Top 10 List

Our first six weeks is nearly finished and it is fun to see the most checked out books so far this year. The students are very excited about this year's Texas Bluebonnet nominees, so that makes up half of our list! 

Another part of our list are from an author of a previous Bluebonnet winner, Tom Angleberger. He wrote ORIGAMI YODA, which won two years ago and has a great website for kids: http://origamiyoda.wordpress.com/

The cool thing about the Texas Bluebonnet winner is that it is decided by students who vote. The students must read at least 5 books to be eligible to vote and voting takes place in January. I can't wait to see which book wins this year! 

Another thing I noticed as I looked at our Top 10 list is that the number two book, also a Bluebonnet nominee from a previous year, remains popular largely due to the author, Dori Hilstead Butler, Skyping with us last year! How cool is that?!? The students LOVE connecting with authors and it makes the books even more popular! 

We have circulated about 4,500 books since the school year began! I'm looking forward to seeing who makes our Top 10 list next six weeks! 

Happy reading! 

The Humming Room Review by Mrs. Cast

Mrs. Cast, a 4th grade teacher at Curtis, sent a text to me letting me know she had just finished The Humming Room by Ellen Potter and she really enjoyed it! I asked her if she would write a quick review for our students and she agreed, so here it is:

The Humming Room by Ellen Potter is full of mystery and intrigue. The characters are odd and you want to understand them better. Roo is curious and very in tune with her surroundings.  Is there something dangerous lurking in this odd building secluded on an island? Are ghosts making odd noises? Is there anyone who can understand her different personality? This story is well written and easy to read. It is filled with beautiful descriptions and suspense. A great read for the imagination and a triumph for the misunderstood. Recommended for upper elementary (4-6).

Thank you Mrs. Cast for sharing your thoughts on one of the Texas Bluebonnet nominees for this year! I'm looking forward to reading it! I wonder if this might not be a great pick for our first Curtis Morning Book Club?!

Day 3 of Dot Day WEEK!

Just when you think you have had the BEST Dot Day connection, another one comes along! Today our 3rd graders Skyped with 3rd graders in Texas and Connecticut. We shared dots and thoughts and had lots of fun!

Our first visit for the day was with my Twitter friend, Mrs. Alaniz. After we introduced our school to our friends in Coppell, we showed off our cool 3-D dots we made with the colAR Mix app.  We created our dots and then scanned them with the free app. They look like this, but they spin and play music with the app! We had great time sharing and connecting! 

Our friends in Connecticut had made some great trading cards, with dot art on one side and a challenge on the other. They will be sending some to us, so we will create some to send to them! We shared information our our schools and communities.

Probably high on the cool factor was discovering that the colAR Mix app works through the screen! We had the app, but no pictures (they were in the classroom) and Mrs. Lussier's students had the picture, but not the app. We decided to see if we could scan the picture through the computer screen and IT WORKED! 

The most exciting part of our day had to be our Google Hangout with Matthew Winner's kinder friends AND author Ame Dyckman! Matthew is a librarian in Maryland and helped organize a lot of the connecting for International Dot Day! Ame Dyckman wrote BOY+BOT and has a new book coming out in October called TEA PARTY RULES. The students were lucky enough to have Ms. Dyckman read her new book to them! It is a really funny book and we can't wait to have it in our library! 

Ame Dyckman also shared with us her dot picture, which she used hair dye to create! A fun thing about Dyckman is she loves to color her hair vibrant colors like purple and blue! The students enjoyed her hair, her energy & excitement and also her stories! It was a fabulous way to celebrate Dot Day!! 

There was time for questions from the students, who were very excited to be able to talk to a real author! 

Our Curtis students were definitely interested in all that Ms. Dyckman had to say! It was an incredible experience for all of us! ;)

And when it was all over, the students even got a goodie bag with bookmarks, stickers, and a BOY+BOT bracelet that Ame sent for them! 

