books

Library Rules (Freebie)

~ Tara Hargrove ~ 3 Comments

My district officially started back Thursday, August 15th, but I won’t start taking classes till this Monday. I am super stoked though and can’t wait for fourth graders to pour into the library Monday morning! I am so nervous though and hope they love everything about the library and I really hope they love their new librarian😬.

This weekend I have been working on finalizing my library rules and book care guidelines. I tried not to make too many of them, because let’s face it-the more rules there are, the harder it will be for them to remember them all. So I kept it pretty basic and will give examples of what to do and what not to do for each. I created some cute posters in Canva that I plan on printing on colored card stock. Here’s a free copy for both the rules and book care!

What are your rules for the library and book care? I would love to know! Drop me a comment or a question below!

11 11❤️ Tara

 

Chronicles of a First Year Librarian

~ Tara Hargrove ~ Leave a comment

Let’s switch gears…I’ve posted about all kinds of digital technologies that can be used in the education world as a librarian or a teacher all summer long, but come Monday, school schedule begins once again for myself in my new district as a librarian and I kind of want to share my journey of what my first year as a school librarian is going to entail. Honestly, I have been working all summer already trying to get my library the way I want. In one of my grad classes last semester, my professor had us create a priority list as a new librarian. We revamped our top ten list over the course of the semester, but honestly, I feel that what I had on my FINAL list has been changed again since I’ve actually stepped into the role of a school librarian and not just thinking hypothetically.

Let me share with you what I have done so far (and school hasn’t even started yet!).

I have been a teacher for nine years. I was made to be an educator-that is my purpose and what I feel God has gifted me with. With that being said, I have done the same thing the past nine years before school even begins and those things are even more intricate when I have changed grade levels. I also begin with the environment in which I will be in…the classroom in teachers’ cases and the library in librarians’ cases. I can’t seem to focus or function if my space isn’t spruced up the way I want. I need my decorations and atmosphere to be inviting and welcoming and functional.

So this summer I gave my new library an overhaul! My husband is a builder and he grabbed a couple of his daytime guys and they went to painting. The colors turned out better than I ever imagined! They really made the room pop! I took down old and outdated decor and stuffed animals that had been collecting dust. My campus is 4th-6th grade and while they are still elementary and love to be silly and be read to, I think they also want to feel a little bit older than the littles.

Paint transforms everything!❤️
Hello dusty little mouse.
He’s so goofy! 🤪
Organizing!👌🏼
Grey covering the brown.
Loving 😍
The dragon really pops out now!
I created some fantastic posters and put them in some cheap poster frames from WalMart. I organized the currculation desk and cleaned and dusted really well. I also bought some cute watercolor lightbulbs from TPT that I enlarged at my local Walgreens, cut out and glued onto foam board (go to WalMart for foam board-you will only waste your money at Dollar Tree).

It’s far from finished, but I always think back to the phrase “Fake it till you make it.” If you can look the part, and work hard behind the scenes to figure the rest out, I think you’ll be amazing in the end! I have had such amazing classes and professors, but it’s different when you’re IN it versus being in a class. I am a hard worker and I am a great researcher (hey, I’m a librarian and outta be 😉), and I KNOW this year will be the best year of my education career, even if it is a little challenging!

11 11 ❤️ Tara

Podcasts, Vodcasts, Vlogs…Huh?

~ Tara Hargrove ~ 5 Comments

I love listening to podcasts…I’ll be honest, I don’t normally listen to them from the teacher or librarian side though, I like to listen to them for the sheer pleasure. I absolutely love to listen to Ted Radio Hour, The Chalene Show for health and fitness reasons, beauty secrets and tips from The Skinny Confidential and Enjoying Everyday Life with Joyce Myers to get in some soul food. I have always used Pocket Casts to house my podcast channels on, but have found myself using Spotify a little bit too. I also listen to my new district’s podcast through Facebook, which you can find here. So many avenues and such a great way to get in a little bit more knowledge as you’re driving around running errands, working out or even getting ready in the mornings for work. My husband has been obsessed with The Joe Rogan Experience which is pretty awesome (but the language is for grown up ears only).

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Today I come to you giving you ideas, tools and advice as an educator who likes to create her own podcasts, vlogs (video blogs) and even vodcasts (video podcasts). Although I love to read, I don’t always have time and I feel like I can absorb listening to others talking about subjects and ideas I’m interested in just as my six year absorbs what I read to him at night before bed. Even when I taught fifth graders, they would beg for me to read to them…there’s just something about having someone else read to you that is so calming and enjoyable.

