Back to Business!

I've had a little hiatus from my blogging, but have decided to get back to it.  I will be introducing new Marshall Public School media center events, materials, and reading/writing related resources on this page.  Check back weekly for updates.

This week's focus is on some of the technology equipment/materials available for checkout.

First on the table is the collaboration table that was introduced this past spring at the high school.  Over the summer I purchased a stand with table for the television monitor so that it can easily be moved to a classroom. See the media center staff at the circulation counter for checkout to your classroom, or for use in the media center.  

Are your students producing video or audio projects?  Several types of headsets and microphones are available.   See your options below:

A classroom set of 25 headsets (headphone and mic).  These may be checked out individually, in small sets, or the entire collection.

Also available is a classroom set of Eberry microphones for student recording.  These, too, may be checked out individually or as a class set.

Finally, there are two cordless mic options for student devices and/or teacher laptops:  a handheld style or lapel style.  Two of each are available for checkout at each of the high school and middle school media centers.  I am working on an additional cordless mic option that is compatible with Ipads.

A green screen is located at each building for classroom use, or for use in the media center for student/staff video production.  Two Ipads with the DoInk green screen app can be checked out at each building.  Students may also use VideoPad which is a similar application to DoInk, but compatible and free to download for the student Windows 10 devices.

Karen, the media center staff, and I are available to help with the operation of this equipment

Summer Reading Lists, Resources for Next Year, and the Copyright Morsel

As summer approaches, it's important that students continue to read so as not to lose all of the gains that they made during the school year.  The following resources identify some of the newest and best summer reads for kids.

The Association for Library Service to Children puts out a summer reading list for 3 different elementary and intermediate grade level categories.  All Marshall Public School students will receive a copy of their age appropriate list from their classroom and/or language arts teacher.

YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) posted the 2015 Best Fiction for Young Adults list (printable version) for those students in the later middle level grades, and high school.  Share this link or make a copy for your child.

Looking for non-fiction read alouds for your students?  I came across this National Geographic Kids Symbaloo that links to several free, high interest, non-fiction read alouds that you can display on your Smart board or have students view/read/listen to these titles on their mobile devices.

Linked off of the site above is the actual website for National Geographic Young Explorer and National Geographic Explorer.  Check out all of the activities available at this site that can help enhance your life science curriculum, and for the young scientists and readers who love non-fiction animal books.

Have a great summer, and I look forward to sharing with you again in the upcoming school year.  For those interested, I will continue to blog throughout the summer months!

Copyright Morsel by Diane Konjura

I love Crash Course videos!  Here is the Crash Course Introduction to share more about what Crash Course is and how you can use these videos with your curriculum.  Today, as my last Copyright Morsel post, I am sharing three excellent videos to help you and your students gain a better understanding of copyright.  Copyright, Exceptions, and Fair Use: Crash Course Intellectual Property #3 discusses exceptions and fair use and how copyright works with the digital age we are living.  This video continues the discussion presently occurring where many are questioning copyright and creative expression in our digital world. Introduction to Intellectual Property: Crash Course Intellectual Property 1 and Copyright Basics: Crash Course Intellectual Property 2 are great introductions to understanding copyright.

Minnesota Book Awards

The Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award and the Star of the North Book Award were recently announced.   These Minnesota unique book awards are voted on by students.

The Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award is a children's choice book award, and recognizes award winning books in two different grade level divisions. The purpose of the award is to promote recreational reading by children. Students in grades 3 through 5 are able to vote on the Division I winners, and 6th through 8th grade students vote for winners within the Division II nominees.

The Division I winners are:


1st Place                          2nd Place                           3rd Place
Belly Up                           Ghost Dog Secrets             Guinea Dog
by Stuart Gibbs                by Peg Kehret                    by Patrick Jennings

        

The Division II winners are:

1st Place                         2nd Place                        3rd Place

Breathing Room              Cinder                             The False Prince

by Marsha Hayles           by Marissa Meyer            by Jennifer A. Nielsen

                      

The Star of the North Award is also a children's choice award, but recognizes the best picture book voted on by children in grades Kindergarten through 2nd.  

