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The TAO of Ron Swanson: How Ron Swanson Inspires Educators
The TAO of Ron Swanson orHow Ron Swanson Inspires Educators "We need to talk""That has never been true""I find these kinds of superficial social interactions awkward and uncomfortable. Please stop...
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Summer Reading 2019
The Summer Reading List is Here! Where does the time fly? I can't believe it's that time of year again! Time to share our SummerReading List with you! It's my 27th year in HCPSS and 22nd year here at...
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Summer Reading Suggestions from Social Media
Sometimes I just want a trashy summer read. Something light. Something sassy.A cozy coastal mystery. A true Beach Read.Nothing heavy. Not WWII.No cancer, no conflict, no causes. No political or...
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What's Up with TikTok?
What do you get when you mash together Instagram, Vine, Flipagram, and Musical.ly?TikTok. My middle school students introduced me to TikTok this past school year when I noticed that my 6th grade girls...
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Back to School Special
A decade or so ago I started a series of Back to Special webinars with wonderful partners like my sweet friend Shannon Miller and for several years my two favorite mentees (who have since surpassed...
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It's So Grape To Have YOU Here!
First day of school activity idea inspired by Cotton Candy Grapes!“It’s so 🍇 GRAPE to have you here!” First day of school greeting and little surprise grape for my students! We’re going to do a taste...
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Drawing for Your Future Self
Here's a getting to know you idea to use with the kiddos. I'm going to try this next week. So, if it flops bad, I will be sure to let you know. Oh, and I'm NOT a great artist. So no salty comments. But...
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10 Easy Instagram Photo Book Challenge
Lately, I've grown fascinated with the Instagram #BookChallenge and the #BookBento photo technique. So, here's my rendition, see above graphic or make a copy of my GoogleDoc. Feel free to take, use,...
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Facetime Weather on #MHTVNews
Sometimes, you just have to wing it.Or go for it. Even if it's a wacky idea.Like, a couple weeks ago, when our local weather person was going to be out of school & we didn't have a quick...
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Beautiful Biltmore
Well, hello! I'm so happy you're here!I don't usually post about travel or vacation stuff here without having it related to an Ed Tech or Library conference or educational stuff, but this travel...
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Musical Bookcases
Here's a fun and easy to set up, book selection activity that you can basically do at the drop of a hat...or beat! (see what I did there?) I am always looking for ways to beef up our circulation...
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Keep Calm and Read On
Hello there dear blog readers and my Twitter / Instagram family and friends. Here's a kind of mirrored post that I put out on my Daring School Library blog for my kids, parents, and community. That...
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It's Time to Clean Up Your App Life
It’s Time to Clean Up Your App LifeUnused apps on your phone can do more harm than simply taking up space. We’re using our personal devices like our phones and our tablets more than ever during...
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Swipe Right Weeding
OK, here's one way I weed. Go Tinder. Get a book cart and travel around (Fiction or NF) and look at the books. Be surface.Be superficial.Be judgey. I make quick decisions. I don't agonize over it. I...
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Do You Know About Secret Bitmoji's?
Did you know about Secret Bitmoji's? Well, I just stumbled over them this summer and WOW! Cool! Are these new features or something we just missed? Since Bitmoji never talks to me -- and I've Tweeted...
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I'm Exhausted. But We Got This.
I saw this on my Twitter feed and it struck a chord. Every teacher on my end of the hall is burnt and over it already. Every single one of us. Being forced to teach in a pandemic, wondering which...
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Fun with Jigsaw Explorer
This is a fun online game to bring kids together in the classroom, with 1:1, teams, or through virtual learning. Students do NOT need to join the website or share any personal information! Jigsaw...
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Don't Label Me: LGBTQIA+ Ally
Our Middle School Library in Laurel, Maryland has been a loud and proud Safe Space and Ally for ALL of our LGBTQIA and Neurodivergent students for years. We have purchased every well reviewed,...
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Dealing with Difficult People
Teaching and dealing with others in the workplace can be sometimes tricky. Especially, when your job is to help both the kids and staff you know you will never make everyone happy. It's physically and...
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Building Community at a Distance
I really should name this post "What I did during Covid" Which, in short, was a LOT OF Geek Squad Tech help to my kids, families, teachers, & staff. I created content to help my kids to connect,...
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FReadom to Read
Book Display • Books • Resources • Rant Two blog posts in a row about our Library being a Safe Space for our LGBTQIA+ kiddos. Why? Because we're aggressively passionate about being allies to our kids....
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Ticket to Ride: FREE Helpful Printables & Chromebook Management
Blog post ideas come from all kinds of places - including Instagram comments! In fact, one of the reasons I started this blog some 13 years ago was to share the content I made to help other people....
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You Don't Have to Marry It!
An update from the Archives. Got Ed Tech Relationship Anxiety?It's so easy to feel Ed Tech trend overload at the beginning of the school year. It's exhausting and can be overwhelming. Just remember,...
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Dare Every OTHER Day
Dare Every Other DayYou know, one becomes pretty reflective when they change up their life in a big way. Like moving into another professional phase after 30 years of teaching - 25 in Middle...
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Curating the Happy for Your Future Self
Teacher Tip #112 Teacher Self-Care: Create a Happy FolderIn my School Library Media office desk I had a manilla folder where I carefully tucked all the hand written notes from kiddos & parents to...
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