Thing 30: Reflection

So much great learning this year!!  I so appreciate the motivation and exposure to new tools that Cool Tools provides each year.  Once again I feel like taking this course has really impacted my library program as it prompted me to explore new things and not overthink them, but instead just dive in and try them.
I feel like my social media presence and website have definitely been impacted- I especially love having discovered Tint to embed a large Facebook widget to streamline my process of keeping everything up to date.  In addition I made the commitment to purchase Smore, so that I will be motivated to create and share regular updates for faculty and staff.
As I worked through the "Emerging Tech" thing I looked forward to next year, and used that to help inform my goal setting for next year.  I know that I will continue to utilize the tools and skills that I developed this year as I implement many of these things.  I will also use these goals to make my upcoming ISTE conference experience meaningful.  I even committed to sharing at the Librarian's Playground on day one of ISTE because of my goal to share more of what I do with my PLN.  I get so much from other people and feel like I am ready to start sharing some of what I do- I feel a little responsibility to give back... and that is another great reflection opportunity.
Many of the things I tried this year were first steps in larger projects and I look forward to continuing to move forward with the library MakerSpace, Learning Commons redesign, "Read the World" projects, etc...
Thanks so much for the inspiration!

Thing 29: Student Response

Flipgrid is one of those tools that I keep hearing about, and have put on my list of things to check out #IfYouLearnedHere.  I love how this created an easy platform for students all over the world to see and hear from each other as they built their understanding of a globally relevant topic.  I would love to see our students connect with students in other countries for a project like this.  I am working on connecting one of our Spanish teachers here with an English language teacher in Colombia to have ongoing Skype communication, and this could be a nice addition to that project.

several times, but haven't actually seen in action or had the opportunity to use yet.  Having it here, with some example links, has put it back on my radar.  Because one of my goals for next year is to focus on Global Literacy throughout my program I was particularly inspired by the example I found of

I would also like to use Flipgrid locally as students come back to school in the fall to follow up on their "Super Summer Reading".  My promotion for this summer has been themed around superheroes, and I would love to ask students to "Introduce us to a hero from your summer reading" on a Flipgrid and then share that on our social media and website to build that communication.  My struggle is with ordering it before testing it out, so I am delaying signing up for the trial until students are coming back, so I can try it in a meaningful way before paying for it.  

Padlet is one of my favorite tools to use and share!  It is so easy to use and quick to create that it is a no brainer for sharing with teachers and using when I work with students.  One of the ways I used it this year was in generating "Need to Know" questions with students after sharing an essential question.  I have also used it in professional development to build the conversation,  I am excited to explore the new Padlet Backpack version, specifically the "Student Reports and Portfolios" and the "Analytics" sections, neither of which are released yet, but are both coming soon.

Another tool that I have recently learned about, and am particularly excited to share with The King's School, a small Christian school that I work with on PD, is Plickers.  One of our teachers here at Lake George has used it and really enjoyed the student engagement and ability to access analytics this provides.  This seems particularly ideal for classrooms where there are limited devices, but teachers still want to connect and collaborate with students through technology.  The feedback in particular makes this a great tool.  I think that I will use this next year with my 8th grade book projects instead of the more traditional "ticket out the door" questions.  I will then have more usable data that I can use to build on what they know or what they haven't understood.
I tried this tool out with our incoming 7th graders for their 15 minute library visit today, and it was very easy to use and made the short time meaningful.  I asked students four questions about their reading interests and habits, and I will use the information to develop meaningful book talks and book groups in the fall.  This also gave several teachers an opportunity to witness this tool in action, and I look forward to sharing the feedback with them.  Lots of great possibilities to explore!

Thing 28: Emerging Tech

I really enjoyed reading many of these articles, but the one that resonated with me the most was Joyce Valenza's "My Top 10 Tech Trends".  Below I will outline some of my goals for the 2015- 2016 school year, based on some of these tech trends.

1. Social media IS the new media.
I have started this year to shift from being a passive observer on Twitter to an active participant.  I want to continue to increase my activity there, as well as increase my presence in Google+ Communities.  I have joined the Global TL Community and am not considering starting a Community for more local PD as well.
This year my library Facebook page has taken off, although students are not the biggest users, but parents instead.  Next year I think that I will explore a library Instagram.


2.  Transparency is the new platform
This year we became huge fans of Google Classroom, and I have both used it myself with classes and trained other teachers on how to use it.  I love the new feature to have multiple teachers in a course- makes it so much more useful for me. I look forward to watching the growth of this great tool to stay connected with students.
I would like to implement the use of a Process Portfolio when I am working through research projects next year.  This would give students, teachers, and myself a tool to guide us through the process and then be able to reflect on the steps as well.

