Book Review: The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street

This blog was originally intended as an assignment for my first library media studies graduate class. However, since that course is ending this week and I am not sure if we will be required to continue the blog with any of my future courses, I have decided to re-purpose it a bit... 

In following Kate Olson (aka The Loud Library Lady) on Instagram, I learned about KidLitExchange, a program she created in which "kid lit" is submitted to readers to review, which means that the books receive more reviews. As an avid book reader, I wanted to be involved before I even finished reading the description. Over the weekend, I received my first KidLitExchange book via NetGalley and I am super excited to share the review here!!! :)

The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay CurrieReview: This book is SO good! It is a middle grades ghost story, something I did have to remind myself of a few times while reading, as the story is told from the perspective of a 12 year old girl (insert all the internal struggles of a tween who is forced to leave her friends and life in Florida in order to move to Chicago because of her dad's new job...), but I really found myself sucked into the story itself due to all the details which helped to move the plot along. Currie did a phenomenal job of laying out the creepy details of the ghost story / haunted house Tessa and her family have moved into, and I found myself getting goosebumps during some of the ghost-related scenes. While I felt the Tessa-Cassidy storyline was unnecessary and did nothing for the plot itself, hence the half star deduction, the actual ghost story and theme of friendship were both great, making this a must read for all middle grades students when it is released on October 10th!
Rating: 4.5/5

AASL Best Websites & Library Blogs

Everyone loves "free," especially those in education where many teachers do not have the financial backing to obtain necessary resources. In looking at some of the websites listed on the AASL's Best Websites for Teaching and Learning, I am so upset that I did not know about some of these prior to now. Some of my favorites:

Google Keep: As I am part of a Google-based county, I find myself drawn towards Google things, which is why I initially looked into Google Keep. As someone who is Type A and hyper organized, I have notes and lists EVERYWHERE. When I am doing research or working on an extended assignment, I tend to have numerous working documents going, where I jot down notes and ideas. I have to-do lists for both my personal and professional life, both in physical form and electronic. I have an on-going note on my phone with teaching ideas. The only problem with this is that the electronic notes I gather are spread across three computers and my phone, which makes organizing things difficult.

Enter Google Keep. Google Keep is a syncing notepad that connects to Google Drive. As many teachers and librarians are like me and do not limit their work-related thinking and planning to the hours in which they are in the school setting, Google Keep is perfect because it serves as a place to corral all your notes and ideas in one place, regardless of when and where you have them.

CommonLit: I was introduced to CommonLit by our school reading specialist last year and I love it!!! CommonLit is a reading resource with a library of free, leveled texts. They run the gamut in terms of genre and accessibility, and you are able to filter the texts based on genre, grade level, reading level, themes, literary devices, SOLs/CSSs, etc.

As an English teacher, I enjoy using CommonLit to find paired passages for my students in order to prepare them for the Reading SOL, but I think you could use it is a variety of ways as a librarian. If the history classes are studying the Holocaust, you could cull through CommonLit to find poetry and short passages that would pair with that topic. You could filter out texts that work with a school-wide event (anti-bullying, suicide awareness, etc.) and have those texts available on the library or school website. It says that the texts on CommonLit are geared towards 5th-12th grades, but I think you may be able to find ones that are suitable to younger students as well.

Poets.org: I really like the content Poets.org has to offer. There are literally thousands of poems listed on the website, ranging from well-known poems to more obscure, from all time periods, and stretching across every possible theme imaginable. It is super user-friendly too, allowing the poems to be sorted by theme/topic, author, time period, etc.

Poetry tends to be something that students either love or loathe, and I have found that with English / Language Arts, poetry ends up being its own separate unit that is thrown in almost as an afterthought. In utilizing Poets.org though, teachers / librarians could offer a sampling of poetry to students daily through signing up for a poem a day, or linking poetry to what it being taught in the classes with the thematic sort. Librarians could aid in doing paired passages with the poems by having students select a theme from a book they are reading, either for class or as a choice read, and then finding a poem that has the same theme. As Poets.org allows for more choice, it may allow students who are more resistant to poetry to enjoy it more, especially since there are so many poems and poets included that are not typically taught in school. It could also be really fun to use Poets.org to help generate poems for a Poetry Slam in the library.

