Must-Read K-12 Blogs

I'm a huge fan of sharing ideas, especially through the many many different blogs that are floating around the internet. The only problem is that there are so many blogs around that it gets overwhelming trying to sift through to find the good ones. I've just come across this list '50 Must-Read K-12 IT Blogs 2013' by EdTech Magazine which will hopefully make finding some great blogs much easier for you. The blogs listed are all authored by a combination of teachers, librarians, administrators and technology experts. They share real-world classroom experiences, offer inspiration and ideas and distribute valuable best practises.

The Best Advice

I recently came across a commencement address given by David Foster Wallace in 2005 that hit me squarely in the forehead. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, sad, annoyed, or bored by “the average adult life” this just might be the best nine minutes of your day. It’s some of the most sound life advice I’ve ever heard, not to mention a simple, clear argument for education. Absolutely beautiful.

It is about simple awareness — awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, that we have to keep reminding ourselves, over and over: “This is water, this is water.” It is unimaginably hard to do this, to stay conscious and alive, day in and day out.

I think this would be a fantastic video to share with not only our year 12 students, but all staff. It's a great reminder to be aware of how we think about the every day situations we all go through, day in, day out and how that can impact our lives.

Accessing Websites through Library Catalogue

You may or may not be aware that we are now able to add websites to our Library catalogue. The major positive about this is that Students (and staff) will be able to search for a subject on our catalogue and not only find resources that we have in our library but also websites that have been vetoed by Library staff.

If you have any topics you’re currently teaching that you would like me to find websites for please let your LAL know so they can pass along the list of topics to me. If we could maybe stick with one or two topics each to start with while I get this going I’d appreciate it.

 

If you’re unsure of where to access the Library Catalogue you can find it at http://v-library.scr.vic.edu.au/vlibrary From there you will be able to conduct your search. Please let me know if you need any help accessing and searching websites using vLibrary.

Viewing Ancient Italian sites

After posting about the ParisAppTours back here I was asked if there might be anything similar or by the same company about Ancient Italian locations such as Pompei. I was able to find a couple of websites and an app that I shared with the teacher, but I thought I'd also share them with everyone on here as these fall under a couple of different subjects.

Firstly there's this app called Ancient Sites in Italy which is available on the App store on your iPads. On the app you can scroll through the different sites and view images of each.

The next option is done by simply searching on Google Maps for Pompei, Italy ruins or by clicking here This will allow you to virtually visit the streets of ancient pompeii (in ruins) and 'walk' through them by clicking on the arrows on your screen. You can do the same with the Colosseum by clicking here

The third is another Google tool - it gives a close up 360 degree view of a few different Italian sites including the Colosseum, the baths of Caracalla,  the Palazzo Reale de Caserta and more.

             

 

Harmony by Prince Charles

The Library has just received a copy of Prince Charle's new book called Harmony. The following explains better than I can what the book is about. I for one think it sounds really interesting and worth a read. I really like the following quote which comes from the back of the book: "We are at a historic moment - because we face a future where there is a real prospect that if we fail the Earth, we fail Humanity. To avoid such an outcome, which will comprehensively destroy our children's future, we must urgently confront and then make choices which carry monumental implications" HRH The Prince of Wales. I have also included a video at the bottom of this post which shows Prince Charles talking about his book and his passion for the subject of the environment.
_________________________________________________________________________________
For the first time, HRH The Prince of Wales shares his views on how our most pressing modern challenges--from climate change to poverty--are rooted in mankind's disharmony with nature, presenting a compelling case that the solution lies in our ability to regain a balance with the world around us

With its holistic approach, this provocative and well-reasoned book takes the discussion of sustainability and climate change in a new direction. Prince Charles shows how the solutions to problems like climate change lie not only in technology but in our ability to change the way we view the modern world.

