Media Minute
A newsletter of the Avon High School Libraries
December 2014
Best Websites and Apps for Teaching and Learning
Best Websites for Teaching and Learning
Separated into the following categories:
- Media Sharing
- Digital Storytelling
- Manage and Organize
- Social Media and Communication
- Content Resources
- Curriculum Collaboration
Best Apps for Teaching and Learning
Separated into the following categories:
- Books
- STEM
- Organization and Management
- Social Studies
- Content Creation
Library Tools You Can Use
Robyn Young can show you how to pull these articles together yourself, or she is happy to pull articles from any of the databases and the e-books that we have available and place links on the new Avon High School Library Research website. Check out the new site and see some of the articles that have been pulled together for other classes.
While we are transitioning to a new website, the one on the school web page is still accessible to you and your students. All links to the new page will come from the existing page.
(P.S. Using Google Sites is sooo easy...let Robyn know if you want to give it a try.)
Opinion Editor from the Indianapolis Star visits AHS
Tim Swarens, Opinions Editor from the Indianapolis Star, came to speak with Avon High School students enrolled in English 11 about editorial writing. As students prepared to write their own editorials, Mr. Swarens gave invaluable advice about the focus of an editorial, the difference between subjectivity and objectivity, and the importance of doing research before you write. He also discussed some of his favorite interviews, including one with Dr. Kent Brantly who was the first person on American soil to have ebola. After hearing Mr. Swarens speak, students wrote editorials on a topic of their choosing, with the best being displayed in an online format.
The visit was sponsored by the Avon High School Library and was held during SRT. If you are interested in a guest speaker coming in to talk with your students about a particular subject, please contact Robyn Young as she is more than happy to help set things up.
e-reading at AHS
Copyright Free Images
If you prefer a standard Google search, Google now has an option to search for copyright free images. Search for your image like you normally would, then click on Search Tools, then Usage Rights. Check where it says Labeled for noncommercial reuse and Google will give you the pictures that can be used freely.
Brain Shark
USA Today Available for Free
Classroom Response Options
Kahoot - Game-based blended learning and classroom response system
Plickers - collect formative assessment data with just one phone for the whole class (this was highlighted in the September issue of Media Minute)
Zondle - create, play, and share games to support teaching, learning, and assessment
What is being checked out in the library?
Library Stats for the month of November
- 98 classes attended out of 80 class periods = 122% scheduled (multiple classes per period)
- 187 students supervised in senior study hall each day
- 3,374 students from study hall or sent from classes or lunch
- 2,940 students in scheduled classes
- Number of students coming to the library each day: 371 students on average (not including study hall students)
- 635 books circulated in November
- 895 new books were added to the library program during 2014
AHS Library on Social Media
Instagram - @ahsbooks
Good Reads - Robyn Young
Goal for the 2014-2015 School Year
- co-teaching with teachers to help provide the best learning experience for each individual student
- working with students one-on-one as needed (searching for books, helping with individual research, providing individual learning stations)
Mission of the Avon High School Libraries
The mission of the Avon High School Library program is to encourage the quest for knowledge and promote the joy of reading by providing free access to a variety of materials that meet both the educational curriculum and recreational reading needs of Avon High School students.
Robyn Young
Robyn Young is a certified School Librarian (grades K-12) who is in her 14th year of being the librarian at Avon High School. Prior to that, she taught Social Studies and English for 10 years.
She is the Vice-President for the Indiana Library Federation, National Honor Society co-sponsor, a Newspapers in Education Board Member for the state of Indiana, and a member of the ABC-Clio Social Studies Advisory Board.
Email: rryoung@avon-schools.org
Website: http://www.avon-schools.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=5471
Phone: 317-544-5000
Twitter: @ahsbooks