The Daring Librarian

I was really excited to work with two great ELA cooperating (student) teachers who are from my alma mater, Towson University. Shout out to Jessica Robertson & Debora Chun ! An additional shout out their kind professor who actually had my blog on her "to read & review" list! So, they came to this school already familiar with my blog, how crazy is that? W00t! So, when they expressed a desire for us to work together before they left my school it was trixy finding 2-4 days between PARCC testing and MAP testing to fit them in, but we did!  As I mentioned in my last pos t I first wanted to do a Mystery Skype with an educator in the Dominican Republic because my 7th grade kiddos had just finished reading Before We Were Free . Sadly, after reaching out to, and never hearing back, from all of Mystery Skype educators in the Dominican Republic (Ok, there were only 4!) we had to move on to plan B! or should I say Plan V for Vine!  We tasked the kids to create a persuasive...

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...

When we comment we model. When we Tweet professionally, we show our kiddos how they should behave online by our example. Or at least that's what we should be aiming for, right!? Creating a positive digital footprint so that our kiddos can see what that looks like. Ethics: Why Aren't We Teaching This? I think it's important to teach our kiddos the right and wrong ways to interact with each other. Why aren't we doing this already is more the question!? I'm not talking about basic "home training" I'm talking about creating situations,  throwing out some shade, & seeing how they react. Perhaps work in small groups & brainstorm reactions then have a discussion about the choices. And NOT just online -- Oh no! Ethics are ethics. Let's  focus on choosing to do the right thing in real life as well as online. How to react with empathy to haters & people who provoke. Have them ask themselves before commenting (in the hallway, at lunc...

I was recently inspired by teacher librarian Ms. Diana Rendina , to create a professional Instagram account for our MHMS Daring School Library Media Center. Why should you consider it? “Go where your customers are” Here’s a quick look at the stats on Instagram. 200 Million monthly active users 13% of all internet users 51% of 2014 high school graduates use Instagram daily 23% of US teens consider Instagram their favorite social network 85% increase in global usage among teens from Q1 – Q3 last year 34% of US teens and millennials (14 – 34) use Instagram Our kiddos really are not much on Twitter (Shocking. I know, right?) they also think Facebook is sorta fuddyduddy (though they might have one, they don't "live" there) but almost every kid I've talked to lately is big into Instagram and Vine!  History Day in the Library w/ the Absolutely Awesome Alexandra! #HistoryDay @hcpss_mhms Ps. That's a record player! A photo posted by Gwyneth Jones...

Ever wonder where your Tweets are going? How many Favourites, Re-Tweets, & Replies? Well, Twitter analytics is here to help! View graphic in full size Do they really matter? Nope! Like the number of followers, it's really not about quantity as it is about quality. The quality of the conversations you're having on Twitter. How much are you are sharing, helping, listening, & asking? Are you participating in some Twitter Chats? Are you helping newbies?  Are you contributing to our EPIC PLN? If not, c'mon! We're waiting for you! But if you're really not ready that's OK, too! Keep lurking, listening, & RT-ing!  I try and never give out any social media guilt trips. We're here for you when you're ready to talk on Twitter :-) Hope this infographic helps! Your thoughts are always eagerly welcomed in the comments! Give me a break from the spammers, please! LOL Cheers! ~Gwyneth

Why not give a gift to yourself? Of balance. Do you sleep with the phone next to your bed? Perhaps binging or vibrating every time a text or Tweet comes in?  A friend of mine Friday night teased me when she saw my iPhone screen. That I had over 23,000 emails I hadn't read and she told me to take a screenshot. I shrugged & said, well - I don't use my phone for that- I read all my emails on my computer. Is that wrong? She laughed. Whatever. ;-) "The benefits of a smartphone sabbatical are many. Research shows too much tech can interfere with our sleep, make us feel insecure and more ." - HuffPo The purpose of this 7 Day Digital Detox Smart Phone Challenge is to find a balance in your life between the hectic, frenetic, continuous connectivity to the world and social media with slowing down, paying attention and valuing our loved ones, friends, & family. Do I practice what I preach? Nahhh! Ok Sometimes! But I hope this infographic abov...