Thursday, November 19, 2015

'Tis the Season!

Thanksgiving and Christmas Vacation - always a great time to read a good book!

Since my last blog post, I have been making the HST library my home away from home and working with my one class of seniors who make up the RamTV staff this semester.  We are using Google Classroom in the video broadcasting class, and I am enjoying using Blendspace for instructional activities.  To continue with real world experiences for these students, we visited the WBTV studio in Charlotte a few weeks ago.  What a great experience for the students!  The WBTV staff was great and made us feel at home.  Our behind-the-scenes tour was fanatastic!  So now, we are turning our attention to multi-media journalism and how to be MMJs for our next RamTV broadcast on December 11th!    
RamTV students visit WBTV's studio in Charlotte in October!
In the library, as the semester continues, my goal is to develop a maker space in the library workroom so that the students' learning can be extended beyond the classroom.  So far, we have a few basic creative supplies for student use, but there is room for so much more!  I am searching for some grant opportunities so that we can add a S.T.E.A.M focus to the space.  I have a feeling this is a long-range goal and that it will evolve over time.

As the busy holiday season begins, I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas!  'Tis the season to be reading...

~Laura 



Monday, September 21, 2015

First Month Reflections



What a fast four weeks of the 2015-16 school year!  With the new school year, came a change in schools and grade levels for me.  As I reflect on the first month of school, I am so thankful for the changes and the new opportunities.  As a teacher/librarian at Highland School of Technology, I have the opportunity to teach twelve seniors this semester in our RamTV class.  While the course is new to me, it has been fun to plan, learn and grow professionally, as I work with these students to create our RamTV episodes that air throughout the semester.  On September 9th, we had the pleasure of having WBTV's John Carter join us at Highland to share his experiences in the news business with the students.




So, RamTV is off to a good start, the students are editing our first full episode this week, and I am proving that I am indeed a life-long learner, as I try to understand the Adobe editing software the students are using!

Now, for the library!  Dot Day (9/15/15) was so much fun, using Google Hangouts to connect with Edie Crook's students at Woodhill Elementary School!  What a great experience, as Mr. Hutchins' art students and my RamTv students read Peter Reynolds's The Dot, to the Woodhill students and then they made and shared DOTS for the younger students as well! Fabulous fun and inspiring to encourage the elementary students to Make Their Marks this year!






So, finally, #edcampQC!  What a great way to connect with other educators who are excited about teaching and making a difference each day with their students!  Just like our Pinnacle PLC meetings and Pinnacle training in the summer, I left #edcampQC energized and even more proud to be a teacher.  I attended a great session on news broadcasts in schools, a session on leadership in our schools and then, the ultimate inspiration, the MAKERSPACE!  Oh my goodness, the inspiration!  I am crossing my fingers and hoping for a grant or two...I hope to bring a makerspace in some form or fashion the library at Highland!  (Although, I would dare say that so many classrooms here at Highland are makerspaces in their own right!).  I still never get tired of a new school year and the excitement and new opportunities each year holds.  So, here's to 2015-16, and to the wonderful colleagues across Gaston County I work with!  Thanks for the inspiration!







Thursday, September 3, 2015

Happy New Year!

From hashtags to Nearpod, the 2015-16 school year is off to a great start.  I am in my new library home at Highland School of Technology and starting to get settled in quickly!  I have a great class of video production students - RamTV - and today, they are creating the outline for our first episode.  Thanks to P19 training this summer, they completed an AppMazing Race, used Blendspace, Nearpod and my new favorite, Google Classroom.  So, for now, I wish all my Pinnacle friends a great school year!  #RAMtastic #gcsk12 #GCSPinnacle #gcsslmc ...

Thursday, July 23, 2015

P19 Wrap-Up! EdTech Inspiration!

What a great week!  Gaston County Schools - thank you for your investment in EdTech teacher training.  I can't wait to bring new ideas to the HST students via the media center.  

Top Ten Takeaways from GCS Pinnacle 19 this week:  



1.  If you are over 40, take Dramamine before playing Minecraft Edu!  Trust me...

2. When recording a lipdub video, remember not to take yourself seriously and have fun! Wear a neon scarf and channel your inner Whitney Houston! Thank you to iMovie for making it SO EASY.

3.  It's "All About that Bass"...I mean the STUDENTS!  Student learning, student engagement, student inquiry, purposeful EdTech and STEM/STEAM!

4.  I really love PicCollage - Why didn't I know about this app?

5.  PLN through Twitter - so important!  (So awesome to learn from so many inspiring educators!)

6.  Pinnacle 19 Leaders - WOW! So inspiring, encouraging, helpful, dedicated, innovative and amazing!  

7.  Planning a Makerspace for the HST Media Center!  So excited!

8.  APPmazing Race - AMAZING!  So much fun, so many laughs, selfie-madness ..."Where are the Goats?"  I can really see my students doing this!