For decades, the Prince of Wales has been studying a wide array of disciplines to understand every aspect of man's impact on the natural world, and in that time he has examined everything from architecture to organic farming to sustainable economics. Now, for the first time, he speaks out about his years of research, presenting a fascinating look at how modern industrialization has led us to a state of disharmony with nature, created climate change, and pushed us to the brink of disaster.

From the rice farms of India to the prairies of America's corn belt, from the temples of Ancient Egypt to the laboratories of industrial designers, Harmony spans the globe to identify the different ways that contemporary life has abandoned the hard-earned practices of our history, a shift that has spurred a host of social problems and accelerated climate change.

Drawing on cases from farming, healthcare, transportation, and design, the Prince of Wales also offers solutions for change, creating a new vision for our world, one that incorporates the traditional wisdom of our past with the modern science of our present to avert catastrophe. In the end, Harmony paints a holistic portrait of what we as a species have lost in the modern age, while outlining the steps we can take to regain the harmony of our ancestors.

Illustrated with lush, four-color photographs and charts, this intelligent, practical, and well-reasoned guide is an indispensable weapon in the battle to save our planet.

Harmony by Prince Charles is currently available for loan in the Library. If you wish to borrow it please feel free to contact any of the Library Staff and we can organise that for you. Alternatively you're welcome to come down to the Library to have a flick through the book yourselves.

Tech Shortcuts

I found this great video with a short TED talk by David Pogue sharing 10 great little Tech Shortcuts that everyone should know about. You may know about some or all of these, but there will be some out there who don't. I've listed a couple of my favourite tips, but it's worth watching the video below to see what the others are (it's only about 6 minutes after all!)
My Favourite tips:
1. Don't use the mouse to scroll down a page! Pressing the space bar in any internet browser will allow you to scroll down. Alternatively pressing the shift key and spacebar at the same time will scroll up.
2. When the text on your page is too small press the CTRL and + keys at the same time to enlarge the text - keep pressing these keys and the text will get bigger each time. Alternatively pressing the CTRL and - keys together will cause the text to grow smaller.
3. Google is not only a tool that allows you to look up webpages but it is also a dictionary, a calculator, a flight tracker and much more.
Dictionary: type define and the word you want to look up (eg. define doppelganger) and your definition will appear
Calculator: type your equation into the search bar and your answer will appear
Flight Tracker: Type the flight you wish to find in the search bar
Have a look at this article for more great Google Shortcuts

ParisAppTours: Beware Mme la Guillotine, A Revolutionary Tour of Paris

I've just been introduced to, and watched this video for a fantastic looking app called Beware Mme la Guillotine, A Revolutionary Tour of Paris. It is described by the School Library Journal as:

"Drama of historical proportions, an awesome guide, and games and challenges, what more could a teen on vacation ask for? In Beware Madame La Guillotine (Time Traveler Tours, LLC) Sarah Towle offers iPhone and iPod users a tour through the streets of Paris with stops at the sites associated with the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. Their guide? Charlotte Corday, the 24-year-old from Normandy who killed journalist and Jacobin leader Jean-Paul Marat in his bath in 1793.
A storyteller’s pacing, choice details, archival images, and music punctuate and propel Corday’s gripping first-person narration and tour forward. En route, listeners can stop to access travel directions, street and site maps, and related information about people and the times, and “challenges” that will encourage them to observe their surroundings."

The app costs $5.49 from the iTunes store.

What do you love?

Learn more about this cool new search tool at Google Blog.

Lit2Go

Lit2Go is a free online collection of stories and poems in Mp3 (audiobook) format. An abstract, citation, playing time, and word count are given for each of the passages. Many of the passages also have a related reading strategy identified. Each reading passage can also be downloaded as a PDF and printed for use as a read-along or as supplemental reading material for your classroom.

