Five features that make BrainPop my favorite source

Students like to learn academic content by watching videos and playing educational games.
BrainPop uses both approaches to make learning engaging.

There are several features that make BrainPop an outstanding source and tool widely used by educators.

First thing I like about BrainPop is its two main characters - charming Moby and pensive Tim.

Moby and Tim explain academic topics on Math, Science, English, Social Studies, Health, Technology and Engineering, Arts and Music, often quite challenging, in an engaging and straightforward way. 




Second, as educator, I use assessment features designed as play and game activities. Students send me their Quizzes' results and I can track down their progress. I check student understanding with My BrainPop.

Third, BrainPop Educator provides noticeable support with lesson plans and printable graphic organizers. It connects videos to academic standards. Monthly curriculum calendars spotlight videos aligned to standards.






 

Fourth, each video is linked to Game-Based activities with lesson ideas, game quiz and more games options. Math, Science, English, Health, Social Studies, Engineering and Technology games are a great educational tool that students enjoy.

Elementary students enjoy BrainPop Jr. BrainPop Jr. provides curriculum-based content and concepts geared for students of Elementary School levels.

BrainPop Espanol provides movies in Spanish, though useful for students with high language skills.




Visit Online Subscriptions for Teachers on WBAIS Library on Moodle to learn more about this and other sources provided to WBAIS teachers and students.

Library Technology Week 2014

March 10-14 is Library Technology Week (LTW) that celebrates library digital collections and services. Librarians modify their services and create new deliveries of information.

At WBAIS, we have a rich collection of databases that our students use to find academic articles for their research projects. We offer audio- and e-books that enrich our print collection.

 Do It Yourself @ Your Library

The motto "Do It Yourself @ Your Library" encourages creativity and recognizes it as a highest level of learning objectives.

How can you participate?

• Create an avatar or a digital story about your library or school event with one of the digital resources. Submit your product to LTW Evaluation Committee to  win a coupon to cafeteria (send the link or the picture to mbrodsky@wbais.net). FYI: Free Avatar Makers
• Share a sentence about your favorite technology: an audio book or e-book you've recently read or listened, a gadget, App, database, other technology. You can record it, choose in the poll, or stop by and tell your librarians in the library.
• Find a QR code hidden in the library. Use your iPhone and QR Reader application to read the codes in the library - click here to choose one that best suits your device.
• Recommend a book to your friends via Library Catalog (log in with your PowerSchool credentials)
• Read book recommendations
• Join us in the library during lunch time to see the Robot created by the Robotics crew in action.

April is National Poetry Month

Celebrate National Poetry Month in April with new ideas and activities!

The High School celebrates the Poetry Month with the Poetry Night on April 23: students will read either their own poetry or their favorite poems.

The Library Poet Tree will be planted at the library entrance on April 1, and students can bring original poems to be hung as the tree's leaves.

The Academy of American Poets honors it with Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 30. The idea is simple: pick up a poem, carry it in your pocket, and pass it to family, friends, cooworkers. Browse this site and select poems for the day.

You will see posters around the campus and "pockets" filled with poems in the library so everyone will be able to take one and pass it on .

As Silvia Virdell wrote in Booklinks, March issue, "If you’re looking for fresh ways to approach poetry with young people, you might consider multimedia methods for experiencing the visual and aural qualities of poetry. Using popular Internet sites, CDs, and a variety of software, kids can explore the imagery, emotion, and language of poetry in ways that are creative, playful, and multisensory." I would say, this is true not only for young people.

Here are some links and ideas of how to use digital tools to that can be useful when we approach the Poetry Month:

How to Read a Poem Out Loud

Poetry for Kids - 25 most popular web sites

Poetry 180:
A poem a day for American High Schools from the Library of Congress.

Canonical Verse: 75+ links

Poetry Teachers: links featuring poetry in class, humorous poems, and poetry theater ideas.

Words and Pictures – Poems: Ten colorful poems with animation, audio and activities

April is Poetry Month
A long list of links from Education World

Scholastic Poetry writing workshops
Workshops with Jack Prelutsky, Karla Kuskin, and Jean Marzollo
Poetry engine workshop, meet poets online.

I Spy Riddle in Rhyme
Each month features an I SPY picture and asks you to write the riddle.

Silvia Virdell's blog Children's Poetry

Ideas for Digital Activities:
- Add a poem to your email footer
- Post a poem on your blog or social networking page
- Podcast or vodcast your favorite poem(s)
- Listen to audio and podcasts published by The Poetry Foundation

Peggy and Marina

Web 2.0 tools for Parents

We are thinking about adding a new workshop for parents on Web 2.0 tools so that you might feel comfortable with them and understand what tools your children use at school to meet technology and curriculum standards. You also are invited to present what you know about them and lead a discussion on how these new tools change our lives and how parents can use them effectively and help children use them appropriately and safely. If any of you are interested send the library a note (email or leave a comment in the blog) so that we could coordinate our workshops.

Possible workshop(s) will cover topics:
Blogs, wikis, podcasts, RSS (really simple syndication), and social network sites.

Blogs - This message is shared with you with a blog. You might know this tool and have your own. We can learn how to add to it pictures, graphics, links, and calendar and we also might start a new group blog (for instance, a blog for PTA).

Wikis - Everyone who uses Wikipedia is acquainted with wikis - a great tool used for collaboration. You will see how wikis are used at school and how you can use them for editing parent group meeting minutes.

Podcasts - we'll show you how to create audio files and publish them right after recording. We'll show you how podcasts are used in school and students share their stories and oral language excersises in podcasting.

RSS - this tool that lets you remember links that are used the most is useful and timesaving.

Social Networking - MySpace and Facebook are a source of communication for young people. Join our workshop to become savvy in those tools and to learn more how kids are using them.

Resources:
Bloglines
eBlogger
Gcast - a personal broadcasting site
Ning creates social networking
Switch pod - a podcast hosting site

Reference:
Judy Hauser. Be the Web "Go-To" Person for Parents! - School Library Media Activities Monthly. February 2009, 24-26

February - Black History Month

February is Black History Month when students spend extra time learning about history and culture of African Americans.
Educational World and FamilyEducation.com suggest activities and resources that can be used during this week.
BrainPop: Check BrainPop's Spotlights that explore topics on Black History. Login information can be found in the Library Webpage Online Collections

February - Black History Month, Valentine's Day

February is known as Black History Month . During this month students of all grade levels spend extra time learning about remarkable accomplishments of African-Americans.
FamilyEducation.com offers a number of activities and resources parents can use with their children at home.

Check if you know some facts about Black History Month - The Black Past Quiz

You are invited to come and check books that reflect the Black History topics out: the Library made a display of books near the Front Desk.

You can also check on special activities for Valentine's Day and help your child create decorations and organize a special party.

Library Tech Week 2008

Thank you everyone who participated in our annual event. Now it's time to share the photographs of you taking part in all our activities. Wasn't it fun to read together, act out, having hands on creating digital stories, sharing your favorite books, listening to stories at lunch time and eating in the library - shshshsh - don't do this on a regular day, having a keyboarding and texting contests, and listening to podcasts created by a number of classes.

Enjoy the slideshow.