“Your ideas matter here.” “Some of the best parts of this library are because of your great ideas, so please share them.” This is part of the library orientation that all new 9th graders receive when they come to the… Read More ›
Makerspaces/Learning Commons
Using Research to Find a New Chair for Baby Bear
If you have ever read Goldilocks and the Three Bears you know that Baby Bear’s chair ends up in pieces. The sad thing is his chair never gets fixed. Below you will find how students in preschool use the research… Read More ›
4 Ways You Can Get Creative This Summer
Summer is almost here for many of us. It’s a great time to relax, recharge, and reinvigorate our passion for education. I love using my summers to explore creative ideas that I haven’t gotten to throughout the school year. Whether… Read More ›
Developing a MakerCare Program
Although I was super excited about the makerspace movement, my enthusiasm quickly faded as I realized expectations and reality can be very different. What started as a $50,000 educational shopping spree (thanks, TeacherPreneur Grant), had all but ended with two… Read More ›
Real Librarians
School Librarians Are Real Librarians About fifteen years ago I attended a state library conference as a university library assistant. At the time I was in the process of getting my Master’s degree in Library and Information Science. I went to… Read More ›
Small Steps to a Makerspace: Maker Mondays
If you’ve been following what I’ve written here on AASL Knowledge Quest and on Renovated Learning, you know that this year I’ve moved to a new-to-me school, an independent 6-12. I wrote earlier about slow change and figuring things out gradually…. Read More ›
Cabinet of Curiosity
My fever dream of a Robot Arcade in the library has practically come true. During a special extra-curricular event called Unbounded Days, students recently put the finishing touches on our own video game cabinet. Now, students and teachers alike can… Read More ›
Let’s Get Real
By Jeanie Phillips, AASL Standards implementation task force member Young people astonish and amaze me. They are capable of so much. Kids like Marley Dias, ALA Midwinter 2018 keynote speaker, who organized the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign. She sent over 9,000 books… Read More ›
To Teach Makers, We Must Become Makers
Makerspaces are amazing places. Our students can learn all kinds of new skills. But it behooves us to learn some of those skills ourselves. You certainly don’t have to be an expert in all things to create a makerspace in… Read More ›
Pairing Primary Sources and Picture Books: Dazzle Ships by Chris Barton
Picture books that share a moment in history can show us something that we have never seen before. They can make us wonder how an idea became a reality or how a problem was solved with tools of the day…. Read More ›