Monday Medley: National Geographic Education Resource Library

 

Good Morning and Happy Monday. Did you know that there a wealth of resources available from the National Geographic Society Resource Library that can support instruction in the following areas:

• Geography 
• Physical Geography 
• Human Geography 
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) 
• Earth Science 
• Earth Science 
• Geology 
• Oceanography 
• Meteorology 
• Astronomy 
• Climatology 
• Biology 
• Ecology 
• Health 
• Genetics 
• Social Studies 
• World History 
• U.S. History
• Economics 
• Civics 
• Ancient Civilizations 
• Arts and Music 
• Anthropology 
• Archaeology 
• Sociology 
• Engineering 
• Experiential Learning 
• Conservation 
• Storytelling 
• Photography 
• Filmmaking 
• Physics 
• English Language Arts 
• Religion
• Chemistry 
• Mathematics 
• Professional Learning 
• English as a Second Language

Materials include:

• Activities
• Articles
• Leveled Articles 
• Collections 
• Infographics
• Lessons 
• Maps 
• Photographs 
• Units 
• Videos 

Create a free educator account in order to save resources for later. In addition, educators can sign up for free professional development opportunities to learn how to encourage students to have a "National Geographic Explorer" mindset. 

Need ideas to liven up your lessons? You can follow National Geographic Education on Twitter or read the National Geographic Education Blog to get inspired. 

Photo by Alexander Andrews on Unsplash

Monday Medley: Very Short Introductions

 

Recently while browsing through some of the online resources that are available through Boston Public Library, I stumbled upon something that I hadn't noticed before.  The Very Short Introductions (or VSI for short) series, published by Oxford University Press, provides users with an introduction to a wide variety of topics, all  written by experts within that particular discipline. 

665 VSI eBook titles are currently available online through BPL.  Topics include Applied Mathematics, Architecture, Computer Science,  Contemporary Art (December 2020),  Music (February 2021), Renewable Energy (February 2020), Theater,  and The US Supreme Court (published in July 2020).  Sign in using your Boston Public Library eCard and PIN to start exploring this resource. Don't have a BPL eCard yet? No problem, it's easy to sign up! Anyone who is age 13 or older and lives, works, goes to school, or owns property in Massachusetts can sign up for a card. Here is the link to sign up.

 New titles are added on a monthly basis. Browse or search by entering keywords to find books or information on a topic. Entries will contain diagrams, political cartoons, and photographs to accompany the text when appropriate for the subject matter .  Toggle between full books and chapters with information related to your topic. You can email book and chapter links to others but they must also have a BPL eCard in order to view the title. Create a personal profile to save annotations, links to chapters, and lists of search results. Below is a short video that explains the most helpful features of the resource. 

Here is a slidedeck that also explains the resource: Very Short Introductions Tour

New books: March 2021

 

See something you'd like to borrow? Fill out the Media Ctr Bookform to request a title: bit.ly/NRHSBookForm

Not sure what you'd like to read? Fill out the form and get book recommendations customized for you, based on your personal interests! Please encourage students to take advantage of the book form to request titles as well. 

Monday Medley: Social Media as a PLN

 Good Morning and Happy Monday!

Today's topic is using social media as a PLN (Personal/Professional/Personalized Learning Network). If you are someone who isn't big on using technology then you may think that you have no use for social media tools such as Twitter.  Or perhaps you feel overwhelmed due to the current hybrid teaching model that is in place and think that you cannot possibly add another thing to your already overflowing plate. What if I told you that spending 10-15 minutes a day scrolling through your twitter feed could actually reduce some of your planning time and help inspire you to try new things in the classroom? It all comes down to being very calculated about who you choose to follow on Twitter. If you follow global edtech leaders in your specific discipline it is highly likely that you will find high quality lesson ideas and support resources. 

