Here are links to two types of infographics known as slidedocs. 

Walter Meyers
Graphic Novels

VAASL Presentation

Here is a link to my slideshare presentation.

http://www.slideshare.net/secret/mqdqlawiznP2Ib

So You Want to Become a School Librarian

This is my alternative assignment. I am posting it here as well. I hope it works with the sound.
So You Want to Become a School Librarian

Staying Current - A Blog That Has My Interest

The blog that captured my interest and of which I intend to follow is known as The Daring Librarian Blog. This blog was created by Gwyneth Jones. She is a teacher, a librarian, a tweeter, an international education speaker, and a google certified teacher. What interest me most about this blog is the ease at which the author introduces herself to the public on the homepage of the blog. She discusses how her passion for reading developed and the photo of her as young girl reading makes her passion for reading even more authentic. Her decisions about color and the overall design of the blog are in my opinion very daring. I don't know too many librarians who would venture to use a black cosmic background for their design choice. This speaks to how daring this scholar really is - not too mention her multi-colored hair makes Ms. Jones a unique and inspiring 21st century librarian. I was also impressed with the number of accolades she has received for the blog that I now follow. When I clicked on her edublog library link it takes you directly to her middle school library page. I could easily recognize some tools I learned in the LIBS 602 class such as the QR codes and embedding videos. I enjoyed reading the mission statement for her library and it appears to be a welcoming environment for all learners. I enjoyed visiting this blog and I am eager to spark up a conversation with her especially since she is a local librarian. 

Favorite AASL Websites for 2015

AASL Websites for Teaching and Learning 2015

Storyboard That (https://www.storyboardthat.com/) is a storyboard program that offers a variety of templates which students can use to write their own stories. I was particularly attracted to this website because I have for some years been working with my students to improve their historical writing skills. This program would provide an interesting outlet for students to do just that - what I liked was the historical backgrounds the program offers. I am thinking of using this program this year because in World History II there are many historical figures that students must know for the SOL and this program will allow them to create their own stories and thus increasing their ability to remember key elements of their contributions to history if they must write about them using their own words. 

Hstry (https://www.hstry.co/) is a timeline creation tool for students and teachers to use. I totally loved this program because it lends itself so well to history. As a history teacher I am constantly trying to help students chronologically place events in history on a timeline. Hoping that they keep events straight in their heads, is a taunting task. By using this program hopefully it will be more entertaining and interactive. I will definitely use this program this year given the amount of content I must teach and the information students must retain and know for the SOL. I am thinking about assigning groups of students to create interactive timelines for each unit covered in the course. This way all students will have a useful set of timelines for each unit as they prepare for unit tests and SOL preparation. I also want to establish peer review of the timelines so that students can receive constructive input not only from me but their classmates. 

Google Classroom (https://www.google.com/edu/products/productivity-tools/classroom/) is a paperless learning environment. It allows teachers to post assignments, students are able to post their work, peer review is made easier and by using this program we are making a contribution to saving the environment. My school district has given each student a google email account. With that having been said teachers are gradually being encouraged to make use of google classroom. I played around with it a little at the end of the last school year. I actually required my seniors to post their senior projects to google classroom. It went ok but I definitely need more practice with the program. I did like the ease at which I could post assignments and retrieve from anywhere I had an internet connection. I have not tried the tracking system for use with assignments. This program also encourages peer review among students. This is a nice feature because students can receive feedback from classmates as well as the teacher. Revisions are easy because the program automatically saves students' work and is accessible via most smart phones. I will work with google classroom more this year. 

Video Commercial - A Librarian's Love for Books!

Here is the link to my commercial for my 3D object. Enjoy!

https://animoto.com/play/E1IPoYW9JmNYC7fAa1jc6g

Three 3D Printing, Coding and Robots

As I read the article about 3D printing I could not help to think about the expense associated with this machine for many libraries and schools. Dr. Kimmel in her weekly connect presentation mentioned that the cost for 3D printing machines can range between 3 to 4 thousand dollars. The lower end machines can easily run about 2, 000 or more. To me this is an extravagant expense for libraries and schools to afford particularly given current school budgets and the cuts many must endure. Furthermore, I think buying 3D printers for our school libraries and schools will broaden the digital divide that currently exist between wealthy school districts and poor school districts. Please don't read these comments as a negative regarding the promise of 3D printing machines. I just think what little money is available for library services in schools should not be used to purchase 3D printing machines. However, if the money and resources are available I support such ideas as having students from STEM programs help to assemble and be apart of the maintenance of the machine. It helps students, parents and the community buy in to the possible educational rewards of investing in this new technology. 

As for coding I think this is a great equalizer for all students. Students no matter their walk in life should have this crucial skill. According to article written by Tahnk, coding provides critical thinking skills, analytical skills, cause and effect skills. What student of the 21st century would not need to hone these useful skills if they intend to be competitive in a global world? I also like the fact that there are coding programs that reach out to the female population. The fun games and toys that are available are great for developing young minds to code.

Lastly, I really enjoyed watching the Medi Robot video. I think it is a great idea for helping kids deal with pain management. A robot like this would work really well in an elementary library setting. It could read students a book, ask questions to students after a book reading, help students become acquainted with library and the list goes on and on. I really like the robot.

Citations

Sansing, C. (2015, May 4). 3-D Printing: Worth the Hype? | The Maker Issue. Retrieved June 17, 2015. 

Tahnk, J. (2015, April 27). Cool Products for Teaching Kids How to Code. Retrieved July 3, 2015.