3. Global is the new literacy
I am super excited about this one!!  This year I co-taught a PD course at our school on the New Literacies from Heidi Hayes Jacobs, and Global Literacy in particular resonated with me.  One of the things that I am doing from this is "Reading Around the World in 80 Books", and creating a Google Map with book reviews embedded in the map.  I am hoping to do a smaller version with students in book club next year, having them read one book from each continent and creating Google Maps with book reviews.
In addition I would like to expand our opportunities to connect with classes and educators from around the world, and look forward to getting more ideas and connecting with others on this topic at ISTE 2015!

5.  1:1/ mobile is the new computer lab
This year was the first in our three year roll out of a weLearn Initiative, our version of 1:1 computing.  At the high school 7th and 10th graders all have computers this year, and next year 8th and 11th grades will receive the computers.  I have worked hand in hand with our Instructional Technologist to deliver meaningful professional development to prepare teachers for this rollout.  We will have another round of that this summer and will continue to work with teachers and students to embed inquiry throughout instruction and technology use.


8.  Making is the new learning
This has been a major theme for us this year, and I have written about it in a previous blog.  Next year I hope to work in depth at redesigning our space into a Learning Commons to reflect the shift in roles here in our library.

Thing 27: DIY: Social Reading

For my DIY exploration it was perfect for me to do the social reading "Thing", because I have recently taken on a challenge to become a more globally minded educator and expand my reading choices.  I am going to "Read Around the World in 80 Books".  This was an idea that I got while leading a PD class on the New Literacies, including Global Literacy.  I got the idea from another blogger who did a similar challenge, and loved it!
My goal is to blog about the books as I read in my personal blog.  In addition I have created a Google Map of my reads, so that I can embed the reviews right into the map as well, and track and share my progress there.  I have only just begun, but I'm excited about this challenge, both personally and then the opportunity to share it with both students and teachers.
Through this "Thing" I have spent some time exploring the site goodreads, and I'm excited to use this in tracking my reading progress as well as using shared lists and connecting with friends.  After I feel more comfortable with the site and have filled out my "Shelves" more fully I may add a widget to the library page as well.  In the past I have used Shelfari, but it seems that has fallen from popularity, and since this is a social tool, I want to use the tool which will feel most natural for connecting with both teachers and students.

Through my explorations of social reading I have also discovered Epic Reads, which I have subscribed to through my Feedly account.  This site has lots of great YA book lists, quizzes, and display ideas.  A good place for connecting with teens and books.  I am hoping to connect my Book Club students with this fun resource as well.
Another site, which has given me ideas for connecting my Book Club and MakerSpace for next year is the site Book to Art Club, with ideas for how to lead book discussion while making things relevant to different titles- what a cool idea!  I am excited about the possibilities there, and look forward to promoting that in the fall- I think this year we are too close to the end, but next year I will jump on this idea.

Thing 26: Taking the Lead

What an amazing webinar!!  I came away with several practical ideas that I will spend the next couple of weeks implementing.  These ideas all strengthened concepts and projects that I have been contemplating already.  It was very useful to breakdown the stakeholder groups and think about what is important to each group specifically.  I have recently written a mission statement for the library, and this helped me work through strategies for sharing that message with different stakeholders.  Last year I began a library Facebook page, which has given me an opportunity to reach more stakeholders, although I still struggle to "get the message out".  This weeks topic has allowed me to identify a variety of ways to do that purposefully.
We are working on doing some structural redesigning of the library space, and I just finished a survey to ask students what they would like to see in their learning commons- now I just need to find the right venue for sharing it with students.  I want the library to reflect a learning commons, where students are encouraged to think critically, work collaboratively, experience creativity, and be engaged in lifelong learning- this is my elevator speech!
Some of the practical ideas that I got from the webinar, and the articles, are listed below:

• Create shelf dividers using old VHS cases- I will do this primarily to break up the Nonfiction section.
• Use shelf markers with pictures on them to indicate where popular series are on the shelves.
• Embed a Symbaloo on our Destiny Homepage with additional resources and tools.
• Reinstate my teacher newsletter on a regular basis- my goal is to send one out every 2 weeks, and our district instructional technologist is going to send one out on the opposite weeks.
• Institute "Power Lunch" times for informal PD with teachers.
• Create a 1 Book- 1 School graphic for our "School Wide Read" program (which is in it's 2nd year).  I would like to get this done this week, as we are having our end of year program next week, so it would be nice to incorporate the graphic there.  I would love to have this be student created, but I don't know if there is time for that!
• Communicate with parents on a more regular basis- 7th grade orientation, newsletter updates, information sent with report cards.
• I would especially like to get information out to parents about summer reading and also invite them to follow the Lake George Library Facebook page to stay in touch with what students are doing here.

