features three sections with 25 questions each and a "show me" function, which explains how to arrive at the right answer.

Sparknotes: No online or offline list of study aids would be complete without the venerable SparkNotes. The app includes 50 pre-installed study guides plus access to hundreds more online. Topics include Shakespeare, poetry, philosophy, drama and more. All SparkNotes study guides can be downloaded for offline use. StudyNotes includes sharing tools, including location-based notifications to allow students to start instant study groups.

Khan Academy: This award-winning app for the iPad gives students access to a library of over 3,200 videos explaining and illustrating everything from advanced mathematical problems to straightforward historical events. All the short lessons are conducted in the Khan Academy’s trademark style, with simple steps and a clear narration. A log allows students to record the videos they have seen and track their progress. Khan Academy is a great teaching aid, as well as a study boon to students!

World Atlas HD: If you think free maps on the Internet leave something to be desired, the National Geographic Society's World Atlas HD app might be the app for you. It lets you search high-resolution world maps; you choose whether to view them in classic style, with an antique look, or in satellite form. Consult details for specific countries, including land area, population, languages spoken, major religions, type of government, and natural resources. World Atlas HD is available for iPad.

Support

"Why Students Should Use Twitter"

*If you are interested in this study, it was conducted by Kirsten A. Johnson, associate professor of communications at Elizabethtown College (here in PA!): "The Effect of Twitter Posts on Students' Perceptions of Instructor Credibility," Learning, Media, and Technology, vol. 36, no.1

Top Reads of 2012

So, I heard that you want to find a book to read over the holidays?  No?  Well, either way, here is The List.  "What is The List?" you ask?  Well, it is the result of a painstaking (not so much) search through many (okay, a few) of the "Top Books of 2012" lists that have been recently published.  The List is a compilation of the books on these lists that are housed in our library collection and that I thought might be interesting to you, happy TVHS reader.  So, happy TVHS reader, here it is, broken down by category:

Fiction

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green       Call # F GRE, AUDIO F GRE, and on the Nooks

This book was everywhere this year, and if you haven't read it yet, you should.  It was a TVHS student book club book, #1 Book of the Year by Time Magazine, #1 Teen Book of the Year by Amazon, and on the Top Books of 2012 in School Library Journal (SLJ).  They summarize it in the following way: "Given a brief reprieve from a terminal diagnosis, Hazel, a stalwart teen, has been encouraged by her parents to embrace her life.  When she meets Gus at a Cancer Kid Support Group, they embark on a poignant, whirlwind romance.  Readers come to know and love these bright, vibrant characters through their crackling dialogue, gallows humor, and tenuous hopes and dreams."  Get it today, seriously.  

Every Day by David Levithan    Call # F LEV

By another one of my favorite authors, David Levithan's newest book landed on SLJ's Top Books of 2012 and was ranked #9 on Amazon's Best Books for Teens 2012. They summarize it as follows: "Each morning, A inhabits a different body adn has learned not to get too involved in or possessive of the host's life.  All that changes when the 16-year-old wakes up as a blowhard teen and falls for the boy's sweet, but much-maligned girlfriend.  A tender and surreal exploration of identity, personal responsibility and love."  

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormack    Call # F MCC

The popular author of Cut and Sold has done it again, landing this book on the SLJ's Top Books of 2012.  Their summary is as follows: "In Cambodia in 1975, an 11-year-old's life takes a nightmarish turn when Khmer Rouge soldiers march the people to the countryside, where they are made to grow rice.  Soon Separated from his family, Arn manages to stay alive amid brainwashing, starvation,a nd wholesale killing by suppressing his emotions and learning to play an instrument.  This unforgettable and devastating survival story is based on teh experiences of human-rights activist Arn Chorn-Pond." 

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson    Call # F MAT

From SLJ's Top List: "After Taylor Edwards, 17, learns that her father has terminal cancer, she and her family head to their lake house in the Poconos for a final summer together.  Once there, Taylor grows closer to her siblings, rekindles relationships with an ex-friend and her first love, and prepares for the day she'll have to say goodbye to her staunchest champion.  A moving novel with heart and depth." 

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe  by Benjamin Alire Saenz   Call # F SAE

From SLJ's Top List: "Ari is a solemn, angry Mexican American teen.  A loner by choice, he remains enshrouded in his family's tragic past and silent ways until Dante offers to teach him how to swim.  The boys become fast friends, bonding on an intellectual and emotional level.  This is a gorgeously written, deeply satisfying coming-of-age novel about identity, soulful secrets, and opening oneself to the possibility of love."

Insurgent by Veronica Roth     On the library Nooks

Insurgent is the sequel to Veronica Roth's stunning debut, Divergent.  This TVHS Student Book Club Pick  was ranked as #5 on Amazon's best books of the year.  Amazon provides the following summary: "Tris's intiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors.  War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows.  And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable--and even more powerful.  Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships  Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so." 

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman      Call # F HAN

This artistic book was named #14 on Amazon's Top Books for Teens, 2012.  Our catalog description is as follows:  " I'm telling you why we broke up, Ed.  I'm writing it in this letter, the whole truth of why it happened.  Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box.  Inside the box is why they broke up.  Two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a folded note, a box of matches, a protractor, books, a toy truck, a pair of ugly earrings, a comb from a motel room, and every other item collected over the course of a giddy, intimate, heartbreaking relationship.  Item after item is illustrated and accounted for, and then the box, like a girlfriend, will be dumped."  

Nonfiction

Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 by Phillip Hoose     Call #598.072 HOO

A Top Nonfiction pick by School Library Journal (SLJ): "Hoose chronicles the travels of one particularly stalwart rufa red knot, the efforts of scientists to map and protect stopover sites along his circuitous route from the Canadian Arctic and Tierra del Fuego, and the commitment of average citizens trying to ensure the survival of shorebirds.  Captivating photographs and maps help to introduce young people to the fearless flyer's sweeping and dynamic story.  

Their Skeletons Speak: Kennewick Man and the Paleoamerican World by Sally M. Walker and Douglas W. Owsley     Call # 970.01 WAL

Another on the SLJ top Nonfiction: "A startling discovery in 1996 of ancient remains provided scientists with clues about Paleoamerican culture.  Engrossing color photos and a fascinating, layered text take readers onsite and into laboratories as archaeologists, anthropologists, and geologists sift through evidence, construct theories, and reexamine them in light of new information." 

Graphic Novels

Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks           Call # GN F HIC

Listed as #4 on School Library Journal's Top Ten Graphic Novels list, FWB is summarized as follows: "Maggie McKay is about to leave her sheltered life as a homeschooler for the scary world of high school.  Although she's still got her dad and big brothers to lean on, things haven't been the same since her mom left home.  Alone and friendless, Maggie is struggling to make friends and fit in.  And then there's the not-so-small matter of the ghostly spirit that's been haunting her."