Science Teachers: NBC Learn Has Some Great Stuff For You!!

Under the free resources section of their site, NBC Learn has put together some terrific sites for the sciences. The Science of Hockey offers a ten-part video series which includes math and science topics. Chemistry Now has a long listing of topics, including  Cheeseburger Chemistry, Chemistry of Chocolate, Chemistry of Household Cleaners and more. Changing Planet has videos about the survival of trees, infectious diseases, coral reefs and much...

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A Nomination for Most Fascinating Blog!

If you enjoy reading A Media Specialist's Guide to the Internet, I hope you will take a second to vote for it as "The Most Fascinating Librarian Blog!" Voting is from Febraury 27-March 6. Thank you for your continued support!!Click here and locate this URL: http://mediaspecialistsguide.blogspot....

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Rewards Work for All Ages: Here Are 24 Sites to Find Certificates, Awards and Coupons

We all love to be recognized. After all, who doesn't like being told they are wonderful? Students respond to the reward system, and with so many templates and online creation tools, you should have no problem finding the perfect coupon or certificate. I have even made available my own "Bonus Bucks" and a Reward Coupon I made for a fellow teacher.123 Certificates- sports, music spelling bee awards and much moreCertificate StreetCertificateMaker-choose...

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iPad Apps for Autistic Students

Just yesterday a friend of mine asked if I could suggest any iPad apps for her autistic nephew.  I had watched the 60 Minutes episode on the iPad's impact on autistic students, and knowing how large Apple's App store is, (and the fact that there's an app for just about anything you could think of)  I began my search which led to this posting. 10 Great iPad Apps for Autistic Children- from the blog, Vitamin B12 Patch10 Revolutionary Apps...

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Udemy Offers Loads of Free Online Classes

How would your students like to take classes in product development with Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg? They can on Udemy's wonderful website. With ninety percent of the classes free, Udemy offers an array of categories, such as Language, Music, Test Prep, Technology and Internet and much more. Udemy also allows you to create your own online cour...

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The Importance of Keyboarding: 16 Resources to Get it Right

When I was in eighth grade, we were required to take typing. I remember the teacher passed down the aisles about twice per class period, and I made sure to show that I was typing the correct way with all ten fingers. The second she passed by my desk I went back to typing my own way, the hunt and peck method, the way I still type today. Back then, I had no idea how important keyboarding would be for me in the future, creating text documents, writing...

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Why Not Use Political Cartoons in Your Teaching? Here are 15 Places to Find Them

As the Republican candidates campaign for their party's nomination, the cartoonists have been having a field day with their political cartoons. You can use these as you discuss many topics in your classroom, from drugs to gas prices. America in Caricature: 1765-1865 American Political Prints- covers 1766-1876; some cartoons are colorizedCartoon of the Day- from HarpWeek; search by theme: TOPICS, PEOPLE, PLACES; excellent!Cartoonists of the Week...

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Google Apps For Education: Is Your School Connected?

Since last year, I have been trying to get my district to make the transition to Google Apps for Education.With free Gmail account for every student, access to Google Docs for all, collaboration is easy. Relying on Google's server, (ours crashed a month ago and had to be replaced-$$) schools have their files automatically backed up and protected from viruses. Google support is excellent, and these are just a few of the schools using Google...

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50 Famous People Who Were Teachers

 When students talk about what they'd like to major in when they go to college, I always advise them to pick something they are passionate about. After all, they will be doing it for a long time. Every now and then I find a student who wants to be a teacher, even though our profession has recently taken a lot of hits from politicians who think we are overpaid. (I will not rant here....that's for another post) Here's a long list of famous people...

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Teacher-Librarians: Great Google Tips For Us

OnlineCollege.org has put together a super listing of 50 Great Google+ Tips for School Librarians. If you don't have a Gmail account, it's time for you to get one already! There are so many terrific things offered through Google, and one of them is Google+....

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24 Places to Find Bulletin Board Display Ideas

I have worked as a media specialist in the elementary, middle and high school. The most creative teachers by far are those in the elementary school. Their bulletin boards are always eye-catching. They are constantly changing the displays and are never short on ideas. In gathering this list of resources for bulletin board ideas, I found that most of the lists are for K-6 teachers. Perhaps middle and high school teachers can modify some of the suggestions...Bulletin...

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The Weeding Game: Saying Goodbye to Reference Books

The librarian before me was a pack-rat. She didn't throw away anything! Our school's collection hadn't been weeded in decades, and the average age was 1976.  I began to weed and feed the collection five years ago, correcting spine labels and database entries. Here I am today about to enter the "more aggressive" stage of weeding our reference section, and I find myself feeling sorry for the dozens upon dozens of books which have outlived their...

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