Learning Commons Lowdown
March/April 2017 Double Issue!
TEEN TECH WEEK: March 6 - 10
littleBits Circuits!
Stikbots Stop-Motion Animation
Touchcast Studio Green Screen
- 3D Printing
- Stikbot Stop Motion
- littleBits
- VR Headsets
- Touchcast Studio Green Screen
- MYO YouTube Channel
- DIY CD Suncatchers
Happy Camper Book Fair: April 9 - 13
Book Fair Contests & Activities
Guess the Tracks
Trail Map Scavenger Hunt
Display Poster Drawing
Bug Your Teacher!
- Mr. Rochkus
- Ms. Garner
- Mrs. Williams
- Mr. Hood
- Coach Peet
- Coach Jeffcoat (winner!)
Book Fair Drawing & Contest Winners!
Trail Map Scavenger Hunt
Picnic Book Basket
Coach Jeffcoat WINS the "Bug Your Teacher!" Contest
One of the most popular contests, "Bug Your Teacher," featured 6 Hill faculty/staff members that willingly volunteered to eat bugs IF selected by students through spare change donations, which went to All for Books, Scholastic's Book Fair charity.
The lucky winner? Coach Jeffcoat! Coach Jeffcoat was filmed eating a variety of tasty bugs, and the video will be shown during all 3 lunches.
Highlighted LC Activities & Events
Poetry Slam
Green Screen Shakespeare
Fiesta Medal DIY
Collaborative Instruction: Genius Hour! (8th Gr. Reading)
Students will continue the momentum by working on their Genius Hour projects on a weekly basis throughout the rest of the semester, culminating in a "genius-con" style exposition of their projects.
Librarian Ms. Diaz Presents at TLA
In the "Go Beyond Google" session, Ms. Diaz co-presented with other NEISD and NISD Librarians on their collaborative marketing ideas, activities, and lessons used to promote TexQuest digital resources available to schools across Texas. Their hosting website is now also shared on the TexQuest support site as a resource for librarians across the state.
"Currently Reading" Interview:
Each forthcoming LC Lowdown will feature a Hill reader and share what s/he is currently reading!
Click here to read 7th grade Texas History Teacher Mr. Pitt's "Currently Reading" Interview!
SIRS Discoverer
SIRS Discoverer contains 1,900 magazines, newspapers and reference books, 10,000 educator-approved websites and over 30,000 graphics/photos/maps!
Save articles to Google directly with Gale-to-Google integration!
Student-friendly new search results and article pages that will help students comprehend content
Current Events feature updated with more full-text articles and graphics with new content added daily
SIRS Discoverer is one of many digital resources (aka Search APPS) accessible from home using the district's username/password for each resource. To view password information from home, students first login to their NEISD GOOGLE ACCOUNT and then click this link: Home Access.
WeVideo
WeVideo is the online video editor that makes it easy to capture, create, view and share your movies at up to 4K resolution for stunning playback anywhere.
Features in the subscription-based version
- Share media: Deploy media to all students or let them share with each other for each project.
- Peer review: Inline comments help students and teachers provide prompt feedback while building stories together.
- Iterative collaboration: Scene-editing allows students to create independently, then bring the work together in one final video.
New Digital Tools @the Learning Commons!
The LC's subscription is a managed account with a limited # of user accounts that can be added/deleted as needed for specific projects. However, once students have created a finished product, those can be downloaded and saved permanently, including to their Google Drive accounts.
See Librarian Ms. Diaz for more details!
Storyboard That! (for Schools)
Coming in May....
The FUNNEST EOY Event hosted by the LC...
MARCH & APRIL Combined Stats
Total # of Books Circulated/Checked Out
Print Books: 736
OverDrive: 384
Total # of Classes Served
- Instruction
- Activities
- Collaboration
- Checkouts
Average # of Individual Students Served Daily
Follow the Learning Commons on Twitter & Instagram!
Twitter: Follow @TexHillLC to stay informed about great resources, events and activities happening 24/7.
Instagram: Follow @TexHillLC to see a visual gallery of the LC's happenings in real time!
Learning Commons @Tex Hill MS
Email: tdiaz4@neisd.net
Website: http://neisd.libguides.com/welcome_hill_library
Location: 21314 Bulverde Road, San Antonio, TX, United States
Phone: 210.356.8004
Twitter: @TexHillLC