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Educational Technology at IU13

Tim Leister

Instructional Technology Specialist - Lancaster-Lebanon IU13
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Sora - Big Library Read - Fall 2023

Posted by Tim Leister on Wed, Oct 11, 2023

November2023_BLR_ArtieandtheWolfMoon_Sora_820x312

 

The next Big Library Read kicks off on November 2 with a title you can really sink your teeth into!

 

The Sora Big Library Read is occurring again this year from November 2 - 16
  • Have your students join and participate in a worldwide book club this November! Artie and the Wolf Moon by Olivia Stephens will become available to all IMS Sora Readers on November 2nd at no cost to your school library. This Big Library Read novel is available in more than 22,000 libraries around the world, including approximately 90 percent of public libraries in North America, and hundreds of thousands of readers are expected to participate.
  • The title will automatically load into Sora at the top of the Explore tab for students and readers have unlimited access to the title until November 16 – with no waitlists or holds. It’s a great way to bring your school community together through reading and discussion.
  • Artie and the Wolf Moon was published as an ebook and audiobook by Lerner Publishing Group. Big Library Read is an international reading program that connects readers around the world with an ebook through public libraries. Artie and the Wolf Moon is the 32nd selection of this program which began in 2013 and takes place three times per year. 
  • The Content Access Level for this title is set at "Young Adult (YA)."
SummaryNovember2023_BLR_ArtieandtheWolfMoon_General_1080x1080
  • "After sneaking out against her mother's wishes, Artie Irvin spots a massive wolf—then watches it don a bathrobe and transform into her mom. Thrilled to discover she comes from a line of werewolves, Artie asks her mom to share everything—including the story of Artie's late father. Her mom reluctantly agrees. And to help Artie figure out her own wolflike abilities, her mom recruits some old family friends. Artie thrives in her new community and even develops a crush on her new friend Maya. But as she learns the history of werewolves and her own parents' past, she'll find that wolves aren't the scariest thing in the woods—vampires are."

Promotional Materials

  • Marketing materials, such as flyers, social media posts, and images to promote to students and teachers can be found here.

 

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Topics: OverDrive, SORA

Discovery Education - October 2023 Updates

Posted by Tim Leister on Wed, Oct 4, 2023

 

Oct 2023 DE Banner

Here are some "Timely & Relevant" resources from Discovery Education for the month of October.  The new school year is in full swing and Discovery Education can be your daily hub of resources for your classroom with digital media and ready-to-use learning activities. Be sure to log into your instance of Discovery Education before clicking on the links in this post.

 

Timely and Relevant Resources10_October_Page_2
  • Check out the October 2023 DE Newsletter for a list of resources that supports student learning throughout the summer.  Click on the link above or the image to open and download this month's newsletter.

 

Explore the Ready-to-Use-Activities
  • Explore DE's ready-to-use activities These time-saving activities can be used as-is or modified to meet the needs of their classroom! From Background Builders to Sentence Fix-Its to Choice Boards and more – teachers can find quick grab and go resources to use anytime in the Instructional Activities Channel.

  • There you’ll find past month's Activity Calendars and this October's Activity Calendars for Grades K-2 and Grades 3-5. Use them as they are or make your own copy to edit and share.

 

30 Ways to Discovery Education

  • Learn how Discovery Education can serve as your daily learning platform with 30 Ways to DE Calendar! From signing in to creating engaging learning experiences to utilizing Quiz, this calendar features our most popular tools, features, and resources. Here a flyer to print and share with teachers with the top 5 tips to help you get started.

 

Monthly & Timely Celebrations

  • National Cybersecurity Awareness Month - Check out the Girls4Tech Channel that "helps bridge the gap between opportunity, awareness, and readiness by providing schools and community organizations with free resources to educate, inspire, and equip young girls with the skills and confidence they need to envision themselves as future professionals in STEM fields."
  • Bullying Prevention Month - Check out the Prevent Bullying Channel - "In this channel, explore content that helps students understand what bullying is, provides strategies to stop the behavior, and teaches how to be socially responsible."
  • Red Ribbon Week - An alcohol, tobacco, and other drug and violence prevention awareness campaign observed annually in October in the United States. Raise your awareness of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and violence, and learn what you can do to help celebrate Red Ribbon Week.

