Winner of the CPS ReVITAL Grant

Singer Pharrell's song, 'Happy' is the perfect song that expresses my feelings about a recent award I have received.  My students and I are HAPPY about receiving the CPS ReVital Grant for libraries!   Last week, a MacBook Pro and ten iPads were delivered to my Library Media Center and in a couple of weeks, the ChromeBooks will arrive.

There are so many ways this technology can be used at Phillips.  The video below is just a little snippet of how we will be using these digital devices to aide in instruction and help further advance students in the digital age.   Enjoy!


ReVITAL Grant - HAPPY from WPAHS Video Page on Vimeo.

Monday Morning Humor

Thanks to my Instagram friend BookNerd for sharing this funny Meme/e-card.  

You just have to laugh because it's true!

Happy Valentines Day!

Just sharing a couple of images from Valentines Day and Phillips Affinity Leadership Day  celebrations.  Enjoy! 

Black Girls Code

I am really geeked about this organization, Black Girls Code.  Created by Kimberly Bryant, Black Girls Code provides a world wide platform for black girls to demonstrate their abilities to code, and do so much more.  Through community workshops and after school programs, girls are introduced to computer coding lessons in programming languages such as Scratch or Ruby on Rails.  By promoting classes and programs, Bryant hopes to grow the number of women of color working in technology and give underprivileged girls a chance to become the masters of their technological worlds.

The next workshop will be held during the summer of 2014 in Chicago.  Get ready, get set, CODE!

iMovie Tutorial

February 5, 2014

Digital Learning Day is about giving every child the opportunity to learn in a robust digital environment everyday, with the goal of success in college and a career.  Read more about this day dedicated to technology at:  www.digitallearningday.org.  Below is the Behind the Paws student news crew's video submission for this year's celebrations.  Junior level students Jordan and Myiah provide viewers with a descriptive hands on demonstration of the powerful app, iMovie.

Enjoy!

Mardi Gras @The Phillips LMC

Celebrating Mardi Gras 2014 at the Phillips Library Media Center

#Repost from @Phillipslmc Instagram Account

#books #book #read #TagsForLikes #reading #reader #page #pages #paper #instagood #kindle #nook #library #author #bestoftheday #bookworm #readinglist #love #photooftheday #imagine #plot #climax #story #literature #literate #stories #words #text #librarians #schoollibrarians 

Pinterest and Black History Month

While watching Dr. Henry Louis Gates encore presentation of 'Many Rivers to Cross', I decided to create a new board on my Pinterest account.    The Black History Month Pinterest board highlights the achievements of African-Americans in American history and abroad.  You will find pictures, articles, school lessons and videos on this page that celebrates African-Americans.  There's also a little humor along with little known facts about people and events.

Pinterest is a social website where users can create, share and categorize images found online.   Users 'pin' items that are of 'interest' to them; this is why its named:  Pinterest.   Watch this cool tutorial video about the popular social media application here:  Pinterest Tutorial.    If you are still on the fence about Pinterest, access their Frequently Asked Questions page learn more about this site.  To fully enjoy the website, you must register and join which takes less than three minutes.

Like many, when I first joined Pinterest I merely viewed popular pins.  Eventually I because more comfortable with the site and began to create my own boards and re-pin items that were of interest to me.  Some of my boards are more developed than others, mainly because I'm enjoying other people's pins.  The one thing I enjoy about Pinterest the most is it serves as kind of a online locker for my interests and I can access them at any time.  Here's a screenshot of my board below.  There are over 200 pins about the subject of Black History.  Enjoy!

www.pinterest.com/boydkc/black-history 

Updated Content - Phillips LMC Website

Sharing:  

Updated content on my Library Media Center website.  

Enjoy!

Wendell Phillips Academy High School Website

Providing the Service That Counts

     Three years ago I posted a very personal presentation describing, "Why I Am A Librarian". Three years later with school libraries under attack, I felt it was time to update the presentation.  Often times I'm so busy with my students, books and learning/applying new technologies,  I don't articulate well what I do.  I'm guilty....I do a very poor job describing accurately what I do with print and non-print material.  Along with encouraging the love of reading, my job now consists of using technology to instruct, create and enhance lessons taught in the classroom.

That's me reviewing my students
'Behind the Paws' Twitter Activity

     Honestly, if you were to pass by my Library Media Center doors during the day you will think that all I do is sit behind my desk.  Not true, that glance of me behind the desk is only a snapshot of the numerous tasks that I complete in a day, week and month!   "School Library Media Specialists:  Providing the Service That Counts" accurately describes the work I do every day through technology supporting my fellow Library Media Specialists and serving the students and staff at my school.   If you would like to view the videos from some of the slides, just copy and paste the website address from the presentation into the address bar and the video will load.
     I am a school Library Media Specialist and I love what I do!

School Library Media Specialists: Providing the Service That Counts from K.C. Boyd

The Art of #Repost

I love to #Repost...especially on Twitter!

