25 Book Campaign for high schools

This isn't going to be a typical blog, more like all the notes I made when talking to two outstanding junior high librarians who do this at their campuses.  There, of course will be some tweaking for high school, but I can see this happening :)  So in incomplete sentence and bulleted notes, here's what was said:

• Prizes awarded at 5, 8, 12, 15,20, and 25 books.  Prizes are incremental, ie school bracelet, ice cream, coupon for Chick Filet, front of the line lunch pass or one-day delayed assignment, and a trip to Main Event.  Every five books after that going in a drawing for iTunes cards
• ELA teachers are responsible for keeping track (one teacher does book conversations)
• Students don't like to write down anything or keep logs
• Librarian role is to help find books and keep interest high
• Advisory time is DEAR time, once a week for 25-30 minutes
• Do books by genre

Another junior high does this program:

• Create a Moodle page for the 25 Book Campaign.
• Embed a database into the Moodle page.  HTML will show up if it's copied and pasted
• Iterate this is NOT an ELA thing.  It's a school thing
• Dates are important to the database so only that month is checked
• Students are allowed to keep adding into previous entries to create on book account
• Teachers can export an .xls document and sort information
• What has access to the database?  The librarian manages it and disseminates the info to teachers

High school adaptation and ideas of implementation:

• get students involved in the process.  Call the President's Club (president's and one other rep from each club on campus) to be the voice of the students
• Classroom competition for pizza parties?
• Advisory-based bulletin boards throughout the school to promote readers
• Teachers are expected to read 25 books as well.  They will get rewarded too.  Modeling is important
• Must decide what a book is:  do magazine articles count?  How about reading news or articles online?  Classroom required reading can be used.  Page count is important.  ie 10 magazine or online articles represent 1 book
• Librarian's role is to roam and do mini booktalks to classes.  Check out books on the spot using online catalog
• Each advisory teacher will be responsible for their group.  These are typically smaller in size than regular classes and more equitable instead of doing this only in ELA classes.  EVERY teacher is involved, not just a department
• Do a prize patrol to reward students - make it a big celebration, not just an announcement.  Principals will be in charge of this
• Modify this program for SPED students so they can actively participate.

I don't know of many high schools that do this, so this is an exciting and curious journey we'll be undertaking next year.  When things get settled in, I'll be sure to add more information.

This was an email I received from a librarian today that I thought was an excellent idea I will also pitch to the committee:

In Pasadena, TX we have the Name That Book Challenge and each level has a list of 20 books to read and then culminates with a  competition team of 5-7 from each school.  Quotes are used at the competition to determine a winner of 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place @ the Elementary level (3-4), Middle (5^th & 6^th) Intermediate (7 & 8) and HS.  Each level competes against the same level.  This is my first year but my students are really excited and are really working hard to get to the competition.  This is done district wide and is part of our Gotta Keep Reading Campaign.  It also gives students who love to read a competition to work for and medals to earn. 

 

Some really great sites to create a stellar presentation et al!

So, I'm waiting for Animoto to finish my booktalk preview I show when the kids are all coming in.
As I'm doing that, I started thinking about all the sites and apps I use or think about using when I begin creating my booktalk.  So here are some you may find just as amazing to use as I do.

Online image editors:

Thanks to creative online genius,the perfect image editor was born! PicMonkey allows users to upload and modify images from cropping to color to frames and so much more!  I use it when creating my book trailers to add depth and complexity to just another flat image.  And the extras are awesome!  Create/add zombie, vampire, and ghost features as well as themed backgrounds and textures.  This is a go-to must have website.  Currently, it has no app, but some things are better to manipulate online.

Need to find something out of the ordinary to use for your blog, presentation or to share?  Imagechef  may be the answer to your needs.  Creates anything from personalized notes to word mosaics to so much more.  And it's all free!  And this site has a companion app, so either way you can create and share.

 Video creators, web-based and app-based:
  Gotta love Animoto!  If you haven't used it in awhile, you're in for a nice surprise.  The reconfiguration now includes different video styles, awesome CC music, and instant social media sharing.  As always, you can include video and text into this.  Worth the price (but you can get an educator discount!)  No wonder this is a cornerstone of technology for education!  Animoto has an app but search in the iPhone section.  Currently there isn't one for the iPad.

