Couple of Weblinks to check out.

Below are a couple of weblinks that may be interest to some teachers.  Have a look and see what you think ....

With BloxMob, students and teachers can create apps and share them with others who have downloaded the BloxMob app.  They can download to access the apps that others have made - but the real fun is in creating original apps using the BloxMob website.  Students can start from scratch or work with a template - no coding experience needed.  
https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/bloxmob

The best interactive fiction apps are those ones that are like the usual choose-your-own adventure stories - but have an added set of graphs showing the consequences of your choices, on things like friendships, personalities and your moral standing on issues.  Often, the main character is customisable - plus the best ones also leave room for solving mysteries by entering solutions to problems.  As well, like all good fiction they raise some interesting ethical and philosophical issues to be discussed or pondered over.

https://seanhamptoncole.wordpress.com/2017/04/09/interactive-fiction-the-coolest-way-to-teach-critical-thinking-decision-making-ethics-social-skills-consequential-thinking-engaged-literacy/

I know that the Choose-Your-Own adventure books are pretty popular so these may also catch their attention.  It's always worth a try.

Carry on being awesome .....

Literature Quiz and the End of Term

Below is a link to paste in that should take you to a literature quiz which is all things book related - and lots of 'really??' moments.  
Have a try - and I would be interested to know how you went.  The best I could manage was 26 - and out of 50 that's not really good.  (I think it is a pass though??)

http://forreadingaddicts.co.uk/quizzes/great-big-literature-quiz/16503

The holiday break is on the horizon with lots of down time and recharging of batteries happening, I hope.  

Don't forget to include some non-work related reading in there as well.   It's great for your health as it's relaxing and lowers the blood pressure - and a bit of time out in a nice little fantasy world of some sort is always good for the soul.

Make it a good one! 

Digital Citizenship Survival Kit

Always being one for visual props and ideas, I came across a Digital Citizenship Survival Kit for students.  This has been designed by a teacher in the USA for his digital citizenship classes, to hand out to his students, mainly to reinforce some of what he teaches.  
What do you think?  Any other suggestions?

Padlock: to remind you to have strong passwords
Toothbrush:  Would you share your toothbrush?  No? Don't share your passwords either.
Permanent Marker:  EVERYTHING you put on the Internet is there forever
Toothpaste:  You can't get toothpaste back into the tube - nor can you ever take your posts off the Web.
Magnifying Glass:  What shows up when people search you on Google? Is that what you want people to know about you?  Will it get you a job later?
Fake Tattoo:  'Digital Tattoo' instead of 'Digital Footprint'.  Footprints can be washed away - a tattoo is much harder to get rid of.
Sheet of paper:  Screw it up, stomp on it - now smooth it out and try to make it as new as it was.That's what happens with cyber bullying - the marks are always there.
Strainer:  Know how to 'strain the real' from the Internet.  In other words, know how to spot fake stuff and don't get caught out by hoaxes.

Below is a link to paste in that is a quiz about Digital Citizenship.  It could be interesting to try it out on your class. 

http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=andretrace_1 

And an infographic that shows you how to go about finding out whether a site is fake or not.  
http://www.stonesoupcreative.com/infographic-fake-news-real-news-10-tips-getting-facts/

The Future of Libraries and the Why of Daydreaming

Below is a website that has a talk by Neil Gaiman on the future of libraries, and the absolute need for reading, imagining and daydreaming.  

Although it is British based - it really is NO different anywhere else.  There are many salient points in the article - such as being able to work out how many people will end up in prison in the next 20 or so years.  It is done using a very simple algorithm which is based on the number of 11 year olds who can't read!  
Or why China is now finally allowing Sci-Fi conventions to happen there - or even why a book is like a shark!

I love Albert Einstein's answer when asked how we can make our children intelligent: "Read them fairy tales - if you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."

This article is something that we all need to read - even if it is the only thing you read this weekend.  

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-libraries-reading-daydreaming?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Have an awesome weekend - and may the Force (of reading) be with you!

Web Pickings - Technology and Hybrid Thinking

Just a couple of 'web pickings' that may be of some interest - a little light reading for the weekend. 

http://internetofthingsagenda.techtarget.com/definition/Internet-of-Things-IoT

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-magazine/the-future-is-smart/article24586994/

http://www.easybib.com/guides/5-ed-tech-trends-to-look-for-in-2017/

https://www.ted.com/talks/amber_case_we_are_all_cyborgs_now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVXQUItNEDQ    - Get Ready for Hybrid thinking.

