WIN My Top Capstone Spring 2024 Titles For Your Library In This Special Giveaway From Follett and Capstone! Enter Today, Friends.

Friends, I am so excited to share something very special with all of you.  

I put together my Top Capstone Books for Spring 2024 here in this choice board.  You will find all of the books linked from Titlewave, including a full book list too. 

And guess what?  

 

My friends at Follett and Capstone are doing a special giveaway of Capstone's Top Titles for your library!

Six lucky winners will receive the best books of Spring 2024 for their collection too. 

You can enter here.  The deadline to enter is April 30, 2024. 

Season 8 of the Future Ready Podcast Series, Leading From The Library, Kicks Off This Week With 12 Amazing New Episodes!

It's here!  

Season 8 of the Future Ready podcast series, Leading From The Library is now LIVE with 12 new episodes with amazing librarians, educators and other special guests. We couldn't be more excited about this new season full of amazing stories, timely topics and inspiring conversations. 

On Tuesday, April 2, we kick off Season 8 with Jennifer McKenzie and her podcast, We’re All In This Together” - Fulbright & Global Collaboration Through the Library. It was so inspiring to hear more about Jennifer's work. You won't want to miss it.

On the Leading from the Library podcast site, you will find all of the future and past episodes as well. 

There are so many important, interesting and exciting topics for all of us as Future Ready Librarians and educators. You won't want to miss them. 

You can subscribe to wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

A big thank you to our friends at Follett for supporting our Future Ready Librarian Podcast Series. 

We hope that you join us each week for the Leading from the Library Podcast, friends.  

A Choice Board Filled With eBooks For April Fools' Day From Our Capstone Interactive! You Will Find The List and Choice Board Template Here, Friends.

 

On April 1, we celebrate April Fools' Day.  This is a fun day to share jokes with each other.  

I put together a new choice board filled eBooks from our..

....Capstone Interactive. 

I love being able to go to our Capstone Interactive with over 5,500 Interactive eBooks. 

Take a look the unique features of Capstone Interactive that makes it our favorite eBook platform. 

Let me show you how easy it use Capstone Interactive to create choice boards filled with eBooks like the one I created for April Fools' Day. 

First, I logged into our PebbleGo.com and went to the eBooks tab, as shown in the image above. 

I typed in Jokes to the Search at the top of the page. 

This brought up 12 Capstone Interactive eBooks. I included all of these in the choice board. 

As I put the choice board together in a Google Slide, I went to each eBook to grab a screen shot of the book cover and the direct link to the eBook. 

To get the link, I clicked Open in the platform and clicked on the link as shown above. 

I then took the link and added it to the eBook cover in the choice board.  I did this for each eBook. 

When I was all done, I went to File, Share, and Publish to web. 

When this window popped up, I clicked on Publish...

...and grabbed the Publish to the web link. 

This is what we share with our students.  It takes them directly to the choice board and to the eBooks.  We can share in their Google Classroom or Seesaw, or even through a QR code for our learners with iPads. 

You will find a copy of the April Fools' Day choice board here.  You can link the Capstone Interactive eBooks you have, or switch it up for your students and community too. 

This week, I will share more about Capstone Interactive and what makes this amazing eBook platform stand out above the rest. 

You can find out how to add eBooks and Capstone Interactive to your library and school here. 

And you will find all of the eBooks here on the NEW Capstone site here.

We Are Kicking Off The NEW Future Ready Librarians Webinar Series, Beyond the Shelf: Navigating Innovation and Collaboration as Future Ready Librarians. Register Today, Friends.

Friends, we are excited to announce the NEW 2024 Future Ready Librarians Webinar Series, Beyond the Shelf: Navigating Innovation and Collaboration as Future Ready Librarians.  

The series will run throughout the year with six webinars filled with amazing guests and topics.  

As shared on the Future Ready Schools site, 

Hosted by Shannon McClintock Miller, this webinar series is your comprehensive guide to the Future Ready Librarians Framework. Join us as we explore the principles, strategies, and practical insights essential for thriving in the digital age of education. Whether you’re a librarian, educator, or education leader, these webinars are designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to lead innovation and change in your school community.

