What is Star Wars Go! ?

 In the Summer of 2016 Pokemon Go! was all the rage. I was sitting at the pool this summer while my kiddo was practicing for swim team and trying to figure out how I could "catch" the enthusiasm of this craze and apply it to the JRT Library.

A few years ago I created an activity based around the book, "The Day the Crayons Quit". It was during the winter and the students needed some gentle reminders about their behavior in the library. Instead of standing up in front of all classes and lecturing about how to behave in the library, I used the book and created an activity to accomplish the same goal. First, I dressed up as Pink Crayon and read the book to all of the classes. The following week, even with my fifth graders, I met each class outside of the library doors and told them that I did a bad thing reading the book 26 times the previous week because the objects in the library decided to quit. I told them that the objects in the library only agreed to stay because I made videos with their concerns (similar to the way the crayons voiced their concerns in the book). The students partnered up with an iPad and walked around the library to find the crayons with QR codes on them around the library. Each QR code lead to a video on my YouTube Channel. The activity was a roaring success and the behavior of the students improved without me lecturing. They "played a game" and got the same information they would have gotten as a lecture, but I think because it was FUN they were more engaged and invested. The videos for the activity can be found at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFQwJxnRen6S3uZV62OE1_bj9ZzW5ZGYS

Taking my successes with the previous activity I had done, and the success of Pokemon Go!, I created Star Wars Go!. I am not a Pokemon fan, but I DO LOVE STAR WARS. The idea was simple. I wanted to create a fun library orientation activity to use with my 2nd -5th graders. 1st graders and Kindergarteners will eventually play the game, but not in the same way I expected the "game" to work with my 2nd-5th grade classes. I started thinking of all the rules and regulations I go over during the first few weeks of school. I also thought about all of the areas in the library (fiction, non-fiction, picture books, holiday books, favorite characters, bilingual and Spanish books, etc. ) I found it much easier to think of the things I wanted to tell the students when I was standing in the library. I wrote a script for each area or rule I wanted to go over with them because it was easier to read a script than randomly talking about each area.  I assigned a Star Wars Character to each area. On the back of each Star Wars Character would be a QR Code to the YouTube video about that area or rule and a number. Each group would have a recording sheet with the numbers of the videos and they would "catch" the character by watching the video and coloring in the number found by the QR code. When I came up with the idea I was really torn because I was going to have to use images from the internet to create the characters the students would "catch" in the library, and I was worried about copyright. After consulting with a few fellow librarians we determined that it would fall into fair use because direct teaching was accompanying the images. However, I happened to drive by my favorite teacher store and I noticed in the window.... STAR WARS BULLETIN BOARD materials!!! (Whoever thought of this idea was a genius because they took all my money that day!)  I published all of my videos to YouTube and put them into safeshare.tv for safe viewing. Then I waited for school to begin.

I have done countless activities using QR Codes and YouTube videos converted into safeshare.tv videos. In the past, the students scan the QR Code with the "Scan" app on the iPads in my library and the video automatically started playing right in the app. Over the summer the app must have updated because once the students started scanning the QR code it took them out of the app to the safeshare video on the web. I don't  know if it was safeshare's website or our new internet, but everything went wrong with the first class. Some videos played fine, some had a black screen but had audio, and some wouldn't play at all. I was so sad,  but I didn't let it get me down, I preserved. The first day of school was a Wednesday, my most packed day of the week. (I'm on a fixed library schedule.) For the rest of the day as the classes came in I presented the activity with what was happening, and told them to go with the flow, if the video played - watch it, if you only got sound - listen to it, if nothing happened - skip it. I promised them I would look into the problem and fix it for next week. Thankfully, they all went with the flow and adapted to the activity. I still had lots of compliments of how much fun they were having. This kept me going because I was feeling pretty defeated! The next day I did a little troubleshooting. I have no idea why the app changed the way it was working, I have no idea why safeshare wasn't doing what it had done in the past. So, again, I preserved and did the only thing I could think of to make the activity a success. I re-coded all of the QR Codes to go right to the YouTube video. Not my favorite way to use videos in the library( I REALLY like safeshare) but it was going to have to work for this activity because when the QR code went right to the YouTube video everything worked.  For the rest of the week, everything went beautifully. Kids were engaged, having fun, and accomplishing the objective of the lesson. Yay! When Wednesday rolled around again, the kids were so excited to play again and were ecstatic to see that I had fixed the problem like I promised.