Thing 25: Power Up Your Browser

Browser Settings
I was actually somewhat skeptical about the usefulness of exploring the browser settings, but was pleasantly surprised about a few things that I know I will use.  The first thing that I had fun playing with were the themes.  This was a good discovery, because I realize that students spend lots of time playing with this, and I had never really taken the time to find out how they were making these changes.  There wasn't a library or book theme though!  This could become a huge time waster too- I found myself getting lost in the search (so easy to get caught up).
The next setting that I found very interesting was with the "Advanced Settings" under "Privacy".  This is something that I will share with students when I am teaching about filter bubbles and the effect of your search activity being tracked.  Tracking the effectiveness of this "Do not track" option will be interesting.  It had a disclaimer that different websites respond to that request differently.  Good to know about!
The final setting that I found interesting was under "Downloads", and I'm glad to know where that setting appears now.  When I download things they automatically go to my "Downloads" folder, but I know that I have seen other people unable to find things that they downloaded because they didn't know where it saved.  Knowing where this setting is, I will be able to help people with this dilemma now, and it is always nice to be able to give people an answer to their questions.

New Extensions
I have used extensions in the past, but did some exploration to try out some new ones.  I know that I have gone through and deleted extensions in the past because they were slowing down my browser, so I am anxious to see what happens with these.  I just added ones that are connected to tools that I use frequently:
Pinterest- This one I have already used today, finding immediate use for it, as I am always adding things to my Pinterest account.  I think I had this in the past, but it was one of those I disabled when my browser was moving slowly.

PicMonkey- This is such a great and easy to use photo editing tool.  I am not sure that I need an extension to grab pictures and open directly into PicMonkey, but the option is interesting.  I will keep it on for awhile and see if I find it useful.


AccessGrid- This provides a drop down grid with easy access to letter accents, which I am always struggling to remember.  I know that I will be using this- simple but helpful extension.

EasyBib- This one has the most direct application for student support and instructional purpose, because our students use EasyBib throughout all grade levels.  I like that this extension helps them identify both the credibility of the site and opens a pop up window to create the citation while still on the website.

Thing 24: Infographics

The tools that I have enjoyed using to create Infographics in the past are easel.ly, piktochart, and recently Canva.  I typically visit each one once I have gathered information and brainstormed a concept for design, to see which one has the best templates, tools and icons/ images for the task.
Although I have tried other tools, these ones have given me the best options both for creating and sharing (which is often the more difficult component).  Other tools have made it difficult to transfer the finished Infographic to other place.  It is so frustrating to me when I have put lots of time and energy into creating something and then am unable to download or freely share the finished product.  I often run into this challenge with students as well, who are asked to create something and then print or copy and paste the finished product, and the tool does not allow for this.  I highly recommend testing the "share" functionality of any Infographic tool before dedicating time to creating something meaningful.
Although I have made many infographics in the past, for purposes ranging from advocacy to professional development to teaching I would like to get into making them more interactive, adding layers to the information provided.  Towards this end the blog by Jennifer LaGarde, 27 Ways to Make This the Best Year Ever was very inspiring.  So, I decided to make my WISER infographic interactive using ThingLink.  I use this infographic both for PD with teachers, and as a teaching tool with students learning inquiry skills.  Below is the new version, which includes interactive links- videos, narrative descriptions, and Web 2.0 tools to use during the implementation of the Inquiry process.  I am excited to use this new tool, and hope that it will add layers of meaning for both students and teachers.

Thing 23: MakerSpace in the Library

This is the purpose statement that I wrote this fall, as we kicked off a MakerSpace in the library here at the high school.  I started out in the fall by placing challenges in the MakerSpace, which students could work on at their leisure.  Challenges have ranged from "What can you make out of Duct tape?" to Lego challenges to Origam
i, and lots in between.  While we have continued to provide these self paced challenges, we have added Maker Monday times when we provide some instruction on more in depth projects.

