Thoughts from a Librarian Blogger

The upcoming school year is quickly approaching.  As I start thinking about technology lessons I want to target in the library this year, search engines come to mind. It is so important to instruct students on how to use search engines. Of course, everyone automatically turns to Google, but did you know that there are kid-friendly search engines out there?  For my last assignment in my technology class, I had the opportunity to look into all kinds of search engines. Since I am always thinking of websites and tools to share with teachers and students, one search engine that I looked into is KidRex ( http://www.kidrex.org/ ). KidRex is good to have students use because: it is a fun and safe place to search for children the site is Powered by Google Custom Search and Google SafeSearch- these searches screen sites for inappropriate content and deletes it from the child's search results inappropriate websites and keywords are saved on the KidRex database  there is a Web page

Collage created using Ribbet This week I have had fun playing around with the different web tools that can be used to alter pictures and even create collages, cards, and posters.  I looked at quite a few, but here are the two that I liked the most. Ribbet I had a great time playing around with Ribbet ( http://www.ribbet.com/photo-editor-like-picnik ). Right away I was drawn to how easy it was to use this resource. There are many features to this site. One of the first things I noticed right away, is that there are four different things you can create via Ribbet: a grid collage, shape collage, blank canvas, and a fancy card. Because I was curious, I tried all of them. The grid collage is great if you want to create a collection of photos to highlight an event or even a lesson or project. The free version allows you to choose from the basic selection of grid options for users to upload their photos or images. What is great is that once you select a grid, you can uplo

Schools today face many challenges, including student engagement. In our digital age, it is so important to have resources that will not only get our students actively involved in their learning but also make them tech savvy.  One way teachers can engage students is by using web tools to create quizzes and surveys that can be used in fun ways. My assignment for class this week was to research the different sites that can be used to create surveys and quizzes, choose one and create a product to share. The list I had to choose from was lengthy. As I looked over the choices, a quiz web tool that I really liked and heard was good is Quizizz ( https://quizizz.com/ ). Quizizz is a free web tool that is easy to use. Quizizz offers millions of free teacher-created quizzes you can choose from, or create your own. If you want to choose from created quizzes, all you have to do is search for your topic, and then peruse the different choices. Each quiz has a title, the grade level it is appr

Learning How To Blog Welcome to my very first blog! I have been curious in the past about what goes into creating a blog but had never really thought to make one. Through graduate classes, friends, and social media, I have read others' blogs and have posted an occasional comment, but that was it. As I have been learning and growing in my new role as a librarian, I have kept up more with a few blogs and have gotten great insight into ideas to implement in my library.  I've realized too, that blogs can be a great place to share and celebrate the great things that are going on. With all of this in mind and the help of my current Applications of Technology class assignment to create a blog, I realize this is my chance to jump right in. Before creating my blog, the first thing I decided to do was to look at a few articles about blogging to see what others know about the different platforms to use. I knew that I wanted to find a tool that was free, easy to create and use,