If you want to try something new without the headache of learning a difficult platform like Adobe or Sony, make your way over to ProShow Web.  Their free account allows users to create a full-on video or trailer with a lot of the intuitive bells and whistles of other video programs.  The only caveat is the free version will only allow 15 photos, but text is unlimited.  I made a full trailer using Proshow with really excellent results! There's an app for that as well.

And the fun continues with those powerful little creatures called apps...
This is what I have in my photography folder on my iPad, and I use these for personal and educational use.  The sky's the limit on these!

Image Editing Tools
ColorBlast!Lite:  allows you to upload and create a beautifully modified picture that contains color within a black and white photo.  Post it on social media or email to yourself. It's addicting!

Instagram:  enough said.  Contains several filters to give your boring picture pizazz and pop!  When you create an account, you can also view it online but only if it's a public account.  Allows sharing and email.

Photofunia:  Take a pic and instantly make it into so many other items, including billboard signs, book pages, magazine covers, and so much more.  Also includes many filters you can use within categories. Save, email or share via social media.  This is SUPER fun!!  

Pho.to Lab:  does the same thing as Photofunia and is an excellent alternative.  Just have fun with this and the creativity and imagination will begin to flow.  

Snapseed:  The ultimate in photo editing on your iPad.  Contains many tools to edit and diversify your photo.  The best way to learn this is download and play with the image already provided.  You'll be hooked.  Hands down my favorite image editing app.

Pixlromatic: take an image, choose from the many options of filters, backgrounds and frames, and you've successfully modified it into something gorgeous!  

Video Apps
 Vine:  Got six seconds?  That's all you get with this nifty video app.  Video what's most important to you and Vine creates a collaged video worthy of sharing.  You can share or embed them as well as create your own account.  People are doing some pretty cool things with this app!

VidRhythm:  Okay, I don't use this when creating book trailers, but I had a blast creating one!  You pick the song and style, and follow the directions while recording.  The end result is, well...just see for yourself :)

Picture Collages 
Frametastic:  You decide what frames, theme and images to use, the app will put it together for you.  Simple as that.  

PicCollage: like frametastic, you can build a collage from your pics, Facebook, or camera.  Then put in some text, add stickers and your collage is done.  Even more than that, with creativity, you can make a quick infographic to send out and share.  

 
 

Getting a little deeper with digital curation

Tonight I'll be co-hosting a Twitterchat about digital curation and its implications on education today with fellow librarian, Sue Fitzgerald.  Since first hearing about digital curation a couple of weeks ago, I started truly researching the subject.  It's about sharing, collaboration, discussion, and PLN.  If you want to join me, it'll be tonight at 8:30 pm CST.  The hashtag is #nisdnov8.
(if you've never done a tweetchat, just search for this hashtag and keep refreshing it every 30 seconds or so to read what people have contributed to the topic.  If you want to tweet something to share, just say what you want but use the hashtag before or after your twitter)

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Simon & Schuster, 2012

Three weeks ago, on the day of her birthday, Taylor got the most horrible birthday present of all.  That was the day she found out her father had cancer.  Worse still, he had perhaps three months left.  So to make the most of it, the Edwards family will carve out their last summer together, not apart at different camps or working in the law firm.  This time, family comes first.

The last thing Taylor wanted was to pack up with her family and stay the summer in their lake house on the Poconos.  Her older brother Warren has only university classes on the brain, and her much younger sister Gelsey will be doing barre exercises and continuing to practice her ballet.  Besides not connecting with her siblings, there is something else that makes Taylor truly not want to go....something awful she did the last time she was there.


Summers at Lake Phoenix were not always so terrible.  Taylor remembers her best friend Lucy and all the conversations they shared, the sleepovers they had, and how she idolized her.  She also remembers Henry.  He was her first boyfriend, the guy she first held hands with, and the one who gave her that first kiss.  Now, she dreads facing them again and what will happen if they ever bump into each other. 

Once there, Taylor feels like she's stepped back in time.  The lake house was the same as it was five years ago - nothing has changed.  Even the town itself hasn't changed a lot.  The cafe is still there along with the PocoMart and the signs in front of everyone's home.  A few things have changed though, like new neighbors and the fact that Henry's house is now occupied by someone else.

As they get settled in to a new routine of summer living and her father's failing health, Taylor's memories flood back and soon she finds herself face-to-face with her first kiss and her used-to-be best friend.  And the summer begins of being lost then found...