'Bully' DVD

This year, over 13 million American kids will be bullied at school, online, on the bus, at home, through their cell phones and on the streets of their towns, making it the most common form of violence young people in this country experience. 'Bully' is the first feature documentary film to show how we've all been affected by bullying, whether we've been victims, perpetrators or stood silent witness. The world we inhabit as adults begins on the playground. 'Bully' opens on the first day of school. For the more than 13 million kids who'll be bullied this year in the United States, it's a day filled with more anxiety and foreboding than excitement. As the sun rises and school busses across the country overflow with backpacks, brass instruments and the rambunctious sounds of raging hormones, this is a ride into the unknown. For a lot of kids, the only thing that's certain is that this year, like every other, bullying will be a big part of whatever meets them at their school's front doors. ...

The Salesian Library has just added 'Bully' to our collection and it's definitely a documentary worth watching, especially with your students. It's an interesting, heartbreaking and maddening look into the lives of a few kids who suffer from bullying and will hopefully motivate our students and staff to want to do something about bullying themselves. I've included the trailer below for 'Bully' in case you would like to find out more before you decide to borrow the DVD.

You can find the Library record for 'Bully' here or reserve it through any of the Library staff members.

State Library of Victoria's Gusto! A Culinary History of Victoria

The State Library of Victoria is currently presenting a free exhibition Gusto: a culinary history of Victoria!

The exhibition explores Victoria’s historic and contemporary culinary landscape, featuring gastronomic treasures from the Library’s collections – from the first Australian cookbook, published in 1864, to an actual World War I army biscuit. To support the exhibition, the State Library of Victoria has produced a Gusto! education resource for Years 3-6 of the Australian Curriculum (VELS Levels 3 & 4). 

If you want to know more please visit the website:  http://slav.global2.vic.edu.au/2012/10/09/learning-with-gusto/

 

Instagrok

Welcome back to term 4 everybody. We hope that you had a very relaxing break. Tina has come across a fantastic educational search engine that she would like to share with you all -

Instagrok is an educational search engine which claims to:

• Empower differentiated learning
• Provide in-built tracking and assessment
• Develop 21st century research, curation and synthesis skills
• Finds age-appropriate educational content on any topic presented with interactive multimedia interfaces
• Generates quiz questions based on student's research activity and skill level
• Supports creation of research journals and concept maps for learning assessment

Instagrok is user friendly and easy to navigate. Moreover, the content appears to be topic specific, unlike the sometimes random results obtained through standard search engines.
The url for Instagrok is http://www.instagrok.com

-Tina-

Anti-Bullying

The Catholic Education Office in Wollongong recently launched an Anti-Bullying Policy in response to the growing concern in schools relating to bullying involving the use of communication and information technology.
They have also created this fantastic video, as well as an information package, to complement the Student Anti-Bullying Policy, for use in primary and secondary schools.

The video is described on their website as follows: Inspired and performed by students at three Catholic primary and secondary schools in the Diocese of Wollongong, this innovative video production uses their voice and experience to focus on the impact of bullying and provides practical strategies for youth to deal with this important issue. It is an engaging visual stimulus which challenges students to think positively, respond compassionately and act with courage when they are confronted with future incidents of bullying.

I think it's a great video that should be seen by all of our students at Salesian College. I have also enquired about ordering the package that goes with the video, if anyone is interested in sharing it with their classes or homegroups.

Story Scrapbook

Tristan Bancks has created a free multimedia brainstorming app, Story Scrapbook, which allows you to bring images, videos, texts and web grabs on virtual pages to create an interactive story.  You would probably find this a useful inspirational tool for those students who find are reluctant to write stories.  As a contemporary tool it has the potential to engage and stimulate students who may otherwise lack interest in written expression.

 

You can find further information at  http://www.tristanbancks.com/p/story-scrapbook.html

 

-Tina-

vLibrary updated URL

Our Library catalogue - vLibrary - now has it's own URL which will hopefully be a lot easier for you all to remember than the old one. This is a great tool which you should all take adavantage of as it not only allows you to search for the great resources the Library has to offer, but allows you to search through databases like EbscoHost and fairfax news, but also online on websites such as Google, Wikipedia and much more!