And a science fiction trilogy to put it all into perspective:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWW_Trilogy

Crystal Pyramids, Bermuda Triangle and Snopes

Well, apparently the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle has been solved after all this time!  Score one for modern technology and sonar.  It seems that there is a HUGE crystal pyramid underwater using some totally unknown technology, which is why there has been such a loss of planes and ships.  
See the link below:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1945098/crystal-pyramids-discovered-lurking-beneath-tropical-seas-of-bermuda/

Of course, in today's world of fake news, and so many people believing everything that they read on the Internet, I can't help thinking that it is just as well we have Snopes on hand to sort out the urban myths running wild. 
http://www.snopes.com/?s=crystal+pyramid+bermuda+triangle

There are lots of urban myths and hoaxes that regularly circulate on the Internet and FaceBook - and they seem to just keep looping around.  Sometimes they undergo a slight mutation as someone updates them, but mainly, they just keep on going.

The best way to check these sort of facts is to run it through snopes.com which is a independent fact checking site.  
Please see the link below:
http://www.snopes.com/frequently-asked-questions/

Probably a good site to pass onto your students - and your friends.

Reasons for Reading

My offering for today is a list of websites with reasons as to why we should be reading everyday - and why it is SO important.  For most of us, the benefits are self -evident, but it is always an issue to convince student's as to the value of reading. 

By this I mean REAL reading, rather than what they do on a computer.  There are various different types of reading and all are valid - but to be able to read well and with understanding, from a computer screen, you do need to have reading skills to start to start with.  

Apparently,  the Silicon Valley people who design computers, quite often won't have their kids in a school that uses the things!  Whether this is actually true or not is debatable - but I can appreciate the reasons why.  

Their reasoning is that learning to use computers is about as complicated as learning to use toothpaste - so they want their kids to have the opportunity to gain a variety of skills and to be able to think outside the square. People that have this ability are very much in demand in almost any workplace.

These are not skills that can be gained from computers or TV - but are absorbed through books - the old fashioned print and pages style - which leads on to a better development and strengthening of their neural pathways.

Anyway, enough of my soapbox.  Take a few minutes and have a look - then be sure to make time for 'strengthening your neural pathways" this weekend.   Or just grab a good coffee and a good book and take some time for yourself. Either way it works.  

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-benefits-reading-why-you-should-read-everyday.html

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201401/reading-fiction-improves-brain-connectivity-and-function

https://selfhelpfix.com/benefits-of-reading.php

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/5-reading-reasons-reluctant-readers-rebecca-alber
http://www.inspirationboost.com/8-reasons-why-reading-is-so-important

Web Links

Below are a couple of websites that came through an email from a listserv for teachers/librarians - take a look if you get a few free minutes.  There may be something you could use.

https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/parable-of-the-polygons
Any activity that engages students in active thinking about social issues like bias and segregation should be good for learning, and Parable of the Polygons offers these kinds of opportunities. 

https://quizster.co/
 With Quizster, students take pictures of their work and the teacher grades the work digitally via their phone, tablet or laptop. Quizster helps to organise the mounds of work and back-and-forth feedback and also provides a great digital portfolio.

https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/gonoodle
GoNoodle is a series of web-based videos, games, and activities focused on introducing short bursts of physical exercise in the classroom. 

Web links

Another quick post as I have just found this blog and website which deals with digital media, thanks to a suggestion from another Library.  

The blog has a lot of posts and ideas on teaching SEL, which I believe is part of the WellBeing program here, so it may have a few extra ideas for you.  The educators side of the site has loads of information along with lesson plans and ideas for teaching and sharing tech type stuff. 

https://www.commonsense.org/education/blog

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators

Hope it is of some use for you all.

2017 and a new school year.

New Year, new start - isn't that the phrase?  Certainly a new start here in the Library - or it will be once we get everything sorted after being flooded due to the heavy rains during the holiday break.  We have had a large part of the carpet ripped out due to mould and the rest will go soon, when the new flooring goes down.  
I had been talking about a revamp of the Library space and it appears that the Universe decided to help out. 