I wonder what Day 4 of Dot Day WEEK will bring?!?!?!

Day 2 of Dot Day!

Today was one of my favorite Skype days so far! As we continue our celebration of International Dot Day and making our mark, I experienced it all through new eyes and it was AMAZING!

We started the day with Mrs. Palmatier's 3rd graders connecting with Mrs. Uribe's 4th graders in Austin, TX. Our students shared how they incorporated Dot Day into their science lesson on states of matter and shared some of their 3D ColarMix Dot Day designs. Mrs. Uribe's class shared their inspirational dot signs, which were well thought out and very creative!

 

 

 

 

 

Then Mrs. Zell's & Mrs. Massingill's classes came in for their library time. We enjoyed the Interactive Big Book version of The Dot by Fablevision Learning.  The students did a great job of sequencing the events in the book on the big screen!

 

 

 

The best part of the day, though, was seeing these kiddos connect with other students. We "practiced" with a couple of students in Minnesota, who shared the dots they made, and then our students proudly showed their projects.

 

 

 

 

The students came back to the library for their "real" Skype visit with Mrs. Sikes class in Georgia. Our students couldn't wait to show their projects again!

 

 

Rachel, one of Mrs. Massingill's students said, "Thank you for connecting us! It was so much fun!" She wanted to know if they could do it again! Best day ever! ;)

 

As these two classes were leaving, Hatcher's Heroes were marching in to share their Dot Day experiences with a first grade class in New Jersey. Mrs. Nickerson's sweet first graders shared pictures of dots they found in nature, while our students shared pictures they drew of dots they found in their classroom. It was interesting to witness our students noticing there were no boys (it is an all girl school :) ) and to notice the uniforms the girls wear. We talked about what was similar and what was different about our schools.

From the DotClub.org website: The Dot is the story of a caring teacher who dares a doubting student to trust in her own abilities by being brave enough to “make her mark”. What begins with a small dot on a piece of paper becomes a breakthrough in confidence and courage, igniting a journey of self-discovery and sharing, which has gone on to inspire countless children and adults around the globe.


Today, I watched children grow in confidence. I saw students so very excited to connect with others, both similar to them and different from them. I saw bravery, as students who don't normally speak out, had the courage to connect with other students, all centered around a book, THE DOT by Peter H. Reynolds. What a wonderful day it was! And to think, there is MORE! It is just Tuesday! :)

 

 

 

 

 

International Dot Day Celebration - Day 1

The fun began bright and early in the library today, as I hung the polka dot banners and blew up polka dot balloons!

Notice the banners and balloons! :)

Here was our first day:

We connected with students in Pennsylvania and shared our Dot Day Padlet.

We read THE DOT and helped our friends put their "Make Your Mark" statement on Padlet.

 

 

Some of our kinders came in and loved having THE DOT read to them from TumbleBooks.

 

 

And then we bravely went where no other Curtis Kinder class had gone before... we SKYPED during the FIRST WEEKS of school with some wonderful 5th graders from a nearby district.  They were kind enough to read THE DOT to our students, who loved every minute of it! We then went to our tables and decorated our own dots, to make our mark!

 

It was a dot-filled, wonderful day!!

I can't wait to see what Day 2 brings! :)

 

 

International Dot Day Celebration

We are getting excited about the connections we will make this week for International Dot Day! We will read the book, THE DOT by Peter H. Reynolds and then Curtis ES students will connect with students in Texas, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Vermont, Wisconsin AND (thanks to Matthew Winner) we get to Skype with Ame Dyckman, author of BOY+BOT and soon to be released, TEA PARTY RULES! It is going to be a GREAT week!

Check back throughout the week to see pictures & read all about the fun!

"Appy" Hour with Curtis Teachers

We had a lot of fun in the library this week during our first "Appy" hour, sharing our favorite apps to use with students & to help us be more efficient!

