Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Resources

May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, so this week, the information resource I have for you is a virtual classroom I curated that includes a variety of related resources.

Please feel free to make use of them or if you would like to put together something like this for a unit or lesson, please let me know and I would be happy to help!

Original Template Design by: Shannon McClintock Miller (thelibraryvoice.org)

Short Story Month Resources

This week, the information resource I have for you is a virtual classroom with a variety of resources I have curated for Short Story Month (May).

Please feel free to make use of them or if you would like to put together something like this for a unit or lesson, please let me know and I would be happy to help!

Original Template Design by: Shannon McClintock Miller (thelibraryvoice.org)

Earth Day & Arbor Day Resources

This week, the information resource I have for you is a virtual classroom with a variety of resources I have curated for Earth Day (22nd) and Arbor Day (30th).

Please feel free to make use of them or if you would like to put together something like this for a unit or lesson, please let me know and I would be happy to help!

Original Template Design by: Shannon McClintock Miller (thelibraryvoice.org)

National Poetry Month Resources

This week, the information resource I have for you is a virtual classroom with a variety of resources I have curated for National Poetry Month (April).

Please feel free to make use of them or if you would like to put together something like this for a unit or lesson, please let me know and I would be happy to help!

Original Template Design by: Shannon McClintock Miller (thelibraryvoice.org)

iFake Text Generator

This week, the tool I have for you is iFake Text Message. This tool allows you to create a fake text message conversation.

In the past, I have seen teachers use these types of generators for assignments having to do with novel or short story study as a fun way to demonstrate students knowledge of plot events, character traits, etc. You could also give students a fictional scenario and ask them what they should say or do in response to spark class discussion. It could also easily be used in foreign language study. Get creative; students will enjoy it!

What I like about these tools:

• Free and easy to use

• Fun and quick way to get students to analyze material and demonstrate understanding in a different way

• Students are able to download the conversation image and share them with you

Important Note: I want to be very clear that I only condone the use of generators like this one for classroom learning, not for deceiving in a malicious manner.

Word Clouds

This week, the tool I have for you is a simple one that has been around for a while. Wordclouds.com is a free online word cloud generator. It works on your PC, Tablet or smartphone. Paste text, upload a document or open a URL to automatically generate a word-cloud. Customize your cloud with shapes, themes, colors and fonts. You can also edit the word list, cloud size and gap size. When you are satisfied with the result, save the image and share as a JPEG or PDF.

What I like about this tool:

• Free and easy to use

• A fun visual way to demonstrate learning

• Can be used in all classrooms (ex. vocabulary words, classifying objects, using 20-30 descriptive words on a topic being studied, themes within a work, favorite things, etc.)

Example to the left from https://chromebooks4learning.weebly.com/word-cloud-generators.html

InShot

This week, the tool I have for you is one I really enjoy using! Last spring, I was looking for a REALLY EASY video editor tool I could use to create engaging Read Aloud videos for my elementary students during distance learning. InShot did not disappoint! If you wanted to see any of those videos, I would be happy to share them with you individually.

Simply, InShot is a free video editor app that can be downloaded to your iPhone or Android device (it works on iPads as well).

What I like about this tool:

• Free

• User-friendly. I am not a video editing expert, but I find it extremely easy to use.

• Fun features like sound effects, music, voice overs, photos, transitions, backgrounds, text, clip art, filters, etc. can be added to your videos.

• Although it is fun for creating teacher content, it would also be a fun tool for students to use for projects in your classroom. Think assignments having to do with commercials, interviews, routine and how-to videos, etc.

The tutorial video to the left gets into a bit more detail in getting started with InShot, but honestly, I figured it out by just diving in and experimenting with it. It is fun to work with!

YoTeach!

This week, the tool I have for you is called YoTeach! Some of you may remember TodaysMeet which has since been replaced by YoTeach! YoTeach! is a microblog or chat room for your students to engage in class discussions.

What I like about this tool:

• Free and easy to use

• Fun way to get all students participating

• Transcript feature, so you can keep a log of your sessions to determine participation, appropriate dialog, etc.

• Draw feature which is helpful for math or other classes where work needs to be shown

MackinVIA

Since this week is Read an eBook Week, I thought I would remind you that through MackinVIA, teachers and students are able to access hundreds of eBooks (and audiobooks). This collection is shared between GFPS Middle and High Schools.

Students can access MackinVIA through our library website. Once they click on the MackinVIA icon, they will select their school and log in with their Google username and password (which is linked to their Clever account).

Women's History Month Resources

This week, the information resource I have for you is a virtual classroom with a variety of resources I have curated for Women's History Month (March). Please feel free to make use of them!

I especially like the podcasts category. Specifically, Encyclopedia Womannica offers 5-10 minute episodes that feature different incredible women throughout history. You could feature one every day for the month of March for discussion or have students select one woman to explore further in the form of a project or presentation. Additionally, the Lesson Ideas category will provide you with further resources to help you incorporate Women's History Month study into whatever you may teach!

