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.  

Update on Project Loon

This is just a quick update on something I posted about quite a while back.  Lots more work has been done and it is now happening in the Southern Hemisphere.

Who would have thought of stringing a bunch of balloons along the edge of the stratosphere to provide internet to remote and rural areas?  Just shows that sometimes crazy ideas have something going for them.  

Steam Punk is not just a genre, it appears.

https://x.company/loon/journey/

Words

Words, Words and more words.  

I came across these while searching for something else - as you do, of course - and thought I'd share them with you.  Something a little more lighthearted at this time of term - but maybe could still be regarded as topical.  Year Twelves, anyone?

Utilitarianism:  a philosophy which believes that the greatest number happy = greatest good. Also regarded as the Greatest Happiness Principle which says that an action is right if it promotes the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Original version of 'majority rules' maybe?   

Sophophobia:    the fear of knowledge or of learning.  

Ultracrepidarian:   someone who gives an opinion on things that he/she knows nothing about.

Sesquipedalian:    given to using long words with lots of syllables.

Try putting these in a sentence!

Picture Book Month

November is my favourite Library month of the year!!  It's Picture Book Month!  For me, picture books are just magical.  So many stories, with all the beautiful illustrations that make the whole thing come to life - and all the layers within the stories and pictures.  

One of the 'Pookie' books

It really doesn't matter how old you get, you will always remember the picture books you grew up with.  I always remember reading 'Pookie, the Magic Rabbit' and the beautiful 'Serendipity' series.

'Circle' - Jeannie Baker

But now there are the gorgeous books written by Jeannie Baker - 'Window' and 'Where the forest meets the Sea' along with her latest one 'Circle'  She uses mixed media to create collages which she then photographs for the illustrations for her books. She covers a range of subjects in her books including environment and sustainability.  

Another beautiful gem is the book 'Desert Lake' which is about Lake Eyre, also known as  Kati-Thanda. Filled with lovely detailed illustrations with lots of little hidden details, it is a pleasure to browse through and just enjoy - but can also be used to talk about ecosystems and habitats - or artwork styles and methods.

And SO many others all waiting to be found, enjoyed and shared.  

Never underestimate the power of Picture Books - they are personal as well as universal. And they are very, very important - no matter how grown up you may think you are. You should never get so old that you don't read Picture books - that would just be too sad!

Weblinks on Digital Citzenship.

Would you call your students Digital Citizens?  Check out the weblink below and see what you think.  It's a possibility that even though they are constantly connected to technology, they don't actually have what it takes to be a digital citizen!

http://schools.natlib.govt.nz/blogs/libraries-and-learning/12-03/are-your-students-digital-citizens

As well, just as food for thought, I'm sharing these links that I came across that talk about Digital Citizenship including the 5 fluencies, Digital Etiquette and Digital Health and Well-Being.  Something to think about and maybe talk over with your students, especially the etiquette and the health and well-being ideas.

http://sbhera.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/the-five-fluencies-of-digital.html

http://sbhera.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/digital-health-and-wellbeing.html

http://sbhera.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/digital-etiquette.html

Have a wonderful day - and remember it''s Week 6 - only 4 more to go!

MindShift Weblinks - Teens and Technology

Below are a few weblinks taken from a blog site called MindShift, which deals with teaching and technology.  These were ones that caught my interest so I decided to share them with you.  I think that they are worth a read.

http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/03/23/six-powerful-motivations-driving-social-learning-by-teens/

https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/02/08/how-has-google-affected-the-way-students-learn/

https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/03/06/turned-off-how-teens-respond-to-a-no-tech-challenge/

Have a great weekend.

Celebrating 30 years!

Tennant Creek High School is 30 years old today!!  

The time capsules from 10 years and 21 years have been dug up so as to be able to display their contents - and another one is being made ready for this celebration. There is a big display up in the PAC and posters of interviews with past students, along the lines of what they remember and where they are now.

The community has been invited in to help us enjoy the party and celebrate the history and we are looking forward to many more years to come.

Happy Birthday Tennant Creek High School! 

Google like a Genius

I am always amazed and fascinated by how students can sit in front of a computer to research information for their assignments, spend a whole lesson there and find absolutely nothing that they can use.  

Every so often I get a few who complain that "there's nothing there, Miss, I can't do this" and then look totally stunned when I find what they need in a few minutes ... and it isn't because I'm older and smarter than they are!  

I just know a few more tricks to use on Google to make it do what I want. (They do say that old age and cunning will always beat youth and skill)

So I have included a few links below with hints and tips for conning Google into providing what you need, when you need it.  While I am fairly sure that most of you already know these hints, it may be helpful to pass it onto your students ... after all, one less reason for not being able to complete something.  

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/the-35-best-google-search-tips-and-tricks/

http://epictutorials.com/top-10-google-search-tips/

http://visual.ly/10-tips-search-pro-using-google

And of course, there is always the tried and true Boolean searching method.  I have talked about that in a previous post, but it is always a good start.