Welcome back to school

The school year starts on Monday, the library is already busy with syncing ipods, processing books and getting ready for the students to arrive. 2010 - 2011 will be an exciting year with new technology, author visits, new books and more. I am excited to share a new things with the students and parents at RCE. Just for fun...check out these websites to explore: http://www.wordle.net (make your own word cloud), http://www.bighugelabs.com (create trading cards and more), Rummel Creek's school web page http://rce.springbranchisd.com - click on Library Link, then curriculum links to get to games to support the classrooms curriculum. Drop by next week for another update from the Frazzled Librarian at RCE!

Internet Safety

Listening to the news and reading the paper lets you know that we need to keep up and be aware of whats new on the internet. One of the resources I use is Common Sense Media. This site reviews books, movies, websites and more. They also give you tips for keeping up with all of the different types of media. Click on http://www.commonsensemedia.org for more information. At school we are using iSafe curriculum to work with the students. One of our parents has a site as well.... http://www.cybersafefamily.com . Click on her site for more information on being safe using the internet with children. Additional resources used in the classroom include Easy Tech and BrainPop. We are making sure that our students know how to be safe on the internet. Check out the technology links for Web 2.0 on the RCE page...we've found some more fun tools for the students to try. Fifth grade students used many of these as we began working on their Memory CD for graduation.

Catching Up

Curriculum night is over, and I think it went well....I am hoping that parents will take time to visit the Rummel Creek site and see all of the wonderful things that are available.
At the PTA meeting I was able to share two student created videos - one from Fifth Grade and another from Second Grade. The students have worked hard to learn the iMACS and iMovie....their creations are great. I was able to post two of them on the Rummel Creek Library Wiki....so take a look. It's our first attempts, and already the students are ready to create more and have made suggestions on how to improve!
Today is Monday...the library was once again filled with students exploring the macs and the iTouches...it's wonderful to see the activity. Parents, you too can come and test the equipment and explore with the students....the APPS webpage has been fixed...it's a little easier to read. Trying to keep up with all of the ones the students suggest. So keep coming back. I'll try to keep them in Alpha order by title within the subject area.

TCEA

I'm sitting here waiting for a session to start. I have so many ideas floating around in my head. I've learned a lot in a very short time and can't wait to share it with the students at RCE. I've updated the webpage with many of the sites that I learned about. Many of the sessions I have attended have been geared to PreK through 2nd grade. The links for these grade levels has expanded. Please visit the Library Link, Curriculum Link and grade levels for hot links to all kinds of activities to enrich your students learning. My enthusiasm and excitement is not showing as I write...but hopefully you'll see the results soon at RCE!

Library is CHANGING

I've been contemplating how to get a little more energy in the library...well...the macs and iTouches have done the job. Starting at about 7:20 every morning, students arrive and begin the morning exploration on the computers. At 8:00 we have to push them out to class. It's a good problem. Wish I had more. The late comers get the "old" black PC's...but even those are seeing more use then in the recent past. Its fun to watch the students work together to figure out a problem. I'm not doing a lot of teaching yet, just want them to explore...they are actually teaching me. I've learned a lot about the iTouches. Very cool piece of equipment. My life is changing daily as we add new apps to the device. This morning we had many things going on in the library - KRCE is back on the air, the Odyssey groups were practicing, and then the computer users took over the rest of the space. Nice and busy..Nice and loud...just like a library should be. Be checking the RCE wiki for samples of the student products soon...we've got some Steven Spielburg's in the making!
Curriculum night is fast approaching - we'll be focused on Literacy and Technology...come and see how technology supports the classroom curriculum. Bring your own laptop or iTouch and join us in creating wordles, animotos and more! February 16th - in the Library, Kiva and labs!

Been Away Tooo Long

Well, it's been a while since I've taken the time to post, but now it's time to get back into the habit.
Technology/Literacy Night is coming soon, and this is the place for all of the information! February 16th at RCE - be there to learn all of the cool things your children are exploring. We have computers set aside for you to create and explore with set up. The fun will start at 5:30 and run through about 8:00 - come by for some fun. Check out the Roadrunner Express and your e-mails for more information.
The RCE students are going GREEN....to help promote the program, students have created movies...these movies are now posted on the RummelCreekLibraryWiki for you to see. A link is also available on the RCE homepage...so take a look!
Check back in a few days, I should have more postings about Curriculum Night and more movies to share! I will try to post once a week to keep you posted about Curriculum Night!

glitter-graphics.com