District Wide Information

New Professional Books
The list of book titles below are new professional books that Marcia Ivers and I saw at the ISTE Conference and felt would be great resources for teachers in the district.  If you are interested in checking out any or these books contact the MHS media center.

101 Best Web Sites for Teacher Tools and Professional Development by James Lerman
Educators will be amazed to discover the tremendous variety of free, powerful, and practical teaching tools that are now available online.  For busy teachers have little time to track down and verify the usefulness of these web-based tools, Web expert James Lerman has collected the best of the best and profiled them here. 

Digital Citizenship in Schools by Mike Ribble
Today, billions fo people all over the planet interact using various technologies.  This interaction has created a digital society that affords its members opportunities for education, employment, entertainment, and social interaction.  As in any society, it is expected that digital citizens act in a certain way - according to accepted norms, rules, and laws.  Most of today's students are entirely comfortable with technology, but are they using it appropriately?  Do they understand their roles and responsibilites in a digital society?  How can teachers help students become responsible digital citizens?

Media Literacy in the K-12 Classroom by Frank W. Baker
The average 8-18 year old spends over 10 hours a day consuming media.  Unfortunately young people's minds are often shut off as they watch TV, surf the web, or listen to music.  Help your students tune in so they can begin to analyze messages and understand techniques used to influence them.  Teach your students to question marketing, recognize propaganda, and understand stereotypes, and you'll also be teaching them valuable critical thinking skills they need for a successful future.

Cell Phones in the Classroom: A Practical Guide for Educator by Liz Kolb
Kolb starts out by sharing case studies that illustrate practical ways teachers and administrators from schools around the world are using cell phones for classroom projects, homework assignments, and communication with parents.  She also includes resources such as sample lesson plans, tutorials for mobile-supported web 2.0 tools, strategies for involving students without cell phones, and guidance on planning and preparation. 

Toys to Tools: Connecting Student Cell Phones to Education by Liz Kolb
Liz Kolb sees cell phones as powerful technology in the hands of students.  Kolb provides a vision in which engaged students use the tools of their choice to enhance learning both inside and outside of the classroom.  Mini lessons and powerful resources throughout the book are easily adaptable and appropriate for almost any grade level.  This book also features guidelines for cell phone ettiquette, and a discussion of the future of cell phones in education.

Bookmapping: Lit Trips and Beyond by Terence W. Cavanaugh and Jerome Burg
With bookmapping, students can use technology to expand their understanding of the locations they visit and connect literature with geography, social studies, and more.  Bookmapping allows students to plot the locations of a story on an interactive map, adding multimedia and hyperlinks about the setting, characters, and plot.  And maps offer much more, helping students see places in the book up close.

Safe Practices for Life Online: A Guide for Middle and High Schools by Doug Fodeman and Marje Monroe
This new edition offers practical advice to help middle and high school students stay safe online by making better choices and minimizing their risks.  Cyberbullying, identity theft, phishing schemes, false advertising, the challenges of Facebook, and more are all fully explained.  This essential resource contains dozens of classroom-tested exercises and hundreds of links to websites, documents, and resources.

Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day by Jonathon Bergmann and Aaron Sams
It all started with a simple observation: Students need their teachers present to answer questions or to provide help if they get stuck on an assignment: they don't need their teachers present to listen to a lecture or review content.  From there Jonathon Bergmann and Aaron Sams began the flipped classroom.  Learn what a flipped classroom is and why it works, and get the information you need to flip your own classroom.  You'll also learn the flipped mastery model, where students learn at their own pace.

From Fear to Facebook: One School's Journey by Matt Levinson
"From Fear to Facebook is an insider's view of the journey from peril to possibility with digital media in school communities. Matt Levinson gives a clear picture of how communities need to work together to create safe, innovative opportunities for kids to learn with digital media. From Fear to Facebook tells the story of the cultural shift happening in schools with technology and provides a road map for how to navigate this sea change with buy-in from all key stakeholders. The stories [Levinson] shares are grounded in the day-to-day challenges and opportunities that accompany digital media. From Fear to Facebook should be required reading for schools looking to figure out how to optimize technology to enhance teaching and learning."
-Jim Steyer, CEO and Founder, Common Sense Media


Digital Storytelling: Guide for Educators by Midge Frazel
 This book offers an overview of digital storytelling and its variations, including e-portfolios, digital photo essays, and scrapblogs.  This book aligns
digital storytelling to the NETS for Students, and each chapter includes a list of resources and links.