In this post you will find my reviews for several sites that you can host podcasts through or create video podcasts to upload to a host site or Youtube. I have also shared a podcast episode that I worked with Molly Childs, a fellow colleague, on (check out her blog here). We created one as a simple audio podcast housed through Podbean (check out my review below) and the other was the audio and video portion through WeVideo (make sure you read my review though on this one!). Molly wrote the script and I recorded it. I think we make one heck of a team!

Let’s begin with my favorite site to host podcasts on-Podbean. I actually used a different site (that I’ll review next) but was disappointed when I tried to share a post that contained one of my podcasts in it and the podcast was gone! Ugh! So I hopped on Podbean and have had wonderful luck! It’s free and there’s even an app for it! You can search for other podcasts to listen to on your desktop browser as well. It allows you up to 500 characters to type under your podcast and you can add a picture to it also. You can house your episodes all in one location and it’s super user friendly. podbean

Another host site is Buzzsprout. Now, I started out thinking this site was everything and more…then I got burned. It’s pretty easy to use upfront. It does tell you that you have only a certain amount of time to record during each cycle. What you don’t realize is that they only host your audio file for a certain amount of time. Then they delete it without letting you know. The next thing-your podcast episode is gone and you have to hope you saved the mp3 file on your computer so you can go to a better site such as Podbean and upload it again.  I think if you are serious about podcast and post a new episode weekly or even monthly, this would be a good option, but of course you would need to pay. As a rookie or someone who is trying the whole podcast thing out, this probably isn’t the best bet. buzzsprout

Ok, so both Podbean and Buzzsprout are sites that host AUDIO files for podcasts, but lets talk about one where you can create a video podcast, which some refer to as vodcasts. These are fun because they include audio, video and music (if you wish) along with titles and such as well. Now, I know what you are thinking-why can’t I just use iMovie or something like Animoto for this? The answer is-YOU CAN! But let me share with you a site I was told about by a fellow colleague who visited TCEA and learned all about this. The site is called WeVideo. Now, I really loved this site, but be warned-there are some hiccups with it that were so frustrating. Let me explain…

Screen Shot 2019-07-16 at 9.39.37 PMIt begins so wonderful and turns into a nightmare. WeVideo is a fantastic way to get access to over a million stock images and video, as well as music. They have tons of templates and it’s a fun way to add video and music to a podcast or any other type of video. They have options for plans and they even tell you that you can sign up with a valid school email for a FREE 30 day educational trial. It clearly states all the wonderful features you can use in the trial, such as access to all the images in the Essential Media Library and more. However, this is my hang up. I poured a couple of hours into the video podcast, found the perfect template, perfect images and videos and recorded my voiceover, only to be told upon trying to export and finish it, that I would need to purchase the school plan before doing so. WHAT?! Nowhere did it say I could only play with the features for free, but not actually be able to utilize them…what’s the point in that? So I thought, it’s all good, I can purchase a single professional license and be able to still download. Well that wasn’t quite the case. The message box that comes up when you try to switch from the school trial to an individual plan is scary. It tells you that you will lose everything if you cancel the trial. I reached out through email, because there is no phone service-Yes, you heard me right. None. There is a phone number, but its a recording that tells you to leave an email. The emails did not come through in a timely fashion and I started to hyperventilate. One email that finally worked said that I would not lose my work, however, that did not console me, because after taking the plunge and hitting cancel to switch the plans, another box popped up (see below) that only gave me the options to join a district plan or to downgrade or cancel. Well, none of those are good options when you are wanting to SWITCH to an individual plan and not one of those. It also says you’ll lose full access and I wasn’t sure if that also meant access to what I had created so far. So I plunged in and prayed hard and selected to downgrade. Thank goodness luck was on my side. My video was still there AND finally in the top right hand area of the screen, it gave me the option to simply upgrade. After that, everything was fine. I don’t know about you, but when I have spent hours working on something that I deem is great, I freak out when it gets pulled out from under me! It’s like when your computer crashes and you didn’t save your word document (which I haven’t had happen since early college days). img_0859.jpg

I did end up still using WeVideo for my vodcast with Molly, but only because I have now paid for it for at least a month (I will have to remember to cancel soon so I don’t get charged again) and because I spent a lot of time making it look and sound great!

Molly Childs, who I worked collaboratively with for the podcast over makerspace and STEAM, gave a great review over Audioboom.

