NMHS Media Center
News and Happenings
New Milford High School Media Center
We have a great selection of books both for independent reading and research. Students do not need a library card or anything at all to check out a book. They simply choose one, bring it to me and I use their name to check out their book to them. I strongly encourage all of your students to have a public library card though. The public library has many useful electronic resources the students can access by just using their card.
The library also have seating at tables for full classes as well as a SmartTV for you to use, which serves as our projection screen and whiteboard. We also have a little library lounge that is housed with couches. It's a great place for students to read, so feel free to send them down! Please remind your students that they can visit the library on their lunch as well. During their lunch, they may want to play chess or checkers, read, visit our makerspace or do any work they might have to do.
In addition, I am available to support your technology efforts. I am always more than willing to teach a technology tool to your classes, collaborate on lessons in your classrooms or here in the library. We had so many successful and exciting collaborations last school year, I look forward to many more this year.
Please continue reading below for more specific information that may be useful to you.
Have a great school year!
Mrs. Fleming
Makerspace
We have a makerspace in our library here at the high school. This space serves as a learning environment in which your students can create, invent, tinker and even play! :)
In our makerspace, I have activities daily ranging from the students building with legos at our lego table to playing with electronic circuits at our LittleBits bar! The highlight of our makerspace is our 3-d printer. PLEASE encourage your students to come to the library and visit our makerspace on their lunch or during their free periods. I also welcome you to bring your classes down to take part in various activities related to the themes on this site: www.worlds-of-making-nmhs.com. Occasionally, I will reach out to some of you to collaborate on related activities. I encourage you to reach out to me as well.
Chromebooks
In our library, we have a cart of Chromebooks available for students to check out, just as they would borrow a library book. Although we are a BYOD school, sometimes one device just doesn't do the trick! Also in some cases, a student might not have a device. Please send students who need to borrow a device to the library to borrow one. They may borrow them for a period, for a school day, or if necessary, even overnight!
Earn a Digital Badge!
Last year we had a very successful experience flipping our PD through the use of a digital badge-based professional learning platform I created for all of you (and teachers around the world!) The idea behind this site is to give you a place to learn about web-based tools on your own time. My goal is for you to spend no more than 10 minutes on the site learning the basics about a tech tool and then spend the bulk of your time integrating that tool into your instruction in some way. After that is done, you come back to the website and submit 'proof' to me that you have done that. This 'proof' can be a lesson plan, a link to something online, or even a text description of what you have done. After I receive your evidence, I then will issue you a digital badge that will demonstrate and celebrate your learning.
This is an INFORMAL learning tool, so please don't be afraid that you are going to be formally evaluated on what you do. This site is intended to be a place in which you can feel safe to learn and grow. For those of you who are more technologically proficient, this site is a great way to showcase your innovations and to challenge yourself. I am here to support you as you learn these tools. Please let me know if you would like me to sit with you as you learn a tool or if you would like me to come into your classrooms to support you as you try these tools out. Although this is an informal learning tool, after you earn a digital badge, you can upload it as an artifact on McCrel. I encourage all of you to join and begin earning badges that will help to make your informal professional learning visible. The digital badges are a great way to showcase your learning through social media channels, websites and blogs.
The site is:
www.worlds-of-learning-nmhs.com
Some of our badges include:
I will be adding many more badges this year as we go. By the way, you can earn badges for tools you already know how to use. This is a way to make what you know KNOWN and recognized through earning a badge that will showcase your knowledge.
I have been asked if our students can join the site, and my answer to that is YES! Feel free to use this site to help you 'flip' your classroom. If you know you want to use a tool with students, they can watch the screencast at home in preparation for your lessons.
Finally, I know many of you are 'experts' at a variety of web-based tools yourself. If you'd like to contribute your knowledge and work with me to film a screencast to put on the site, you can earn a Digital Leadership badge!
Happy Badging! :)
Social Media
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/NMHSMediaCenter/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NMHSMediaCenter
Twitter: @NMHS_lms
My blog can be found at http://www.worlds-of-learning.com
The Library Collection
Stay Connected
Email: lfleming@newmilfordschools.org
Website: www.worlds-of-learning.com
Location: 1 Snyder Circle
Phone: 201.261.2952
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NMHSMediaCenter
Twitter: @NMHS_lms