Winning Glogs in Digital Media Contest

Lee Bowman's Glog Junco Nelson's Glog

Digital Tools Contest

Digital Media Contest  

A few months ago I wrote a blog post on why teachers should use digital tools and offered a workshop on using Glogster and Animoto to make interactive posters and videos. I am so excited to see students working on Glogs and Videos in the library. Thank you teachers for using these tools in your classroom. Please encourage your students to enter the digital media contest - here are some of the best entrees so far:

See Kirsten Marshall's Top Prize Painting Project video here:

http://animoto.com/play/qRC4wiPE40ymBDwdalJtcg

See Katie Avery's Top Prize Drawing 1 and 2 Project Video here:

http://animoto.com/play/M9UWdiGU2I18JLW5z8aH3Q

See Quade Marinell's Drawing Video here:

http://animoto.com/play/VETL2BezCMeekk9mw1kjAg

See Sara Vose's Ceramics Project Video here:

http://animoto.com/play/8O14iFGFSIX0A4pb43W1Sg

eBooks Are Coming to the BV Library!

Why buy eBooks?

There are a variety of reasons for purchasing eBooks, and the first is access. Offering ebooks extends content beyond the physical walls of the library. In a digital world, patrons aren’t restricted to brick-and-mortar hours. They can choose to download a new book late Sunday evening because content is available 24/7. Additionally, there is no physical space required for eBooks. Virtual bookshelves don’t require weeding and shifting. The fear of loss of or damage to content also diminishes.

 That said, eBooks have just as many reasons not to be purchased. They are usually more expensive than print, and their use is restricted with digital rights management (DRM). Content is often leased rather than owned owing to vendor license agreements. Moreover, annual fees are often required to guarantee perpetual access to content. The business models are much different from print models.

Evaluating vendors

When purchasing eBooks and other downloadable media, it is crucial to evaluate each vendor.  Some things that should be compared include content/titles available, format of files, business models and costs, licensing terms (ownership or access), ongoing fees, MARC record availability and cost, download options, printing, interface features, customer support and training, and use data.

Downloading content

Most patrons will want to download library eBooks to a personal reading device.  Generally, eBooks will be sold to libraries in PDF or EPUB file format. These formats are supported by many reading devices like the iPad, reading apps tablet devices and smartphones. Kindles, on the other hand, use a proprietary format known as AZW. Currently, OverDrive is the only library vendor to offer direct downloads to Kindles. The Kindle process is relatively simple and smooth, using a patron’s Amazon account as the delivery source for content once it is checked out from the library. Our library has 6 Kindles loaded with popular fiction and nonfiction titles, as well as required reading texts for English classes.

For most eBook downloads, however, the process involves additional steps. First, patrons must find the title they want by searching the library online catalog, or the digital library site provided by the vendor. Once a title is selected, it must be checked out using one’s library card. Titles purchased with unlimited simultaneous use, or those in the public domain, may not require this, as multiple users can access them at the same time.

After the title is checked out, patrons download the file onto a computer or tablet device using software or an application (app). The predominant software for this download is Adobe Digital Editions (ADE). ADE is free but requires a user to register and download the software onto a personal computer. ADE can be used to store, organize, and read content. It can also be used to transfer downloaded titles to an e-reader through the USB port. To complete the transfer, eReaders must be registered to an ADE account.

Our Vendor Choice is - Follett Shelf!

 Our library already uses Follett software to host our online library catalog, so Follett eBooks integrate seamlessly into our collection. Follett provides free 24/7 access, with no annual fees. Books are purchased - you own them. The interface is easy to search and can be personalized with our school logo. Follett's eBooks are compatible with iPads and smart phones and computers. As of now, popular fiction titles in eBooks are much more expensive than nonfiction titles, so we are putting off buying popular fiction titles through Follett. The nonfiction and reference titles are the same price as the print title, so there is a big advantage in replacing nonfiction and reference print books with eBooks - that of 24/7 access. But to complicate the matter, libraries can pay a little more for each eBook and get unlimited simultaneous use, so that many users can access the eBook at the same time. When research papers are assigned, I must put books on reserve, because there is only one copy. With unlimited, simultaneous access, many students can access research material at the same time,  24/7. Because of the large number of dated nonfiction books weeded from our library shelves, I am looking to replace whole subject categories of titles -Astronomy, Life Sciences/Biology, Medicine, the Internet.  Important decisions must be made - whether to purchase eBooks with a single user license, or unlimited usage. To do this, I would like your input! I would like to know what research projects you are assigning for the next year. Please come to an eBook fair on Wednesday, May 22nd, after semester exams. Sandwiches will be served in the library - so come do lunch and browse.

Update on the Weeding Project

The Weeding Project has been going on for the last two months in the library. Twice a week, NHS members come after school and set up an assembly line that deletes books from the library catalog, tracks books as weeded, strikes through bar codes, stamps  books "deleted", puts discarded books on library book carts for students to view, and then finally, packs the books in boxes for transport. So far, 1,700 books have been "weeded" from our shelves; most of the books pulled have copyright dates of 1996 or older. For example, books with the titles such as:  "The New China" c1986, "Iran and Iraq, Nations at War" c1986, and "Diseases: Finding the Cure for Aids" c1996 all contain incomplete and inaccurate information and should not be referred to for research. We also have had a large number of "coffee table" books donated; books featuring individual museum collections like "Walker Evans: The Getty Museum Collection, c1995. I am so happy these books are going to a good home. One of our NHS students has a grandfather who runs the mental health unit of a prison in Georgia, and he is building a library for the inmates who are incarcerated there.He is going to drive the books to Georgia in his truck at the end of May.