This year's winners are:

1st Place                                       2nd Place                             3rd Place

Moo                                               Jangles                                 I'm Bored

by David LaRochelle                     written and illustrated by       by Michael Black

illustrated by Mike Wahnoutka      David Shannon                     illustrated by Debbie

                                                                                                    Ridpath Ohi

                             

Put all of these award winning books on your and your children's  reading list for the summer

Copyright Morsel by Diane Konjura

As the last few weeks wind down in the school year this video, Copyright Basics Video, is a great overall review of copyright for teachers and high school students.  This video covers copyright, fair use, public domain and other copyright related topics. 

Your School Library Where Learning Never Ends - Celebrate School Library Month

April is School Library Month.  Libraries are central to strong schools, and learning. Remember to encourage students to check out what each building library offers at Marshall Public Schools.  Beyond the stacks of books are caring media specialists and media assistants who develop and encourage a love for reading, and are able to lead students to the "just right" book for them.  Students are also creating, tinkering, and exploring in the maker space areas of some of our libraries.  Visit your school library today!





Read here to find out what several great authors have to say about the importance of school libraries.

During this time of high stakes testing remember that "more than 60 studies have shown that strong school library programs led by certified school librarians are linked with higher student achievement levels", read about this and more in the article, Building Advocacy before a Crisis by Nancy Everhart and Marcia A. Mardis.


Copyright Morsel by Diane Konjura

April 20-24, 2015 is Turnitin-Plagiarism Education Week.  Turnitin offers several 45-minutes live webcasts available for free registration.  I plan to participate in the webcast titled: Decisions on a Deadline: A 21^st Century Gaming Approach to Teach Plagiarism and Ethics.  In addition, access is available to view webcasts from 2014 and 2013.   Another I find of interest is found in 2014 Webcasts On-Demand titled: Understanding Plagiarism With Help From Dr. Seuss.  This site also has excellent lesson plans and whitepapers regarding plagiarism and ethics.  

Free Reads Online, and the Copyright Morsel

I was browsing Pinterest and came across a fantastic, free website for educators that has many fiction and non-fiction e-books.  Check out Epic!  The website displays books in a reader-friendly format so that they can easily be displayed on your Smartboard for classroom use, or students can read books on a tablet.  Create your free educator account, and start reading now!

Another great site for free and/or reduced price books is Bookbub.  Set up your account and preferences to access books on your favorite e-reader.  You can also subscribe to Smashwords to read e-books online without a reader, and even publish your own books at this website.

Copyright Morsel by Diane Konjura

This link from Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries - Copyright & Multimedia Resources provides an excellent list of resources for royalty free sounds and images.  This link also addresses Confu Guidelines pertaining to digital copyright and fair use to help educators and student understand suggested limits without needing copyright permission.  Consider these resources with any education projects. 

March Madness in the book world, too!

March welcomes a plethora of the best reads (reading lists) for all ages and interests. Young adult readers will surely find a good read in Booklist Online's Best Fiction for Young Adults 2015 list.  Notable Children's Books 2015 offers something for younger readers, also published by Booklist Online.  Check out your Marshall Public School library catalogs to find these honorable books, and more award winning books for 2015.

The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend written and illustrated by Dan Santat is winner of the 2015 Caldecott Medal for best American picture book.   Find this book at Park Side, West Side, and the Marshall Middle School library



The Printz Award is given to the most notable young adult book, and this year's winner is I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. 

Copyright Morsel

Hopefully with some of the information I’ve posted this year, some of the “muddiness” of copyright is becoming clearer.  The article for this week, Copyright Infringement: 5 Myths vs Facts, focuses on 5 myths and the facts behind them.  This information is shared in an infographic with more explanation in a video and text information.  I like how this article discusses internet copyright infringement.  Many aspects that we certainly need to be aware of today in a digital society. 

YouTube: Everything you need to know and more...and the weekly Copyright Morsel.