Original Template Design by: Shannon McClintock Miller (thelibraryvoice.org)

Copyright & Fair Use

This week, the information resources I have for you have to do with copyright and fair use. Even as adults, we could probably use a reminder.

As stated by Common Sense Media, as creators we need to be aware of copyright law and the appropriate ways to use original work responsibly with fair use. Being a creator means giving credit where credit is due and getting credit for your original work.

According to the U.S. Copyright Office...

Copyright provides legal protection for original creative works, including: poetry, movies, video games, videos, plays, paintings, sheet music, recorded music performances, novels, software code, sculptures, photographs, choreography and architectural design.

Fair Use allows copyrighted material to be used under certain guidelines, without the copyright holder’s permission, for purposes such as news reporting, teaching, research, criticism, and parody. However, fair use is determined on a case by case basis.

I've gathered some great resources for you to share with your students if you so choose. They include:

• Creativity, Copyright, and Fair Use video clip (4:40) created by Common Sense Media (on the left).

• Quick Guide for Students and Educators: Creativity and Copyright handout

• The Educator's Guide to Creativity & Copyright handout

• Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines for Teachers pdf

• Teaching Copyright Resources

Smithsonian's History Explorer

This week, the information resource I have for you is Smithsonian's History Explorer website. Smithsonian's History Explorer was developed by the National Museum of American History in partnership with the Verizon Foundation to offer hundreds of free, innovative online resources for teaching and learning American history.

History Explorer's resources focus on learning history by "reading" objects for the stories they hold about the nation and its many peoples. Learning activities feature artifacts selected from over 3 million items in the Museum's collections, and draw on the expertise of the Museum's renowned curatorial staff.

What I like about this tool:

• Lessons & Activities for all grades. With Black History Month, President's Day, and Women's History Month being in close proximity, there are many great resources at your disposal.

• National Standards attached

• Interactives and media (including video clips)

• Engaging Students with Primary Resources guide

Jamboard Templates

I am by no means a Jamboard expert, but this week, the information resource I have for you is a variety of Jamboard tips and templates from a blog post on Ditch That Textbook.

Jamboard is a collaborative online whiteboard. It gives students lots of creative work space. I imagine many of you already use it in your classroom or you might have been introduced to it during our small group session during our PD day.

The blog post tells you a bit about Jamboard and offers some tips and tricks, but what I liked the most was the 20 ideas for using Jamboard in class (+ FREE templates!) halfway down the page. You are able to make a copy of these templates and edit them to your liking for classroom use.

African American History Month Resources

This week, the information resource I have for you is a virtual classroom with a variety of resources I have curated for Black or African American History Month (February). Please feel free to make use of them or if you would like to put together something like this for a unit or lesson, please let me know and I would be happy to help!

I especially like the lesson that goes along with MLK's What Is Your Life's Blueprint? Very impactful for our teens!

Original Template Design by: Shannon McClintock Miller (thelibraryvoice.org)

Today, the Information Resource Favorite I have for you is one of the online databases that we have access to through ODIN (Online Dakota Information Network). It is called Points of View Reference Center. I have attached a list of categories that students can explore on this database as well. *See about to the left.

Additional reasons why I like this source:

• Information is timely/current

• Students can easily print these articles

• Citations for each source are provided

• And again, I do like the read-to-me feature that many articles have for struggling readers

Now, more than ever, students need credible sources instruction and ODIN is a great place to go when looking for reliable information for a class research project/paper.

Students can navigate to ODIN through our library website. When students are within the school network, they do not need a username and password to get into ODIN; however, if they are accessing from home, they will need them. *You can obtain this info. from the library.

Padlet

This week, the tool I have for you has been around for a while, but it has evolved and is probably one you already use. Simply, Padlet is a digital discussion board. The notes posted by teachers and students can contain links, videos, images and document files.

What I like about this tool:

• Free...well...you can create 3 Padlets for free until they ask you to upgrade your account, but when you delete your 3, you can make more

• Visually engaging and an alternate way to have student discussion/collaboration

• Ability for teacher to require post approval/filter profanity

The tutorial video on the left gets into a bit more step-by-step description in getting started with Padlet and how you can use it in your classroom.

Bonus Tip:

Does anyone else frantically rush to mute/unmute on Zoom? Here's a shortcut-- Command + D (Control + D on Chromebooks)

There is also a shortcut to turn on and off the Camera-- Command + E (or Control + E on Chromebooks)

Jeopardy Labs

This week, the tool I have for you is an oldie, but a goodie. Jeopardy Labs is a fun and easy way to create Jeopardy-like games online.

What I like about this tool:

• User-friendly and easy to create

• Fun and engaging way to review content with your students

• There are 2 million Jeopardy Games that are already created that you can choose from if you didn't want to create your own

You can take this a step further and play this game over Zoom as a way to interact with your students. The video attached explains how you can do this. I apologize for the monotone-like narration. You could also just send students the link to the game, so they can review on their own.

