The Daring Librarian

Dare Every Other Day You know, one becomes pretty reflective when they change up their life in a big way. Like moving into another professional phase after 30 years of teaching - 25 in Middle School! Coming up with "The Daring Librarian" brand back in 2010 was a choice that was inspired by an ISTE conference . I don't regret it. But, I have to say that my early preaching about being a daring educator, to always strive to be on the forefront of ed tech innovations, and to continually try new things in the classroom every day....can be a bit exhausting. And quite daunting.  So, dare...every...other...day. Or week, or month. Don't push yourself or silently guilt yourself if you feel like you're not pushing yourself more. That's only on you. No one else is thinking "why aren't they doing this or that?" Mindfulness and taking time for self-care is a real thing. Practice that, too! Balance. Between life and profession is not only healthy - it's im...

  An update from the  Archives .  Got Ed Tech Relationship Anxiety? It's so easy to feel Ed Tech trend overload at the beginning of the school year. It's exhausting and can be overwhelming. Just remember, it's OK to date new technology, you don't have to marry it!  You don't have to try to be the expert at everything.  Sometimes, it's not what you have, it's the creativity of how you use it. It's the innovation of teaching and not the tool. Tools come and go, it's the daring spirit to try new things that pays off in the long run.   If you're feeling overwhelmed, gather and curate great resources, rather than create new content.   That can come later when you are less stressed or when you get inspired. Then, please share shamelessly across Edu platforms and help another educator who might need it. That's paying if forward.  Again, tech may change, but it is our daring innovative change agent spirit that moves on. Use resources like Common Sens...

Blog post ideas come from all kinds of places - including Instagram comments! In fact, one of the reasons I started this blog some 13 years ago was to share the content I made to help other people. Hate reinventing the wheel and I remembered when I was a baby Librarian I started with NOTHING. Was hoping to help to save someone else time and to remember what I did when, where, & how! So, now as I am a fully seasoned and experienced Librarian (and retiring!) I thought I would pass along some tickets, presentations, and printables that could be of some help. Before you try and download a copy of any of these -  Tech Tip - Log into your preferred Google Drive. If you get a message you need permission - that means you're not properly logged in. PLEASE Login and try again. Thank you! (Student Repair Ticket - Make a Copy ) Chromebook Repair, Loan, & Management This year has been ALL about our Chromebooks. Haven't had the time or the ability to teach much when every 5 minutes...

Book Display • Books • Resources • Rant   Two blog posts in a row about our Library being a Safe Space for our LGBTQIA+ kiddos. Why? Because we're aggressively passionate about being allies to our kids. Also, the news is chock full of alarming examples where parents, school districts, and communities are NOT supporting the freedom to read. The democratic freedom to give ALL kids the choice to find books without censorship or barriers. It boils my blood! Why does it seem like we're going backwards with FREADom to read? So, I wanted to give you (dear reader!) an example of our Pride Month book display, our list of Fiction books, and how we promote it to our kiddos. Most of this post is copied from our Daring School Library Blog , Instagram posts , & what I shared through our Canvas community announcement. One of my most respected Library friends, Laura C. Davies (LOVE her!) who I met when I was keynoting the ASTE Tech Conference in Anchorage Alaska had this to say on my In...

Our Middle School Library in Laurel, Maryland has been a loud and proud Safe Space and Ally for ALL of our  LGBTQIA and Neurodivergent students for years. We have purchased every well reviewed, requested, intriguing, and middle school approved fiction and non-fiction book on these topics. I daresay we have one of the largest collections around! We have Safe Space signs around, a rainbow narwhal (pictured above) and groupings of books on display all the time. I have also blogged about our support of our diverse communities. Dear Queer Teen - It Gets Better! - 2012  Create a Safe Space - 2018 BUT... I have strong opinions about putting a Genre label on these books. I am really cognizant that some of my Middle Schoolers are curious or questioning to learn more about but aren't ready to out themselves. To their peers and to their parents. This is yet another reason I'm against Genrefication. I know, among some of my other Future Ready Librarians this is a controversial topic....

This is a fun online game to bring kids together in the classroom, with 1:1, teams, or through virtual learning. Students do NOT need to join the website or share any personal information! Jigsaw Explorer offers a variety of free puzzles. This site also allows players to engage in games with others so that classes, friends and family can collaborate on the same puzzle from different locations. Solving a jigsaw puzzle as a group also encourages participation & conversation. "Try the Jigsaw Explorer an online shared jigsaw puzzle! You can control the number of pieces and playing is just drag and drop with a satisfying click. Choose from daily, weekly, and mystery puzzles." There’s also a search feature towards the middle of the page. How to: Choose your favorite puzzle. Click Play this Puzzle. Click the people icon for the Multiplayer option Add your nickname that will identify you to the other players, then click Create Game Link. Copy this game link & share with...