Join Us For The Upcoming Follett Webinar, Giving Students Voice and Choice With Collections, Choice Boards and More!

 

As we plan for the school year this fall, my friends at Follett and I have a special NEW webinar coming up to share with all of you. 

On September 23, 2021 at 2:00pm CST, please join us for Giving Students Voice and Choice With Collections, Choice Boards and More. 

As shared on the Follett site, 

There are many ways to give students voice and choice within their education, reading lives, and within their passions. In this webinar, Shannon McClintock Miller will share how Collections by Destiny®, choice boards, and other resources give them what they need to engage in exciting, collaborative, and manageable ways. You will leave the webinar armed with lots of examples and the tools you need to create these experiences for your students, teachers, and school community, too.

Attendees will leave the presentation with new skills and knowledge on: 

• How to give students voice and choice by personalizing learning using Collections by Destiny®, choice boards and other resources. 
• How to use Collections by Destiny®, choice boards and other resources as a librarian and educator in a variety of was within the library and while collaborating and co-teaching in the classroom. 
• A variety of tools and methods to create choice boards in a meaningful way for students of all ages.

You can register for this free webinar here.  You will be sent the recording and resources after the webinar if you can't make it live too. 

I hope to see you there, friends. 

It's Week 5 Of The Future Ready Librarian Book Club! Find Out Our Plans For The Week Here, Friends.

 

This week we are reading Chapter 4: Leading Through Equity.  Then complete these 2 items. 

1. We want you to take the #LeadingLibs Challenges on page 85 and create a sense of urgency around bringing equitable access to your students. Use the list on page 86 to get you started. Share your plans and ideas in the comments of this Facebook post so we can all learn together. Take it one step further and share it with someone from your school or district too.

2. Also, take a look at the Discussion Questions on page 87. We will be asking you to share your answers in another Facebook post in a few days.  Get ready for the conversation. 

Let us know if we can help in anyway.  And remember, you will find all of the weeks and information on our Future Ready Librarian landing page here at futureready.link/frl_bookclub

We can’t wait to hear how you are leading from the library through equity, friends.

Shannon and Bill 

Let's Celebrate Scary Tales For Week 5 Of Our Virtual Camp Adventure!

It's time for Week 5 of Our Virtual Camp Adventure!  And we will be celebrating Scary Tales. 

All students and families can visit capstonepub.com/camp to access this 12-week long fun summer learning and reading adventure with our friends at Buncee and Capstone. 

This week, just click on Week 5 & 6 Sports Tales and it will take you to the choice board filled with reading, making, moving, coding, stem, technology and fun virtual field trips around the world.  

The choice board also includes a Buncee Weekly Challenge that will be so much fun for everyone to create and share.  If they do not have Buncee, there is a place to click New To Buncee for their free summer trial.  

You will find that link for Buncee here too. 

In the left hand corner, they will find a place to click to Read and Listen To Sport Tale Capstone eBooks. 

All they have to do to read and listen to the eBooks is click on the eBook covers.  They are directly linked so a username and password is not required. 

And if they need help, there is a Family Help button on each choice board slide and...

...on the bottom of the capstonepub.com/camp page. 

This document includes How To Use The Virtual Camp Adventure With Your Children This Summer and...

...Directions For Using The Virtual Camp Adventure Choice Boards. 

I hope all of the children and families have a special summer visiting Our Virtual Camp Adventure.  I can't wait to see and hear all of the different ways it is used and what is learned, read, and created from this amazing summer experience. 

And don't forget, friends....There will be prizes for librarians and teachers throughout the summer.  I will be sharing the second one in a couple of weeks.  You can read all about the Virtual Summer Camp Giveaway here. 

Oh, and if you need to make a copy of the choice board, please visit this post for the link and directions. 

I'm Presenting At ISTELive 21...You Can Find My Schedule Here, Friends

 

One of our favorite conferences, ISTE, is coming up in a few days on Saturday, June 26.  It will be virtual this year and is packed full of amazing sessions and learning experiences. 

I am excited to be part of ISTELive 21 too.  I am presenting three times and you can find my schedule above.  

If you need more information, visit the ISTELive 21 site here. 

I can't wait to learn, share and connect with so many of you at ISTE.  

The Buncee SEL Toolkit....Your Guide For Integrating Buncee Into Your Social Emotional Learning Curriculum

Our friends at Buncee have created an amazing new guide for integrating Buncee into your Social Emotional Learning curriculum.  It's called the Buncee SEL Toolkit! 

When I saw this tweet from Buncee, I couldn't wait to dive right into the SEL Toolkit to find the templates, resources and information on social and emotional learning they have created and included. 

Let me give you a little glimpse into the Buncee SEL Toolkit.  

It starts out by giving a wonderful overview of SEL, tying into information and resources from CASEL.