The new URL is v-library.scr.vic.edu.au/vlibrary. I would recommend everyone adding vLibrary as an icon on your iPad's home screen. To do so all you have to do is open Safari and type in the URL above. Once the page is open select the following button and then select Add to Home Screen. Rename the button to vLibrary and select Add. And voila! a shortcut will be added to your iPad!

you are not special

I don't know if anyone's seen this video floating around the internet on different blogs but I think it's worth a watch. It's a very good, and quite funny, commencement speech for the graduates of Wellesley High school, but I think it could apply to all areas of life and for any of us. Very thought provoking and definitely worth the 12 or so minutes it takes to watch it.

Creating your own tests and quizzes online

[Image Source: My Lot]

 

For those of you who may be considering devising your own online tests or quizzes for your students, there is an online tool, ClassMarker, you can use gratis to do so.  Classmarker is an award-winning website which allows educators to create online tests and quizzes which are marked instantly.  Although it is a commercial website, educators are able to use an abbreviated free component for up to 100 tests per month and it is supported by any browser.  Features: multiple choice quiz, free text quiz or punctuation quiz.  The url is:  http://www.classmarker.com/

 

Other online build your own test websites you may like to consider include:

 

www.easytestmaker.com

 

http://quizstar.4teachers.org/

 

- Tina -

The future of publishing...

This is a clever little video I found about the future of publishing - you'll find that more people than you think agree with the message in it. It's definitely worth a watch!

Latest DVD additions to our collection

The following is a chart of the most recent additions to our DVD collection we have made. These are available for borrowing straight away, so please feel free to request any you would like to borrow. If you're after more information about any of the DVDs just click on the title.

Title	Rating	Call Number
The Descendants	M	DVD DES
Dolphin Tale	PG	DVD DOL
Happy Feet Two	G	DVD HAP
We Bought a Zoo	PG	DVD WEB
A Streetcar Named Desire	PG	DVD STR
Minuscule - Volume 1	G	DVD MIN
Anonymous	M	DVD ANO
The Adventures of Tintin	PG	DVD ADV
The Illusionist	PG	DVD ILL
War Horse	M	DVD WAR
Evolution	E	DVD 576.8 EVO
New York: a documentary film	M	DVD 917.471 NEW
Writing a Personal Imaginative Essay		DVD 808.042 WRI
Quick as Light		DVD 535 QUI
Daily Life in Ancient Rome		DVD 937 DAI
Science Bank		DVD 500 SCI
Fat – the best friend of mankind		DVD 612.397
Girl Wrestler		DVD 796.082 GIR
Cracked Not Broken		DVD 616.86 CRA
Body Parts		DVD 570 SCI
Peas in a Pod		DVD 572.86 CRA
The Seeds of a New Era		DVD 572.86 CRA
Understanding the Book of Life		DVD 572.86 CRA
Reading the Book of Life		DVD 572.86 CRA

Google Research Tool

Google has just made multitasking that little bit easier, using Google docs and their new Google Research tool which you can use side by side. Simply named 'Research' the new tool allows you to conduct searches for terms related to your document or search for images, maps and websites from a panel that appears next to your document.
Here's how to search for things using Research:
Maps: searching for a location will automatically bring up a Google map. You can insert this into your document as is or edit it by zooming in or out.
Photos: These can be inserted directly into your document after conducting a search. The great thing is that photos can be filtered to include those that are licensed for free use - a way to avoid copyright issues.
Webpages: for webpage results, hovering over the link will allow you to see a preview of the page. If you like what you see click 'insert link' to add it to your text.

What I like about this tool is that it allows you to insert a citation, automatically formatted, into your document. All you have to do (after you've inserted a link) click 'cite'. Google will add a footnote number to the link in your text and generate a properly constructed footnote at the bottom of the page.

If Research doesn't automatically appear next to your document all you have to do is select Research from the Tools menu, or alternatively press Ctrl + Alt + R on your keyboard.

Here's a great video from Bright Ideas that shows how to use Research and shares their first impressions of Google's new tool.