Tommy Hays

Local author Tommy Hays spoke with Howard Shepherd's AP English and Bart Murphy's AP World History classes in the media center on Friday, December 14.  He talked about the craft of fiction writing and read an excerpt from his upcoming novel, What I came to Tell You, which will be published in the Fall of 2013.   Thank you Mr. Hays, Mr. Shepherd, and Mr. Murphy for this interesting and informative visit.  The new book will definitely be worth checking out!  

If you've ever used the Library of Congress web site, or the American Memory Project, you know they have a wealth of resources and information that can sometimes be difficult to navigate.  They have now enhanced their teacher section to make finding relevant resources much easier.  The Classroom Materials section for Teachers is searchable by Common Core standards for ELA and Social Studies and includes practical lesson plans, primary source sets, and themed resources.  Please let us know if you are interested in any assistance or instruction with this resource, or if you would like for us to see if there is anything specific we can use with your classes.

EdTech Adventure

I attended the Ed Tech Conference in Greenville, SC, October, 2012. Most of the 1:1 efforts were focused on iPads rather than laptops. There were several classes on Apps which also highlights use of iPads and Smart phones. The first class I attended was Rev Up Your Engines with Google Chrome. The presenter shared a Google Doc which I will post for your viewing:  https://docs.google.com/a/ahs.acsgmail.net/presentation/d/1q_zFSjekiwPnDouJDQm6H0PnVjY0m6yzp4Y7Hgb1FlY/mobilepresent#slide=id.g2e8de21b_0_30

Among other things the doc shows how to set up your settings in Google Chrome, add Apps and control tabs. Google Chrome’s store makes it easy to access apps from your browser.

I also enjoyed learning about Symbaloo in “My Favorite Apps.” The conference used EdModo to present the schedule and share links. Here is the link to their symbaloo: http://edu.symbaloo.com/mix/appsfor1-1

Many of the Apps have websites so that you can use them even if you are on a laptop.

The workshop on podcasting with video was excellent. This site has a detailed tutorial on 3 different ways to podcast. http://cindygperry.com/podcastme/classroomexamples.html

I can see using podcasting as a way to lead a book discussion in the Media Center.

IPadio is a cool way to podcast from a phone (audio only): http://Ipadio.com/

The conference was informative. I was looking for ways to use technology in the Media Center and classroom and got some good tips. Some of the sessions were full and I couldn’t even get in the door. The internet access was limited because of bandwidth and the great number of participants. That was a real bummer. I listened in on a graduate student’s session on ITFs and certification and found out that in many states a degree is not necessary to become an ITF. That was a shocker. I am very curious about what direction the fields, Media Coordinator and ITF will grow, and merge.