The Daring Librarian

Here's a fun and easy to set up, book selection activity that you can basically do at the drop of a hat...or beat! (see what I did there?)  I am always looking for ways to beef up our circulation numbers, aka, getting more books into the hands of kids. I was wanting an activity I could ru before the holidays that was fast and fun with a very little preparation. I'm kind of lazy like that - especially right before the holidays. I've loved doing Speed Dating with Books. I've blogged about it here in 2017 , the year before in 2016 ,  and first in 2013 . But that activity takes hours to handpick hundreds of books, arrange on tables by genre or subjects, decorate with props and signage, and then afterwards re-shelve all those not chosen. This is a LOT easier! You only need 2-3 things: 1. Music (I used a boombox circa 1995) 2. Kids 3. Optional: Scratch & Sniff Bookmarks The scratch & sniff bookmarks are for the first 5-8 kids checking out books...

Hello Book Lovahs! I want to share with you a favorite book selection activity that the kids dig, is super silly and fun, creates a lot of excitement, and makes the books fly out of the library! I first blogged about this with you back in 2013 , added a genre twist last year in 2016, and now I've added a video and a few new tweaks.  My kids love this lesson so much they even ask me in the hallway, “When are we going to do that again?” - so next year I'm going to try and run it both in the fall and in the spring. With my middle school kids this activity is guaranteed to make them grin, giggle, and cringe a little...ok, a LOT. Give yourself permission to really ham it up. Because prepare yourselves, book lovahs, this is super cheezy!   All the resources, printables, graphics, and videos are FREE for you to take, use, & share because they're made using the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.   ...

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...

  #X Before You Drive Here's a news story written by our MHTV correspondent, 8th grader the uber awesome herself, Stephannie J. "AWESOMENESS TV and many of your favorite celebrities, including James Maslow, Demi Lovato and R5, have joined the movement to stop texting and driving and you should, too! Check out this video featuring some of your favorite YouTubers. Weekly Chris looked pretty good in that video, am I right ladies? (Steph's words, not mine!) So how can you join the movement? Go to itcanwait.com and take the pledge. Spread the word and make this known! #itcanwait "  Thanks Steph! We grownups need to model this for our kiddos. Like transparency and creating a positive digital footprint, we don't have any credibility if we're texting and driving the same time we tell teenagers to X before you drive. My new crosover RAV4 (Squee!) has hands free paring with my phone and I will use that - but I don't touch my phone when I drive...

  Inspired by a recent blog post by the amazing Richard Byrne I wanted to add a few more things to the list I wrote 3 years ago how to use QR Codes to connect with students, parents, and the community on Back to School Night and during the school year.  Some of these ideas include examples, links to free downloadables, and graphics that you can snag & use in your school.  I've also updated my popular How to Create a QR Code in 3 Easy Steps Infographic comic tutorial to help out! Set the Stage: Have Parents Download the QR Code Scanning App! In preparation for BTSN I posted on our school digital newspaper Murray Messages: QR Codes Hit the Hill! "We hereat MHMS, embrace mobile media. Proof of which you’ll see in cool black and white when you visit us for Back to School Night! Have a smart phone? Be ready & download a QR code scanner app! We really like the FREE iNigma QR code reader available in both Droid, iPhone, or iPad versio...