Let's Celebrate Dot Day 2021 By Connecting Here and Making Our Mark On The World!

International Dot Day is always one of my favorite days (weeks) of the year.  It is a special time to celebrate all of us making our unique mark on the world.

As we look forward to Dot Day which is always celebrated on September 15ish, we start thinking about and planning lots of special connections and celebrations with other libraries, classrooms, communities and especially our students around the world.

And even though Dot Day might look a little different this year, just think of all of the exciting and meaningful new ways we can celebrate and connect for this special day and throughout the week.

Every year we put together this collaborative Dot Day Google Doc so we can start sharing our schedules and connecting the dots with others. 

Please join us in celebrating Dot Day by joining in on the fun and connecting your own dots at the Google Doc that you will find here.

You can add your schedule, grade levels, locations and any other information that will be helpful as you make Dot Day plans.

Also, as you think ahead to what your Dot Day might look like with your library and school community, here are a few helpful resources to get you started. 

You can sign up for Dot Day here.

I brought together all kinds of resources, songs, project ideas, books and other fun in this Dot Day Collection.  You will find it here. 

Look at all of these wonderful books about Dots!  Please add others with dots to the Padlet here too. 

You can also follow the Dot Day Pinterest Board, which we continue to add resources too.  

I can't wait to celebrate Dot Day with all of you in September.  This is such a special way to kick off a new year of creating, connecting and collaborating with our students, families, teachers, communities and with others around the world. 

It's Week 3 Of The Future Ready Librarian Book Club! Find Out Our Plans For The Week Here, Friends.

Hi, friends.  We hope you are enjoying your week and that the summer is being kind to you and your family.

Did you expand your thinking around mentorship, leadership, community and partnerships last week while we read and reflected on Chapter 1, Digital Age Mentors?  Did you set new goals and connect to any? I know we sure did! 

Thank you for adding to the discussions within our Google Slides as you answered the questions and commented on the different Facebook posts.  It was also great seeing many of us interacting on Twitter and Instagram using #LeadingLibs and #FutureReadyLibs too. Let’s keep those conversations going as we grow together throughout the summer.

This week we are reading Chapter 2, Know Your Culture.  In this chapter, we will focus on the unique community that constitutes every school.  We recognize that not every strategy in this book will work in every location; librarians influence their communities in a variety of ways. However, by focusing on the culture of the school and greater communities, we can give students greater opportunities and experiences. 

After you read Chapter 2, please complete these three items: 

1. Use the #LeadingLibs Challenges on page 47-48 to challenge yourself as you create a culture within your library and school community .

Let’s share our ideas on this Flipgrid flipgrid.com/056397d3 with password FRLbookclub

In your video response on the Flipgrid, share your challenge and what you are doing to create a culture within your library and school community. 

For example, this summer Shannon is creating a new space in her library for collaboration and connecting with teachers.  She ordered a few new book shelves and is cataloging the books she has to use with teachers and students in lessons and projects (STEAM, PBL, SEL, research, etc…) with Follett’s Classroom Manager. She plans to use this as a place to lay out books, technology, STEM tools and other resources to bring life to the collaboration she does with teachers and others on a daily basis.  She knows this is something her community needs and it will definitely lead to new opportunities with her preschool to 12th grade school district.  She is still coming up with a name and branding….Let her know if you have any ideas.  :) 

At the same time, Bill is working with librarians in his district to create a culture of collaboration with virtual teachers and students who will be fully online next year. While we’ve been teaching virtually all year, creating a culture that will embrace that and where librarians and teachers have the same types of relationships that they do face to face can be daunting. To foster this, Bill is helping his librarians define the roles of both groups and create opportunities to bring them together as they consider how they work with their students.

After you have added your video, make sure you listen to others.  You can add comments too. 

2. We have added the Week 3 slide discussion questions behind your introduction slide at bit.ly/FRLsummerbookclubwork  It contains the 3 discussion questions from page 48. 

• How does your space promote inquiry, creativity, collaboration and community?

• Do you have spaces for students to create digital products documenting their learning? 

• What types of instruction do you use to promote critical thinking?

You can leave comments on others slides too.  Let’s make this an active conversation. 

3  Share your thoughts throughout the week in the Future Ready Librarian Facebook Group.  We can use this as a place to continue the conversation, ask questions, and share.  

Reach out if you have any questions.  We are always happy to help as we grow together and lead from the library,

Shannon, Bill and the Future Ready team

Join The Flipgrid Live Event This Week To Learn About Shark Superpowers With Sharks4 Kids!

 

The Flipgrid Live Event is awesome this week as they join Sharks4Kids to learn about Shark Superpowers.  It is on June 16, 2021 at 12:00pm CST. 

The Flipgrid Live Events are free for everyone and families can register to participate throughout the summer.  You will find the link here, friends.