District Wide Information

End of the School Year
The end of the school year is just around the corner.  The media centers will post important dates regarding the last day for checking out books, when all media materials (books and equipment) are due, and when the media centers will close.  Please encourage students to return all media materials and pay for lost or damaged materials by the end of the school year.  Thank you for your support with these housekeeping details.  

50 Education Technology Tools You Can Start Using Today
http://edudemic.com/2013/04/50-education-technology-tools-you-can-start-using-today/

50 Education Technology Tools is a great resource to find a new technology tool to try in your classroom.  If you want to try something, but would like more support, be sure to contact Vera Weber or me.  This might be a fun thing to explore this summer in preparation for teaching next year.  Check out new tools you've never heard of before!

District Wide Information

Earth Day 2013
Tomorrow marks 33 years since the first Earth Day was celebrated!  In the article below titled "Apps for Earth Day/Touch and Go" http://www.slj.com/2013/04/books-media/reviews/apps/touch-and-go/apps-for-earth-day-touch-and-go/#_  there a couple of suggested ebooks and some apps.

Earth Day Network http://www.earthday.org/ is a fantastic resource of Earth Day ideas and activities.  Colorin Colorado
http://www.colorincolorado.org/web_resources/by_topic/earth_day_environmental_resources/
Scholastic.com http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/collection/celebrate-earth-day, and Science Net Links http://sciencenetlinks.com/collections/earth-day/ offer lesson ideas and many other educational ideas to teach about and celebrate Earth Day.  Celebrate Earth Day with some of these great ideas!

District Wide Information

How Teens Do Research in the Digital World?
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Student-Research/Summary-of-Findings.aspx

Based on this Pew Research Center article, teen research shows that there is a positive impact on student research habits and skills but not without drawbacks.  Some concerns revealed include an overdependence on search engines rather than online databases, respected news sites, printed books or reference librarians; the difficulty students have on evaluating quality online information; the level of information literacy skills;  and the ease of student plagiarism.  

As teachers continue to ask students to research about topics, events, and people of significance, it is important to consider how you are guiding students through the process of research.  This article reminds of many aspects to consider to help students develop good research practices, and to better prepare them for college research.  

If you need help with this please contact English teachers or myself for more guidance.  Our media center has access to suggested website research practices, many outstanding online databases, and print sources available in our school as well as accessible from other public and academic libraries in Minnesota.  

District Wide Information

Inspire your Students to Love Reading

Summer is just around the corner.  Now is a great time to share how students can continue to read all summer long.  Here are my 10 tips for you!

1. Encourage students to join the summer reading program at your nearest public library

2. Search for book trailers of some of your favorite novels/stories

3. Give book talks of books you've read or encourage students to give book talks of books they've read and enjoyed.

4. Encourage students to make a list of books they want to read this summer.  Remember to make this manageable so students are more likely to read rather than feel overwhelmed.

5. Check out GuysRead at www.GuysRead.com.  This resource is great for elementary and middle school students.

6. For high school students, encourage them to get involved in Goodreads www.goodreads.com/.  Goodreads is a great resource to discover and share books you love on  the world's largest site for readers and book recommendations.

7. Encourage students in grades 3-8 to start reading the new Maud Hart Lovelace nominees.  These are available at the Marshall Lyon County Library.

8. For students in grades K-3, there is a new award called Star of the North Award  http://www.starofthenorthaward.org/.  This award will follow the same guidelines as the Maud Hart Lovelace Award.  In order to vote, students should read or have read to them eight of the ten nominees.  Voting will take place in March and the winning title will be announced on April 25th, the same date the Maud Hart Lovelace Award is announced.  

9. Check out opportunities like the one below featuring James Patterson and NBA All-Star Dwayne Wade.Teachers and students can go one-on-one with best-selling author James Patterson and NBA All-Star Dwayne Wade on April 25. At 1:00 p.m. (ET), these two titans will talk about how reading has changed their lives and will give students, educators and parents useful tips for getting youth to love reading. Register online to watch the webcast. After you register, you will receive a digital packet containing system requirements and webcast viewing instructions.

http://www.jamespattersonevents.com/

10. Check out James Patterson's website http://www.readkiddoread.com/ to encourage students to become lifelong readers.