I really loved this activity. We are on week three of school and the kids in grades 2-5 keep coming in the library begging to play Star Wars Go! They are motivated to "catch" all of the characters. At some point, I am going to have to take Start Wars Go! down, but in the meantime I'm having a blast watching the kids enjoy learning about the library. To make things special for each class, I wore a different Star Wars themed dress each day of the week. Every class that came to the library got to experience Star Wars Go! in a special way! I also have all of my Star Wars books on a display and they are getting checked out like crazy. I bought Star Wars themed book marks on TPT, and the kids are going crazy for them. Total success!


Want to know more? Watch my animato video of the kids playing Star Wars Go!
https://animoto.com/play/bh4FjMkoSEEY8fLThAD09g

Here is a link to the Star Wars Go! playlist on my YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFQwJxnRen6TxAgPntrfnNxIvA39BsBZY

Guest Reader Via Google Hangout

Today I was a guest reader via Google Hangout (GHO). I read to the Kindergarten classes at Wood View School in my school district. The teacher and I did a practice run with the help of our K-5 Technology Integration Specialists. I have done MANY Google Hangouts, but it was nice to practice before the kiddos were present. Also, I'm usually on the "teacher" side of the read aloud via GHO and I wanted to practice how to hold the book.   

The book I picked to read was called "One Duck Stuck" by Phyllis Root.  I was reading to all of the kindergarten classes at the school and I know it is hard to stay quiet for long with that may kiddos in the room. The book lends itself to lots of predicting, counting, and letting the kiddos help read parts because it is repetitive. The book is also from 2001, it is older and isn't read as much as some of the newer books at the library. It is still one of my favorites for my younger primary students.

I had a BLAST! The kids seemed enjoy the book, too. They really got into the parts that they helped read. 

I love that my district is GAFE (Google Apps for Education)! Using tools like GHO can really break down the walls and connect classrooms not only around our district, but around the world. I believe that this experience might give the teachers in that room the confidence to try a GHO with another school outside of the district, maybe even in another country! 

It was also a confidence booster for me as well because after the hangout I received emails from not only the teachers involved, but I also received them from the Principal and the Assistant Principal. 

VVSD Facebook

Keeps Getting Better

As I reflect on my day, "Keeps Getting Better" by Christina Aguilera keeps playing in my head. Today was better. Was it perfect? Nope, but it was BETTER. 

Today we did "Take Two" of our Google OnAir Hangout Broadcast of our morning announcements. We gave the kiddos who were part of our first ever broadcast a chance to actually get OnAir for the entire announcements. They were excited to give it a second chance!

This time I was able to use the account that uploads to my existing YouTube Channel. Yay! I installed the "Keep Awake" Chrome extension so my ChromeBook did not fall asleep during our broadcast. Yay! Our secretary held up cue cards so the kiddos could look straight ahead instead of looking down at note cards. Yay! A majority of the staff still had problems with "safety mode" in YouTube causing their inability to see the OnAir Hangout. Boo! However, 3 staff members reported having no trouble turning off "safety mode"and being able to watch LIVE! Yay! The entire broadcast uploaded to YouTube and the rest of the staff was able to view it later. Yay!

Change is hard. If we all lived within the limits of our comfort zone, nothing great would happen. Awesome happens outside of our comfort zone! Was I worried about another failed outcome? Yup, but I was EXCITED to get back up and TRY AGAIN! Little by little, each time we do this we will continue to have more and more success! My goal is to have a staff training on OnAir Hangouts so we can troubleshoot  and practice together in a not-so-rushed environment. 

I'm excited about the success I had today, and will continue stray far from my comfort zone to make AWESOME things happen for my students and staff!

It didn't go as planned...

(picture credit: Ana Wilson)

This morning I had high expectations! Our district has gone GAFE! Yay! I have been a fan of Google for a long time, and was ready to gain access for our students because of the endless possibilities. 

My principal approached me about trying a Google OnAir Hangout to broadcast our morning announcements. I have used OnAir Hangouts many times before when I've worked with authors "in" the library virtually, so this idea didn't scare me. I was really excited. I did a test run with the instructional techs for our district and it ran smoothly. I created the event and sent out the link for teachers to be able to watch it live in their classrooms. 

The kiddos and I headed to the office to do something that had never been done before. I'm not afraid to try new things, but get that "butterflies in the stomach" feeling before I do something for the first time. I had done an early morning training, so one of our tech's was still in the building to provide support if needed.  The kiddos had their notecards, and were ready to begin. 

