shhh... Don't tell my administrator, I don't always plan my lessons two weeks in advance. Sometimes I look for a book and that is what I read for the next week. So..... I was looking at the Sunshine State Young Readers Award Jr . book display to determine what books I haven't read yet.  Inky the Octopus  by  Erin Guendelsberger  caught my eye. I have shown my students videos of an octopus escaping a tank; this book is the perfect addition to that lesson. Inky escaped from the National Aquarium in New Zealand. This book is a fictional account of what might have happened on his journey to the ocean. I started with a third grade class. They were full of skepticism, commenting that the story cannot be real. Cue the YouTube videos. Fact: if you start watching animal videos with 8/9 year olds, they don't want to stop.  Later that day, I needed to pull books for Kindergarten to choose from for check out. I let them choose from a book cart with about 50 books so i...
Last year I was given a great opportunity. I was able to transition from the classroom to the library. Me, a librarian, media specialist, teacher librarian... whatever title you want to use. It was a career move I had been interested in for a few years. The position allows me to teach all the students. I see students from each grade level daily for library lessons, book check out, and digital literacy skills. This is my time to instill a love of books to the students. I love seeing a student when they make a connection to a book.  I also get to use Maker Space activities and computers to build thinking, problem solving skills, imagination, and creativity in the students. This time lets me connect to the students during nonacademic activities. I enjoy seeing the creativity they have with blocks, legos, or play dough. I also have office responsibilities. I have book and technology budgets. I plan and run two books fairs. I produce a daily news show with the students. This ...
Raise your hand if you use iPods or iPads in your classroom. They are wonderful devices and there are more than enough apps to support and engage students in learning. Most of our students come to school with plenty of experience with some type of device; Apple or Android.  That can be a good thing or a bad thing.  It's good because they know how to turn on the device, open the app,  and they know the finger gestures to work the apps. It's bad because they know how to work the device. They know how to open apps, close apps, they accidentally delete apps,  they know the symbol for the camera and how to use it.  There is a time and place for them to use the camera or the video and the microphone. But when they are in the center it is nice to know they're working on what you want them to. Apple devices have a restriction that allow you to do this. It's called guided access. It is easy to set up. On any Apple device go to Settings (the photos are from an i...