Google educators from across the globe came together to help support the world's classroom teachers navigate new territory back in April of 2020 . I learned that a Global GEG (Google Educator Group) account had been created on Twitter and started following the group. Soon I was signed up for a free, virtual Google Educator Level 1 Bootcamp, with all of the sessions being presented by Global GEG members. This led to participation in a second, free Google Educator Level 2 Bootcamp in July. These boot camp sessions inspired me to become a certified Google Educator (both levels 1 & 2). Currently I am working on completing the Google Certified Coach curriculum.

So, why I am telling you about all of this? At least 3-4 times a week I stumble across something shared on Twitter that helps improve my professional practice. These ideas come from librarians, instructional coaches, teachers, principals, superintendents, and Global GEG leaders whose personal accounts I follow on Twitter. 

Here is a starting point if you don't know where to begin. Edublogs has a free self-directed course Building Your PLN aimed at helping you to use Twitter to develop your PLN. You don't need to sign up for anything to access the materials. Simply click on the steps, read the content, complete the suggested tasks, and build your PLN at your own pace.  

If you want to start "lurking" on Twitter, here are some suggested accounts to start following:

NRPS Superintendent, NRHS, NRHSVirtualMediaCenter, GlobalGEG, Matt Miller, Alice Keeler

Photo by Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash

Monday Medley: Graphic Novels and Comics in the Classroom

Good Morning and Happy Monday! 

Today's topic is...Graphic novels and/or comics and why they can be a valuable tool in delivering classroom instruction. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines a graphic novel as, "a story that is presented in comic-strip format and published as a book." While the terms graphic novel and comic are sometimes used interchangeably, most often a graphic novel is longer in length and has a more complex plot than a comic. 

Why would someone want to use a graphic novel in the classroom? Consider the following, "Graphic novels are an engaging and popular form, and undoubtedly this has made the learning process that much more meaningful for the students. Graphic novelist Svetlana Chmakova explains the power of the graphic novel to resonate with readers by using the example of an author "render[ing] a charged silent moment that speaks volumes about the character's inner state just through their movements. If done right, a scene like that can hit home deeper than a text paragraph ever could." With categories ranging from biography and memoir,  business and career, history, how-to, inspired by myth, philosophy, politics, STEAM and more, there is literally something for everyone.  

Are you wondering how you can get started with graphic novels in your classroom? Look no further than the student reading app Sora, and the popular streaming media service Hoopla. If you are not interested in assigning a class text then your students can use Sora to borrow popular graphic novels without the need to remember a user name or password. High School teachers and students can sign in using CLEVER and easily add access to the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium, which the Flint Memorial Library is a part of. Use Hoopla if you want all of your students to have the ability to read the same graphic novel at the same time. If you need directions for setting up an account for Hoopla or Sora click on this link to the Media Center Website to get started. 

If  you are interested in reading reviews of graphic novels for teens then check out the Website No Flying No Tights. (The creator and Editor-in-chief of this Website works at the Brookline MA public library as a teen librarian!) When exploring the site, use the drop down menus below the search bar to filter results to titles for teens. Select genres or nonfiction categories to further filter your results. *Note that not all listed titles will be available from Sora or Hoopla. 

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Website has a page Using Graphic Novels in Education that contains some sample lessons using popular graphic novels. The Media Center has print copies of some of these titles. In addition, many are available through Sora or Hoopla. 

This photo shows some of the nonfiction graphic novels available through Hoopla. 

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Hughes, Janette, and Laura Morrison. "The evolution of teaching with graphic novels." Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures, vol. 6, no. 2, 2014, p. 116+. Gale OneFile: Educator's Reference Complete, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A425349584/PROF?u=mlin_n_northhs&sid=PROF&xid=eb9b4d62. Accessed 26 Feb. 2021.

Merriam Webster. “Definition of GRAPHIC NOVEL.” Merriam-Webster.com, 2018, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graphic%20novel. Accessed 26 Feb. 2021.

(Photo by Miika Laaksonen on Unsplash)