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New Learn360 Titles

Learn360 recently added almost 700 titles to its collection. These titles are newly embedded into our SAFARI Montage platform.

We’ve created some playlists to help you better navigate these titles:

Featured Playlists:

United News (Collection of newsreel footage from the 1940’s) – Grades 6-adult

Universal Newsreels (Collection of newsreel footage from the 1930’s) – Grades 9-12

Prelinger Archives (Collection of newsreel footage from 1920’s-1940s, covering topics such as Charles Lindbergh’s Flight, the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, etc.) – Grades 9-12

The WPA Film Library (Footage from the 1920’s – 1940’s) – Grades 9-12

Looks International (Footage from the 1920’s – 1940’s) – Grades 9-12

Ferguson’s Career Tips – Grades 9-12

Highlights for Children (Animated Stories from highlights) – Grades PreK – K

 

 

Coming Soon from Simon and Schuster!

Lots of great books are scheduled for publication this year. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring some of the books we are excited about.

Today, we’re covering books coming from Simon and Schuster for grades K-5.

(click each book cover to get to the Simon and Schuster page and click Product Details to see the release date):

   
      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For a complete list visit the Simon & Schuster Website.

New Workshops Added to PD Catalog

We’ve added two new workshops to our catalog!

Coming up on March 12 from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm, Mark D’Annunzio will be holding a webinar:

Using iMovie (on the iPad) in your Classroom

Whether you’re new to video production, or experienced with the iMovie app already, this workshop will be a great introduction (or refresher) to one of the most popular iPad video editing apps for education. Join Mark D’Annunzio in this hour-long webinar where he will show you how to use the app, and how teachers use it in the classroom. iMovie is free, and a great way for students to creatively express complex ideas in a digital media format.

An iPad with the free iMovie app is required for the webinar. If you do not have an iPad, you can borrow through our Multimedia or Model Schools service. Contact mark_dannunzio@boces.monroe.edu for information on the borrowing process.

Register here: https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=13458&I=3405883

 

Then, on April 30th from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm, we’ve added a new hands-on workshop:

Stop Motion Video using Mini Green Screens

Teach your students to create frame-by-frame animation (Stop-Motion) on the iPad using two free iPad apps and a green screen pizza box. Stop Motion Video is a creative and fun way for students to express complex ideas in a digital media format. Leveraging green screen technology allows your students to “think outside the pizza box!”

Whether you’re new or experienced with green screen video production, stop motion animation, or the iMovie and iMotion apps, this workshop will be a great introduction (or refresher) to a creative way for students to show what they know. Spend and hour-and-a-half with Mark D’Annunzio and Liesl Toates delving into the creative process in this fun, hands-on workshop.

Register here: https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=13458&I=3405937

Resources for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is coming up in just over a week. Use these resources to celebrate!

Pair this Weston Woods video with the book! (click to watch video in Safari Montage).

Get some exercise with Slim Goodbody and learn all about the history of Valentines Day in this 10 minute Deskercise video:

Pair it with a makerspace project and have students make some cards for their loved ones.

Want to share some ebooks and audio books with your students? Try these books for all ages – scroll down for MS/HS books & click the book cover for more info.:

90-Second Newbery Film Festival Recap

The NINTH Annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival was in Rochester on Saturday for it’s premiere screening at the Rochester Museum and Science Center. At least 21 young filmmakers were in attendance. James Kennedy (author of The Order of Odd Fish) hosted with Bruce Coville (author of you can click here because there are too many books to list).  Over 350 people attended the premiere.

The 90-Second Newbery is a Film Festival where students of all ages create short (90-seconds or less) films that re-tell a Newbery winning or Newbery honor book. In order to accomplish this, students must be able to boil down major plot points to the most important facets of a book. 90-seconds is not a lot of time! It seems like a very difficult thing to do. And yet, students all over the country are turning out thoughtful, witty, funny, poignant retellings each year.

If you haven’t checked this film festival out yet, please see James’ very informative blog. This link takes you to his wrap up of this year’s Rochester festival, where you can view some of the featured videos: http://jameskennedy.com/2020/02/04/our-90-second-newbery-film-festival-kicks-off-its-2020-season-in-radiant-rochester-ny/

Get your students started on this incredibly fun, creative project for next year’s festival!

Library of Congress Surplus Books Program

Did you know that the Library of Congress gives away its surplus books to libraries around the country? It does!

Yes, there are some caveats to the program, but what a cool idea! Here’s the long and short of it:

  • These surplus books are donated for collection development purposes, not to be sold for raising funds for the library.
  • The receiving library has to be a full-time, tax-supported or nonprofit educational institution: school, school system, college, university, museum or public library.
  • Participating organizations must select materials in-person at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.
  • Receiving libraries are responsible for making arrangements and payment for the shipping of the selected materials.