 

DE VirtCon 2023: Ignite the Classroom Spark

  • Join DE for a day of inspiration and hear how members of the Discovery Educator Network are using DE’s compelling content to engage students and build new opportunities for curiosity in their classrooms.
  • Learn more and register today!

 

Upcoming Virtual Field Trip

  • The Science & Behavior of Safe Driving: It Takes All of Us Virtual Field Trip on Monday, October 16 at 1:00 PM ET - Take students behind the scenes of the automotive industry to discover the exciting careers and problem-solvers at Honda powering a safer future for our world. Students will be transported to Honda’s one-of-a-kind Auto Development Center and Driving Simulator Laboratory to explore how Honda is innovating the future of safety and striving to create a collision free future for everyone. ​Learn more and register! 

DE Honda Virtual FT


Information compiled in this update was provided by our partners at Discovery Education

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Topics: Discovery Education

BrainPop Bulletin - September 2023

Posted by Tim Leister on Thu, Sep 28, 2023

BrainPop Bulletin

The monthly BrainPOP Bulletin is designed to provide inspiration for your classroom. Every month, this bulletin will have fresh instructional ideas, classroom swag, and community announcements for classroom teachers. 

October's Question - How can we encourage more focused, purposeful movie viewing?

group of brainpop characters

Watch, Discuss, Rewatch - The lights may be out when you press play, but this movie-viewing strategy will make students' minds light up. Visit the current BrainPop Bulletin to learn about one way to make movies a more active part of your class, while providing an opportunity to practice essential literacy skills. 

 

Essential Literacy Skills

Rewatching a movie and assigning Pause Points after class discussion does more than boost engagement the second time around. Students will have a chance to practice essential literacy skills, while you add data in your dashboard that tracks proficiency.

 

Also in this month's Bulletin...

Watch best advice through "Teacher Stories" and download free BrainPOP swag to have a big, orange robot to brighten up any room.

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Topics: BrainPop

Gale - Back-to-School 2023 Updates

Posted by Tim Leister on Fri, Sep 1, 2023

 

Gale banner aug 2023

The Lancaster-Lebanon IU13 IMS provides districts with access to two popular research databases, Student Resources in Context and Opposing Viewpoints in Context for the secondary-level researchers. These resources provide federated searches to help turn learners into researchers, thinkers, and debaters.

Information for this 2023 Back-to-School Update is provided by our partners at Gale. Check out the full PA August Edition of the Gale Goodness Newsletter from our IU13 representative, Tracy McCreadie. IU13 districts can reach out to her directly concerning changes to their GALE resources through POWER Library. Any educator can sign up here for a virtual or in-person meeting with her to talk through your specific needs.

 

Need a quick video or tip sheet to share for Back-to-School?

"Gear up for the new school year and engage your students with Gale In Context! Diverse content including reference articles, multimedia materials, news papers, and more support not only student research but also classroom instruction. Explore what Gale has to offer, including our supplemental teaching materials here!"

Gale in context 2023

 

Market you GALE Resources

"It is a new year! How can you share your resources with your teachers, team, and community? Here is a quick webinar to get some ideas!"

 

Gale In Context Primary Source Lesson Plans

"Teach historical contextualization and author's point of view while harnessing the skill of analyzing Primary Sources using Gale In Context. These lesson plans provide examples of skill building activities while learning about key historical figures and events."

 

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Topics: GALE databases

Sora - Back-to-School 2023 Updates

Posted by Tim Leister on Tue, Aug 22, 2023

 

sora sept 2023

 

Sora's Back-to-School Checklist

Ah, back-to-school season. No matter how old you are — or how stressful it can get — there’s just something about it. The trace hints of autumn in the air. The squeak of shoes on freshly waxed floors. The clean lines of a blank chalkboard (if you’re still using chalkboards). And...perhaps the creak of Chromebooks opening and closing?

Whether you’re already back to school or prepping for your return, one thing remains the same: you want to meet your students with all the books they need! And right now is the best time to make sure you've done everything you can to make sure that happens!

 

Check out your Sora back-to-school checklist!

 

A one-stop shop for everything you need to start the school year right with reading success. Get tips and tricks, promotional resources, book discounts and more. Learn Sora from cover to cover with hand-picked training resources to meet your needs, no matter your role. Discover Sora, the student reading app, and explore OverDrive Marketplace, the shopping and administrative portal for Sora.

 

Information compiled in this update was provided by our partners at Sora

 

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Topics: OverDrive, SORA