In the future, the library will be moving to the eBook model for reference and nonfiction materials. This move correlates well with BV becoming an iPad school. EBooks are available 24/7, and are accessible from any computer with an Internet connection. Plus, there are bookmarking tools that allow students to highlight, and cut and paste. EBooks make perfect sense for reference books; most reference and nonfiction eBooks are the same price as hardcover books.

NHS volunteers working on the weeding project in the library

Just in Time for Spring Break - New Books and Ebooks

Books -
The Book of Jonas, by Stephen Dau

Beautiful Creatures Book 1, by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Beautiful Darkness Book 2, by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Beautiful Chaos Book 3, by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Soulsurfer, by Bethany Hamilton

Dune, by Frank Herbert

Beyond Courage, by Doreen Rappaport

Columbine, by Dave Cullen
 

The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green

The Round House, by Louise Erdrich

 

 
Troy, by Adèle Geras

 











Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, by Gregory Boyle

 


DVDs -
Bully: PG-13 Version
The King's Speech
Forest Gump

EBooks -

American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History [Kindle Edition] By: Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen, Jim DeFelice
The Lower River [Kindle Edition] By: Paul Theroux
The Fault in Our Stars [Kindle Edition] By: John Green
Columbine [Kindle Edition] By: Dave Cullen
Teaching & Learning with the iPad: Instructor Quick Guide [Kindle Edition] By: David Mahaley

1:1 iPad Implementation

Archbishop McCarthy's Media Center

 With the 1:1 iPad implementation coming to  Bishop Verot this fall, we are on the fast track to bringing the many items needed to be ready for the new school year. Rather than re-invent the wheel, Bishop Verot is modeling their iPad program after  the iPad program that Archbishop McCarthy's put into place four years ago in Fort Lauderdale. A small group of staff made the trip over to the other coast last week to observe and to gather additional information. Mena Granatino went to observe the English department, Jason Castaldo met with the technology director, Gina Lombardo met with some of Archbishop McCarthy's service providers and Director of Advancement and I met with Camille Henderson, Director of Library and Media Services. We all enjoyed a guided tour and personal chat with Principal Richard Jean and 21st Century Instruction & Learning Coordinator, Les Brown.
We came back excited and ready to move forward! Following are some of the things we learned:

• All of us came away impressed with the clarity and crispness of Apple TV's paired with flat screen TV's as opposed to projection screens. What won Jason Castaldo over was flat screen television can be seen clearly, even with the classroom lights on; as opposed to the projection screen needing the classroom lights dimmed for optimal viewing.
• We noticed seniors wearing college sweatshirts, and were told that when seniors are accepted to the college of their choice, they are allowed to wear the college sweatshirt to school. We thought this was a neat tradition, and one we should start here at BV.
• Students wear their ID cards on a lanyard around their neck at all times. This makes it easy to spot visitors on campus.

  

  Notice the IDs around students necks

• We learned that most damage to iPads can be prevented by iPad cases with reinforced corners. When students drop their iPad, these plastic cases help prevent damage to the corner of the screen. 

  

  iPad with hard plastic case

• Mena Granatino shadowed a freshman English teacher and learned about an App that she uses called Subtext.  Subtext is a free app that allows classroom groups to exchange ideas in the pages of digital texts.Subtext has been a wonderful addition to the iPad 'toolbox' . Teachers use it as a scaffolding tool to support, encourage and engage students as they learn to navigate more complex texts.
• This was Gina Lombardo's second visit and she was focused on meeting McCarthy's IT service accounts. Most impressive was the ability for these accounts to provide needed services and hardware at deeply discounted prices and these providers willingness to come visit us to see if they can help us in the same way.
• Archbishop McCarthy's media center is the showcase of the school. Upon entering the media center, the first thing you notice is 2 large projection screens, and 6 flat screen TVs that are equipped with Apple TV and are used for presentations and research. There are collaborative tables and chairs grouped in the middle of the library and TV screens can be viewed from everywhere. There are 12 PC and 25 MAC computers. In addition, Archbishop McCarthy has a collection of Internet resources such as Gale Virtual Reference Library, Student Resource in Context, Encyclopedia Britannica  and Discovery Education (which is similar to the streaming video service we have except Discovery allows you to create your classrooms online and use lesson plan templates with quizzes and tests embedded in them). Archbishop McCarthy also has eBooks. The eBook platform is Follett Shelf that carries a large selection of nonfiction titles. Follett Shelf  has an App for iPads and integrates with Destiny, which hosts  our online catalog. 

Archbishop McCarthy's Media Center

Weeding

The Fine Art of Weeding

Weeding is the discarding of books that are of little value to students and teachers. Weeding is an essential part of managing a library. A smaller, more attractive collection of relevant, up-to-date books is more attractive to students and teachers than a large collection of mostly useless materials that will be ignored by students. Over a third of our library book collection contains books with a copyright date of 1996 or before; hence these books were published over 16 years ago and probably purchased with funds donated by Cecilia Hughes Smith. Outdated books will be almost anything in science and technology with a copyright date more than 5 years old. Psychology, history, business and education become dated in 10 years. In fiction, certain authors and topics may lose their appeal – an author popular 15 years ago may have vanished into obscurity. Many school libraries are moving toward a hybrid-type of library; one with a mixture of books, eBooks and reference databases in a more flexible space design. One way to get more space in our own library is to have less books – hence the weeding project. I will be discarding roughly 2,000 books. By a stroke of luck, NHS is having a book drive for an institution in Georgia, so this is where our discarded books will go. Please come to the library and look through our weeded books for personal favorites that you might like to have for  your own collection.