After snack plates were filled & sodas poured, we were ready to get started. The first app we looked at was Aurasma, which is an augmented reality app. After showing the teachers the auras in the $1 and $20 bills, we talked about how we could use this app with students.  Ideas brought up were adding it to a book review or a report and using it with projects displayed for Open House.  We are just at the beginning stages of learning about augmented reality, but several teachers are interested in learning more about this and how they can use it in their classrooms.

The free ColarMix app was also brought up and we looked out how we could use this with our upcoming Dot Day Celebration.  Fablevision has shared a special Dot Day sheet that can be used with the ColarMix app. When the page is scanned into the app, the decorated dot becomes 3-D.

One of my favorite parts of the time we spent together was when teachers started sharing some of their apps and how they are using them in the classroom.  Two teachers shared student examples of how they use Educreations with their class. Educreations is an app that turns your iPad into a white board. You can work with photos or text and then students can use their finger to write on top of the object. One teacher had used it with students while working on multiplication and another teacher had students correct sentences using the app, having them explain their corrections as they went along.

 

 



Another app which teachers felt they could use in the classroom is Photocard. From the website: "Bill Atkinson PhotoCard is a free app available from the iTunes App store, that allows you to create custom postcards using Bill's nature photos or your own personal photos, then send them by email or postal mail from your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch." You can also save it to your photo stream. Ideas for using this app were for book projects in reading, state or country projects in social studies, or animal projects in science. 

 

You can get more information, as well as a helpful how-to video on Bill Atkinson's website.

 

We also talked about Evernote, to help us be more efficient while gathering data and give us a place to organize that data. Teachers can create a folder for each student, organize information on that student and have data to share at meetings or ARDs, instead of carrying bulky binders full of student data.

 

Here is a helpful video from the Evernote website explaining the many uses of Evernote!

 

 

 

Our first "appy" hour was fun and informative!  Our next get together, on September 24th, will focus on Twitter and creating our PLN's! 

 

What is your favorite app for your classroom? 

 

Happy reading & learning!

Shawna Ford
 

Welcome Back! And Please Touch the Displays!

We have finished our first week of school, and it was so great to have the students back in the building! After weeks of preparation, the halls were full and the sound of students filled the air.  Tours of classes came through the library, and I had fun showing them some of the new things we had done to the library over the summer.  Everything was PERFECT! Everything was in its place!  It definitely won't stay that way though, and I'm completely OK with that! 

Our Graphic Novel bookshelf will not look this full again until May, when all books have been turned in!  But that is OK! :)

Our Texas Bluebonnet book display will not look like this again, at least not until after voting! In fact, as 6th graders came in for checkout on Friday, many of these books left with them.  But that is OK! :)

The display of some of our favorite chapter book series will not stay neat & nice like this.  Books will be askew, the Ivy & Bean dolls will move around, and bins will be empty.  But that is OK! :)

I'm OK with all of this because this is only a fun place when students are in here, checking out books, talking about books, creating, collaborating, and connecting! This is not a museum, with books on display.  Displays are meant to be taken apart. I love when students ask if they can checkout a book on display.  PLEASE, YES! Take a book from the top of the shelf! That is my goal when I put that book there!

So, welcome back! Come in often! And, yes, please, mess up the displays!

Getting Ready & Getting Focused!

I have always loved the beginning of the school year! It is a time for new beginnings for everyone-- students, staff, and even our teaching environment!  After a wonderful vacation, I am ready for the new school year and will be in the library this week getting things ready.  Here is a before picture of our library:

 

 



It is a little fuzzy, but my brain is also a little fuzzy with all of the ideas I have for our physical space, as well as the lessons I want to teach, and the books I want to share, and the tools I want to use, and.... you get the picture.  There is a lot to do, but I can't wait to tackle my to-do list!

One of the things that I'll be using this year to become less "fuzzy" and more focused is the book 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done by Peter Bregman. 