Books and resources are scattered in various places at the moment - and although I have a fair idea as to where to find what - please don't expect miracles.   
There are also a few issues with printers, phones and so on - again probably to do with the flooding, so please be patient.

For the new staff some information about the Library and what we (usually) offer is below, but if anyone has any queries, please come and see me.  I will need to get all your names and details anyway to add you to the library system so you can borrow. 

Below is a list of some of what we can help you with. I put this list up each year, so if you go back through the posts, it is all there. Anything else? If there is something that you think we can help with, just come and have a chat. We have learned to be fairly good at pulling rabbits out of hats and we also like a challenge.  (Although maybe no challenges just yet till the Library is running the way it should)

• Looking for a particular book or resource? Come and talk to us. We can organise an Inter-library-Loan or help you find where to purchase it.
• Resources: Books, DVDs, Magazines and Newspapers, iPad sets, Digital Cameras, Video Recorders, Computer Mice sets, Data Projectors, Teacher Reference, Board games, Chess sets, Kits........
• IWB area and a bank of computers, as well as laptops that are available to be booked for classes.  The Library laptop trolley is only to be used in the Library area, however.
• Help with research, proofreading of assignments, suggestions for books to read - we are your people.
• A place to display your amazing class work.
• Collation of websites for subjects/classes
• Booking sheets for: Library areas, F Block Laptops, Headphones, Ipads.

Students have a 2 week borrowing period while staff have a month. For most of the resources, we can adjust the loaning period for whatever is needed - at least till the end of term. However, this doesn't include the AV materials - that is a 1 week loan period only.

The school also subscribes to the TV4Ed system so if you are looking for something that has been screened on TV at some point, let me know and I can find it and put it on the school system for you to access.  
However, the subscription was recently upgraded so you can access a wide collection of YouTube materials that have been collated for schools and following the National Curriculum Framework.  Hopefully we can organise a training through TV4Ed soon, so you can all do your own searching.

So ... wishing you all an awesome term with lots of books and reading involved.

End of School year for 2016.

Just a quick post to wish you all a fantastic end of term break and to thank you all for your support during these last few weeks of term.

For those of you who are moving on, I wish you all the best wherever you may be next year - and everyone else - I'll see you back here next year!

Make sure you have a relaxing break and definitely spend time reading!!  It could be considered a matter of survival! 

Remember - Dinosaurs didn't read and now they're extinct! Coincidence - I think not!!

All jokes aside - have an awesome Christmas and we'll do it all over again next year.  

Hour of Code

The Hour of Code has come and gone this year with barely a notice - at least here anyway. But have a look at the link below.  It doesn't have to be run during the suggested time frame and maybe it is something that could be looked at for next year? 

http://slav.global2.vic.edu.au/2016/11/21/hour-of-code-coming-soon/#.WFHa29V94nQ

In the three years it has been running it has become a global movement reaching  tens of millions of students and spanning 180 countries.  As most of the jobs that will be available in the future are not even dreamed of now, just having the confidence to step into the arena will be a big part of gaining work. 

All of us are literally surrounded by gadgets, devices, gaming, social media and so the list continues. The Hour of Code is a creative activity that works to provide students with an opportunity to be more than an onlooker.  It takes some of the mystery out of digital tech and offers students a world of resources that they can revisit and explore at any time they like. 

What can you learn in just an hour?  You won't become an expert computer programmer in an hour - but you will have fun, learn to have a go - and realising that you CAN do this is a big part of it.

Research and Plagiarism Websites

A few websites that may be of some advantage to you all for next year:

https://library.acadiau.chttps://library.acadiau.ca/research/citation-
This site has some tutorials that could be helpful in explaining plagiarism to students along with searching skills.  Check out 'Search with Success', 'Credible Sources Count', 'Research it Right' and 'You quote it, you note it'.  It's Canadian rather than Australian but still good content.

http://schools.natlib.govt.nz/blogs/libraries-and-learning/15-03/spot-hoax-when-evaluating-web-content

 This site gives pointers on identifying whether or not a site may be a hoax and to what degree students believe that everything on the web is true.  Included are a number of hoax sites to help with evaluating content and some checklists to work though. 

I have used the Tree Octopus one but the rest are new to me.  It could make for an interesting lesson or two.