In this week's "3 Quick Things" post, I explore an app-smashing/genre-bending lesson idea I'm working on, discuss the power of Google Draw, and review the excellent An Ember in the Ashes.
So, I tend to have my best ideas either in the shower or while drying my hair (who doesn't, right?). I've been late to the party in listening to the Serial podcast, but I tore through the first season over the summer and really loved the way it built suspense and blended fact with great storytelling. I knew that I wanted to get it into some classrooms this year, and over the sounds of the hairdryer, I had a brainstorm--what if we merged a study of Serial with Banned Books Week? Thus, a collaboration with our 11th grade AP Language teacher was born. The gist of the assignment is sketched out here, but in a nutshell, students will listen to Serial and then apply that podcasting style to their own creation where they explore the reasons for banning a book. The assignment is developing now, so I'm sure I'll post an update as we get further in, but I'm excited to be working with this medium to consume, analyze, and create!
I have heard the likes of Matt Miller and Kasey Bell rave about Google Draw, but I hadn't seen the draw (get it? HA) until recently. If you haven't jumped on the Google Draw bandwagon just yet, imagine a digital poster board. Students can just about do anything with it--add shapes, embed videos, pull in Creative Commons images, and manipulate text with different sizes and fonts. Imagine the possibilities of students creating interactive posters to be used during gallery walks (to be viewed by their teachers, their classmates, and even their parents and community members!), using the blank canvas as a space for a portfolio (like adding each new inquiry product as they advance through high school), or even creating an infographic to show off their newfound knowledge at the end of a unit. Beyond just creating in Draw for its own sake, students can even design and easily insert graphics for their websites or documents--a win-win situation with students creating and not using copyrighted images!
For me, I started the year by realizing that I was having to send WAY too many e-mails to the staff, detailing library resources, club events, and everything in-between. Instead of sending one massive message--or sending 10 e-mails in a day--I created an quick infographic in Google Draw. Undoubtedly, it's not the most beautiful creation in the world, but it didn't take much longer than typing up an e-mail, and it hopefully distilled the information in a slightly more eye-catching format.
I'll be honest: there was a time when I was a YA fantasy nerd, when there was nothing I liked better than the promise of a new, exciting fantasy series. Unfortunately, those days passed for me a while ago. It may be due to the fact that, as a librarian, I don't feel good about investing so much time into a whole series, since I want to read as widely as possible to provide solid recommendations to my patrons. It also may be the culprit of me struggling to find a series that fully pulls me into its world. Either way, I still read fantasy--quite a bit, actually--I just don't anticipate it with quite as much gusto as in the past.
I was proven totally wrong by this one, though. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir is a whirlwind ride of a read that will definitely leave you searching for the sequel. Imagine Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, add a little Roman Empire, a dash of romance, a smidge of fairy tales come to life, and some fierce family loyalty and you've just about got the plot of this one. Thoroughly confused? Let Laia, a Scholar slave bent on saving her brother, and Elias, a Martial soldier on the brink of ruling an empire, explain the whole thing to you. I promise you it will be worth the 400+ pages!
I hope this post finds you well, and enjoy your 2018-2019 school year!
Love,
Your Library
Serial, the Lesson Plan
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| van der Chijs, Marc. "Logo of the world's #1 podcast: Serial." Flickr, 3 December 2014. https://www.flickr.com/photos/chijs/15749967517. |
Google Draw
I have heard the likes of Matt Miller and Kasey Bell rave about Google Draw, but I hadn't seen the draw (get it? HA) until recently. If you haven't jumped on the Google Draw bandwagon just yet, imagine a digital poster board. Students can just about do anything with it--add shapes, embed videos, pull in Creative Commons images, and manipulate text with different sizes and fonts. Imagine the possibilities of students creating interactive posters to be used during gallery walks (to be viewed by their teachers, their classmates, and even their parents and community members!), using the blank canvas as a space for a portfolio (like adding each new inquiry product as they advance through high school), or even creating an infographic to show off their newfound knowledge at the end of a unit. Beyond just creating in Draw for its own sake, students can even design and easily insert graphics for their websites or documents--a win-win situation with students creating and not using copyrighted images!
For me, I started the year by realizing that I was having to send WAY too many e-mails to the staff, detailing library resources, club events, and everything in-between. Instead of sending one massive message--or sending 10 e-mails in a day--I created an quick infographic in Google Draw. Undoubtedly, it's not the most beautiful creation in the world, but it didn't take much longer than typing up an e-mail, and it hopefully distilled the information in a slightly more eye-catching format. Book Review: An Ember in the Ashes
I was proven totally wrong by this one, though. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir is a whirlwind ride of a read that will definitely leave you searching for the sequel. Imagine Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, add a little Roman Empire, a dash of romance, a smidge of fairy tales come to life, and some fierce family loyalty and you've just about got the plot of this one. Thoroughly confused? Let Laia, a Scholar slave bent on saving her brother, and Elias, a Martial soldier on the brink of ruling an empire, explain the whole thing to you. I promise you it will be worth the 400+ pages!
I hope this post finds you well, and enjoy your 2018-2019 school year!
Love,
Your Library
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