 

The premise of the book is that we should focus on five areas that will have the greatest impact on our life, and make sure that each day, the majority of the things on our to-do list are focused on these areas. That by spending just 18 minutes (some in the morning, some throughout the day, and some at the end of the day) we should stay on track. I'm ready to try!

 

And, as usual, my Twitter PLN has offered support!  Several others are also reading this book and a Google Hangout is in the works so that we can share our progress!  Thanks to Sherry & Cynthia for holding me accountable for staying focused & getting things done!!

 

Hopefully, by the end of the week, the picture will be clearer, and things will be marked off my to-do list.  The RIGHT THINGS! 

 

How do you stay focused?  I would love to see how other libraries are coming along as we prepare to welcome our students back!

 

Happy Back to School!



Vacations Help Clear the Mind! EdCamp Fort Worth Experience

It took a vacation to get my mind clear enough to share my first Edcamp experience!  We spent a cool 6 days in Vancouver & Whistler, BC Canada and it was WONDERFUL!!

Before that though, I spent a Saturday at Edcamp Fort Worth, hosted by some great people in Keller ISD!  I had seen information on Twitter about Edcamp and I was excited to find one so close.  Two teachers and two librarians from our district went, each with our own individual focus.  I don't think any of us left disappointed!  And we are all excited about the next one, Edcamp Dallas!


The great part about an Edcamp is that it is so informal and provides opportunities for personal professional learning with peers.  When we first arrived, we listed topics we were interested in learning about on sticky notes and then grouped them on a window with like notes.  The sessions were then chosen from those and put into time slots. 

An easy tool to help with organization of your edcamp experience was the guidebook that I downloaded before I got there.  I could keep up with the sessions I wanted to participate in, and that is exactly what it was, PARTICIPATORY.  In two of the sessions, there were people who were more knowledgeable than most, but in two sessions, we just all shared and tried out things while we were in there together.  None of the sessions were lecture or just one person talking.  This is how Edcamps should be from what I've learned!  :)

The first session I chose was on Evernote, an organizational tool that can be used on iPads, as well as PCs.  It is a way to organize documents, websites, photos, and more in different "notebooks"  The notes can be tagged for easy access.  While in the sessions, I learned  how to create different notebooks, which I had not done with all of my notes.  Another attendee showed how she had created a checklist in Evernote to use for the beginning of school, which was interactive.  She was able to check off supplies/notes, etc for the students as they brought them in.  So much better than all of the paper checklists!  Evernote is definitely a tool I will be using this year to stay organized!

Next, I went to a session on Genius Hour, which is something we are interested in implementing at our school. It is based on Google's 20% time, where employees are allowed to pursue their passions & interest for 20% of the work time.  Amazingly enough, 50% of the new ideas put into use came during this creative exploration time. For school use, students & staff would be able to pursue their own interests during Genius Hour. Teachers would set aside a certain amount of time for students to work on their "passion projects." It was described as "messy" and "loud" but we are were still interested!  :)

While in the session, people shared how they are planning to use genius hour in their classroom. Some teachers plant to put no parameters on the projects, while others wanted to offer a little more guidance to their students.  I loved that each person could make it their own, which is an important part of this. Genius Hour, if nothing else, is individualized & personal!  All of this made me stop and think of how I could support classroom teachers with genius hour using our new Makerspaces in the library.  Our engineering makerspace, as well as the multi-media makerspace would fit in nicely with genius hour!  Light bulbs were definitely going on!

In addition to these two great sessions, I also went to one on Augmented Reality. This is something I had only heard of, and still am a long way from implementing, but it was oh so cool!!  I'll have to work on it during my own "genius hour" and look at the ways it can be used in the library. The last one I went to was on Google Docs, and although I comfortably use Google Docs, I decided to stay as a refresher, not to mention, I had so much already going on in my brain that I didn't think I could handle anything else new!  ;)

My first Edcamp experience was GREAT!  I learned quite a bit in a short amount of time and in a very relaxed setting. I was able to meet some of my Twitter PLN face to face, as well as make new connections!  The people who put it on did a fantastic job, and it ran very smoothly! AND there were door prizes!! 

