As the makerspace craze continues to sweep across libraries nationwide, school libraries are trying to come up with ways to engage students in meaningful makerspace work. This year the majority of my time at the close of the semester has… Read More ›
Over the past few semesters I have had the pleasure of collaborating with creative writing teachers in my building for weekly “Library Wednesday” lessons. In our school, creative writing is an elective course comprised of students in grades 9-12. We… Read More ›
Introduction Last month, you may remember that a term that was discussed in my blog post about Ready To Code was design thinking. Design thinking is a problem-solving process. It includes five-steps: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test (Hasso Plattner… Read More ›
So often in education, we focus on the end-game: summative assessments, finals, standardized tests, graduation. We’re always asking ourselves, “Did they learn it?” However, learning is never really finished; it’s a journey that continues regardless of what milestones we pass…. Read More ›
It may sound silly or perhaps unusual or even startling to those of you who do not know me personally, but I am a little teary-eyed about my last blog as AASL President. What a year it has been! The… Read More ›
Do you remember learning about geography when you were in grade school? I do! My teacher sent me to the school library with a blank map. I found an atlas, flipped through the pages, and located the map I needed…. Read More ›
Recently, a first-grade teacher wanted to have her students use coding to create a summary. Her goal was to have students share a story and include how the main character developed as well as how the setting changed. She sought… Read More ›
“Educators can play important roles to enhance any components of students’ creativity” (Sak 2004). School librarians are no different. School libraries have the staff, resources, and space needed to foster creativity in students and teachers. There are many definitions and… Read More ›
Juneteenth is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth. June 19, 1865, was the day General Gordan Granger announced the end of slavery in Texas and the emancipation of slaves throughout the confederate South. It was on June 19 that Granger… Read More ›
Our School Is Celebrating Its 150th Anniversary Many cities, states, colleges, and universities are approaching noteworthy anniversaries. Standford University will celebrate 150 years in 2035, Vanderbilt University will celebrate its sesquicentennial in 2024. The state of Alabama turns 200 this… Read More ›
I am a lover and collector of books. I still have some treasured books from my childhood that I refuse to part with. When I was getting my Master’s in School Librarianship at Longwood University, I shuddered when I discovered… Read More ›
It’s that time of year — the time of year for usage reports and analysis of databases and collaborative projects. Each semester, we create a library usage report highlighting the activities in the school library. We know our administrators are… Read More ›
Summer Book Club for Our Staff…A Follow-Up Post Last month I blogged about furthering a culture of reading at my school through a summer book club for our staff. My wonderful instructional technology facilitator, Katherine Leatherman, and I planned a… Read More ›
In January, I wrote about Library Extension, a tool that can inspire some powerful literacy moments. Another great digital resource for sparking powerful literacy moments is GoodReads, which offers some fancy features that aren’t always well-known. Let’s dive in! GoodReads: What… Read More ›