The Wright Book

New #sketchnote : Should You Use Twitter?(Flowchart) cc @coolcatteacher #edtech @edutopia @TeachThought @MindShiftKQED pic.twitter.com/O6PbzAeW9t — Sylvia Duckworth (@sylviaduckworth) August 20, 2015 Maybe I shouldn’t admit this freely, but I had an irrational aversion to Twitter until I was FORCED to use it for Dr. Lesesne’s Literature for Young Adults class last year. I already had an account that I had signed up for years ago, but I never used it because I just didn’t “get” Twitter. The #’s and @’s both baffled and irritated me, and I couldn’t make any sense of the apparent randomness of information that would show up on the rare occasions when I bothered to open the app. Periodically over the years I would feel shamed by my lack of coolness and try again, only to quickly delete the app once more. Dr. Lesesne dragged me kicking and screaming back into the Twittersphere, and I am so grateful that she did. Why Twitter? In addition to being a great way to promote your sc...

I wish there was a way to let people know about all the cool things that happen in my library… In this era of crumbling education budgets, many school librarians are nervously looking over their shoulders and worrying about whether their positions might be eliminated in the next round of cuts. We are exhorted by our professional organizations to advocate tirelessly for the importance of school libraries, which includes tooting our own horns to ensure that others in our schools and communities understand and appreciate what we do. Social media provides an easy and free public forum in which to promote our programs, brag on accomplishments (by us as well as by the students and teachers we serve), and share important information. If the extent of your social media participation up to now has largely consisted of sharing cat videos and arguing about politics with your out-of-state relatives, it’s time to step outside of your comfort zone and set up some accounts for professional use. ...

So many blogs, so little time… As one begins this journey into school librarianship, it’s easy to get sucked down the proverbial rabbit hole that is the internet. With hundreds of enticing blogs to choose from, a girl (or guy) could be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed by the glut of choices. After spending more hours than I would care to admit to my husband clicking through link after link trying to find the “baby bear” blogs that are just right for me, I have finally narrowed it down to my top five favorites that I will be following as I continue this adventure. Read on to learn more about these blogs and why I picked them. Mrs. ReaderPants ( http://www.readerpants.net ) New Release Spotlight As a brand-new new high school librarian who is still working on my MLS degree, the learning curve can be steep and there never seems to be enough time. I discovered Mrs. ReaderPants (aka Leigh Collazo) early in the school year and she quickly became one of my lifelines. Her blog h...