Matson delivers again and an emotionally charged and beautifully written book.  She is able to combine the most basic emotions a person carries and interprets them through her characters, especially that of Taylor.  While other YA books may put parents in a secondary role, Matson brings them to the forefront as the catalyst in all of the character's lives.  Her allusions are striking as well and readers should be able to pick up on these while reading or through hindsight.  There is a word of caution with the book though.  Don't read this in public, at school, or near little children.  Why?  It's not because of content but....well, I dare anyone who hasn't read this not to cry when you do, and it won't be the quiet crying thing either.  It's the deep sobs and the tears that won't stop.  Really....And that is a sign of authentic writing by an author who can really touch a reader's hidden emotional side. Think Sparks' The Last Song or Green's Fault in Our Stars - Matson's book definitely has that pull.  Recommended (along with tissues and a caution to remove contact lenses!) 

Hot and Fresh! New book trailer for Fateful by Claudia Gray

It's been awhile since I made one of these, and although it took me longer to create this, it felt like an old blanket. Enjoy!

To watch and download this trailer from the NHS Library site
To watch/embed from Youtube
To watch/embed from Schooltube

 

Infographic: Make the most of your library

Smore.com is super new, super fun and super easy!  Here's one I created in about an hour :)

Two Paths Down the Dystopian Road - Safekeeping and Legend

Putnam, 2011

The year is 2130, and the Republic with its Elector Primo is now in control.  The citizens of the different parts of the new Los Angeles must fight against two fronts – the colonies trying to destroy the regime and the terrible sickness that decimates the poorer sectors of this new nation. 

June doesn’t know about this struggle.  She and her brother Matias live in a high rise, literally above all the chaos the Republic tries to hide.  She and Matias are some of the precious few to receive the vaccinations to ensure their health.  Although her parents died when she was little, Matias takes more than excellent care of her.  In fact, June is the only one to go through the Trial with a perfect score, leading her into the ranks of those loyal to the Republic.

Day lives a life of theft, deceit and invisibility.  Lurking in the shadows of the poor sectors, he sees the lack of food and healthcare take the population into despair.  The only way he knows how to alter the situation is to fight against the Republic and steal what should be shared with all citizens – the vaccinations needed against this new outbreak.  The Republic knows about him, but his elusiveness has created a shadow figure for them.  They know he’s there, but not what he looks like, where he lives, or how he manages to do the things he does.

June and Day’s lives will emerge one fateful night that will send them both on a quest for revenge…

Marie Lu writes an excellent dystopia novels that fans of this genre will fly through.  Her characters are colorful and jump out of the page, but it’s the future of the world as we knew it that permeates the reader’s emotional response.  Told in two voices, the reader gets to intimately know both sides of society as well as be privy to each character’s thoughts and personal lives.  If you have readers who clamor for more dystopia titles, hand them this one....

Fiewel and Friends, 2012

Radley remembers her parents dropping her off at the airport so she help with relief work for the children of Haiti.  It’s a passion of hers and has decidedly changed her life, but not as much as when she returns back to the United States.

Upon arrival, she knows something is wrong.  First of all her parents are nowhere to be found.  Secondly, the way the soldiers treat her after she lands is beyond the typical TSA thing most passengers coming back from overseas deal with.  There’s a sense of urgency, danger.  Radley returns to a different United States than when she left.   

The American’s People’s Party has taken over the country.  With the assassination of the President, the United States is left in turmoil with a renegade government trying to take control through force.  Radley realizes this right away.  Now there are curfews, bank accounts are drained, people are missing, and travel restrictions are tight.  There are also APPs everywhere, catching those that break the rules and beating them.  

All Radley wants is to go home and find her parents.  But her path leads to even more devastation, both emotional and physical.  Everyone is desperate, and personal survival above others is dominant.  Little food, roaming soldiers, broken homes.  Radley has heard Canada is a place of safekeeping, so that is where she begins her trek…and also where she encounters people and places that will change her life.

Karen Hesse is a beautiful writer and this is more than apparent in this YA dystopia novel.  Her words blend with the personal photographs she uses that are scattered throughout the book.  This book is also unique in its genre.  Hesse centers her book around the journey and how the main character changes emotionally through it from the people she meets and the places she stays.  While other dystopian books have a flair of action-packed situations with daring and fearless characters, Hesse’s book takes a gentle approach, looking more at the weakness of her character and how she becomes stronger.  It will take a different reader who can adjust to this change in genre to  enjoy this pictorial novel with a nearly poetic flair.   