I started the event and all seemed to be going along fine...until it wasn't. At about 1:33 in to the announcements, my Chrome Book went to sleep. I was so proud of the kiddos. They noticed something was wrong, but continued on like real troopers. I also didn't burst into tears because this morning didn't go quite as I had planned for it to go. When the event ended, staff reported that they couldn't view it live because they couldn't turn off "safe mode" in YouTube. 

Was it perfect? Nope. Would I do it again? Yup, we are scheduled to do it again next Friday. :) Between now and then we will come up with a plan to make it go a lot smoother. 

We live in a culture of error. It is OK to fail. In a way I’m glad it wasn’t PERFECT the first time through. We keep telling kids IT IS OK TO MAKE MISTAKES, but what are we really telling them if we never make a mistake in front of them? Kids need to see adults fall down and GET BACK UP. This will not be a “one an done” experience for Tibbott School. We are going to learn from what didn’t go right today, and make it better. Someday other schools in the district are going to be asking me “how did you do that?” and I will be able to provide a “how to” guide for them. A few years ago, I heard Kevin Honeycutt speak (such an inspirational speaker-- if you aren't following him on Twitter, you should be!!!). I have taken something he said to heart, “Don’t wait for perfect, PERFECT destroys more dreams than failure ever will.” I will continue to dream and TRY new things.

I loved that our college bound word of the day was COURAGE. I was courageous today, and I will be courageous next Friday when we try it again. There will be bumps on the road, but each time we head out on that highway, it will get a lot smoother.   

If you would like to see my F.A.I.L (first attempt in learning) using OnAir Hangouts to broadcast morning announcements, click on the link below: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAA-EsDuA5A

#thisisawesome

Today was one of those AWESOME days in the library. I was co-teaching with a fourth grade teacher. Today was the 4th time working together in this particular project. It started last week with an intro to research using the Super3. Yes, I know that Super3 is aimed at primary grades.  However, the teacher and I are new to this type of research model. We all have to start somewhere, so this is where I started. 

The kiddos came to the library last week with their group pre-determined by the teacher. We created a plan for their research and gave them a checklist of what they needed in their final project. 

They already knew which simple machine they were going to study. Instead of handing them the book they needed, the kiddos had to use Destiny Quest on our library iPads to locate the books themselves. 

During the next few work sessions, they researched their simple machine in books, on websites, through BrainPop videos. They learned to write a definition in their own words and come up with real life examples of their simple machine. Some of them even took pictures of their simple machine in the library with the iPads to be included in their final project. They learned about Creative Commons and copyright. 

Today we started putting all of their research into a ThingLink and they were rocking it! I was so impressed at how great they were doing! They were SO excited! Kiddos that finished the required number of tags continued to search out more images, videos, and sites to add to their project. It was amazing to watch them evaluate the videos... the teams were questioning if what they were looking at matched what they were researching. The students were using what they learned and applying it. 

The kiddos were so engaged that there were no behavior problems. There was no arguing about one partner hogging the computer. Nobody was off task. "Give me a break!" is what you are thinking, but I'm serious, the kiddos were working like well oiled machines, pun intended! Look at their faces in the pictures, pure joy...WHILE LEARNING! 

I really believe that knowing that their projects are out there in cyberspace ready for ANYONE in the world to look at increases work production! The classroom teacher agreed that work production with this group has improved since we started working together and producing works for a global audience. 

On Friday we will finish up this project by citing our book sources with a tag with a bibliography. They will use easybib.com to create the citations. The kiddos will be given their rubric to self-evaluate before the teacher does a final evaluation of their work. 

I don't have the ideal situation for co-teaching. I'm on a fixed schedule. To work with classes on projects  I sometimes give up my "duty free lunch" in order to work with their block schedule. On days like that I pack easy to munch on snacks so I don't starve. I don't mind and happily do it over and over because of experiences like this! I make the best of the situation I have and it is great! 

I LOVE MY JOB! 

December Highlights

December was pretty awesome as the LMC Director at JRT! All of my students participated in Hour of Code. Some classes signed up for an extra 30 or 60 minute session with me in addition to the activities I did with every class in the library. I co-taugh some lessons with a fourth grade class using PowToon to share what they learned while researching their state. I assisted a teacher beginning to use Google Forms to substitute her typical paper/pencil weekly reading tests. I helped with a weaving craft project  in a second grade class that was leaning about Christmas in Sweeden. I even survived administering a practice PARCC reading test on our new Chromebooks with 3rd/5th grade classes that activated their GAFE accounts. Alice B McGinty skyped with my 5th grade reading group. Jena Ball did two GHO's with a second grade class. I even did the reindeer pokey with my preschoolers!! Wow! Busy month! I know I did other things, but these were the highlights! No wonder I'm a little behind on my shelving! Can't wait to see what January brings ! 

