Well here it is January and I have already missed some time sharing with you!  Well, time is a ticking away so I hope that today begins a new dedicated effort to do a weekly update!  

For today I want to mention that we are starting a new feature with our Gr. 8 students!  We have developed a conference that students can access and share there thoughts about books they have read.  We are trying to keep it to books available at Post's Corners Library so that all students have access.  It is like a book blog as it is an editable document and all have access to share, add to or just read their peers reviews!  Mr. Galbraith is going to kick this off with his class so have a look soon to see what the students are enjoying!  P.S. You will see a template that I have designed but it is there as a guide not a have to!  *How do you find this you say?* Log onto CHATT, go to the Post's Corners conference, look up in the list of folders above and click on Student Conferences.  You will see Pos Gr8 Books (get it??? (; ) click there for the details.  

I also want to begin sharing again some great web resources to keep you up to date!

You might want to start with our own Student Internet Tools Portal (opens up when you go on Internet Explorer or Safari) You will notice Kindergarten has been added.  If you click on any of these grade links they will take you to a list of up to date web resources.  Myself and a group of teacher-librarians have been working on this update during the last 2 months.  It is always a work in progress so check back often.  You will see that there is also a place where you can add your suggestions!  

Here are 2 wonderful web resources that might be useful to you.  Choice Literacy is a wonderful site for literacy.  There is a website but also you can sign up for a weekly newsletter which is a great way to keep informed!  There is also a membership opportunity.  I joined last year and that gave me access to much more than the free newsletter items.  You will recognize the names of some of the contributors-Debbie Miller, The Boushey sisters, Franki Sibberson and more.  The other site is one you might have already discovered.  It is from Saskatchewan and has a wonderful collection of literacy resources.  As always, we need to see and acknowledge how it connects with our own Halton and Ontario ministry requirements.  Enjoy!

CHOICE LITERACY

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES ONLINE

Thank you to everyone @ Post's Corners who made our Book Fair last week such a wonderful success!  Thanks to the parent volunteers, student volunteers, and teachers who helped me out with set up, check outs etc.  Thanks to our students and their parents who supported this school fundraiser for our library!  

Last year I started Teacher Drive Thru. It was a successful way of sharing websites on a variety of current educational trends and topics on my library website. I hope that this year my blog will provide a place to share those interesting and important websites that might inform our practice. Look for something new each week. Here are 2 websites that I think you might find interesting and will get us started.


Read Write Think
The first is from NCTE and it bears repeating from last year. I love the ideas on this website. I think that teachers of all grades will find it useful.


The Writing Site
The second site is called The Writing Site. I think that you will find it interesting. I found the descriptions of the various types of writing helpful as well as the prompts for writing.

Just One Click...

Well, my blog is real not just a thing in my head anymore. I am excited to take my summer learning into practice. I loved my Web 2.0 course! While not yet sure where it will take me in my journey of discovery I do know that I will test the waters to see where I can introduce new technologies into my school life. My world is all about connections it seems. Connections with teachers in my building, my district and now throughout the world with just one click. I am energized by the idea of using Web 2.0 tools with the students in our building. There is a sense of excitement around the possibility of connecting with the world beyond our classrooms, beyond our library. Our students are making connections each and every day. I am willing to take just one click...Are you?