If you are interested, you can find more information and application instructions at the Library of Congress website: https://www.loc.gov/acq/surplus.html

 

Makey Makey Music

March is Music in our Schools Month. So to celebrate we’ll make some music with Makey Makey!

In our workshop on Wednesday, March 4th (3:30 pm – 4:45 pm), we’ll make some musical instruments and hook them up to the Makey Makey so we can play them through the computer. This workshop is intended for School Librarians, but teachers can attend if they attend with their building librarian.

Register here: https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=13458&I=3359827

Featured Resources to Celebrate Black History Month

Black History Month starts on Monday. We have some great resources for you!

There are a number of great videos for all grade levels in Safari MONTAGE. Click on the titles to view the videos in Safari MONTAGE. (Some videos are embedded below and viewable if you are signed into our Safari MONTAGE account already.)

Show Way (Grades K-4)

From the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning PBS children’s series, Reading Rainbow, this program presents the Newbery Honor book by Jacqueline Woodson. The book tells the story of how the women in Woodson’s family began creating quilts with secret maps to freedom during the years of slavery.

The Story of Rosa Parks (Grades 3-6)

This video from Mazzarella tells the story of Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat, which launched the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the civil rights protest movement. The story is told in the context of the development of slavery and segregation in the United States. Through archival photographs and dramatic reenactments, students observe the courage and determination of Rosa Parks. Program includes a teacher’s guide.

History of Black Achievement in America Series (Grades 7-Adult)

Presented by James Avery, ”A History of Black Achievement in America” highlights the many contributions of African Americans that have influenced our culture, enriched our society and shaped the history of the United States.

Blacks Enter the Gilded Age This program examines the African-American experience from the heady days of optimism following the Civil War to the dark days of Jim Crow at the end of the 19th century.

Emergence of the Black Hero  This program examines the African-American experience during the founding of the United States and the first 60 years of the country’s existence.

A New Age  This program examines famous African Americans from the second half of the 20th century and early 21st century who rose to the top of their professions and showed that talent is not race based.

The Fight for Freedom  This program examines the fight to end slavery in the United States, and the establishment of citizenship and civil rights for African Americans.

The Barack Obama Era  This program examines the growing role of African Americans in politics, new forms of literature, information technology and film in the early 21st century.

The Foundation for Equality  This program examines the beginning of racial equality through the acceptance of African-American intellectuals, scientists, artists and heroes by white society in the early 20th century.

Settling the New World and the Founding of the United States  This program examines the African-American experience from the English colonies to the founding of the United States of America.

Depression and War  This program examines the slow progress African Americans made toward equality during the Great Depression and World War II through the achievements of outstanding individuals.

Filling the Gap: A Forgotten Chapter of American History (Grades 6-12)

The achievements of Frederick Douglass are well known, as are those of Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and other heroic African-Americans during the Civil War period. Fewer people have ever heard of Robert Smalls, Phyllis Wheatley, Elizabeth Keckley, Benjamin Banneker, or countless others of African descent who helped to build the American nation. Regardless of renown or obscurity, all the aforementioned names deserve ongoing, in-depth study in U.S. history classes, and this film offers a wealth of dramatized narratives to support that crucial learning. From the remarkable story of Abdul Rahman Ibrahima, the African prince sold into slavery on a Mississippi plantation, to the White House meeting in which Douglass urged President Lincoln to uphold the honor and dignity of the Union’s black soldiers, each segment reenacts a pivotal moment in history—not just African-American history, but the chronicle of the country as a whole. Advancements made by black scientists, inventors, artists, and craftspeople are studied. (80 minutes)

This video is offered through our Learn360 service.

Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise: Out of the Shadows (Grades 9 – Adult)

In ”Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise,” Henry Louis Gates, Jr. embarks on a deeply personal journey through the last 50 years of African-American history. The first episode of the series begins at a turning point in American history: the Selma marches and Watts riots, which marked a new phase in the African-American struggle. Gates explores the rising call for Black Power, which redefined American culture, politics and society. This program contains strong language. This is a PBS production available through Safari MONTAGE.

We also have some amazing ebooks available through Rosen Learning and OverDrive:

From Rosen Learning, the Spotlight on the Civil Rights Movement interactive ebook series includes the following titles:

  • Affirmative Action
  • Brown v. Board of Education
  • Freedom Riders
  • Lyndon B. Johnson and the Civil Rights Act
  • Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
  • Sit-ins and Nonviolent Protest for Racial Equality
  • The Black Power Movement and Civil Unrest
  • The Life and Death of Malcom X
  • The Life and Death of Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Little Rock Desegregation Crisis
  • The March on Washington
  • The Murder of Emmett Till

In SORA the following titles are available. Click the book covers to open it in SORA.:

 

90-Second Newbery Film Festival

Author (The Order of Odd Fish) and founder of the 90-second Newbery Film Festival, James Kennedy, is bringing his annual video contest to the Eisenhart Auditorium at the Rochester Museum & Science Center on February 1st!