Like most, signing up for Audioboom is free for the basic version. As a podcaster, you pay
$9.99/monthly and receive unlimited episodes a moth, up to 10,000 plays, multiple means of
distribution, and analytics to breakdown the app device and geographic region. For the more
established podcaster, one with over 10,000 plays per episode, there is another option that you can
choose that helps you earn money. This was the only program I saw that had an opportunity like that,
allowing the website itself to help you profit instead of doing it yourself. The free version allows you to
start publishing the day you sign up and has no contracts or commitments, allowing the ability to stop at
any time. Overall, the commitment to its customers is something that took me aback due to the
honesty and up front information on the home screens.

As podcasts go, this program was the easiest to find a podcast that I enjoyed. Once you load the
homepage, click podcasts, and you are brought to a new webpage that allows you to choose the topic
you fall under: podcasters, advertisers, or listeners. There are Audioboom Originals and an Audioboom
Network one can peruse through to find the perfect podcast. After sifting through a few sites, I found
this one to be the easiest to navigate, choose, and listen to. Most importantly, I felt as if Audioboom
truly cared about their podcasters and customers, something we don’t see as often as we should today.

Screen Shot 2019-07-16 at 9.41.33 PM

As I stated in the beginning, I think Podbean is my favorite of all, but I really did enjoy WeVideo, I just think they need to fine tune it a bit more when it comes to the customer service side. Even still, this site is so much fun to use and I can see it being wonderful for students to use and really dig into how to make a video. It uses all the right parts from adding pictures, videos clips within the video, transitions, voiceovers, music, theme titles and captions and more! It really was incredible. I enjoyed learning how to do things within it and I’m pretty good with using raw footage to create videos within iMovie. This was just…better.

Here is the podcast Molly and I did. One is the whole package, whereas the other is perfect for just listening as you drive or workout. We included a pdf file link under the Podbean podcast episode in case you would like to read what is said instead. Podbean only allows 500 words, so we had to link the pdf instead of putting the script in.

https://www.wevideo.com/view/1428262648 (for some reason the embedded link wouldn’t work)

Podbean Podcast: Makerspaces…



Podcast: Makerspace and STEAM in the Library

Let us know what you think!

Cartoons and Comic Strips? Why not?

~ Tara Hargrove ~ 5 Comments

I use to have a bad taste in my mouth about comic books. Not necessarily because of data or something I read about them being a bad influence, I simply was not into comics. I grew up in a house full of girls…like straight up GIRLY girls and comics just weren’t our thing.

As I began teaching ten years ago, I never really had comic books on my classroom bookshelf and I never had a demand for them from my fourth grade students. When I taught kindergarten, I would get a few here and there from the DC Comics collection as readers for my students who were reading on a second grade level or higher. Then out of nowhere, comics exploded. I started seeing them everywhere and for all ages. I’m not sure if it was because I had blinders on or just never really had the demand for them, but now, I feel like I can’t get enough of them.

I was reading several YA books and novels last summer and discovered how they make comics for even books such as Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. I think comics are wonderful and relatable for so many students. It’s a way for them to understand better and sometimes to cope, according to a piece from  The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore.

I have never really played with creating comics or cartoons, unless you count bitmoji on my phone 😝. Here is mine for that via Zmoji 😉

okay me

These are fun to use on your phone and to add a fun touch to blogs, websites and syllabuses, but below are some actual sites I tried in order to make some fun comic strips. I tried each site for something different. All had their ups and downs though and none were perfect by any means.

Let’s start with a site called Toondoon. Ever heard of it? No? Yeah, me either. So this site was great in a couple of ways. For starters, there were lots of FREE elements. You could add several panels to your comic as well as choose from a plethora of comic characters with backgrounds and pieces. You could even search for specific things which I thought was handy. One thing I didn’t care for (and spent WAY too much time on to not get right) was the ability to create a character in the likeness of you (or whoever you want it to look like). I did feel like it was easy to use and save and/or share. You can click on button and copy the same panel onto the next so you can have some of the same elements, but change whatever you need as you go. You also can change the expressions of the characters easily and the posture too. I created a three panel comic strip below that would be useful for the first few weeks of school. A teacher could even had it printed and posted outside the door to the classroom as a reminder of what to bring to class and what to begin working on when the bell rings. I used a stock character since I was unable to create one in the likeness of myself.

Come in with...

