Jean Darnell: Awaken Librarian!

It's official! I now have my Masters of Library Science Degree! Thank you to all who supported and assisted me! I'm now an alumni member of Baylor University (undergrad) and the University of Houston-Clear Lake (graduate)!  #uhclgrad One of my proudest moments as a UHCL graduate student occurred when my school shined a spotlight on my scholarship win in Spring 2014!

Here's the lesson for this month...a persuasive letter to Santa Claus! The prizes are as follows 1st place: the full collection of Diary of the Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney 2nd place: the full collection of The Dork Diaries series by Rachel Renee Russell 3rd place: the Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi Some proof that even teachers can get in on the UGLY SWEATER fun! And this was my attempt at a Christmas Display. I had lights but had to remove them for a fire-safety measures: Here's my "Holiday Greeting" to you all! This was just a quirky video find...it's spunky humor based on two holiday classics!

This is what happens when you unleash a new technology tool on urban 5th grade dynamite iPad users... cOnFuSiOn, RaPtUre, FrUsTrAtIoN and 100% ENGAGED LEARNING! I showed them a few steps, and then stood back. I wanted them to do as they do at home when they download a new app, and just figure it out! Or better yet, teach each other. I thought of this activity as critical thinking in it's rawest form. It was part self-directed learning (SDL) and definitely independent discovery through technology. After all, they were discovering the wonder of Tumble Books (e-books) ! ENJOY! Essentially, the notion of SDL advocated here reflects Malcolm Knowles definition of SDL: “In its broadest meaning, ’self-directed learning’ describes a process by which individuals take the initiative, with our without the assistance of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identify human and material resources for learning, choosing and implement appropriate learn...

For my research class, I would like to survey those single parents that decided to go back and earn their post-baccalaureate degree! If you fit the criteria of a single, please help me by submitting your experience via this survey! A thousand "thank-yous" in advance! Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool. Single #Parents : Please complete my survey about your grad school experience. Thanks! https://t.co/UblLpOzbQM — awakenlibrarian (@awakenlibrarian) November 21, 2014

We're celebrating "Turkey Day" by writing LIMERICKS! After "wetting" my students' appetite about a turkey named "Bert" --who was young, foolish and didn't listen to his elder turkey-friend about how to save his life by doing the "turkey dance" (see video below) for the King and Queen --I explained Bert's downfall and, more specifically, how he became my Thanksgiving dinner! It's my clever way to get young 'uns to listen to their elders...part Aesop fable...party my own zaniness! I end the story with a cliff-hanger, the students rapt at attention regarding what happened to Bert. When I've prolonged it time enough, I transition to this limerick below to satiate their "literary thirst!" :) There once was a turkey named Bert, Who thought himself a flirt. He played with his life and met a sharp knife. Now he's the source of my burp! :) Scholastic has this interactive online game for writing lime...

Well...today was a GREAT DAY IN THE LIBRARY!! We participated in Scholastic's LIVE Webcast with Usher and the kids are now saying that "We're MOVIE-STARS!" Honestly, it's kind of hard not to burst their bubbles...they're still young 'uns! And, I won't; because anything that gets them excited about reading, I'm all for it! 21st century technology standard was met today with flying colors! Watching @Usher read If Kids Ruled the World . Thx @Scholastic "Think bigger than your goals."-Usher #sharepossible pic.twitter.com/MqCtC7MMdj — awakenlibrarian (@awakenlibrarian) November 6, 2014 And when Scholastic RETWEETED their photos, they lost their minds... Watching @Usher read If Kids Ruled the World . Thx @Scholastic "Think bigger than your goals."-Usher #sharepossible pic.twitter.com/MqCtC7MMdj — awakenlibrarian (@awakenlibrarian) November 6, 2014

This post does contain frightening and unnerving videos as well as kid-friendly resources. However, please take caution if you're sensitive to scary movies...as there's plenty of that here! This week's one of my favorites for class activities! I like seeing little ones get slightly spooked! Their innocence is exciting and rewarding...:) However, if any of your babies begin acting like these in the video below, then... Creepy Kids - Children in horror from Peter Schneider on Vimeo . Here's a link to a great "skeleton" lesson on " How to Write Your Own Scary Story... " And to follow suit, here's a wonderful reading of Edgar A. Poe's "The Raven." Click on the little sound icon on the top left of the page. To get the students EXCITED about SPOOKTACULAR reads, I created the following display and gave this Scary Stories to Read hand-out : Anyone one of my kiddos, who paid attention in the library, KNOWS why I...