CoolTools 2018

The ELLs at Edison High School are some of my favorite students with whom to work. Many of them view education as the privilege it truly is, reminding us all to be thankful for the opportunities we are given. A large portion of the articles I read seemed to be more focused on elementary suggestions. However, since some of the students have either not had formal education or have had their education interrupted, these strategies can work with the older students as well. I try to buy books that students request and also to have books about students' home countries in the library. They are very excited to show you where they have come from and I enjoy learning about their cultures.  One thing that I have struggled with is deciding how much of my collection to purchase in languages other than English. At present I have very few books in Spanish... which is our largest contingency of ENL students. However, I have just found out (after my budget was largely spent) that we will be gett...

Fake news used to be easier to spot. Satire was often over so over the top, it was nearly impossible to miss. Remember SNL: Jane... you ignorant slut....? On television, or in print reliable sources were well known, "branded," if you will. Nowadays, via computer, there are so many sources that it can be overwhelming to try to verify them. In Thing 21: News Literacy, I watched the opening video, "The Problem with Fake News (and how our students can solve it") and read the article, "Truth, truthiness, triangulation: A news literacy toolkit for a 'post-truth' world." Even this much information was a lot to digest for me-- and I am an adult with a Master's Degree. I know I could definitely use the video on the 5Cs with my students and apply it to various websites. I also found the rules of thumb and news literacy vocabulary helpful, although I would pick and choose which to introduce because there were so many of them. I also enjoyed the FART, ...

Screen shots-- while I had used the snipping tool to take screen shots from my PC, I had no idea I could do this on my phone. (All I had to do was hold down the Power and Volume down buttons at the same time.) I did find out that Snaggy only exists as a website, not an app. The Snaggy app is a dating website to "find your next soulmate." LOL. I'm all good there... The exercise also prompted me to think about how I could use screenshots with students. I definitely would use them to give directions. I played with Pixlr on my phone a bit. I was using my husband's computer and didn't want to install Flashplayer without his permission in order to use it on the computer. I appreciated the tips on how to use Printscreen and how to scan items with my Evernote app. Later, I plan on going back to the lesson later to create my own animated gif. This lesson is fun, but there is so much to it. My husband just informed me that I've been "playing on the computer"...

In the Photo Fun lesson, I chose to explore Instagram. I read both of the articles on using Instagram in the classroom and bookmarked Instagram for Teachers,  the article that explained the basics of how to use Instagram. I am especially intrigued with creating an Instagram Library Scavenger Hunt to use with students. I could put things in like Find the verso in Moby Dick, etc. I think the kids would have a ball searching if they got to post instead of writing down answers. The account I created so far is a personal account. (My stepkids have been asking me to get one so I could follow them forever.) Once I get a bit more practice, I will create a professional account and try it out with some of my students.

This *was* fun. I spent about an hour noodling around creating a Bitmoji. I found Sylvia Duckworth's  How to Bitmoji  extremely helpful. I was able to follow the instructions to get Bitmoji installed and practice using it in Google mail and Facebook.  I love the idea of using it for student feedback and signage for the library. I think students would have a great time creating their own Bitmojis. I think this would make a great library sign:

My name is Beverly Scarpulla and this is the third time I have participated in CoolTools. It is also my first time using Blogger. I love that it is connected to my Google account so I don't have to remember a new user name and password. While I was puttering around Thing 1, I explored 23 Great Library Blogs and 50 Blog Topics for teachers. I got some good ideas to post in my library blog for teachers, as well as ways kids can use blogging. As for my personal information, I have been a school librarian in the Rochester City School District for about 20 years... I never remember exactly how long because time has flown by.  I am participating in this program because you CAN teach an old dog new tricks and I want to learn more "Things" to make my personal and professional life more fulfilling.