9.  Padlet, Nearpod and TodaysMeet - :-) Definitely think back channeling will be great for my RamTV students when we plan the broadcasts! 

10.  Never stop learning, trying new things, and growing as an educator!  Bring on the 2015-16 school year!


Thanks, oacac.com for the Top 10 image.

Monday, July 20, 2015

Pinnacle Day 1 - Wrap-up Post

3-2-1...and thoughts of the new school year are swimming in my brain.  Three buzzwords for the day: personalized learning, playlists, and (crazy) formulas...what an afternoon.  So now, as I think about my future students who will be planning and creating RamTV at Highland, I am thinking of how to personalize that learning experience for them, to meet them where they are as learners, videographers and broadcasters and how to develop the best broadcasts we can.  As I librarian, I have to think about how I can impact student learning through the resources and programming of the library.  I potentially reach over 500 students, and I want the library to be a place that inspires, informs and offers a flexible space for individual learning.  I am thinking of Chromebook stations for research and coding, a gaming area (maybe), and a maker-space.  Wheels are turning!  So, just how I will develop this place at HST is the question I end with today...suggestions from readers/educators are always welcomed!

~Laura

Pinnacle 19 - EdTech Training!

Monday morning training - so the inspiration begins.  My wheels are turning - I am thinking about all the possibilities for my Highland students!  Thanks Gaston County ITFs for all of your hard work putting this week's training together.  AND...thanks to my fellow Pinnacle leaders!  You inspire me each time we get together!


Tuesday, June 16, 2015

School is Out for Summer...but PLEASE Don't Stop Your Reading!

Hello Kiser Roaring Readers!  School may be out for summer and you are busy doing amazing, fun things with your family and friends, but PLEASE make sure to bring a book along with you!  I am reading a novel right now by a North Carolina author named Ron Rash!  What are you reading?

Have a fun and safe summer vacation!

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Long

Friday, May 22, 2015

FRIDAY FUN!!! READ A GREAT BOOK THIS WEEKEND!

Hello my favorite Kiser Readers!  I hope you have an amazing Memorial Day holiday weekend.  Please read a great book this weekend and enjoy the long weekend with your family and friends.

Here are a couple of book commercials for you, too:











Thursday, May 21, 2015

Thursday - Last Day for Book Check-Out! Wow...Time Flies!

Hello Kiser Readers! We have had a great week in the library! Thank you for returning your library books on time this week! Please remember to look at home and in your classrooms for any missing books. I am just about ready to start our library inventory, so I need your help returning everything that is still checked out! I have a great new commercial to share with you today - so take a look and consider a Patrick Carman book today!

Keep Reading!

~Mrs. Long


 

Monday, May 18, 2015

Marvelous, Magnificent Monday in the Library!

Happy Monday, Kiser Readers.  Check out our latest book commercials by our fabulous third grade readers!  We filmed four new commercials for your viewing pleasure!

Keep reading!

~Mrs. Long









Friday, May 15, 2015

Fantastic Friday!!!

Good morning Roaring Readers.  What a great week we have had in the library!  From sharing William Joyce's The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, to exploring coding websites and reading books for fun, we have been busy!  To end our week, I have a few more book commercials to share with you from you Kiser classmates!  Have a wonderful weekend and keep reading!

~Mrs. Long





Thursday, May 14, 2015

A Thrilling Thursday in the Library!

Hi Roaring Readers.  This afternoon several fourth graders and a fifth grade student were able to film their book commercials. So, take a moment to view their commercials and then come to the Kiser Library or visit your local public library to check out an awesome book to read!

Keep reading!

Mrs. Long







Wednesday, May 13, 2015

This Week in the Library!

Good morning Kiser Readers!  As I write this post, I am thinking about all that you have been doing in the library this year.  We have certainly been busy - reading award winning books, researching for class projects, coding, writing poetry and learning how to use Wevideo.com.  I will be filming several more book commercials this week, so stay tuned to our blog to watch the latest commercials added to our collection!

Have a great rest of the week and KEEP READING!

~Mrs. Long

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

What a Terrific Tuesday!

Fifth graders wrote poems on readwritethink.org, fourth graders recorded famous North Carolinian videos and we have a new book commercial for your viewing pleasure!

Keep reading!

~Mrs. Long


Monday, April 27, 2015

Monday in the Library!

Hello Roaring Readers!  I hope you had a great weekend.  Here is a new book commercial for you!  Have a great week and KEEP READING!


Thursday, April 23, 2015

What an Awesome Day in the Library Today!

