Laake Library Toolbox

Digital Tools in the Classroom   Final Reflection Growth, Differentiated Learning, Technology ...all buzz words when it comes to education.  As an educator, we are always facing a time crunch.  Therefore, as a librarian, we must take this burden off of our colleagues and learn new digital tools to share with them.  Our job is often relevant to students, but this is how we can serve teachers.   I have learned many new digital resources this summer.  Some I am more comfortable with than others.  My goal is to share these with the educators at my school so that we can make sure to hit the standards of Universal Design Learning (UDL).  Please see my end of the semester reflection.  I used Story Jumper which is extremely user friendly and fun to try.  I highly recommend this tool even if you are a newbie.  Trust me, you will be able to figure it out.   Read this book made on StoryJumper Two things that I feel will defini...

What is Universal Design for Learning? "Like each person’s fingerprints, every brain is remarkably unique in its anatomy, chemistry, and physiology." The technical definition is that it provides a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn.   An easier way to break it down is to ask yourself: How can I make learning more inclusive to everyone?   As an English teacher, I incorporate the following UDL guidelines into my lessons:  Recruiting Interest -I allow students autonomy when choosing books they want to read, research topics they want to write about, articles they want to analyze Foster collaboration and community - I use turn and talks, peer tutors, rubrics for group work, literature circles, socratic seminars, positive behavior support-ticket system with student choice of rewards Provide options for comprehension -I use graphic organizers, chunking information, gradual release, c...

The Wonderful World of Podcasts Hello everyone.  I am sure many of you have listened to a podcast once or twice, and I am sure some of you are avid listeners. On a different note, have you ever tried creating one yourself?   I created one today and one about six months ago.  It is pretty neat and fairly easy to do.   There are many podcast creation apps and websites out there.  It can be quite overwhelming.  Let me critique a few for you.  All are pretty easy to use, so that is a plus.  Some just have more options on what you can do.  The last one I critiqued is the one my partner and I decided to use.  I was pretty impressed!    Podbean Podbean is a simple tool for creating, promoting, and monetizing your podcast. Currently, there are over 600,000 podcasters who use Podbean. You’ll find a huge variety of podcasters, anywhere from newbies to professionals, so even if you are new to the podcast world, the tools provided wil...

  Looking to create comic strips in the classroom or for a project?  Here are a few websites that I have tried out and critiqued.    FOTOJET For a beginner, trying to create a comic strip on this website was difficult.  Like with many websites and apps, to get decent photos and clipart, you have to upgrade.  I was able to use a template, and that made it fairly easy.  However, there are not that many templates to choose from, and I could not edit the words in the template.  I do not think this is a very student friendly website. On a positive note, it is very easy to download and save what you create.     PIXTON Pixton is another comic strip creation site.  It is much easier to use than FotoJet.  There are many options to choose from if you are working within the free option.  For the most part, it is pretty user friendly.  It is easy to create each panel in a basic mode.  I could not figure out how to add p...

  YouTube and Videos After viewing numerous videos on two particular youtube channels, here are some that I found to be helpful or ones that students would enjoy.  Videos in the library have many benefits.   Video most helpful to students This type of video would be great for students trying to learn more about a certain book.  The librarian could make videos about new books or good books that are not circulated enough.   Video students would like Students love a good paradoy.  Especially when talking about something so mundane as turning in overdue books.  I think each year the librarian could pick a popular song, and create something catchy that will get the students attention.   Video Helpful to Students These types of videos help students decide what classes they might be interested in.  It helps them to know who teaches the course and what to expect.  Then they can decide if this class is the right fit for them. ...

Infogram This is an easy platform to make simple infographics.  It can be costly.  There are different subscriptions depending on how advanced you want your infographic to be or what you want to do with it.  I was not able to download the infographic that I made unless I upgraded to a paid membership.  Though this one is a bit more expensive than others, it is more user friendly.  Templates are easily editableditable. There is still a lot that can be done without upgrading your membership; however, it all seems useless if you cannot download it.   Piktochart This platform will allow you to create 5 visuals, 2 downloads, and 20 minutes of video for free.  If you need anything more than this, you will have to upgrade your membership and pay yearly.  It has many different templates depending on the work you are trying to create.  If you go into the infographic tab, you can start a blank one or choose from numerous templates that are edi...

Facebook Facebook is  an excellent tool to promote your library to the community and parents.  Librarians can post about upcoming book fair information or competitions going on. One librarian even posted the link where parents could shop online if they missed the event.  An ewallet can even be set up where parents can donate books to teacher’s classrooms.  It is also great to post events where volunteers have helped in the library in order to get more parents involved.  When the community and parents see how much effort and care the librarian puts forth in their library, they may want to volunteer time or donate needed items throughout the year.  These facebook posts are great because other librarians can follow them and get new ideas.   The only disadvantage I see with facebook is that it is not used by young kids, and teenagers rarely use it.  Your audience would generally be parents, other teachers or librarians, or people in the community...