Internet Media Specials

Due to the overwhelming popularity of the post I did on Makerspaces, I am adding more to the list of resources. (Remember that I live in New Jersey, so you will see some NJ resources.)

Before computers and the Internet, school librarians had to type their reports on either a manual or electric typewriter. Fast forward to today, and there are so many different ways to make a digital presentation. You can utilize a design program such as InDesign, then save as a PDF, as done here by ALA. Or, you can take it up a notch and create an infographic or digital presentation. (Click the tab for "Infographices" at the top of this page for tools and information on creating your infographic.) If you are doing something unique for your report, please share below. Here is a small list if you want to think out of the box and bypass Microsoft Word or Powerpoint.

Often times a student needs extra help with a certain subject area. I've noticed that many kids do not want to ask for extra help because they are either afraid the teacher will yell at them or they are embarrassed to admit that they didn't understand something. Luckily, with the Internet at their disposal, students can watch videos in their own time, and hopefully gain a better understanding of what was taught in class that day. Here are some tutoring sites which offer extra help, as well as video tutorials.

VIDEO TUTORIALS
Discovery Education- homework help for English and Language Arts,  Social Studies, Science, Math

HippoCampus- over 300 million videos; covers K-College

Khan Academy

Math TV- basic math, geometry, algebra, trig

Math Homework Hotline- middle school math and algebra

Virtual Nerd: Real Math Help for School and Home- covers middle school math with 1,500 videos

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Grades K-5
Aplus Math- homework helpers and answer checkers

Ask Dr. Math

The Beehive- math, reading, social studies, art, music, reference tools

Fact Monster Homework Center

Homework Spot

Infoplease Homework Center

Kid Info Homework Help- created by a teacher; many subject areas


MIDDLE SCHOOL Grades 6-8
50 States.com- geography help

Ask Dr. Math

BJ Pinchbeck's Homework Helper- links covered in the areas of English, Math, Science and Computers

Fact Monster Homework Center

Free Math Help

Homework Spot

Infoplease Homework Center

Math Central: Quandaries and Queries- although not in real time, students can email a question


HIGH SCHOOL Grades 9-1250 States.com- geography help

Ask Dr. Math

Chegg- step-by-step solutions to problems in 2,500 textbooks

Free Math Help

High School Ace-educational Websites

Math Homework Help- from Discovery Education

StudyGeek- "where PhD experts help with math homework"

Web Elements- interactive periodic table

TALK TO A TEACHER
Dial-a-Teacher- for grades K-8; many languages spoken

Homework NYC- call and speak to a teacher on school days; app available

PATH- pupils ask, teachers help; 

Learning doesn't always have to be visual. Podcasts can be listened to while you do other things. You can download the audio file and relax at your leisure. Here are 30 I have hand-picked for you. Please add your suggestions below after the post.


Assistive Technology: Tools in Public Schools- assistive technology specialist Chris Bugaj

Astronomy Cast- astronomy concepts covered

BAM Radio: Connecting the Voices of the Education Village

Concordia EdTech Podcast

Distillations Podcast- focuses on chemistry

EdCeptional

The Ed Tech Crew Podcast- hosted by Darrel Branson (The ICT Guy) and Tony Richards from itmadesimple.com.

The EdTech Roundup- Michael Karlin

English as a Second Language Podcast

Flipped Learning Network- hosted by Troy Cockrum

The Google Educast- hosted by Google certified teachers

Great Speeches in History Podcast- famous speeches include JFK, Reagan, Obama

The History Chicks- "our goal is to introduce you to female characters in history, factual or fictional. An introduction, an overview and a little push to explore and learn more on your own."

House of #EdTech- NJ Social Studies teacher Christopher J. Nesi

How Stuff Works- broad range of topics

Instructional Tech Talk- tech integration assistance

ISTE Casts- produced by the International Society fro Technology in Education

LitTech- hosted by learning technologies librarian Emily Thompson and media specialist Addie Matteson

The Learning Revolution Has Begun: Are We Ready?- Steve Hargadon

Moving at the Speed of Creativity- "education, twenty-first century literacy, blended learning, technology integration, and educational leadership."

#NerdyCast- Nicholas Provenzano's podcast features smart and funny people in education

NPR Education Podcast- from National Public Radio

Practical Money Skills for Life

Spark- Nora Young

The State of Tech- bi-weekly podcast

Talks with Teachers- "inspiring stories from today's educators"

Teaching with Technology Podcast- from Cablevision's Power to Learn Initiative

Teacher Created Materials- strategies for the classroom

Tech Chicks- "Two Texas Chicks Who Love Technology and the Digital Lifestyle"

TED Talks Education- if you are familiar with TED, you know that these podcasts will be well done

There are many students in my school who don't like reading but will gladly pick up a graphic novel. There are real fiction stories in the form of graphic novels, as well as classic literature. (Shakespeare) When I was growing up, you couldn't find comic books in your school library, but if a kid reads a comic book, graphic novel, magazine or a book, isn't it all the same? I believe that reading is reading, and that's why graphic novels have a place in my school library. Here's the link to the post I did in 2011, "Why I Order Graphic Novels for the Library." How many of these comic books did you read as a child?

My colleague Sasha and her journalism class put together our version of "Happy".  I'm sure you have seen many versions, but I wanted to you meet the people I am with every day Monday-Friday. We are happy folks, especially since spring is finally here in New Jersey!!!!

I just love digging up old library photos, videos and posters. So much has changed over the decades in library science. Today's throwback has a classroom photo with the exact desks I had in elementary school at P.S. 98 in Manhattan. (Oops. Just gave away my age...)

This year, Earth Day falls on Tuesday, April 22, 2014. The following list has been updated and can also be found with the mega-list on holidays, "What a Listing!" which is located in the right column of this blog.

10 Engaging Earth Day Activities for Kids- from Help Teaching Blog

22 Interactive Lessons to Bring Earth Day to Life- PBS LearningMedia

50 Earth Day Activities for Kids- from Tinkerlab

A to Z Teacher Stuff Resources

Billy Bear's Playground

There is nothing wrong with self-promotion. In fact, as a school librarian, it is necessary to let your administrators know what you do, because the majority of them do not know what we do. Here are some infographics, signs and videos for your reports, webpage or blog.






INFOGRAPHICS / SIGNS

I saw this on Joyce Valenza's blog, The Neverending Search. Make sure your administration see it. I am adding it to the Teacher-Librarians page.

April begins today, and before you know it, students will be thinking of summer vacation and how they can earn money. The current job market is tough for teenagers, but with a little effort on their part, they can do something interesting. Here is my updated list. Download a copy HERE if you are interested.



1. Advertise on Fiverr (http://www.fiverr.com/ ) where someone could pay $5.00 and up for a service of yours

2. Assisting a senior citizen with their chores at home or away from home

3. Babysitting

4. Being a clown, magician or other entertainment at a kid’s birthday party

5. Bicycle repair

6. Camp counselor or counselor in training at a day camp or sleep away camp

7. Create anime or cartoon books to sell

8. Dog walker

9. Dog washer

10. Fixing computer problems

11. Having a bake sale

12. House cleaning

13. Lifeguard

14. Messenger service

15. Modeling

16. Mowing lawns/raking leaves

17. Music teacher

18. Newspaper delivery

19.  Office help: filing, sorting, organizing