The next website I tried was called Pixton. I actually really loved this site except for one (kind of big) thing…you are SOOOOO limited on what you can use for free. I was thinking of recreating the same comic strip I did with Toondoon to compare, however, I realized after clicking around, that you have 3-4 backgrounds you can use for free. They are all of dinosaurs and volcanoes. 🤨 Since this was what I had to work with, I decided to create a little strip for the beginning of a lesson over dinosaurs. It was kind of fun and honestly I began to think back to my own second grade classroom, Mrs. Zinkie’s class, and think about all the things I learned about dinosaurs. (She was amazing!) Besides the fact that you are limited to the backgrounds and expressions and such that you can use, the rest is pretty fabulous. You can create your own characters very easily. You can share and print and download your comics with no problems AND you can create classes and share comics with your kids! How wonderful! I finished this comic off with a question which could easily be answered with students creating their own comics! I thought that was pretty awesome.

dinosaur_extinction

Click on the comic to enlarge.

The last site I tried and succeed with was Makebeliefscomix which is free and doesn’t require you to sign up in order to create a comic. I used this site to create a simple remake of a personal narrative I did when I taught kindergarten writing. This would be perfect to stay up all year for your littles like kindergarten and first grade as an example during their writing time. My older students (4th-5th graders) would enjoy creating their own stories using this site! You could even use it for students to recreate a story they read.

make-beliefs-comix

Click the image to enlarge.

I had a lot of fun making these, but I won’t lie, there was a lot of frustration also. I think the most user friendly one for teachers would be the Pixton site. It was friendly enough to create and put your own spin on your comics, as well as share and have a whole class option. Even if one has to pay for it, I think it would be a worthy investment. The most kid friendly comic making site would be the Makebeliefcomix site since there is no need to sign in. It’s limited to stock images they have, but for young students just getting started, it would be great! Definitely a good place for beginners.

I think the ways I illustrated I used the comic creating sites would be the exact way I would encourage teachers at my campus to use them. I would also think they could be used as print outs in different areas of the library for when I am not physically able to help students. Those areas and times could be when I am with a class, but a student can’t remember how to do self-checkout, or for the procedures for beginning and cleaning up the makerspace area. They could even be used to remind students how to sign on and off the computers within the learning commons. Honestly, students are so responsive to comics and that means they could be used virtually anywhere and for all contents.

***I did attempt to download an app for my iPad called Tellagami. However, the app was outdated and said it wasn’t updated by the developer to work on iOS 11 or newer. I also noticed the reviews for this app were old…the newest one being from 2016.

Know of any new comic maker sites or apps? Feel free to share with me in my comments section!

Video and QR Codes in the Library

~ Tara Hargrove ~ 2 Comments

“Mom, Dennis Daily has this cool website where you can buy Sir Meows A lot! Can I get one?!”

This was just the conversation I had with my son about his favorite Youtuber…he’s six and has a favorite Youtuber?! Yes. My son is obsessed with watching Youtube. Want to know what he likes watching on there??? He likes watching guys who are gamers play their game and give play by play as they do so…sounds pretty dumb to me. I mean, I ask him all the time why he just doesn’t play the game versus watch someone else play and he just gets upset and tells me, “just because, Mom.” (with an eyeroll of course).

This just shows me how powerful Youtube can be for ALL ages. There is so much junk out there on Youtube, but there are also lots of helpful, educational videos and channels and honestly anyone can create one! (I mean, have you seen the little kids who do toy reviews?!)

Below are some videos from library channels that are both helpful, educational and enjoyable for students to watch. Check them out below!

These two videos are from theunquietlibrary on Youtube. The first is the video I think (and views show) students would enjoy the most. The second is the one that I found to be most helpful.

These two are from pikesvillehslibrary on Youtube. The first is the most enjoyable whereas the second is the most helpful.

The following two videos are from the Youtube channel of TheNHSlibrary. The first is the more beneficial for students, the second being most popular.

These are pretty awesome from bbsmedia! Both are super likable by students because they 1)they involve students 2)they involve their librarian 3)they are also helpful. I find the first one more enjoyable and the second more of a resource.

And for kicks, check this video parody out for overdue books! hehe

On another note…let’s talk a little about Animoto. Used it before? I have and I kind of remember after using it again recently why I don’t ever use it…Don’t get me wrong, it really is great and pretty user friendly for anyone looking to make a simple video such as book trailers, how to videos, project presentations, and more, BUT one thing I really think is a bummer is the fact that you have to hit the save button constantly as you add new images, textboxes and changes or you’ll lose everything you’ve worked on (this may have happened to me 🙈). I am use to web tools saving my projects as I work (Canva, WordPress and Google docs to name a few), but this doesn’t do that and I can see students possibly having the same issue. Overall though, I do think it’s pretty handy. Scan the QR code below to check out my attempt at a book trailer over the book Serafina and the Black Cloak. 