In looking at the library-related blogs that were offered as ones to follow, I was really drawn to both The Daring Librarian and Renovated Learning. Both offer a nice taste of the traditional library ideas (book selections, summer reading, etc.), while also incorporating what it means to be a librarian in the 21st century. Both bloggers utilized fun, conversational tones, which helped me to want to continue reading their posts. One thing that I really liked about Renovated Learning is that you can subscribe to her blog. Since I use my late night nursing sessions with my daughter to read the blogs that I subscribe to, I immediately added her to my list of go-tos because I would love to learn more about how she incorporated Makerspaces into her existing library.

And a shameless plug because she was not listed on the librarian blog list, I LOVE Kate Olson, the "professional reader" behind Loud Library Lady. I first started following her on Instagram because her book reviews were always spot on, but the more I read about her being a librarian for MULTIPLE schools at once, the more intrigued I became. Being in a county where each school has one, if not two, librarians of their own, I was baffled by how Ms. Olson managed jumping back and forth between schools and grade levels. Her insights and lessons are great, and I feel that as a budding librarian, I could learn a lot from her. :)

Summer Institute Reflection

Thinking about everything I learned in the two days at the Summer Institute makes my brain hurt. There was a LOT of information provided in such a short period of time that it was almost overwhelming, but I came away with so many great ideas that it is definitely worth the brain ache.

Initially, I was a little discouraged by the idea of being a Maker Librarian. While I loved the idea and thought it would be something fantastic to have in the library, I was worried about the financial aspect of it. Ozobots, Spheros, and Makey Makey Kits all sound really great, but they also come with a significant price tag. If I were teaching in a school that did not have the budget to allow for these technologies, though, how could I still implement STEM technologies that would benefit my students? That was something I had been grappling with the entire semester as I learned about these technologies and different tools...they were great in theory, but how would they work realistically?

While I focused my nine questions prior to the Institute on three of the seemingly more expensive technologies, during the Technology/Maker Exploration on the first day of the Institute, I found myself more drawn to the stations that used everyday objects and NOT the ones with the higher price tags. As I built a boat out of duct tape (which floated!), folded paper to create an origami bookmark, and created a paper circuit, I realized that the expensive, flashy technology was still really cool, but you could still have a pretty awesome maker station in your library using less expensive items that are available from craft and home improvement stores.

Although I did not attend IdaMae Craddock's session (I wish we had more session time because there were SO many I wanted to attend, but could not get to all of them), from classmates, I got a quick recap in that she did not have a lot of money when she began curating materials for her maker library. Instead, she used things that she found around her house or that she could get for cheap (or free!) from area businesses. This is something I read further on later (yay, Pinterest!) where a middle school librarian created three maker stations for $450. $450 compared to the thousands I was originally envisioning prior to the Institute is WAY more achievable.

I know the assignment was to reflect on the nine questions we initially came to the Institute with, and with that, I failed. I cannot answer how waterproof the Spheros are or give specific information regarding the Google Expeditions, but I can brainstorm really create ideas as to how you can cheaply and efficiently use household materials to aid in creativity and fine motor development for students of all ages.

Plus, I also learned valuable information (that has nothing to do with maker stations), such as how to incorporate fandoms and fanfic into the library; building connections and relationships with public libraries, colleges, and businesses; OERs; and how to deal with censorship. Overall, the Institute was SO worthwhile!

QR Codes & Layered Reality

QR Codes: With so many students having access to a camera, be it on their smartphones, tablets, or Chromebooks, QR Codes have become increasingly popular in the educational setting. Simply scanning the small, square image allows students access to web-based text, maps, videos, or other useful information and tools. Two ways in which I feel QR Codes could be used in the library are with promotional materials and book connections.

1.   Promotional Materials: Bookmarks, fliers, and posters are just a few of the places librarians can place QR codes. The codes can link to the library website, program calendar, electronic databases, or other important resources.

2.   Book Connections: In placing QR Codes on book covers or on posters on book displays, students could have access to book summaries, author interviews, and book trailers. Librarians could also use QR Codes to link books with read-alikes, such as, “If you liked ______, then check out these other books” as a way to promote other books in the library.

I created the QR Code below for the library website we were asked to create.