YouTube...it's a love hate relationship.  It has both pros and cons alike.  YouTube can encourage creativity, it's free, the music, it can teach you "how to...just about anything", and there is a lot of educational content available.  But the same qualities that make it fun, educational, and interesting, can also bring up a host of problems such as spam, inappropriate material and/or images, bad language, privacy concerns, advertising, etc.

Common Sense Media provides several quick and easy suggestions for making YouTube a family friendly site in the article, A Parent's Ultimate Guide to YouTube.  Using the safety settings, parental guidance, and channel subscriptions are but a few of the recommendations suggested.

Looking for YouTube content for your classroom or family to subscribe to?  Consider the following 7 of the Best YouTube Channels for Kids.  National Geographic Kids and Sesame Street are two listed at the site.  You can also find links to two other published lists of recommended YouTube channels at the bottom of the page.

The Good, the Bad, and the Viral: YouTube Pros and Cons also discusses both sides of the YouTube issue as it relates to kids and the Internet.

Thinking of using YouTube videos in your classroom, and you want to eliminate the unexpected, and often distasteful advertising and pop-ups?  Copy the URL address into the SafeShare.TV site, and you will be redirected to a link free of everything, but the YouTube video itself.  Copy and paste the new URL address into your presentations to make them easy to find for the next time.

Maybe you only want to include a short piece of a YouTube video, try TubeChop.  Copy and paste the YouTube URL address, and then use the tools available to isolate the section of the video you want to use.  The tool creates a new link of the shortened video selection that can be copied and pasted into your presentation, also free of advertising and pop-ups.

Copyright Morsel by Diane Konjura

This week I found an article from The Edublogger that was published in 2012, but is an excellent article about copyright, fair use, and creative commons for educators.  It not only explains copyright, fair use and creative commons, but also provides resources to help when needing images, videos, and curriculum.  An important message in this article points out how more and more law firms and organizations are seeking out copyrighted material that is posted publicly and is in violation of copyright.  I encourage teachers to check out this article: The Edublogger: The Educator's Guide to Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons

Visiting Author, Booklists, Upcoming Teen Tech Week, and the Copyright Morsel

Author Kelly Van Hull will be visiting the 7th and 8th grade language arts classes on Thursday, March 12th.  Van Hull is a South Dakota resident, and the author of two books The first book is titled "Tent City",  and tells the story of 17 year old Dani Campbell and her brother who must survive in a very different world after a plague wipes out civilization as we know it.  Van Hull's second book in the series, "Red River" continues the journey. You can read more about these books at the website linked above.

Looking for great books to recommend to young adults and/or children.  Time magazine posted a list of the top 100 young adult novels, and the top 100 children's books.  How many have you read?

Many exciting events are taking place at both the Middle School and High School media centers in honor of "Teen Tech Week" which runs from March 8th through the 15th.  Stop by either library that week to find the latest in Makerspace activities.

Copyright Morsel by Diane Konjura

Last week, February 23-27, was Fair Use Week 2015.  The Origin of U.S. Fair Use (in comic format) tells the story of Fair Use in our U.S. history and expresses the importance of Fair Use for artists, teachers, news reporters, musicians, students and our economy.  Another great example is the outstanding Yale student project video titled The Infringement Medley.  Be sure to check this video out and share it with students to help them understand our First Amendment Rights of Free Speech may support Fair Use.  This along with an infographic regarding Fair Use can be found in the following TechDirt.com article: Reminder: Fair Use is a Right-- And Not 'An Exception' or 'A Defense'

Geoff Herbach Visit, New Dr. Seuss, and More...

Remember that this Thursday, Feb. 26th, author Geoff Herbach will be visiting the Marshall - Lyon County Library beginning at 6:00 pm.  This is a wonderful opportunity to meet and talk with an outstanding author of young adult literature. This visit might just inspire the next great author!

New Seuss book set for release this summer!  Put this one on your reading list for young, and old alike!  "What Pet Should I Get?" will be released in July of 2015.  Remember that the late Dr. Seuss' birthday is fast approaching, Monday, March 2nd.


Remember to make it a point to read books that your child, young or old, is reading.  This affords you a wonderful opportunity to make connections with him/her about the things that are important in his/her life.  The article, "My Booklist Can Wait: Why I'll Keep Reading What My Kids Are Reading" describes how one mom's experience changed her relationship with her children.