I worked with a small student advisory team to brainstorm different project ideas,
wanting to cover STEAM topics, with varying levels of technology.  Students have also been instrumental in sharing their expertise in the MakerSpace.  I really
envision this as a student run area, with me serving mostly as advisor, and providing the materials and support for what they want to create.

I have been very excited by the range of students who have come to use the MakerSpace.  It has been a space where students of all ages can come together and be creative.

I feel like we are still very much in the learning stages of this MakerSpace venture, so the resources this month have been invaluable to me, adding to my repertoire of project ideas and resources.  The Tinkerspace blog has some especially helpful ideas for organization.  This will increasingly be an area that I explore, as we grow and have more supplies to manage.

Thing 22: Creatively Shared

Thing 22 led me to try out a lot of new tools!  At first I thought I would get less out of this, because I have done a lot of resource sharing and I love my Feedly already.  There are so many possibilities though, and I had a lot I've been wanting to share from conferences this year, so it was good timing.
I had so much fun creating my Tumblr blog, but unfortunately it doesn't look like I will be able to use it academically because it is blocked at school, due to the inappropriate content, which I haven't found a way to block.  I'm disappointed about that, because I loved the display and ease of sharing multiple media types.  I am Co-Leading a PD course on Teaching Leadership in which we are talking about new literacies, and blogging was one of the topics this past week, so I had hoped to share Tumblr as an option to use with students, but think I will hold off until we figure out a way to limit the blogs "pushed" to you.
I was able to immediately implement edshelf though, as I needed some updates to my webpage.  I created a collection and embedded it right on my Instructional Resources page.    I love it when it loads well.  There is so much purpose and potential, however it does load slowly and sometimes not at all.  I'm excited to use this the next time I do an in depth inquiry project with students.  I plan to create a collection, embed it on my web page and also print out a poster with QR codes to the tools.
While I was working on my website I also discovered Tint, which creates a feed widget to embed on your website from social media sites.  I wanted to have my library Facebook page display on my website homepage, so I could easily keep them both updated, because I have been struggling to keep my webpage fresh this year, with all of the other things on my plate.

Finally, I created a resource for teachers to share some of my conference reflections from this past season.  In the past Ihave used Smore for this purpose, but when I went to create this one it told me that I had already used my flier credits, and would have to purchase more.  This was disappointing, but gave me the motivation to use Canva for a new purpose.  Canva is a tool that I discovered earlier this year, and have used it to create posters for events in the library and for PD opportunities.  It was a little awkward to use as a newsletter, because it didn't have templates created for this purpose, but in the end it came out okay.
Once again Cool Tools has pushed me to "Stop planning and start creating" with new tools and for new purposes.  Thanks for the inspiration and motivation!

Positively Productive: Thing 21

There were so many great tools to explore in this first thing that I have spent way more time on it than I expected.  There have been both personal tools discovered, and tools that I can see using with my students.
The tool which I am most excited about using personally is Workflowy. I am a big fan of list making, but now that I live mostly in a digital world I struggle between where my lists are and where I am working.  Although I wish they had a mobile app to make it totally available I can see myself using this consistently to stay organized.  I have created three list categories to start with (Work, Personal, and Church).  I have already been using and loving the work category.  Personal would be more accessible if there was a mobile app, because I would use it "on the go", but I can still use it for project management in my life.  I am excited to start using the collaboration aspect with our Curriculum Team as we plan professional development.
I also explored the Buffer App and One Tab for my own organization, but they did not seem as appropriate for my needs.  With One Tab I didn't like the way the tabs collapsed into a list- what I would have loved would be to collapse them into "Sub-Tabs), although I understand that probably wouldn't have the same impact on computer space saving.  The Buffer App made me feel guilty that I don't have more social media posts lined up to share!
The tools which I am planning to implement with classes are Scrible and EverNote.  I have explored EverNote several times in the past for my own organizational needs, and it just has never clicked and felt natural, but I see real potential for it in two places within curriculum.  The first is as a portfolio for seniors, which is a concept that I have been discussing with our Advanced Government teacher, and which I would love to see used across curriculum areas.  The other teacher I would like to use this with is our 7th grade math teacher, who would like to create an interactive math lab notebook.  I think a lot of the functionality, and flexibility of what you can gather within EverNote will be useful for each of these purposes.
I am really excited about using Scrible with our 10th grade English teacher, who does a lot of close reading and annotating activities with students and has been looking for a versatile and flexible tool to use for these activities.  Scrible could ultimately be useful for any students doing extended research.  The functionality of these tools are so practical that I can really anticipate sharing them with many teachers, and will most likely share them at our next professional development.