The Daring Librarian

Teacher Tip #112 Teacher Self-Care:  Create a Happy Folder In my School Library Media office desk I had a manilla folder where I carefully tucked all the hand written notes from kiddos & parents to read on a rainy day. I also SHAMELESSLY would first tape them to my office door (let the other teachers internally writhe with envy!)  Nah, really just to keep me motivated and also show the kiddos I appreciated their heartfelt little notes!  But.....before I tucked it away tenderly or taped it to my door, I took a picture of it and uploaded it to Flickr. A digital Happy Folder that pays back dividends of warm fuzzies and motivations for your future self.  Because, let's not kid ourselves, being an educator right now is HARD.  Start this habit NOW.  Don't be like me and wait 10 or 15 years. OK, some of that was because cell phones and digital cameras weren't as handy and as ubiquitous back then. But do your future self a favor, there will be days w...

Sometimes, when you're sharing the benefits of a professional Social Media presence, it can become a bit bewildering and overwhelming. I get that! With so many choices, it can make your head swim and quickly turn intimidating, and it's easy to say "no way, not yet, not now, no how!"  And you let it slide for another week, month, or year! I've been there! So, I wanted to create a cheat sheet, an At-A-Glance Worksheet that would demystify the steps to crafting your Social Media presence with continuity across several platforms, making it easy to follow while still making sure you're not missing anything important. I wish I had this when I was starting out 10 years ago!  Yes, this is a Paper Handout, What? I created this as a PDF to share even as a .....now, don't be too shocked, a printed hand out . Honestly, I admit I like to check off things on a hard copy when I'm working on a project. It makes me feel like I'm accomplishing stu...

(WARNING - Lots of embedded videos - page may load slowly) Got the Gabsee App? I just got Gabsee and I love it! Gabsee is like an animated 3D version of Bitmoji but with an Augmented Reality twist.  Some are saying it's the " Bitmoji of the future — and illustrates a more personalized path forward for AR ." -The Verge  I say that it's a whole lot of fun, and I can see using it for program advocacy, as well as book and library promotion.  Please take 36 seconds to watch this amuse bouche iMovie intro to Gabsee that I created in a hotel room in Nashville - just in case Gabsee or Instagram was blocked in the school that was hosting the awesome #MNPSLibHack conference, (and guess what? It was! Whew!) Good thing I never rely on the Interwebs when keynoting & presenting! Then we'll get down to virtual brass tacks. Oh, and I have a little mini-rant below about how, yet again -- I'm a little late to the Gabsee party, and it's OK! Read...

I've had some emails and Tweets lately asking how do I manage the LEGO portion of our Makerspace area, so I thought I would share with you... The Way of the Lego.  Questions: How did you set up your Lego Creation Station?   Did you start with a Lego Wall?  Aren't there problems with stray pieces? How do you manage the Makerspace? What did you buy?   ..............and what are the rules? When I first started the Makerspace, inspired by my PLN, I had a very small budget and a admittedly a rather large dose of skepticism that all this Makerspace folderoll could just be another fad or Ed Tech buzzword. Like the $11,000 Smart Board everyone just HAD to have 10 years ago that seemed to end up as a very expensive white board a few years later. But I did want to give it a whirl!   The reason I often talk about baby-steppin into Makerspace (or any new education innovation) is because I don't want you to feel like pressured or guilted into jumping i...

I'm proud to teach in Howard County Maryland. We are a rich tapestry of many threads that reflect the global community and complexity that is the Washington DC Metro area.   Warning, this post might load slowly because of a lot of embedded cool social media!  Coming up with our duct tape drivers license ideas w/ our cool 6th graders #makerspace A photo posted by Gwyneth Jones (@thedaringlibrarian) on Sep 18, 2015 at 8:40am PDT Being Fabulously Diverse Since 1997!  Our kids are delightfully multicultural and come from diverse family backgrounds. Some kids live in 500K houses, and some live in apartments, townhouses, homeless shelters and mobile homes. We have 35% free & reduced lunch - one of the highest in our county. Before Social Media I used to say we were the best kept secret in Howard County. Because, when people visit from the other side of the county, they're always amazed at how shiny, beautiful, bright, and of the positive school vibe ...

I am SO excited about the potential of this new technology from Skype and err [cough] Microsoft. But us Mac people... I guess we'll have to wait a little longer. From Richard Byrne's awesome blog : "Microsoft has made Translator Preview open to anyone who is using Windows 8.1 or a preview edition of Windows 10. Click here to visit the download page for Translator Preview." Here's an example of it in action! OMGosh! I can't wait to try this with my kiddos! I gotta confess, my eyes get suspiciously damp every time I watch this & the look at wonder and astonishment on the faces of the kids! EEP! (Don't judge me! LOL) I joined Mystery Skype & Classroom hoping to connect with a classroom in the Dominican Republic. I was inspired SO much after watching that video above, I thought my 7th grade kiddos who had just finished reading Before We Were Free would get a super kick talking to a classroom in the country where it was set (and in the same...

Education Trends-A-Go-Go It's SO easy to get overwhelmed with all the new education tech and trends going on in the world. 1:1 Flipping Future Ready Makerspace Genius Hour Common Core Mobile Learning Design Thinking Google Classroom Brain Based Learning Project Based Learning Learning Management Systems Transformative Brain Based Learning Spaces Sheesh....I could go on! It's EXHAUSTING! Ed Tech Relationship Anxiety Then....there's all the new technology that you have to get, use, and master! Don't have an unlimited budget or a super generous PTA? OK, now you have to get funding from a place like Donor's Choose . (Which is totally, doable! But does take a wee bit of effort) Once it was Smart Boards now it's Tablets and 3D printers. Then what? What happens when you run out of money to buy the supplies? OMGosh, again. Exhausting! Take a Deep Breath, It's OK! But I'm here to tell you...It's OK. You don't have to t...