Serafina and the Black CloakSerafina Review from Goodreads.com

I know it seems that everyone in the world knows what QR codes at this point (they’ve been around for some time now), but in case you aren’t familiar, let me explain. QR codes are like special barcodes that when scanned by your phone or tablet (a QR scanner app has to be downloaded first) takes you to a website, image, video, or really anything! Pretty awesome if you ask me! When I taught I would use QR codes all the time. Usually I used them for students to scan to check their answers after playing scoot or a math station. My sister who is a high school English teachers uses them for students to scan in order to be taken to Padlet for a specific reason or lesson. I think I would love to use them in the library in different sections, where students could scan them to play book trailers or maybe use them in a library scavenger hunt of some sort.

Some popular QR scanners/generators are:

Also, unbeknownst to me at the time, I have had a link to Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything on my phone for QR readers! WOW! How crazy is that since I felt like I just realized how amazing she is! Click here for the link!

These are all such fantastic resources to use in the library (as you can see!) Let me know what other thoughts you have on how to use them! I can’t wait to make some fun videos with my kiddos next year for overdue books! 😉

Bridge to Terabithia

~ tarahargrove ~ Leave a comment

Bridge to Terabithia is one of my top favorite books of all time. While teaching third grade, I would read this book every year with my students. It quickly became a favorite to many of them as well. Below is a quick summary in my words of what the book is about.

BridgetoTera

A fifth-grade country boy named Jess begins the school year wanting to be the fastest kid in his grade. However, he is out ran by a new girl named Leslie. Even as he tries not to like her, they become best friends. She is everything he thinks he’s not: smart, sophisticated, artistic, rich and blessed with good parents. Jess and Leslie build an imaginary stronghold that only they know about and once tragedy strikes, he realizes just how much hope Leslie broughthim.

This book has so many themes and evokes such emotion from the reader. A child, even from a young age such as 8 or 9, can truly identify with the way Jess feels throughout the book and so many know what it’s like to have a special friend who is different from you in every way, but is still your best bud. Books can teach children empathy and this specific book is full of scenes that do just that.

Click on the image to visit the author’s Amazon page to find more books written by Paterson.

Paterson, Katherine (1972). Bridge to Terabithia. New York, NY: Crown.

 

New. Novel.

~ tarahargrove ~ Leave a comment

So I am just like the other billions of people out there who get uncomfortable with change. The start of something new is difficult and we usually let our fear and anxiety take over and hold us captive in the present. BUT what fun is that?! I don’t want to be stuck in the now for forever! Just like the rest of you, I must get my head in the game and talk myself into WHY change is good.

Being a novice at something is not a favorite of mine (I’m sure no one really likes it), but we all have to begin somewhere. I am officially a novice at being a grad student. Sure, I’ve gone to college, but that was like a decade ago! And things have changed since then! Plus, I’m taking my classes online which is another scary thing to add to my list! The bright side is- I’m a teacher, so school is my jam! And I’m super techie so I’ve got that going for me with this online school thing. There is always good to be found in every situation; you just have to search for it.

I have taught for 8 years now. It would have been 9, but I took a year off to stay at home with my son. I absolutely LOVE being in the classroom. My students are my why. They drive me to be a teacher who pushes, who loves, who cares and who wants to see them be abundantly successful. I tell my students constantly that we are life long learners, so I decided to put myself out there and be a product of what I say. I am officially in graduate school to get my master’s in Library Science. I would soooo be a great school librarian (just ask my fourth grade teacher Mrs. Martin!) I am excited about this new journey, but just like everyone else who begins something new, I am nervous and a little scared at what’s to come. Life can be crazy and difficult to manage at times as it is, and here I go adding more to my plate. How will I manage it all, you might ask?  I made myself make ONE single new year’s resolution and that was to say NO more often. I have a bad habit of taking on lots of projects and doing lots of favors, but I need to force myself to say no so I can focus and get things done that are most important to me and my family. With that being said, I am now off to have dinner and get ready for another Monday with my fourth graders. Make it count this week! Stay positive my friends! ❤

 

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My student ID photo (hehe)