Copyright Morsel by Diane Konjura

While reading the article 2 Live Crew, Weird Al Yankovic, and the Supreme Court on Parody I think about MAD Magazine from when I was young as well as the years of entertainment with Saturday Night Live.  Two most important aspects of this article to keep in mind is the first sentence under the heading Use that clearly is not fair stating, “One action under any test is using an entire original work in the creation of another,” and the final paragraph under the heading The Limits of the Law.  How might parodies or satires be used in the classroom?  This is a great way to integrate creativity and learning.  

Join the MPS YALSA Hub Reading Challenge, and learn tips on how to cite social media.

Looking for a reason to read, and a way to stay motivated?  Join me in the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) 2015 Hub Reading Challenge.  Read at least 25 of the titles from the list of eligible books.  The competition officially started on February 9th, and closes on June 21st. Read/listen to some of the best titles in YA (young adult) literature, along with many adult books.  Get in sync with your students or teen-aged children, and challenge them to the same feat.  Win a tote bag full of 2014 and 2015 YA books!  If you decide to join, share your intentions and progress by tweeting #hubchallengemps . The first MPS staff, student, or community member to join the challenge, and tweet to the MPS hashtag above will receive a prize!  I look forward to tweeting with you.  Let's see how many participants we can gather for Marshall Public Schools!  Check for these books at the MPS senior high/middle school media centers, and the Marshall - Lyon County Public Library.

Copyright Morsel by Diane Konjura

I found this chart providing a Social Media Citation Guide.  Citing social media information is an area where limited information has been available.  This chart shows how to cite a blog post, a YouTube video, a tweet, a Facebook post and an email in MLA format.  

Award Winners Announced, Author Visit, Copyright Morsel and More...

On Monday, February 2nd, the ALA (American Library Association) announced this year's award winning books.  The Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, Coretta Scott King, and several other notable award winners are highlighted in this CNN post.  Let this be your guide when selecting new books for your child and yourself.  Marshall Public School media centers are quickly getting their orders in, and these books should be on the shelves in no time!

Author Geoff Herbach is coming to Marshall!  Diane worked with the Marshall-Lyon County Library to secure a SAMMIE (Southwest Area Multicounty Multitype Interlibrary Exchange) grant to help bring him to Marshall High School and the Lyon County Library on Thursday, February 26th.   The public is invited to attend the 6:00 p.m. presentation on that date at the Marshall-Lyon County Library.  Information on books by this author can be found at Geoff Herbach's website.  Students at both the high school and the middle school have the opportunity to pre-purchase the author's books through Friday, February 13th.  Geoff Herbach will be signing copies the day of his visit.

I Love to Read Month activities are in full swing at each school, and the media centers are busy helping with the celebration.  Students and staff are submitting guesses on the candy count in the  M&M jars, and there are reading trivia contests in each building.  As well, parents, community members, and senior high students are visiting the elementary schools and reading with the younger children.  Students at Park Side are working on art projects relating to Dr. Seuss book characters.  Later this month, several Seuss characters will visit Park Side school for a photo opportunity.  Celebrate and encourage your child to read every day!  Here is a site that has links to 11 great, free reading websites. Simply scroll through the page menu, and click on the links.

Copyright Morsel by Diane Konjura

During workshop week in August, the copyright presentation included a framework for copyright analysis.  Consider the five questions in the order presented below for copyright analysis:

1.       Is the work protected by copyright?

2.       Is there a specific exception in copyright law that cover my use?

3.       Is there a license that covers my use?

4.       Is my use covered by fair use?

5.       Do I need permission from the copyright owner for my use?

Take time today to look at what you have posted on your teacher website.  If you have any questions as to what you have posted in regard to copyright please contact Diane Konjura or Nancy Thooft rather than taking the risk of being contacted by a publisher or other owner of copyrighted materials asking you to pay for a copyright violation.    