The next page takes you through the Benefits of SEL, with the Buncee SEL Toolkit for K-6 and the Buncee SEL Toolkit for 7-12.  

The Buncee SEL Toolkit for K-6 includes five categories for Self Awareness, Relationship Skills, Social Awareness, Responsible Decision Making and Self Management with templates for each. 

For example, when I click on the Self Awareness templates, it opens up to...

...this Buncee Board with many special and helpful Buncee templates that can be used by any Buncee user. 

The same for the Buncee SEL Toolkit for 7-12. It includes the same categories and...

...Buncee Boards with templates.  They are all amazing!  There is something for every topic of SEL and more. 

The SEL Toolkit goes onto to talk about Dealing with Emotional Distress and using the Mood Meter in Buncee....

....to show how you are feeling.  Kids will love using this as an opener to the day, within a lesson and even as a check in throughout the day.  

I really appreciate how the SEL Toolkit discusses Building Stronger Communities, especially as we think about kicking off a brand new school year this fall.  The information and activities will be helpful for all of us, including the resources at the end of the toolkit. 

You will find the SEL Toolkit Buncee here and a PDF of the Buncee SEL Toolkit here.  We have used Buncee for so many projects around the social and emotional learning of our students over the years.  I can't wait to find more ways and inspiration with this toolkit too. 

The 2021 AASL Best Digital Tools For Teaching & Learning Collection By Destiny Is Here!

One of my favorite announcements every year is when the American Association of School Librarians announce the Best Digital Tools for Teaching and Learning. 

And today, was that announcement!  

As shared in the ALA Member News, 

CHICAGO – The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) has released its annual list of Best Digital Tools for Teaching & Learning. The recognition honors electronic resources that provide enhanced learning and curriculum development for school librarians and their educator collaborators. The list can be found at www.ala.org/aasl/best.

“Like everything else this year, the committee's work was influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mary Morgan Ryan, committee chair. “The digital tools honored in 2021 demonstrate how education has stepped up to support remote and blended learning environments. They provide high-quality resources for many content areas and engaging learning activities. In developing the list, the committee also focused on equity and access.”

On the AASL site, you will find this years list, along with previous years, here.

This list is very helpful as it describes each app with grade level, uses and special features.  

With Collections by Destiny being the way I curate and share resources with our teachers, students and others, I create a Collection of the Best Digital Tools for Teaching and Learning every year.

Today, I created the 2021 AASL Best Digital Tools for Teaching and Learning Collection by Destiny that you can find here. This is a public Collection that we all can use and share.  

I plan to share this with our teachers soon so they can spend a little time this summer exploring all of the amazing new award winners. 

Congratulations to all of the winners!  And a big thanks to AASL for bringing together these digital tools year after year. 

It's Week 4 Of The Future Ready Librarian Book Club! Find Out Our Plans For The Week Here, Friends.

 

Hi, friends, 

It’s officially summer!  We hope you are having a wonderful week. 

Did you get to know your culture better last week?  Did you push your thinking and embrace a #LeadingLibs Challenge or two? Shannon was on vacation in California but did lots of brainstorming and sketching on that new space she is creating in her library.  This book club has really helped us take time to think through and push our thinking and goals this summer.  We hope it has given you that time too. 

Thank you for adding to the discussions within our Google Slides and video responses on Flipgrid.  You can continue to leave responses and listen to others here on flipgrid.com/056397d3 with the password FRLbookclub.  Let’s keep those conversations going as we grow together throughout the summer.

This week we are reading Chapter 3, Be A Champion.  This chapter addresses advocacy and encourages readers to find and tell their stories.  Here, we identify strategies for amplifying student voices and connecting the work of the library to the greater community. 

After you read Chapter 3, please complete these two items: 

1. We want you to take the #LeadingLibs Challenges on page 69 and 

get creative in showing us which one you are going to take as you are a champion for your library program. For example, you could create a back-to-school newsletter using Buncee; lay out a branding 

plan for your library using Canva; start a library Facebook page and more. Share your #LibraryLibs Challenge for the week on this Padlet bit.ly/FRLchampion and comment too.

2. Also, pick one or more of the Discussion Questions from page 70 and share your answers and ideas  in the comments of this Facebook Post. There are lots of things to share. 

3. 
   

Each week, we are posting in the Future Ready Librarian Facebook Group.  We can use this as a place to continue the conversation, ask questions and share our ideas and thoughts.  

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

Shannon and Bill

It's Time For The Virtual Summer Camp Giveaway For Weeks 3 and 4! See How You Can Enter To Win Capstone Books and a Buncee Swag Bag Today!

We are wrapping up Weeks 3 and 4 of the Virtual Summer Camp, friends. 

As a way to celebrate all of this awesome summer learning and reading, we will be picking one lucky winner at the end of each bi-weekly theme who is participating with their students and families this summer. They will win the 20 books in print from Capstone and a swag bag from Buncee. 

