PASSIONATE ABOUT SCHOOL LIBRARIES
Happy New Year. Welcome to 2024. I hope it is an exciting, yet calm, rewarding and fruitful year for you. A new month and a new year means new professional learning opportunities and I have an excellent list of articles, podcasts, booklists and more for you. It seems people have been creating and reflecting in these last few months.
I love to see students up and moving about during my library lessons. I also try to limit the amount of talking I do. I want my students to be the ones who do the talking. So, when I am running “getting to know the library” sessions or introductions to a genre or even rotational activities, I like to use scavenger hunts and QR code hunts. In the past, I’ve done these by creating my own QR codes using the QR Code Generator, writing clues and having students use paper to record their steps. I have also used apps like GooseChase to create scavenger hunts but was limited by cost in the number of groups with which I could use it.
When I discovered ActionBound, I was utterly thrilled. It is an online platform and app that allows you to create scavenger hunts using QR codes, missions, location points on a map, quizzes, surveys and so much more. But the best part? It has a completely affordable Library subscription plan.
Signage can have a massive impact in a school library. Part accessibility, part marketing, your signage helps your students find and discover sections.
Depending on your shelving and wall space, large banner signage can make a big statement, and disguise old walls or hide unsightly shelving tops. When in our old library space, our graphic novel section needed a lot of love and new banner signs above the collection really gave it a lift. You can read all about how I updated the graphic novel collection here.
I think most of us are on holiday breaks, about to be on a holiday break or seriously counting down the days until a holiday break. December can be a crazy busy time in someways and a quieter one in others. It’s certainly a little quiet in the professional learning area. So, here’s your reminder to check out the past 11 editions of this newsletter. There are plenty of articles to return to, webinar recordings to rewatch and podcasts to play when you need something to distract you from the festive chaos (or is that just me?). What ever you are doing this December, take care and we’ll see you again for more professional learning in 2024.
Well, here we are, more than two years on from when I first started this journey investigating how to build a reading culture. I never could have imagined where this journey would take me.
I’ve looked at organisational culture research, culture change research and methodology, reading culture research, and tools for measure reading culture. I also used those tools to measure our reading culture starting point.
Just as things are starting to head towards the end of the school year in the Southern Hemisphere, things are just kicking into high year in the northern parts of the world. The pace seems to be the same, either way – full speed ahead. Looking for some PD to help keep you up-to-date and inspired to face each day? Here is your list of professional learning opportunities for school library staff for November 2023. Highlights this month include lots of shared slides, resources and notes from the AASL23 conference. Happy learning.
Little did I know 24 months ago when I started my exploration into culture change and building a reading culture, the journey it would take me on.
If you’ve missed parts of my series on building a reading culture you’ll find the start of this story in part 1, an exploration of organisational culture research in part 2, culture change research and methodology in part 3, and a deeper look at reading culture in part 4. In part 5, I shared some of the tools that could be used to measure reading culture.
Now the time has come to share where I am in this journey and how I think my school stacks up when measuring our reading culture.
Happy International School Library Month!! What a month to celebrate everything we love about school libraries. Here’s your October list of professional learning. There’s something for all school library staff and in any format that you want to learn. Highlights this month are some awesome book lists, including graphic novel audiobooks, a few research papers from some of our favourite researchers and the Softlink School Library survey. Happy learning.
Running both a school library and an Innovation Precinct, supporting creative thinking, prototyping and product making, means I am always on the lookout for new educational resources to engage my students. When I was offered the chance to try Spintronics, I jumped at it. I am a massive fan of the Turing Tumbles, which are made by the same creators of the Spintronics.
There is lots to love about Spintronics, so let’s beak it down.
Signage is one of the most important things you can add to your school library collections to aid access and remove the barriers students might face in trying to access the information they need. Fortunately, you can now purchase a wide range of signage options from school library suppliers, but it can be pretty expensive. I have always made my own signage for my school library collections, using a variety of different tools, software programs and resources, making my signage fully customisable and a lot more cost-effective. Using a few tips and tricks, your signage can look as professional as purchased signage.
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