 I can't wait to attend my next edcamp:

EdcampDallas
Oct 12th 2013
Plano, Tx (Sockwell Center)

Have you been to an edcamp?  What are your thoughts?  Have you helped present or facilitate at one? I'm hoping to try that in the near future....  Any advice? :)

Learning, Connecting, Growing

This past week, I had a few opportunities to learn and share with other educators. From blogging to Twitter to faculty book club meeting to attending my first Edcamp, it was definitely a FULL week!

On Tuesday, I worked with teachers and librarians on blogging. Each person was at a different place, some had an active blog but just wanted to add some WOW to it, while others had not yet begun to blog.

I went with Blogger, since that is the one I am most familiar with and helped teachers set up a Google account and then create  and "decorate" their blog. Sometimes, especially with elementary teachers, we can't even begin until we are pleased with the look! :)

 In addition to teachers & librarians, our diagnostician came to the session, wanting help not only with blogging, but also finding relevant blogs to follow.  By searching topics and people, we were able to find blogs that would be beneficial.  Some decided to add these to their blog page under "My Blog List" so that it was easy to follow. 

There was a really good discussion about "audiences" for our blog and who we are targeting.  We all agreed that our hope is that our school families are reading them, acknowledging though that more often it is other teachers & librarians.  Everyone brainstormed ways to draw in our school families, and decided one way is to make sure there is more coverage of daily events with pictures!  :)



The best part of the day was the informal sharing that happened as we all moved forward with our blogging skills!  I love how Mrs. Abdur-Razzaaq added video of her new genre-fied fiction section to her Crockett Elementary Library blog!  

It was fun working with each other to create informative blogs for our students & families!


On Wednesday, I met with a few teachers to help them create Personal Learning Networks (PLN)on Twitter.  Again, we started where each person was, some without a Twitter account, some with "eggs" as profile pictures, and others with wanting to find people to follow. 

I am passionate about sharing the benefits of establishing a PLN with colleagues and was excited about the opportunity to "hook" a few new people!  :)  We discussed the difference between using Facebook and Twitter, separating your personal and professional Twitter accounts, and connecting with people who will inspire and energize you! The professional learning opportunities that come up from following people on Twitter are fabulous!  The weekly chats are plentiful!  Just look at this Tweet for Jerry Blumengarten, who is an incredible asset to any PLN:

Weekly Twitter Educational Chat Schedule http://t.co/lsnhn5kNM9 Every day you can learn and share with a global audience.
— Jerry Blumengarten (@cybraryman1) July 29, 2013

Webinars are often shared on Twitter, as well as conferences.  And then there is the daily interaction between people who create, collaborate and share!  This is the best place to personalize your professional learning!  (see, I told you I was passionate about this!  ;) )

When everyone left, they had their account set up, people to follow, and had posted at least one tweet!  Woohoo! 
 
Most of the people working on Twitter are also members of our faculty book club, which happened to be meeting right after.  Each month we choose a book to read and then meet to discuss it. Now that more of us are on Twitter, we are also using #curtisbookclub when talking about our books.  We read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn for this month's book and the discussion was LIVELY to say the least! (This is NOT a children's book, definitely for "mature audiences.")  The delicious treats at Cup and Cake in downtown Weatherford made the discussion even better!

Our next selection is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and we will meet in a few weeks for this discussion.  This is another adult book, but as I have recently been reminded, teachers need to be READERS to teach READERS!  :)  We will work in children's books during the school year, but for the end of summer, this seems good!  I'm taking it with me on my end of summer trip next week. 

 

 

Edcamp Fort Worth was so awesome, it deserves its own post! More to come!

 

Happy Reading AND Happy Learning!