To enter the Virtual Summer Camp Giveaway, please share on Twitter or Instagram how your community is participating using the hashtag #SummerCampGiveaway and #VirtualCampAdventure.  You can tag @CapstonePub @Buncee and myself at @shannonmmiller too. 

Thank you for joining for this fun summer adventure. 

4 Ways To Use Technology In The Classroom To Empower Students from the Unruly Splats Blog

 

My friends at Unruly Splats has an awesome new post on their blog that I would love to share as it is filled with ideas for using technology to empower students. 

You can find it here.

I loved finding our Traveling Mural project in this post.  We used technology to connect with other schools and students around the world.  

Thank you, friends for sharing.  We love what Unruly Splats has brought to our students and can't wait for more fun this fall! 

10 Fun Ways To Use StickTogether Posters This Summer

Summer is here, friends. 

I love this time of year as it gives us all a chance to relax, create, be outdoors and spend time with our family and friends making special memories together.

Throughout the summer, I also enjoy dreaming up ideas to share for our students and families, and with my own family and neighbors too. 

Today, I have 10 fun ideas for using StickTogether posters. Over the last few years, these amazing posters have become one of our students favorite ways to spend time together as they collaborate to create beautiful sticker posters. 

To start, let me tell you a little about StickTogether. 

StickTogether posters are made up of 100’s of tiny square stickers of different colors that create beautiful images when put together on the posters, which are coded.  They bring students, teachers, families, neighbors and friends together as they collaborate to create. 

You can read all about StickTogether posters here.

Here are the 10 fun ideas I have for using StickTogether posters this summer. 

1. Use a StickTogether poster as a way for children to continue to create throughout the summer.  The poster can be hung up at home as a way to keep children engaged and happy.  

We had a StickTogether fundraiser at the end of the school year, so I have been receiving lots of pictures like this from our families.  

I love to see how much fun our kids are having creating their very own StickTogether poster. 

2. Did you know you can work with StickTogether to create a custom sticker board? You can read all about it here.

This would be such a great idea to do for a family reunion! Everyone would love contributing to this very special family sticker board. You could have a random drawing at the end to see who gets to take it home.  

3. It would also be fun to use the custom sticker board option for a birthday party or have your child pick one of the amazing StickTogether designs from this page.  On the left hand side, you will find all of the different options for themes, collections and sizes. 

4.  Hang up a StickTogether poster outside and invite the neighbor kids to collaborate together to create the sticker poster.  It can be hung up in a play house, inside of a garage or even under a covered patio to provide a little shade as they work. 

I gave the Unicorn StickTogether poster to my neighbors and can’t wait to see it when they are done. 

5. You could even bring a StickTogether poster to a block party and hang it up somewhere shady for the entire neighborhood to work on together.  

A design such as the barn with the American Flag or the eagle with flag would be perfect around the 4th of July too. 

6. And remember, StickTogether posters aren’t just for kids.  You could bring a poster to a grown up get together too. 

7. Donate a StickTogether poster to the local library so the entire community could collaborate to create a sticker board together.  

At the beginning of the summer, I donated one of the posters for the Tails and Tales summer reading program and...

...the Large Format StickTogether poster of the bookworm to our local library and can’t wait to see it complete.  

8. If your child is going to summer camp, ask the counselors if you send one along with them for a rainy day or inside activity.  StickTogether posters are a wonderful way to cultivate new friendships. 

9. A few times this last year, I cut our StickTogether posters into multiple pieces so more classrooms could participate. You can read how I did this with the poster and stickers here. 

This same technique can be used at home, giving multiple children a chance to create something themselves or even younger children a smaller space to create. As the smaller pieces are complete, adults can assemble them into the larger sticker poster showing the finished design. 

It would be fun to try this on a road trip as it would give children a way to hold a poster in their hands as they create with the stickers.  

10. There are many StickTogether poster designs that celebrate different cultures, art and places.  As you learn together this summer or get ready for a special trip to a new place, find a StickTogether poster that supports those topics. It will be a nice way to tie in creativity and collaboration to the conversations and learning that is taking place along the way.  

We did this at school last year with research we were doing in PebbbleGo and through our eBooks. As we researched and learned about dinosaurs together, the students spent a few minutes each day adding to the poster.  It was a fun way to bring the learning to life. 

In fact, we even had a virtual sticker board created of one of their favorite dinosaurs from the PebbleGo research.  The students were very excited when we shared this sticker board and couldn’t wait to see the dinosaur image from PebbleGo emerge as they worked together. 

As our families and community use StickTogether posters this summer in a variety of ways, I have created a place for them to celebrate and share their creations.  I started a Padlet so our families can post pictures of their children with their special StickTogether summer work. 

StickTogether is such a special creative community building activity for our school.  I am happy we were able to bring the posters to our families and can’t wait to hear how they used them throughout the summer months too.