Green screens, Mozilla, and Copyright Morsel

Are your students creating video projects to demonstrate their learning?  A great way to spice up their video production is to use a green screen which allows them to change the background behind them.  The easiest way to think of this is to imagine a weather forecast where the screen behind the meteorologist changes to depict the maps or weather images needed.  

Bring the green screen to your room for little or next to nothing by simply tacking up green butcher paper.  Instructions are available here.  Then get your students started making your their own dynamic movies using the directions in the video!

In an earlier blog post, I discussed the arrival of makerspaces at the Middle School Media center.  Students have been making origami projects, constructing cranes, monster trucks, and airplanes, and making a puzzle.

The intent is to offer new projects and makerspaces every 3 to 4 weeks. 

A great resource for students to practice more technology related "making" is the Mozilla Webmaker site.  Create your own account and become a mentor.  Have students make their own account to explore and save all of the many wonderful web projects available to either remix or create from scratch.

I was able to get my feet wet to explore a beginning project called Meme Maker and created the following remix of a poster.  The original poster looked like this.

Copyright Morsel by Diane Konjura

Teaching Copyright is an excellent resource for teaching about copyright to teens.  It includes curriculum that covers copyright law, fair use, and public domain.  It offers help in teens understanding their legal rights and responsibilities with respect to copyright and technology use.  In addition to the curriculum, it also includes many resources.  Consider including copyright as an integral part of teaching.

Audiobooks, Biographies, and Copyright

As I was scrolling through my Twitter feed, I came across this article, 15 Great Audiobooks for Helping Kids Read Better .   I was reminded of my Masters project on the value of audiobooks in supporting literacy.  The article identifies several benefits including the "modeling of good interpretive reading" and helping to "teach critical listening".  Just a reminder that the Marshall Public School media centers have Playaways, Kindles, and there are also online resources such as Tumblebooks (available at Park Side School).  The article lists 15 audiobooks that come highly recommended by teachers for students in K-8.  If you're looking for more titles, YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) also posted a  list of 29 outstanding audiobooks for teens, Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults 2014.

One of my favorite genres is the biography.  Biographies give the reader an intimate view of another life.  The reader may develop perspective and/or tolerance, learn empathy, recognize how persistence and hard work can allow a person to overcome obstacles, learn about history, be inspired, and much more.  While looking through biography trailers online, I came across the memoir Taking Flight:  From War Orphan to Ballerina - Book Trailer .  It tells the story of a young lady adopted from an orphanage in war-torn Sierra Leone, West Africa by an American family, and her rise to stardom in the ballet world.   This book was actually co-written by Michaela DePrince and her adoptive mother, Elaine DePrince.  

YALSA also publishes a list of recommended non-fiction titles for young adults that includes several biographical titles YALSA Non-fiction 2014 Finalists and Winner .

Copyright Morsel by Diane Konjura

30+ Websites to Download Free Photos is a great collection of websites that offer free photos. If you or students decide to use photos from these websites, be sure to read if credit needs to be given or if the rights by the creator are such that you can use the photos as you wish.  Consider this resource when asking students to include photos in a project.  

"I Love to Read Month" Coming Soon!

February is "I Love to Read Month", and it is fast approaching.  The staff at all Marshall Public Schools are hard at work organizing ways to celebrate the month ahead and promote literacy throughout the community.  The media center at each building will be having an M&M guessing jar for staff and students, reading trivia, and other activities throughout the month.  Watch for announcements in your building. 

If you are interested in resources for the event and for reading, in general, consider "liking" the Read Across America Facebook page linked here.

Although "I Love to Read Month" is a wonderful opportunity to focus on the importance of literacy, I also wish that this excitement about reading would exist every month. Developing and encouraging a life-long love for reading is a mission near and dear to my heart.  The Common Sense Media article How Can I Encourage a Reluctant Reader? shares simple ways to spark that reading desire.  

The Middle School media center makerspaces have attracted a number of young, innovative minds to start building and creating projects.  Please share the Middle School Media Center Makerspace Mania Schoology course code QBKNK-V9N99  with your students, and have them visit the makerspaces during flex times and after school on Mondays and Thursdays.  Photos to follow.