#whylib

 
All the librarians I follow on Twitter are sharing their story of how / why they became a librarian. I tweeted that becoming a librarian was the best mix of books, technology and working with kids. But.. my story is really a little more than that. 

I LOVE books. I have always LOVED books and I will probably LOVE books (the paper ones the most) until the day I die. 

When I was little my mom stayed home with my sister and I. When my sister entered kindergarten she went back to work as a teacher. (I paid attention to what my mom did for a living even at a young age.) I remember my mom taking my sister and I to the library A LOT when we were kids. We always participated in the summer reading programs and always read more than what was expected to get our prizes. Our local library began in 1974, the year I was born,  in two portable classroom "trailers". The children's librarian was name Pat Chandler and she was wonderful. I wanted to be just like her. My sister and I did all kinds of activities at the Bloomingdale Public Library. It was our happy place. 

I loved the idea of the library so much that my neighbor, Lisa, and I started our very own library in her dad's garage one summer. He helped us make some shelves. Then Lisa and I collected all of the books that we weren't reading anymore and placed them in our library. We had fun checking out books to the younger patrons on our street that summer.

My first summer job was at the Bloomingdale Public Library. I was a Page, and I LOVED working in the library. In my family, I was only allowed to work in the summer. My job during the school year was to go to school. The following summer I was not able to get my job as a Page back because someone who was able to work year round snatched it away from me. 

I finished high school and went to college to be a teacher. Remember, I paid attention to my mother growing up. I knew that I wanted to be a mom, so I needed a job that I liked that gave me the life I wanted. I knew that I wouldn't be able to be a full time mom, so being a teacher was the next best thing... a job I loved and the ability to raise my kiddo. I spent 9 years in the classroom teaching Early Childhood, Kindergarten, and Second Grade. 

During my last two years in Second Grade I began working on my Masters in Technology in Education. I loved really integrating tech into my lessons. Even as far back as 2006, I knew that I wouldn't leave my school. I LOVE my school, but I wanted more than the classroom had to offer. However, I knew that I would never be a Tech Specialist because my district doesn't have Tech Specialists assigned to one building at the elementary level. So... I started soul searching... what could I do? What could I do?? 

Just as I was finishing my Masters, our Librarian was retiring. I JUMPED at the opportunity! What better job to have in the school I loved? The best of all my loves... books, technology, and kids. Since I wasn't a certified Librarian,  I was given two years  to complete my Endorsement in  Library Science. I loved my library classes. I think of all the classes I took, and have taken, my library classes were the ones I worked the hardest in and they were the most FUN I had in school.  The minute I stepped in the JRT Library for the first time as the Library Media Director, I knew I was home! Full circle, first job in the library, last job in the library. I don't think I will ever leave the library. I LOVE my job.

I branded myself "Erin the Librarian"about two years ago during a book signing. I went through a divorce and learned that not everything is permanent. I had a hard time looking at old books with my old name in them. When I walked up to Al Yankovic, I asked him to sign my book to "Erin the Librarian" because my first name was not going to change and I LOVE being a Librarian. It was the first time I called myself that. He smiled and that was it,=... I had become the new me!  Sure, I am a lot more than a Librarian, I'm also a techie, but "Erin the Librarian" sounds really cute!

On a side note, it is really hard as a librarian when you kiddo doesn't like reading. What?? A Librarian's kid doesn't like reading? My son would listen to me read at bedtime and he liked listening to me read. I'm great at changing my voice for different characters. Anyone want to hire me to read a book on tape? That would be my next dream come true.  However, when it came to him reading it was a struggle. He would read what was required but not a second longer. We set a timer and FORCED him to read. However, since I'm pretty good at my job if I do say so myself, I kept pushing and trying new things with him. As many wise people say, there is no kid that HATES reading, they just haven't found the right fit. My new husband is a FANTASY reader, so he suggested we try Deltora Quest. Thank you Emily Rodda. It was his "just right" genre. From that moment on he couldn't devour enough FANTASY. From Rodda, to Mull, to Riodian. The kid can't stop reading. And.. the moment his school district went BYOT and I could load books on his iPhone he was in HEAVEN!!Now this Librarian is a happy momma.

So that is my story.