Mrs. Kirkpatrick's Bookshelf

Youtube videos are a great way to promote your library. Kids of all ages know what Youtube is and probably even know how to navigate it successfully. There are so many possibilities on how to use Youtube to get students excited about the library: Post (spoiler free) book reviews. You could even film the students giving reviews! Livestream videos of you reading aloud at scheduled times Film author visits Record a Q&A skype call with an author Create a screencast for how to utilize your library's databases or the library website Film a pep rally for a soon to be released book Vlog "a day in the life" of a librarian, or have a student vlog their day ("a day in the life" of a YourSchoolNameHere's student) Post reading challenges, vlog updates The following videos would be helpful for students: Getting Started with the NHS Library Website by Calypso Gilstrap Finding and Using Wikimedia Commons Images by TheUnquietLibrary AP Calculus A/B b...

As someone who has always been intimidated by recording software, I can safely tell you: Do not be afraid of screencasting. It is incredibly easy and yet looks highly professional. If you want to impress a teacher, colleague, or your boss, use screencasting for your presentation. With the right software, screencasting takes a minimal amount of time to get up and running, and allows you to explain or give instructions while recording your screen. There are several Screencasting tools available on the internet, but the two I chose (and highly recommend) are Screencast-o-matic and Jing (by techsmith). Ultimately, I went with Screencast-o-matic, and I will explain why in a minute, but first here is my sample screencast using Screencast-o-matic explaining how to use thinglink  (a wonderful presentation tool).  Screencast-o-matic took me all of about 30 seconds to understand. It's incredibly user friendly and is simple yet effective. I chose to download the screencast-o-mati...

Many people remember a parent, grandparent, or teacher reading books aloud as one of their first interactions with books. It is often remembered fondly, as an experience that formed a foundational bond with the person reading aloud. Listening to stories in audiobook format has gained traction with adults in recent years with audiobook subscription services like Audible making listening easy and readily available. More adults than ever are enjoying their favorite books in audio format while commuting to work, taking a walk, or making a long drive. Recently, there has been a huge rise in juvenile literature available in audiobook format, and I thought it would be important to explore the benefits of audiobooks for children. As you can see, there are numerous benefits for children who listen to audiobooks. Consider adding a listening station, a tablet loaded with one of the many apps that allows children to listen to books, or a portable listening device in your classroom. Audioboo...