BONUS Tech Tip (courtesy of Mr. Norby):

Needing students to send you a picture of their work? If the student has an iPhone, they can use Notes as a scanner. If you need me to send you the video tutorial of him explaining how to do this, please let me know.

This week, the tip I have for you is a little trick that makes ALL YouTube videos free of ads & sidebar videos. We all know that sometimes unrelated or inappropriate suggestions pop up and this eliminates your students from seeing those.

When you grab a link from a YouTube video, all you have to do is add a "-" (dash) after the "t" in YouTube and it will provide the video with no ads or sidebar videos (see image on left).

Then, you can attach the link to Google Classroom or share it with your students in whatever manner you prefer. Give it a try!

Native American Heritage Month Resources

This week, the information resource I have for you is a virtual classroom--of sorts--with a variety of resources I have curated for Native American Heritage Month (November). If you would like to put together something like this for a unit or lesson, please let me know and I would be happy to help!

Original Template Design by: Shannon McClintock Miller (thelibraryvoice.org)

Nearpod

This week, the tool I have for you is an online website called Nearpod that allows you to make your presentations interactive. How is this different than Google Slides, Powerpoint, Prezi or other presentation platforms? This is a more appealing way to present information to your students and with student participation being a challenge in the classroom, this is a perfect way to allow students to engage in their learning.

What I like about this tool:

• Free Account Includes: 100 MB of storage and 40 students per session. For perspective, one of my presentations took up about 6 MB of storage--so much free storage space to go!

• Live Participation Mode and Student Paced Mode. Perfect for in-class or at home learning days.

• Standard Formative Assessment Features (polls, open-ended questions, fill in the blank, quiz, memory test, matching pairs, draw it, etc.) including Post Session Reports which show student engagement and activity from your sessions.

• Teacher Pacing. Students see what the teacher wants them to see on their device.

• You can insert a video clip into your presentation and at any point during the video you can insert an activity (open-ended question, poll, etc.), so students are actively engaged in the content you are showing them.

I have created a couple of presentations using Nearpod. If you would like to see them to get ideas or have questions regarding this tool, please let me know! As always, I am happy to assist you.

RR Library Website Features Video

This week, the information resource I have for you is a brief video showing you the different features of our library website.

Highlights include:

• News and Welcome from the library

• Library Twitter Access

• What Mrs. Kulas is Reading...

• Library Catalog Access

• Online Databases (ODIN) Access

• MackinVIA (eBooks & Audiobooks) Access

• Resources: Digital Citizenship, Fact vs. Fiction (including Evaluating Sources, Determining Fake News, etc.), MLA 8th Ed. Citation, and Pathfinders (pre-research help).

• Staff Resources: What Your Librarian Can Do For You Menu, Library Scheduling, Conference Room Scheduling, iPad Scheduling, Media Bookings, Thursday Technology Tools/Information Resource Favorites, and the Cartridge Refill/Printer Maintenance Request Form.

If you have any questions or need any assistance, please let us know!

Bitmoji Virtual Classroom

This week, the tool I have for you is the creation of a virtual classroom using Google Slides (with or without awesome Bitmojis). What I like about virtual classrooms:

• FUN and pretty easy to create (let your personality shine)

• Visually pleasing

• Everything is in ONE spot (assignments, resources, video clips, information, etc. are all linked and students click on the images to navigate to that item)

Mrs. Kulas would LOVE to help anyone who would like to put together a virtual classroom. Together you can create one to meet your needs and she can help curate resources that you may find valuable.

Original Template Design by: Shannon McClintock Miller (thelibraryvoice.org)

The following were shared with teachers via email:

• 2-3 Time Management Lessons (from Making Caring Common) includes Laura Vanderkam's "How to Control Your Free Time" TEDTalk attached. I appreciate how she emphasizes that it is not about not having enough time. It is about what we choose to make a priority.

• Staying Organized: Time Management--Google Slide templates that students can edit (by Tanesha B Forman). Just make your own copy first.

Banned Books Week (Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2020) provides us with an opportunity to talk about the dangers of censorship with our students and to celebrate our freedom to read.

There are various resources and lessons online to assist you in sharing this topic with your students. I especially like 40 Virtual Program Ideas for Banned Books Week and ideas from the Banned Books Week Handbook.

However there are many simple things you can do in the classroom to shed light on this important topic:

• Have a conversation about the First Amendment, the difference between challenging and banning, and censorship (what is it, why do people censor, what is often censored, what are the dangers of censorship, what can you do if you experience censorship, etc.)

• Share books that have been challenged over the years

• Have students share their favorite banned/challenged book

Throughout the week, we will have various displays and activities in the library and online for students.

WHITEBOARD.FI

This week, the tool I have for you is an online whiteboard tool for teachers called whiteboard.fi . Math teachers will especially love this one! What I like about this tool:

• FREE

• Can be accessed on ANY device

• User-friendly

• Students can see your work in real time. You can see all of their responses, but they can't see each other's responses. Excellent formative assessment tool!