FlipSnack's from Hailey's Science Classroom

I always love it when new teachers come to Van Meter.  And our students love it too.

This year we have a brand new junior high and high school science teacher.  Her name is Hailey Beneke and she graduated from the University of Northern Iowa.  From day one, Hailey has been motivated and excited to try new things and integrate technology into the science curriculum.   

A couple of weeks ago, Hailey came to me with a question about inserting PDF's into FlipSnack.  FlipSnack is a Web 2.0 tool that I came across at the beginning of the school year.  It lets one turn PDF documents into Flash page flip digital publications.  Once your FlipSnack is created it can be shared online and even embedded into a website or blog.  

Hailey had her 7th graders create FlipSnack's about cells.  They created their pages first using Tux Paint, a free online drawing program that our students have on their MacBooks.  Once their pages were created, the students took a screen shot and saved the pages as a PDF ready to use in FlipSnack.  

Here are a few of the FlipSnacks her students created.....

Thank you for sharing these with me, Hailey.  Our students are lucky to have such an ambitious, creative new teacher.  

Just Be....Inspired

I have always been one to be inspired by the things around me.  As an artist, as a teacher, as someone who hears and sees the world and all that it holds.

Inspired by nature, by art work, by architecture, by churches that I sit in, by light, by music, by sadness, and by happiness.

I sometimes question this....what inspires others?  Does everyone take the opportunity each day to be inspired?

As I started writing this post, I looked up the definition of Inspire on Dictionary.com.  Inspire can mean the following...to fill with an animating or exalting influence; to produce a feeling or thought; and to animate, as an influence, feeling, or thought.  


Over the last few months, I have been filled more than ever with these feelings and thoughts that the definition holds.  I have been influenced, moved, and inspired like never before.

The reason I have been so inspired....the people that I have surrounded myself with.  The people who have come into my life and have made a difference.  It is not just the "things" that inspire me.....I am inspired by others.

I am inspired by.....

....my beautiful daughter Brianna as she had her senior pictures taken in the pasture with her horse.  I stood there in tears not because I was sad she was growing up, but that I held this incredible feeling of being inspired by her on that day.  Her strength, her confidence to face the world, her happiness.  

I am inspired by the friendships that I have in my life.  I am inspired by friends like Kristina and Brianna because they are strong, caring, intelligent, and I am never without them.  I am inspired by their love.  

I am inspired by and so proud of my wonderful 8th graders who founded the first high school chapter of She's the First last spring.  Over the last 6 months they have raised over $1,000 to put our Kisa Scholar Neema through two years of secondary school in Tanzania.  Every day I watch as this group not only gets stronger together, but each individual girl gains so much of her own identity.  And now, as they form a relationship with Neema, I am inspired by what they are gaining from each other and the new relationship that is unfolding.  

I am inspired by Neema Amos.  She wrote to us that she wants to go to University to become a teacher.  She is so thankful, gracious, and filled with love for the girls in Van Meter that are giving her the opportunity to have the life that she dreams of.  Everyone should be inspired by her.  

And I am inspired by the students that I am so lucky to work with everyday.  Their energy, creativity, intelligence, and love for life inspires me to take it in and share it with the world.  

So I give you this charge....

Open your eyes, listen, let it all in.  Be inspired by the world around you.

The little things. The big things.

People. Music. Art. Words. Love.

If you just take a seat or a little step back and give yourself a chance to just be.....

You will be inspired too.

Next Up....."DOT DOT" Celebration!

This post is from John Schu and Shannon Miller's Two Libraries One Voice blog. 

We are so excited! 

This week we will be celebrating "International DOT Day" together. DOT Day is on September 15th, which is when The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds was first published in 2003. On this day, Peter and FableVision Learning challenges people all over the world to "make your own mark and see where it takes you."  

We have been doing a lot at our schools to get ready for this super fun day.  

The students are welcomed into John's library at Brook Forest Elementary with this amazing display.  

And can learn more about Peter and FableVision here.  

Shannon and her students created this new display in the Van Meter Elementary Library and they are enjoying all of the new books they added to their collection too.  

Last week, a big group of Shannon's 7th and 8th graders created beautiful DOT art work outside.  She wrote about this day on the Van Meter VOICE blog.... Today The Students Made Their Mark....On Each Other, The World, and ME!

She created signs for DOT DAY on the library and art room doors.  The students created signs throughout the school with the banners.  

And John's students started decorating paper with their DOTS too.

To celebrate in the libraries this week, we have planned a lot of literacy and art activities for the students. We are going to be painting and drawing with watercolors, finger paints, crayons, colored pencils, and sidewalk chalk.  There is even an activity involving coffee filters, markers, and water bottles...Oh my.  

Our kids are going to create DOTS using the iPads and drawing apps.  We will be sharing these creations with each other over Skype.  

John had a great idea today.....ROLL OUT the "Read" carpet for the week and have our students add dots throughout the week.

And even our students are planning things.....like Alissa.  

We will be sharing The Dot and other special books like Dotty by Erica Perl, 

and Dot by Patricia Intriago over Skype with our students.  

And of course a DOT Day celebration would not be complete without DOTS for everyone.  :) 

So just as the sweet character Vashti learns in The Dot, anyone can make a mark on the world.  

This week in Oak Brook, Illinois and Van Meter, Iowa, we will celebrate the marks of every single person in our schools and the uniqueness of them all. 

We cannot wait to hear how you are going to celebrate DOT Day too!