Happy Thursday Kiser Students!  We have been busy in the library this week, reading poetry, celebrating National Poetry Month, and catching up on book commercials.  Take a look at the newest editions to our book commercial collection and visit the library soon for a "just right" book!

~Mrs. Long





Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Pinnacle Leaders "Speed Geeking" and Coding in the Library!

Each week, Kiser students visit the library to check-in and check-out their books, read for pleasure, gather information or visit learning stations.  One of our newer stations is our coding station which has been very popular with the students.  To bring computer programming skills into the library, I suggest two Web sites that introduce the students to coding that are user-friendly and a hit with the students.  We use www.madewithcode.com and studio.code.org with the Chromebooks and it has been a great addition to the library activities.

Here is a short video about coding at Kiser for your viewing pleasure!  :-)

LINK to Kiser Coding Presentation



Friday, April 17, 2015

Happy Friday! Book Commercials are BACK!

Hello Roaring Readers...

I am so excited that our book commercials are BACK!  After a long break due to the book fair and then Spring Break, we started filming commercials today!  YAY!  I know you all have been reading and submitting book commercial forms, so I am working on a recording schedule for next week to get caught up.

I am so proud of all of the reading you are doing and I can't wait to film some more commercials!

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy our new commercial(s)!

~Mrs. Long


Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Spring Book Fair!



Well, Roaring Readers - the book fair is in full swing!  Thank you to you and your families for all of the support!  I love the book fair, but I am missing our normal schedule.  I can't wait to get back to our routine and catch up on making some new book commercials.

Check back next week for some great new commercials from your friends, and don't forget to check the upstairs hall soon for our fifth grade booktalk projects with QR codes!  See you in the library soon!

Book Fair:  3/23-3/27, 8:15 - 2:30 (except Friday - book fair ends at 12 noon)  Don't forget our online book fair.  Click on the link to the library website at the top of this page and the online book fair link in on the homepage of the website!

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Long

Friday, March 6, 2015

Read Across America Day @ Kiser!

What a great day at Kiser celebrating reading!  We had wonderful guest readers on campus today sharing special stories with the students!  Ms. Ohman did a great job organizing a special week for the students!  Have a happy weekend!

~Keep reading!


Friday, February 20, 2015

Short Day of School - But Lots of Fun!

Well, after a snowy, icy week, we had school today!  Yay!

Here is our newest commercial to share with you - stay warm this weekend and keep reading!!!

~Mrs. Long


Friday, February 13, 2015

Fabulous Fiction February on Friday is Awesome!

Kiser Readers,

I am so proud of you!  Here is a snapshot of our week:

You have blogged, written scripts for our Augmented Reality book talks (5th grade), tried coding (4th graders on Thursday), and you have checked out great books to read.  We previewed Doreen Cronin's The Trouble with Chickens, Dan Gutman's The Homework Machine and Jessica Day George's Tuesdays at the Castle!  Hot Wheels experiments and games of chess and checkers took place as well.  Thanks for a wonderful week.  Here are two new commercials for you to enjoy!







Monday, February 9, 2015

Monday Morning - Fabulous Fiction February Continues!

Happy Monday Roaring Readers,

Here is a new video for you all about Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid!

Enjoy!


Friday, January 30, 2015

Snowmen in the Library - Happy Friday!

Hello Kiser Roaring Readers!  I am so happy to share a new book commercial with you!  We had a snowy good time filming this new commercial about Snowmen All Year by Caralyn Buehner.  Come visit the library to find a just right book for you to read on these chilly winter days!

Happy Friday and Happy Reading!


Thursday, January 29, 2015

Hot Wheels in the LIBRARY! Inquiry learning....LOVE IT!

Hello Roaring Readers - what a fun morning in the library with our fifth graders!  I introduced the Hot Wheels center in the library this week, and our fifth graders did a great job investigating force and motion!

Here are a few video clips of the kids in action!  Thanks Hot Wheels for inspiring our students this week!








Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Terrific Tuesday - 1/20/15

Welcome back to school after a great long weekend!  Here is a fun book commercial to share with you about Kate DiCamillo's novel The Tale of Despereaux!  Enjoy and happy reading!


Friday, January 16, 2015

Sneak Peak... Couldn't Resist!

Friday Filming Fun...1/16/15

Hello Roaring Readers!  Happy Friday.  Today is a great day in the library...we are filming commercials and getting ready for a great week next week with a BIG surprise next week.   Come to the library to find out what Hot Wheels have to do with reading in the library!





Friday, January 9, 2015

Happy New Year Roaring Readers!

What a great week at the Kiser library!  We started our class short story collections - each student is authoring his/her own short story to add to a class book and then we are going to add the class books to the library collection!  

Our new library display case is decorated for January/February winter reading!  Come by the library to check out a just right book for you!