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2019-2020 School year is coming!

7/23/2019

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Diana is starting a new adventure! She is challenging herself by changing schools, grade levels, starting on her PHD and being KISD's Library Lead.
As for me, I am enjoying growing where I am at.  Diana & I are still presenting at variety of conferences.
This school year, we are still focusing on reading initiatives & STEAM activities. I will be adding a before school STEAM Challenge once a week. We will fully roll out the STEAM Backpack circulation. In addition, we will be looking into continuing & add several new items to focus on creating a buzz about reading.
Here is our Reading Initiative items​:
*New this school year
    Events: Dr. Seuss Week; Book Fairs; March Book Madness; Book Character Parade
   
*Book Trailers: (play as class enter library for their lesson)
     Staff Emoji Poster: Elementary picture book/novel
     Summer Reading Book Bags
     *Bins in Everybody Section: Library
     *30 second teacher challenge: Book Talk
     
Battle of the Books
    *Some hall lockers: Book Spines
    *Free Book Table: Library
    *Principal’s/Staff’s recommendation shelf: Library
    *Book Drawing: for a free book (Free Book Friday)
​     Destiny book Reviews
​    Incognito Readers Club
Books and technology are both important in a Library.  Finding the balance is always hard. The Library is a place of "AWE" & "WONDER"! We are always trying to create a space our students can explore, discover & find something to engage their mind.




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Where has the year gone?                     Is it May already!

5/4/2019

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2018-2019 School Year Round Up
Diana & I have been busy!
1- Grants: We teamed up and received an KellerISD Ed Foundation Grant
Check It Out! : STEAM BACKPACK - Books get checked out all year round. It is now time for STEAM items to join the books and become available for check out all year around. These STEAM BACKPACKS will be made available for check out to students at 2 elementary schools.  The kits will include activities to engage engineering, physics, electronics, robotics, arts, technology, and mathematics. Even a book might be in some to promote STEAM and literature connections. (Plus - Diana received one focusing on reading.)
2- Clubs: Battle of the Books; Tech Ninjas; Incognito Readers; Girls Can Code
We are really liking the before school times for the club meetings. Plus adding eating lunch in the library opportunities for the club members. Our Tech Ninja Friday Tips definitely were very successful addition this year.
3- Presentations: Girls Can Code; Design Thinking; Seesaw; Librarians-Wild Card; STEM Boxes To Go
These presentations were done at varies conferences...TCEA, Service Center XI, KellerU, District PD, Staff PD
4- Building a READING Culture:
  * DREAM BIG: (Diana) kindness/reading/physical activity school-wide project
  * "What I Am Reading" - POSTERS: so staff can show off what they are reading
  * Global Read Aloud
  * Book Character Parade
 * Dr Seuss Week (Dr Westfall did a read aloud FaceTime from Bluebonnet ES (Diana's Library))
  * March Book Madness
 * Bus Book Mobile Grant (Cross your fingers that we can get a grant/grants to make this happen)

Here comes the books!  The KISD Libraries dream of bringing books to KellerISD students during the summer; as well as, have the ability to do Pop Up events during the whole year. We want to provide access around the District in a variety of places so students & their families can acquire books to read. Research has shown that reading during the summer stops the “summer reading slide”. This dream needs wheels!
5- AR/VR : These are still creating "AWE & WONDER". 
6- Digital Citizenship Lesson: We are  helping to develop these for our District using Common Sense Media.
7-  District Technology & Library Leadership Committees
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a little of this & That : Follow up (reflection)

11/12/2018

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Just a little of this and that...here is a follow up (reflection) on some of our different projects/programs.
1-Incognito Readers Club: "Shh! It's a secret club!" It is so easy to run. The Club started in October and teachers already had students in mind. They mentioned how it was so meaningful to a student they invited last year.
2-Tech Ninja Club: We are really liking the transformation!  We now only are meeting once a month after-school but have added one before school meeting every week.  The before school meeting spotlights a Tech Tip.
3-Design Thinking: We are doing the Food Truck Challenge with our 3rd graders. The 4th graders will be doing an authentic problem.  They will be looking at the PBIS rewards and then recommend new rewards. We added a new one for 1st graders.  They designed a monster character for a puppet author.
4-Google Expedition: We had a chance last year to be a part of the AR pioneer program. I purchased a set of 7 devices and accessories. I figure that 3 students can share a device and experience AR.
​5-STEM BOXES TO GO: This program is on it's 3rd year.  They are still are flying off the shelves.  We are planning on changing and adding some more to challenges.
6-Social Media Intern Program: This program is small but is important.  We train just a few students to tweet out using our official school twitter account. #kidstweet It is great seeing what the students want to share.
7-Girls Can Code: Wow! Girls come one day a week before school to Code. We spotlight a Code activity but the girls are given freedom to choose what coding they want to do.
8-Flexible Schedule: Truly from Monday-Thursday my library is a mix scheduled...but on Friday-I am flexible schedule.  So far this year, Fridays have had Coding, Google Expeditions, BreakOut EDU, iCentre Reward, Pilgrim Lady presenter and Workshops on Chromebooks, Seesaw & Book Talk Choice Board.
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In like a lion...

3/3/2018

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March is here...

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March roared in with many fun experiences. We started with a week of celebrating Dr. Seuss. This year the activities involved FlipGrid, Seesaw, BreakoutEDU & a QR Scavenger Hunt. 
The second week of March, PGE had an Incognito Book Club secret meeting & PGE had the District Sphero Kit for the students to investigate. In addition, we announced  the Design Thinking Food Truck  winning design teams.
Then a week of Spring Break...which will be followed by 2 more weeks of engaging  activities. The month will end like a lamb as our Tech Ninjas will try to create a paper circuit card...stay tune---in April's blog post, I will share how it went.

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    two authors:

    Diana Colby @DianaColby Mother of eight. Librarian, one busy momma. "Live as if you were to die tomorrow, Learn as if you will live forever." Gandhi
    ​Suzanne Ross @pgelibrary TCEA 2017 Library / Media Technology Specialist...Mother...Wife...Grandmother...trying new things one 'byte' @ a time...too many 'squirrels'...but that makes learning and sharing fun.

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