Technology/Maker Exploration: The following nine technologies will be addressed further at the Summer Institute next week, which is definitely a good thing because I know very little about them. In doing some quick research to get a better understanding of the technologies, I have realized that every one of these technologies, while different, would be a great way to introduce students to programming in an educational setting.

1.   Ozobots are little toy robots that integrates the physical and digital worlds.

2.   Spheros are small spherical robots that roll around through the use of Bluetooth, can spin, flip, and change color.

a.   While I understand Spheros are able to be used through Bluetooth on a mobile device, how do they actually work, especially since much of the research I did showed them being used by preschoolers and kindergarteners?

b.   What happens when the Sphero gets wet, either from water or paint?

c.   How difficult are they to use, especially in regards to younger children?

3.   Makey-Makey is a small invention that allows the user to turn everyday objects into a touchpad that interacts with a computer program.

4.   Little Bits Kits teach coding principles as students build and program games.

5.   Google Expeditions is a virtual-reality teaching tool that allows educators to take their classes on virtual field trips. (How had I never heard of this before???)

a.   What is needed to use Google Expeditions, beyond a computer?

b.   Are there pre-set expeditions, or do teachers need to create their own?

c.   How can educators ensure that students stay in the specified “location” without straying elsewhere?

6.   Paper Circuits are working circuits on paper that are made with normal, everyday objects. Students can utilize paper circuits to help enhance their book projects. To an elementary-aged student, I think they would find it amazing that simple household items, when combined, can create a working light circuit to add pizzazz to their projects. 

7.   Aurasma allows users to create or view augmented reality experiences that blend the physical and digital using a mobile device's camera.

a.   How does Aurasma benefit student learning?

b.   What are some of the benefits of using Aurasma over other augmented reality experience apps?

c.   How can Aurasma engage students?

8.   Green Screens, just like in Hollywood, allow students to be part of their assignment.

9.   Creating memes with the photo editing app Aviary could allow students to create memes in response to current events.

3-D Printing, Programming, Paper Circuits, & Computational Thinking

The incorporation of different technologies in school libraries has been picking up a lot of interest among schools and communities in recent years, as they allow students and teachers/staff to create, invent, and learn. Below are brief explanations of how a few different technology-based tools can be utilized in libraries:

3-D Printing: 3-D Printing allows students to design, enhance, or invent something new instead of simply searching the internet and printing out an image. In fact, I found this infographic which provides ten specific ways 3-D Printing could possibly be used in an educational setting.

TeachThought. (2017). How 3D Printing Works [Image]. Retrieved from
http://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/technology/10-ways-3d-printing-can-be-used-in-education/. CC0.

Programming (aka Coding) & Computational Thinking: With a push for more STEM activities in schools, programming is gaining in popularity. An article from the School Library Journal states that “coding is both a hands-on maker opportunity and a perfect fit with new media literacy standards” (Sansing, 2015). For schools with robotics classes and clubs, or even just students who are interested in programming, it allows students to demonstrate their creativity and critical thinking skills using technology.

Something my husband mentioned in regards to computational thinking, which was also discussed in a September 2016 article in the School Library Journal, is Project Bloks. Project Bloks is a tangible programming platform that enables kids to develop computational thinking from a young age through coding experiences that are playful, tactile, and collaborative. This would be a really good way to introduce preschool and kindergarten students to programming.

After playing around with programming, which was way easier than I initially thought it would be, here are some things I brainstormed for how a librarian could utilize programming for the school library:

1.   You could write a program to select one book from the school’s library to highlight as a randomly selected “Book of the Month” or “Book of the Week,” and have the information about that selected book show up on the library and/or school webpage.

2.   You could write a program that allows students/teachers to check out/reserve books through the library website, similar to what is done at public libraries.

3.   You could create a website for the library, if there is not one already, with easy access to databases and other helpful links.

Paper Circuits: Again, with the push for STEM programs to help spark curiosity through hands-on experiments, students could utilize paper circuits to help enhance their book projects. To an elementary-aged student, I think they would find it amazing that simple household items, when combined, can create a working light circuit to add pizzazz to their projects.

References:

Sansing, C. (2015). Coding Skills Empower Us All. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/2015/05/technology/coding-skills-empower-us-all-the-maker-issue/.