Daniel Pink and motivation

Daniel Pink is one of my favorite authors. I think I've written about my admiration for his work before. This is a short video of his where he examines the facts about motivation--what works and what doesn't. You might be surprised. PS on a personal note and not having anything to do with this video...I just want to say Happy Birthday to my hubby....Love you sweetheart!

Pinterest for educators

Pinterest is becoming one of the most popular websites around.  I read it was the third most popular social media site behind Facebook and Twitter.  I've seen articles about librarians using Pinterest, but this blog was the first time I've seen suggestions for teachers using Pinterest.

For example, how about putting all some of your readings for professional development on a pin board?  What a brainstorming spot?  These are just a few of the good ideas in the article.

My favorite one was the idea of using it to teach digital citizenship.  This is a great idea because I think Pinterest is a lawsuit waiting to happen.  Now I must admit, I sometime "pin" too freely on it--the ease of use of the site makes it easy to do.  But what a great opportunity to teach kids about ethical borrowing/ copying/ using pictures!

So what do teachers out there think?  Would you use Pinterest for yourself?  for your students?  And for that matter, is it available to your students?  or is it blocked since it is a social media site?  Let me know what you think!

Evaluating Wikipedia by Noodletools

I've spoken about Noodletools before--the site is great for teaching kids citation formatting and keeping notes for research.  The site also from time to time puts out some support articles--good bits and pieces of information to help with the research process.  This article I found especially interesting-- How do I evaluate Wikipedia?

I've said before as a librarian, sometimes I'm too quick to dismiss Wikipedia and to my students, that makes me look like an old fuddy duddy.  This article helps me explain to them how Wikipedia can be a useful tool but not be the "end all, be all" for their research. 

For example, did you know this?
                  
                         A bronze star (to the right of the article’s title) signals a polished article of higher quality.

I sure didn't know about this.  The article has several other tips and ideas to consider when using Wikipedia.  And of course, there's information on how to correctly cite any articles used for research.

As librarians and teachers, we need to teach our students to think critically about sources--Wikipedia is only one of many that kids encounter.  As adults, we need to stop being so quick to dismiss it since the kids rely so heavily on it.  But we do need to train them to evaluate--to think critically-- about any source, whether it's a wiki or published research.

Creating a portfolio with Evernote

I am just now learning about the wonders of Evernote.  This program is a great example of cloud computing.  You can store text, documents, photos, videos--what have you-- and then access the information from other sites.  There's a web based version, a Windows version and apps for Iphones and Ipads.  For example I made a grocery list for our RV on my computer then emailed it to my husband.  He had some suggestions to add to it so i opened the app on my phone and added there.  Really cool program!

Well, now I see this article on creating student portfolios with Evernote.  I can see so many possibilities here!  Students can put assignments here or take pictures of projects.  They can add to it at home or on the go with their Ipods.

I also have lots of students who need to continue working on assignments at home.  They can't access their school server files easily from home, but what if they stored the documents in Evernote?  No need for flash drives!

I think learning more about this program is going to be one of my goals this summer.

Importance of libraries

As my final NLW posting, this video is from Brad Meltzer, author and honorary chairman of National Library Week for ALA. He talks about the importance of a library to him as a child.

My librarian friends in Large Ol' School District

A list of librarians I admire would be incomplete without mentioning the fabulous librarians I work with.  I've tried to be very careful about mentioning where I work--I want the freedom to express my opinions and not make my readers feel like I'm expressing district opinions.  So sufice it to say, my district--Large Ol' District, for lack of a better name--has the best librarians around!  The 35 women who work at the various campuses are some of the most dedicated, hard working people I know. 

We are trying to stay ahead of the curve in terms of digital learning.  For example, nearly every one of our schools wants to participate in funding a subscription to Overdrive even with the impact on budgets because it's the way of the future.  Our elementary schools are teaching researching through databases and using tools like Noodletools to our youngest students so they are prepared when they reach us at high school.  Our middle schools continue on with that research instruction while fostering a love of reading that sometimes gets lost as kids get older.  Our high schools cover research in subjects ranging from academics to culinary to auto to vet tech to cosmotology.  In addition we have IB classes, AP/ pre-AP classes, ESL classes, Sped classes and everything in between.

We've been hit hard with budget issues lately and everyone is coping.  The hardest hit were our middle school librarians, who lost their assistants.  But yet, they still teach research lessons, do booktalks for kids and generally keep things going, smiling all the while.  I've been a middle school librarian--I don't know how they are doing it.

At the high schools, we lost one assistant but still have one.  Things get a little hectic--for example, when I'm trying to teach a class and another comes in for checkout and yet more students walk in for help.  Two people serving 2000 students don't stretch very far.  But again, not to blow my own horn, the high school librarians are doing whatever it takes to make the library program successful. 

Our elementary librarians are some of the most cheerful, bubbly people I know.  I laughed when I attended one of their meetings because they were so animated!  A huge change from the secondary meetings!!  But their personalities and passion for reading and learning start our kids out in the right direction.  Without the foundation they give our students, our jobs would be so much harder!

So ladies--you know who you are in the Large Ol' School  District--I salute you all.  You make me proud to be a librarian.

Joyce Valenza

A list of librarians to know and follow would not be complete without mentioning Joyce Valenza. Her knowledge and sharing of information keeps most of us afloat. Her Never Ending Search blog found in School Library Journal is my inspiration--the latest news, trends and books in the world of school libraries.

Her latest post discusses a study of ereaders--giving some of the pertinant facts and statistics about the rise of ereaders.  Her concerns mirror mine--will this information be used to downplay the importance of libraries?  How do we get the word out that we are so much more?

Some of the pertinant facts about ereaders:
      

In a head-to-head competition, people prefer e-books to printed books when they want speedy access and portability, but print wins out when people are reading to children and sharing books with others.

E-book reading happens across an array of devices, including smartphones.

30% of those who read e-content say they now spend more time reading, and owners of tablets and e-book readers particularly stand out as reading more now.

Those who own e-book reading devices stand out from other book readers and there are sometimes differences among device owners in their reading habits. Our December 2011 survey found that those age 16 and older who own tablets or e-book reading devices are more likely than others to read for every reason: for pleasure, for personal research, for current events, and for work or school.

All in all, interesting reading and food for thought. 

So here's my suggestion--If you don't follow any other librarian through Twitter or blogs, follow Joyce Valenza.  Her knowledge and wisdom will vastly improve your skill as a librarian and keep you current on trends and news that affects you.