The Daring Librarian

Lately, I've grown fascinated with the Instagram #BookChallenge and the #BookBento photo technique.  So, here's my rendition, see above graphic or make a copy of my GoogleDoc . Feel free to take, use, share, & make it yours! (With attribution please) Confession: I'm kinda lazy, some book challenges are 30 or 31 days...I chose 10 pictures just to make it doable and easy.  Have you heard of these? Have you ever participated in one? For the past 6 months, I've been working on a new presentation for a keynote appearance in Ohio and it's making me more thoughtful about the potential of Instagram. More clever ways to interact with Libraries, literacy, books, reading, kids, and our community. UPDATE : October 5. I changed number 5 in the graphic & challenge above to #BookSelfie.  I have an announcement [taps mic] I am an idiot. Here's why. I've always LOVED the term #Shelfie cause it's fun to say, where kids & people hold up a...

I've talked about the  Art of the Shelfie before, but I had a recent rant I just wanted to share with you. I started with "Hey girl" as a nod to the "Hey girl" meme and my preoccupation with the hit book, "Girl, Wash Your Face" by @ msrachelhollis . It was really just to get your attention, I know educator guys might benefit from this rant, too! I'm equal opportunity judgey. You know what's great about having a professional Twitter & Instagram ? You can just focus on the kids. (It should already be our focus, right?) But it's sometimes kinda comforting to hide behind the kids. Social Media shy? Take pics of your kids being awesome & post them. Not sure about photo consent? Take pics over their shoulders, they'll recognize their shoulders, hair, & hands! To quote the wise Dalton in the cinematic Oeuvre that is the movie Roadhouse: Opinions vary. Of course it's OK to take a selfie now and then! But when the f...

I've noticed lately that Photo booths—in all shapes and sizes—are becoming increasingly popular at events.  From fairs, community outreaches, dances, weddings, even Bat Mitzvahs, the photo booth is providing more than fun and games. So, here's my list of 5 ways your school library (or classroom) can benefit from a photo booth. This simple, easy, & cheap DIY Photo Booth has added a lot of FUN to our school library and our end of the year celebration, our June Jamboree. WARNING: If you don't know what your school photo or BYOD policy is -  you really need to find out before creating a photo booth. Every district or school can be different.   But in our school we discourage most photos and videos being taken unless it's for a special event, part of a  classroom lesson or experiment, or for a good reason. A photo booth is a good reason! It's a good way to model appropriate (and fun, have I mentioned fun yet?) use of Social Media. Because I teach Midd...