As always, reservations are free, but they do ask that you reserve a seat in advance. The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival is an annual video contest in which kid filmmakers create short movies that tell the entire stories of Newbery award-winning books in about 90 seconds. It is always a LOT of fun. This year, James will be joined on stage by Rochester’s own, Bruce Coville.

More information about the festival, and submission information, is available at: http://www.90secondnewbery.com.

The Event will be held Saturday, February 1 from 2:00 – 3:30 pm.

Reserve seats here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/90-second-newbery-film-festival-2020-rochester-screening-tickets-83839984651

 

Did you know that there are a whole bunch of other film and creative festivals for student filmmakers and creative types:

The All American High School Film Festival (presented by IFC Films) – https://www.hsfilmfest.com/

Austin Young Filmmakers Competition – https://austinfilmfestival.com/yfp/competition/

Boston International Kids Film Festival – https://bikff.org/

Boulder International Film Festival Teen Short Film Competition – https://biff1.com/community/teen-short-film-competition/

CineYouth – https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/cineyouth/

*LOCAL* The Digies – digies.org

Film Now Festival – https://filmnowfestival.org/

Heartland High School Film Competition – https://heartlandfilm.org/high-school-film-competition/

International Kids Film Festival (California) – https://filmfreeway.com/InternationalKidsFilmFestival

Kids Film It Festival – Rock and Roll hall of Fame – https://www.kidsfilmitfestival.com/festival-old

Kids First! Film Festival – https://www.kidsfirst.org/filmfestival/

Nashville Film Festival – https://nashvillefilmfestival.org/

National Film Festival for Talented Youth – https://www.nffty.org/

Newport Beach Film Fest Youth Film Showcase – https://newportbeachfilmfest.com/event/youth-film-showcase-2/

Seattle International Film Festival FutureWave Shorts – https://www.siff.net/education/youth/at-the-festival/futurewave-shorts-competition

Sundance Ignite – https://www.sundance.org/initiatives/ignite

Telluride City Lights – https://telluridefilmfestival.org/students/city_lights

Tribeca Film Fellows (Mentorship) – https://www.tfiny.org/pages/film_fellow_application

 

Library Journal Professional Development Courses

Library Journal is offering two online professional development courses coming up. There is a cost for these courses, so take note.

Equity in Action

Offered February 25 – March 10 (and again September 29 – October 13)

In this course, you will learn from equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) experts in speaker sessions created specifically for library professionals. You’ll learn about the concrete actions library leaders are taking to make their libraries more equitable today and in the future, and the tools that make it possible. Practical coursework, along with targeted support, will take you from  theory to application, helping you to transform your library services to better meet the needs of all your users—and bring in new ones.

You’ll complete assignments to build your own diversity initiative over 3+ weeks in an interactive online classroom environment with personal coaching from an expert in the field. In addition, you’ll have access to our foundational bonus content—a series of webinars from Library Journal and School Library Journal contributors along with rich supporting materials in the form of readings, activities, and videos—to explore at your own pace.

To Register for the Febrary/March event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/equity-in-action-taking-your-diversity-and-inclusion-initiatives-to-the-next-level-tickets-86511956591

To Register for the September/October event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/equity-in-action-taking-your-diversity-and-inclusion-initiatives-to-the-next-level-tickets-87150885645

 

Evaluating, Auditing, and Diversifying Your Collections

Offered April 28 – May 12 (and again October 20 – November 10)

We’ll explore key concepts essential to cultivating and promoting inclusive and equitable collections, such as the experiences of LGBTQIA people, Native people, people of color, people with disabilities, non-binary or gender non-conforming people, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.

As part of the course you will conduct a diversity audit, and learn how to include diverse books, wider perspectives, #ownvoices, and how to be more responsive to the community you serve.

When you attend this interactive online course, you’ll come away with:

  • The ability to assess current library collections, book promotions, and displays through a diverse lens in order to assess gaps in collections and service areas.
  • An understanding of key diversity and cultural literacy concepts such as white privilege, unconscious bias, cultural appropriation, and intersectionality.
  • The ability to recognize common problematic stereotypes, tropes, and microaggressions in media.
  • The ability to assess the diversity and inclusiveness of current collection development and RA practices.
  • Guidance on planning and executing a diversity audit.
  • Tools, tips, and advice on how to better diversify collections and displays.
  • A plan of action to better diversify your library collections and address gap areas that will transform your understanding of your library users and the services you provide.

The course features live guest speakers in interactive sessions with Q&A as well as self-guided assignments, readings, and weekly discussion topics to support deeper learning. You’ll work in small groups with facilitators experienced in anti-oppression work to complete assignments and field research that will fuel your diversity initiatives.

To Register for the April/May event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/evaluating-auditing-and-diversifying-your-collections-tickets-86510460115

To Register for the October/November event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/evaluating-auditing-and-diversifying-your-collections-tickets-87150021059