Copyright Morsel by Diane Konjura

Cyberbee: Student Copyright Q & A is a great resource for teachers introducing copyright in the classroom.  In addition to “What is copyright?” other questions include, “What is attribution?” and “Who’s going to know?”  It seems most appropriate for middle school students.  All questions do not need to be addressed or perhaps only questions pertinent for the project being assigned.  Check out Cyberbee: Student Copyright Q & A.

Martin Luther King Day, Reading Study, and Contest Opportunity

Martin Luther King Day will be observed on Monday, January 19th.  I have included two links that may help you recognize this day with students.  The first link, NEA MLK Day Resources  is organized by grade level, and includes several lessons for elementary age students.  History.com MLK Day Resources ,the second link, is an excellent resource for historical data in general, and provides several multimedia resources to use with middle and secondary age students. As well, please access the Follett Destiny catalog to locate books and other materials available throughout the Marshall Public School library system.

The main focus of the article, NYTimes Scholastic Reading Study Article linked here is the importance of continuing to read to children even as they grow older.  However, the study also noted factors that helped determine whether students read for fun or not.  In children aged 6-11, those who were read aloud to regularly, and had restricted online time were found to be heavier readers on their own time. For those in the 12-17 age category, the greatest influence was having time during the school day to read freely.  This speaks to the importance of working towards creating dedicated "reading time", and making it an integral part of every school day for all students.

While reading the latest issue of American Libraries, I noticed an opportunity for students to participate in making a PSA video on the dangers of distracted walking.  The grand prize winners receive $1000, and a trip to New York City to professionally film their video. Students in grades 6-12 are eligible to participate.  Read more on this opportunity here Scholastic Drive2Life Contest .  While at the site, have a look at the previous winning videos; the student creativity demonstrated is amazing.

Copyright Morsel (By Diane Konjura)

As I continue to share information regarding copyright, I include articles that I hope are helpful to clear some of the copyright confusion out there.  The following article: 12 Most Picture Perfect Ways You're Legally Using Online Photos shares some ideas about using photos legally.  Some that I would highlight is the difference between plagiarism and copyright, and there is a difference; the suggestion to use photos in the public domain or learn more about Creative Commons and the different options that are a part of this licensing; and most importantly assuming that every image you see is copyrighted.  Check out this article when using photos or asking students to include photos in their projects.

Welcome to a New Year! Follett Updates, Makerspaces, and More...

As we begin 2015, I am excited to begin blogging with you, and sharing the latest and greatest news in the media center world that will help support you, your classroom, and the students.

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First, I am happy to announce that the newest version of Follett Destiny is now operational throughout the district.  Although you will not visually see much of a difference, our updated catalog is now cloud based.  Please access the new link titled MPS Follett Destiny located under the Recommended Websites tab at this blog, or by pasting https://isd413.follettdestiny.com in your browser.  You can also reach the new catalog through the Media Center Department section of the Marshall Public Schools website.  Please remember to save this new url address to your favorites, and share this information with your students.

Makerspaces are coming to the Marshall Middle School Media Center this month.  What is a makerspace?  A makerspace is a small station where learners are able to create, tinker, experiment and learn about varied interests.  The focus is on "student choice", and includes many projects with a STEM connection.  In the beginning, the Middle School Media Center will develop makerspaces on different topics, but as the concept develops the choices will be more student driven.  This month's stations will include origami, erector sets, and puzzles.  Stay tuned for updates through the blog. The links below offer more information on makerspaces in education.  

ELI 7 Things you should know about Makerspaces

ALA What is a makerspace? Creativity in the library.

YouTube What is a makerspace? 

New books purchased during the recent Scholastic Book Fairs in our district are being processed. Please be sure to check out the "new book" displays to learn about the latest "reads" in your library.

Copyright Morsel

As teachers move more and more toward teaching with and making videos, Copyright on YouTube offers excellent information to manage your rights as well as being considerate of the rights of others.  YouTube Copyright Basics is a good 5 minute video to help understand copyright and YouTube videos.  If you plan to use this video in your classroom be sure to preview it for language consideration.