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
Over the summer of 2021, I collaborated with our 6th grade science teacher as part of a grant to find ways to incorporate makerspace activities into the curriculum. (Look for posts coming soon about some of the projects we did). Part of our work was reading the book, Making Science: Reimagining STEM Education in … Read more
When a library design book shows up as available in my local library system, I’m quick to place a hold. So I was excited to see that Collaborative Library Design: From Planning to Impact, had a copy available. This book is what I like to think of as library design eye candy (much like The … 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
These last few months, I’ve been focusing on improving my sketchnote skills. Part of that work was reading several books on the tis topic for educators (see my review of My Pencil Made Me Do It). Many general books on sketchnoting focus on the basics of how to sketchnote, which is awesome. I love using … Read more
There is a familiar sort of guilt in my life. That feeling of all the things that I should be doing. I should be reading and replying to more library Facebook threads. I should be going to Twitter chats. I should be spending more of my summer planning for a school year that is impossible … 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