On the DL
Notes from Digital Learning and School Library Services
February 2023
Welcome to the refreshed monthly newsletter from the BCS Digital Learning and School Library Services Department. The sections below were designed for quick, efficient browsing that prioritizes the importance of empowerment, reflection, and innovation in education. Have feedback on this new layout? Please let us know what you think using the form linked below!
Empower
The BCS Digital Learning Department is thrilled to share our monthly calendar! Feel free to use these resources in your classroom as a way to celebrate the various days featured on this calendar.
Please log in to Clever before accessing any of the linked calendar resources below, and always be sure to preview resources before utilizing them in your educational setting.
Reflect
Let's reflect on current practices in our school communities, including our amazing library spaces!
Updates From Virgina Williamson
with Kimberly Beam, Media Coordinator
The past couple of months have been super busy in the media center!
Students began exploring Learning Stations where they can self select a station that they are curious about or interested in. Stations may include Mindfulness Coloring and Creating Bookmarks, Design and Building Stations, Puzzles and Board Games as well as Investigative Stations with non fiction and reference books on a variety of topics/subjects. Students also check out their books and may relax and read.
December lessons were focused on Hour of Code and Computer Science week, where Mrs. Beam shared a plethora of lessons from the BCS Digital Learning Resources. 3rd-5th grade students gained knowledge in basic block based coding and programming language, by using the Scratch website that students access via their Clever app on their Chromebooks. Their excitement and curiosity was amazing to watch as they created their own projects and shared with their peers.
VWES hosted Family Science Night recently. A variety of community organizations, PTA and staff volunteered to facilitate fun hands-on activities related to STEAM. SLMC Kim Beam and DLS Alicia Valand helped students and families explore and learn about Ozobots! Students were able to decide what direction, speed and moves they wanted their mini robot to follow on a maze. Watching their excitement while they observed their Ozobot with spins, backwalks, tornado moves and turbo boosted speeds was so rewarding! The earlier we expose children to these amazing technologies, the more confident, knowledgeable and successful they will become!
Students enjoy reading in the media center.
Many came out to enjoy Family Science Night!
A kindergarten student watched their Ozobot!
Students created coded pathways.
From a Reader: The Great Gatsby is now in the public domain. What does that mean?
If a book, song, movie, or artwork is in the public domain, then it is not protected by intellectual property laws (copyright, trademark, or patent laws)—which means it's free for you to use without permission. As a general rule, most works enter the public domain because of old age. You may ask, then why is Amazon still charging even for the digital copy? The producer may still charge for their costs to produce and distribute said copy but you should see the costs greatly reduced. Amazon's latest Kindle version of The Great Gatsby is now $0.49. The Great Gatsby is also available at The Project Gutenberg Library for free. Notice this is a reputable distributor of public domain texts. Many online resources are not.
Also, should you need them, here are some Copyright FAQs.
-Acacia Dixon, Director of School & Library Services
Innovate
Looking to embrace new ideas and products in your learning environment? Below are some professional learning opportunities as well as links to some of the many resources BCS Digital Learning & School Library Services provide!
Are you in need of CEUs? The Digital Learning Team at DPI has curated a list of Self-Paced professional learning opportunities that are available! THIS linked document contains a list you can search to find just what you need!
Once you find the perfect fit, look it up in NCEES and enroll.
Did you know that NC is the first state to provide ISTE memberships to educators? Be sure to claim your FREE membership to ISTE (the International Society for Technology in Education) - Look for the icon shown above in NCEdCloud!
