My Back-to-School Hacks post from 2015 has been getting a lot of traffic lately (maybe because of the School Library Journal article with a similar title?) so I thought it might be good to write an updated version. A lot has changed for me since 2015 – I’m at a different school (Tampa Prep, where … Read more
Instagram is a fantastic way to connect with students, teachers, parents and community members. You can showcase what is going on in your library, promote a love of reading and feature student work. If you’re new to IG, it can be easy to feel stuck and unsure of what to post. (Check out my previous … Read more
I’ve long used Instagram as a way to reach out to my students. It started back when I first got an iPad through DonorsChoose at my previous library (before I had a personal smartphone). Some of my former students (now adults) still follow that account and keep in touch. When I started at Tampa Prep, … Read more
This is a multiple post series. In Part 1, I gave an overview of what my school has been doing during COVID and how my library’s physical space has adapted. In this post, I’ll be sharing about programs I’ve done to encourage reading, plus collaborations with teachers. For Part 3, I’ll share how we’ve adapted … Read more
I’ve followed Carrie Baughcum’s work on Twitter and Instagram for awhile. We briefly met F2F back at ISTE 2016 in Denver. I’ve loved the positive, upbeat and fun loving tone that she shares in her posts. So when I heard that she was publishing a book about sketchnoting this past fall, I quickly preordered a … Read more
I’ve been using sketchnotes a lot lately as a way to help me focus and retain information with virtual PD. Here’s a mini-post in case you’d like to know what tools I use for sketchnoting (or were thinking about getting some for yourself.) A quick “note”: I prefer physical sketchnoting. I know that there’s great … Read more
Virtual PD Hack: Sketchnoting Conference Recordings (and Webinars) Like many other educators around the globe, back in March I quite suddenly found myself teleworking. As a librarian, I struggled with this, since so much of what I do is about connecting with teachers and students. I worked at our online student help desk, trained our … Read more
Warning: Kinda personal post ahead. Because life isn’t all LEGOs and Cardboard all the time. 2019 was an up and down year for me. There were plenty of wonderful things going on – a large financial donation to our makerspace at work that allowed me to start up new programs, two keynote speaking opportunities at … Read more
I’ve come to realize that I’m an overplanner (my friends are probably rolling their eyes right now). I get this trait from my dad. I love to research places, read articles, make maps, create itineraries. Conferences are one of my favorite ways to learn. And I’m an overplanner. When you combine these two things, it … Read more
Whether you’re already knee-deep into makerspaces or just toying with the idea of maybe adding some LEGOs to your library next year, we can all benefit by making time for creative experiences. Summer is a great time to rest, renew and grow as individuals. Making time for creative experiences and pursuits is one great way … Read more