Cool Book Display!

Collaboration can create amazing things.  You can share, contribute, throw out ideas and brainstorm.  There can be nothing better than working with colleagues that could be miles away or just down the road. 

So, when I was thinking of a display, this collaborative list of titles came into play.  There are at least six displays in the library and on the door, each book cover has been printed in color with "I FEEL LIKE" centered in the middle.  Did this to the coffee shop windows attached to the library as well :)

And a well-deserved kudos to my library assistant who helped me with this display and all the other ones as well :)

Fateful by Claudia Gray

HarperTeen, 2011

Tess knows she wants more out of life, but also knows there's a slim chance that will ever happen.  So she's  content for now with her position at Moorcliffe as an attendant to Irene, the only daughter of the wealthy Lisle family.  But one errand will open the door to another life, one more dark and sinister than Tess could have imagined.

Trying to get back to the manor as quickly as she can, Tess realizes something is following her, but the intervention of a handsome stranger creates a barrier that saves her.  When she turned around, she saw the feral eyes of a large black wolf, ready to hunt....

For days afterward, all Tess can think about is the handsome stranger who saved her life.  His cryptic warnings of danger cannot overcome the thoughts that lurk in Tess's mind.  But the drudgery of her job working for the terrible Lady Regina dispels those thoughts....until Tess realizes she'll be part of the Lisle family going to America.

Tess's excitement at the prospect of traveling by ship to America is full of promise, as well as the hope she can escape her servanthood and find herself in a new country.  The excitement grows even more when she also spots the handsome Alec, who saved her that fateful night.  But there is another sinister, dark man also watching her every move....

And so everyone prepares to board the Titanic one very fateful day. 

I picked this book up from a recommendation of a student, who loved this book.  So I set aside the analytical librarian book reviewer part of it and ready it like a teen girl.  Then I understood why she loved it so much. 
The characters Gray creates are vibrant, but more than that, the relationships, both troubling and romantic, draws the reader in.  What a genius idea of pairing supernatural beings like werewolves with a historic disaster like the Titanic.  It's a supernatural historical fiction plot I've never heard of. And that's what the hook is....The reader is left with the question of who survives and who dies.  Teens who enjoy supernatural romance will eat this book up and would be a nice addition among all the vampires, ghosts, angels and ghouls.

COMMON CORE PAIR: Iceberg Right Ahead!: the tragedy of the Titanic by Stephanie McPherson.  Minneapolis: 21st Century Books, 2012

What is Digital Curation and How Do I Use It?

Most of us have done it, but didn't know it.  Do you have a Pinterest account?  How about Diigo or Delicious?  Ever created a Livebinders or Scoop.it?  How about Flipboard for Facebook and Twitter?  If there's a site you've joined that allows you to store information "database style" then you have curated.  I'm beginning to see more potential in this newest virtual tool, not only to collect and arrange online data, but also using the search bar to find more information as well as interact with colleagues online and see what their curation is that I can benefit from.
Today I started Scooping and I'm loving it!  I have two that I'm curating right now.  (interestingly enough, two days ago I realized I already had an account, but never used it!)  I also created a Pearltrees account about 6 months ago, but now I think I understand the concept more....
And what created this spark?  Seeing these ScoopIt links on Twitter from colleagues, which prompted to me start playing and learning it.  I've definitely scooped me some curating love!

Simply Amazing:  libraries and All Things Related
http://www.scoop.it/t/simply-amazing-libraries-and-all-things-related
Book Trailers for 21st Century Readers
http://www.scoop.it/t/book-trailers-for-21st-century-readers


 Here are some links to information about curation and how it's used in education:

A Straightfoward Guide to using Pinterest in Education:
http://edudemic.com/2012/12/a-straightforward-guide-to-using-pinterest-in-education/

Educators Curate Content Leveraging Scoop.It:
http://www.curatecontent.com/curation-for-education/keep-your-content-fresh-with-scoop-it-3/

10 Free Curation Tools For Publishing Highly-Targeted Content:
http://blog.printrunner.com/2013/02/10-free-curation-tools-for-publishing-highly-targeted-content/

What is Content Curation?
http://joyce-valenza.wikispaces.com/Content+Curation