 
I'm up every morning at 4:30am reading online and learning new things.  Whether it be on my iPhone, my trusty iPad mini or desktop, reading professional articles provides me with more knowledge, direction during confusing times and inspiration to strive for better for my students.  

   
     Often times, something that is written by another person will grab my interest touch my heart or add fuel to it internal burning fire of an issue that I'm dealing with.   I normally don't #Repost other blogs on my blog but in this case, I just couldn't resist.

#Repost - Diane Ravitch recently posted a speech given by Principal Frank Sutliff.  Sutliff is also the President of SAANYS (School Administrators Association of New York State) and a former librarian.  This speech was delivered to a crowd of concerned citizens and educators at the Oneonta (New York) Forum on January 18m 2014.   

My favorite quote of the article was of course librarian centered:

“I know that I loved reading due to the worlds that it opened; I also know that our so called close readings of prescribed documents and passages will not open up that same love of literature in today’s students.”

Man did he ever hit that one out of the park!  Just read the ENTIRE speech, you will not be disappointed.  Remember, feel free to #Repost.

Diane Ravitch Blog

"A Principal Eloquently Denounces Common Core and Race to the Top"

http://dianeravitch.net/2014/01/30/a-veteran-principal-eloquently-denounces-common-core-and-race-to-the-top/ 

CPS Tech Talk - Part I

     Here's my slideshare and pictures from the first of two presentations I recently gave at Tech Talk.  Tech Talk is a Chicago Public Schools conference that celebrates educational technologies used in a K-12 setting. This year, two of my students Jordan and Myiah joined me.  They described some of the videos they produced and performed a short demonstration on using iMovie.  I am really proud of these young ladies and my hope is they will continue to embrace technology as they move into their senior year.  Below is the presentation and some pictures.  Enjoy!

Producing a Student TV News Program Using iPads from K.C. Boyd

The audience

Techie Girls Myiah and Jordan

Myiah and Jordan presenting a video

CPS Tech Talk - Part II

     I have been giving presentations for years at the local, state and national level.  I've always checked and re-checked my bag to make sure that I had all of my presentation aides and materials.  Unfortunately this time and with the slip of the fingers,  I uploaded the wrong presentation and had to go off of 'my memory' to complete my second presentation of the day.  Believe me this was not a good move as my memory is extremely poor!
     With that said, here is the presentation that should have been uploaded to my slideshare cloud account and presented to the attendees who came to my session.  Hopefully you will enjoy the presentation and recognize that school librarians are already implementing Common Core Standards in their daily lessons.  Just remember to share the AASL Crosswalk for Common Core with your principal, use some of the resources provided in the presentation and take a deep breath.  It's going to take a minute for all of the members of the learning community to understand your role and the indelible impact you will make on student achievement through Common Core.

Common Core Standards, Technology and the School Library Media Specialist from K.C. Boyd

Another Installment of My Fav E-Cards

     I belong to a number if listservs and chat groups for educators and librarians.  Often times the sharing/posting of a simple e-card can make a difference in a persons day or express exactly what they are experiencing in that moment.   

     Here's the latest installment of e-cards that should strike a nerve in all of us.  Enjoy!

Phillips Students Salute Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Here's the 'Behind the Paws' salute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  I believe this is the best work the students have completed since the inception of the program.  All this work was created through the use of iPads and a MAC Book Pro.    

Please enjoy the video and feel free to share!

Happiness

Happiness is...the Genius Bar Technician informing you that your sick MAC Book Pro's harddrive is still covered under warranty! #librariansrock #reading #happiness #joy #computer #library #apple #librarians #elearning 

@PhillipsLMC Instagram Page

I'm gaining more followers on my LMC Instagram page.  Follow Me @PhillipsLMC

Proud Moment - Part II

     I live in Chicago, I mean #ChiBeria.  This year's snowfall was painfully brutal along with the sub-zero temperatures and windchill.  I especially wasn't happy when my beloved 4x4 truck decided it did not want to start for four days.  In my 'Tamar voice', "Hash-Tag....Frustrating.com"

 

     Now that I have vented and put my woes to the side, I have some great news to share!  I was recently quoted in an article about Chicago Public Schools Embracing Social Media.  Below you will find the link to the article.  I'm really proud of the social media work I have done personally and for Wendell Phillips Academy High School.  Social Media is fun and it's here to stay.  As educators we need to embrace it and use it to it's fullest capacity to meet the specific needs of our students.

Enjoy the article! - CPS SCHOOLS EMBRACE SOCIAL MEDIA

CPS Schools Embrace Social Media

Happy New Year!

Start 2014 off on the RIGHT foot.  

So Long 2013

- Taking down decorations

- Judging student foot traffic and deadlines

- The Cold Weather

- Christmas shopping

- Holiday Assembly

- Prepping for January Behind the Paws shows

Here's a couple pictures that describe the last two weeks of school. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE AUDACIOUS LIBRARIAN!