SLAVConnects

"The latest version of Google Forms, for instance, can not only simplify administrative tasks but also give teachers new outlets for connecting with parents and students. Jennifer Carey, the director of educational technology at the Ransom Everglades School in Miami, Fla., offers a glimpse of recently added features in a post on Daily Genius. She writes that Google Form users can now: View responses as they are submitted. Insert videos and images into survey questions. Create multiple choice grids that prevent respondents from selecting the same column twice. Publish Forms with pre-filled responses. Insert useful add-ons, such as formLimiter and Choice Eliminator 2. As educators begin to master these new capabilities, they can also explore a few of the tried-and-true ways teachers already use Google Forms in the classroom:"

"Social media is here to stay. Never before have people been able to connect, share, and learn from one another as we do now. As a result, our students need skills to win at life in a digital world. The ability to use social media to support life goals and possibilities can be a game-changer. I know it has been very powerful for me in my professional life." & reasons are discussed by the author.

"You can tansform students from passive to active learners through the power of archives. Timelines, textbooks, PowerPoint presentations and even Wikipedia articles have a role in learning about the past, but it is time to open the archives and unleash the power of primary sources to bring history to life. " 4 strategies for educators explained.

A good introduction to how to go about using Google sites in the classroom

"The best way to activate your classroom is for your students to make something. This might an amazing high-tech invention or it might take the form of costumes for a historical reenactment, homemade math manipulatives, a new curtain for the local auditorium, toys, a pet habitat, a messy science experiment, or a zillion other things. Best of all, you don't need expensive hardware, or to start by mastering a programming language. You can begin with found materials: buttons, bottle caps, string, clay, construction paper, broken toys, popsicle sticks, or tape (hint: Google "tapigami" or "duck tape projects"). What are you having your students "make" to help them learn English?"

"Tool discovery is often a challenge for teachers interested in finding ways to use technology that will change the way they and their students work. With so much going on in the classroom, many teachers don't have the time to test out various apps and find the perfect tool to meet their needs. Luckily, several tech-savvy librarians have been curating the apps their colleagues find useful and sharing the all-stars with one another through personal learning communities (PLC) and edWeb webinars."

This is an annotated list of 5 useful applications. "Rubrics are helpful for both teachers and students: teachers can use them when designing lesson plans and grading assignments; students can use them to make sure they meet the learning expectations and requirements of an assignment or project work. Rubric making should not be a complicated task, it should only speak to the core requirements of a given task while channeling focus to the learning outcomes. There are  a wide variety of web tools and mobile apps teachers can use to create rubrics."

Richard Byrne exlainshow teachers can make the best use of the 2016 version of Padlet. "Padlet introduced a revamped version of their online corkboard tool. The core functions of Padlet are still the same, but the user interface has changed a little bit. The primary changes are in the way that you customize your Padlet boards. In the video that is embedded in the posthe provides an overview of this version of Padlet"

Gord Holden's three things about digital citizenship that every teacher should know.

Details and option for teachers to fulfill requirements for Special Needs training, mandatory within teacher registration from September 2016

Storify "Redesigning Thinking in Libraries with Hamish Curry At this workshop hosted by School Library Assoc of Victoria, Hamish Curry of NoTosh guided library staff through a design thinking approach to exploring the future possibilities for their individual school libraries."

"Makerspaces.com is made up of makers, geeks, educators, technology/stem leaders, library media specialists, librarians, school principals & superintendents, instructional technology specialists, edtech leaders, maker educators, makerspace operators, 3d printing enthusiasts, robotics club and so much more. Our mission is to bring makerspaces into the educational system, so we can bring the educational system into the 21st century. "

All libraary staff want to provide excellent library services for users, to be more integrated into the fabric of our communities, and to impact student engagement and achievement. This article looks at what you can do to improve your online presence to work towards accomplishing this. Recommendation: "Start small, learn from others, and make your online presence a priority. Your students, staff, and community deserve it!"

These posters offer artists impressions of the library buildings - with no books, but plenty of architectural details.

Interesting reflection on how we use Google and what thinking goes woth that.