In today's educational landscape, librarians are pivotal in shaping learning experiences. The Future Ready Librarians Framework empowers librarians to become drivers of innovation, collaboration, and student-centered learning. 

Register for the series here today – it’s FREE  and save your seat from this amazing webinar series to learn and grow your professional practice as a librarian!

 

The first one, Empowering Librarians With AI: A Guide for Future Ready Librarians will be on April 10, 2024 with special guests Bill Bass and Carl Hooker.  Register here today.

You aren't going to want to miss these webinars so register even if you can't attend live so you receive the recording. 

NEW PebbleGo Article & Capstone Interactive eBooks About Eclipses! Find The Template To Copy and Share Here, Friends.

 

The total solar eclipse is right around the corner on April 8, 2024.  Today, I was so excited to find the brand NEW....

...PebbleGo article, Eclipses!  It's perfect for our learning and celebrations in the library, at school, and even as families learn together at home. 

The article is filled with amazing information including a tab for Solar Eclipses and even Viewing an Eclipse.  

You will also find the Eclipses article in Spanish. 

At the bottom of the PebbleGo Eclipses article, there are three awesome activities that include...

...Eclipses Activity, Share What You Know, and Eclipses Questions for Understanding. 

I printed this off and included them in an email to my teachers so they can use these easily with the PebbleGo article as they get ready for the total solar eclipse on April 8th. 

I took the PebbleGo Eclipses article and paired it up with...

....two eBooks about Eclipses that I found in Capstone Interactive.  

As all of the eBooks in Capstone Interactive, I can grab the direct link to the eBook and add it to the covers in the choice boards.  You can see the link that the arrow points to in the image above. 

I grabbed a screen shot of the Eclipses and...

...Exploring Eclipses eBook cover and added them to the choice board with the PebbleGo article. 

You can push a copy of the choice board here.  You just make a copy and then add your own link to the PebbleGo article and eBooks. 

When you share it with your students, go to File, down to Publish to web, and share that link. 

And you can find the other choice board I created, with more information here in this post.  I updated it and added the PebbleGo article. 

Have fun celebrating and learning with your school community too, friends. 

Join Us For The Special New PebbleGo Series....PebbleGo Across The Canadian Curriculum Through an Inquiry Based and CRRP Lens. Register Here, Friends.

 

I am excited to share a special new PebbleGo Webinar Series from our friends at Capstone.  

This webinar series is for Canadian educators, teacher librarians, and administrators.  The event will provide a framework on how PebbleGo resources can support and enrich students' inquiry-based and Culturally Responsive Relevant Pedagogy (CRRP) learning experiences.  

The first webinar in the PebbleGo series will be on April 30, 2024 at 4:30pm EST. 

You can register for this FREE webinar here.  And don't worry if you can't attend at that time. The recording and resources will be shared with everyone who registers after the webinar. 

Hope to see you there Canadian friends. 

Join Us For A NEW Storyboard That Webinar, Friends! Register for 10 Ways To Celebrate Books, Library and Technology Skills From Your Library With Storyboard That Today!

 

One of my favorite digital tools to use with our students is Storyboard That.  It is great for all ages and the perfect way to celebrate books, library and technology skills, and so much more from the library and throughout our classrooms and school community. 

You can join me, and Storyboard That's Customer Success Manager, Liane Hicks, on April 3, 2024, for a NEW webinar to learn all about Storyboard That, and how this amazing digital tool can enhance creativity, collaboration, and connections in your library and beyond.  I will even share how I use Storyboard That with my students and teachers across the district. 

This is truly an opportunity you won't want to miss! You will have lots of fun, and you will leave with ideas and resources to bring back to your library and school community too. 

You can register for this FREE webinar here, friends. 

And learn all about Storyboard That for Library and Media here on their special site. 

Creating A Choice Board To Learn About Holi With Capstone Connect, PebbleGo and Capstone Interactive eBooks! Find The Template Here, Friends.

 

Holi is being celebrated right now with the start of spring.  Holi is a beautiful Hindu festival that is celebrated over two days.  It is also known as the Festival of Colors. 

To give our students a place to learn about Holi, I created a choice board using our...

....Capstone Connect. 

In Capstone Connect, I typed in Holi and it brought up all of the resources focused around Holi including a PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next article, and a Capstone Interactive eBook.

I opened the resources from Capstone Connect and copied the link in the eBook...

...and PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next articles. 

I made a simple choice board called Let's learn about Holi and attached the links to each resource.  

You can make a copy of the choice board here.  You can attach links to each resource. 

When I was finished, I clicked on File and Publish to the Web. That is the link you will share with your students.  

We have print books and resources that support this special holiday too. 

I love being able to provide this choice board to all of our students and teachers giving them access to the Capstone resources they need as they learn about Holi. 

You've Been Virtually Book'd With These 18 Books For School Library Month! Check Out This List & Choice Board From Titlewave Here, Friends.

 

We celebrate School Library Month in April. It's one of the best months of the year! 

You can read all about School Library Month on the AASL website here.

This is a very special for us as school librarians, and for our communities, students, teachers and families too.  The impact that we make as school librarians make a difference not only during April, but all throughout the year.  And one of the ways we impact our communities the most is through books, reading and the joy that these bring. 

As we celebrate School Library Month, I brought together 18 books that celebrate reading, books and libraries.  

Let me show you how I set up this choice board for my school community. 

First, I created the choice board in a Google Slide.  I added the covers of the 18 School Library Month books I included in this choice board. 

Second, I went to our Destiny Discover and...

...grabbed the links to each book.   

This is easy to do.  You just search for the book, click on the three little dots next to Open, and this drop down menu will appear. 

Click on Share and the link to the book will pop up. That is the url to share in the choice boards. 

Take the copied link and add it to the book cover.  

When every book cover is linked, you are ready to share the choice board. 

Go to File and down to Publish to the web.  

This will give you a link to share with the students and teachers.  

When they click on that published link, the You've Been Virtually Book'd With Books For School Library Month choice board will pop up where they can read more about each book, and even read the eBooks where they are attached. 

I am excited about this list of 18 special new books I put together in Titlewave.  In this choice board, you can click on any book cover to view and find the full book list from Titlewave there too. 

If you would like to edit this and use for your own library, you can make a copy here.

Our students will love these books celebrating School Library Month that are part of our You've Been Virtually Book'd program. And I love how we can keep this program going all year long!  It brings so much joy to our readers each and every month.

Turn The April 2024 PebbleGo & PebbleGo Next Monthly Holiday Calendar Into An Interactive Research Choice Board For Your Students & Teachers!

Our friends at Capstone create these special PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next Holiday Calendars each month. 

In this post, I share more about the PebbleGo Monthly Calendars. 

I love making paper copies of these to share with our teachers and kids. 

They hang them up in their classrooms and hang them in our library too. I also share them online through social media and as an image in Google Classroom or Seesaw. 

The teachers even use the PebbleGo Calendars for mini research opportunities throughout each week. The students use PebbleGo Create to share what they learn throughout the month with the calendars. 

Here is the PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next April 2024 Holidays Calendar. 

Last year, when I was sharing the calendars with teachers and students, I thought....Hey, this would be really fun in a choice board! 

So, I opened up a Google Slide, uploaded the PebbleGo April 2024 Holidays Calendar, and added a little chalk board with text over the top.  

Then I went through the calendar and found every special day in PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next.  

For example, National School Librarian Day is April 4. 

I went to PebbleGo and found the article about Librarians. I grabbed the link, as shown in the image above. 

I took that link and added a linked text box around each special date. 

Now, when the kids click on a holiday, it will take them directly to that PebbleGo article.  

If you want to use the template to create your own, you will find the Google Slide here to make a copy and add links to the PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next articles. 

And to make it a choice board, just Publish to the web, as shown in this image above. 

You will share that Published Link with your students.  

I love sharing these interactive PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next Holiday Calendars with our students and teachers. They love learning all about these special days that are highlighted each month too.

I am excited to have the April 2024 PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next ready to go for the month.I hope you will find ways to use it with your students and teachers this month too.