CET Writes

I originally published this piece March 6, 2017 on Deepstacks - DragonLibrary's blog. Skipping up the steps of the grand institution that resides at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street in Manhattan, the language arts educator and public school librarian in me appreciates the majestic Beaux-Arts building that I’m about to enter. But the suppressed ten-year-old in me secretly hopes that Cee-Lo Green will burst forth from Patience—his marble prison—and offer up a modern rendition of “I’m a Mean Old Lion.” And even the sobering knowledge that no such whimsy will come to fruition on this day is incapable of sapping my joy.  Having waited these many years, the mere thought of spending my morning on a reading date in the hallowed halls of the New York Public Library prompts a hedonistic flush that can only be rivaled by the fond childhood memory of myself paying gold-lamé-clad homage to Ted Ross’ high-stepping, ousted leader of the pride. After a short jaunt down the first floo...

I originally published this piece February 15, 2017 on Deepstacks - DragonLibrary's blog. Standing on the MetroRail platform in the midwinter gloom, I greet a group of colleagues and giddily ask “Did you go yesterday, or is today your first day? Did you go to any good sessions?” A half hour later, I extract myself from the sardinian quarters of the train, now much too intimately acquainted with my fellow educators gathered from the suburbs, the edge city, and midtown as we make our annual pilgrimage to the convention center. Next week, the daily commuters will happily reclaim their usual personal space and breathe more freely. Reveling in my freedom of movement, I scoot off the platform to encounter the bold banner above the glass doors, reading TCEA2017 Convention & Exposition: The Power of You . The power of me , eh? Mighty as I am on a daily basis, like any heroine, I can still appreciate a quality power-up. Ms Pac-Man bow firmly affixed, I gobbled dow...

I originally published this piece December 6, 2016 on Deepstacks - DragonLibrary's blog. Image by Elena Casagrande Diana rocks slowly in her favorite chair, admiring the last golden rays of the Themyscirian sunset diffracting around the edges of her invisible jet, looking fondly back on her day. Clark, Bruce, Hal, and Orin all dropped by to bring wishes and reminisce about past adventures; even Barry put in a brief appearance, late as usual. Gathering her breath to blow out the 75 star-shaped candles atop the red, blue, and gold sheet cake her granddaughter gingerly placed before her, Diana closed her eyes and silently petitioned Hera: Watch over those loved ones who are not present. With a soft sigh and a quiet smile, our heroine returns her focus to the present, rises, and retires to the warmer interior of her ancestral palace to escape the evening chill, assured that today she was once more victorious. Perhaps, in some alternate continuity, Wonder Woman would celeb...

In celebration of School Library Month, I was interviewed by Round Rock Independent School District. The interview was originally published April 9 on the district website . In celebration of School Library Month, Round Rock ISD will highlight district librarians all week, showcasing the essential role libraries play in transforming learning. Learn more about Round Rock High School Co-Librarian Christina Taylor: Why did you decide to become a librarian? I’ve know since age 17 that I wanted to be an educator. At the time, I envisioned myself as a teacher of both Advanced Placement English and French. However, by the time I graduated from college, I realized that while I loved French, I had absolutely no desire to teach it. Throughout the course of 14 years in the classroom, my definition of what it meant to me to be a teacher evolved and took flight. Although I loved teaching students to deconstruct literature, I also loved developing curriculum, integrating technolog...

Sara Pavone and Christina Taylor, the RRHS librarians, used a combination of different technologies to introduce the logistics of digital copyright protection to students in BIMM, DIMM, and PIT. This lesson marked the maiden voyage of the iPads that the library received as part of the Next Generation Digital Classroom (NGDC) initiative. Mrs. Pavone and Mrs. Taylor combined the tablets with Blendspace , Google Drive , and WeVideo to provide a lesson that not only engaged the students but also allowed teachers to differentiate the instruction to meet students’ needs. Finally, because the entire lesson was platform agnostic, using online tools, students were able to work at their own pace...beyond the confines of the physical classroom...from anywhere they had Internet access. Many students commented that they enjoyed the lesson and thought it was a lot better than last year’s, which was not nearly as interactive nor heavy in technology. **This post was originally published on the  R...

The Round Rock High School Library has a new blog - DeepStacks .  Just as your library is where to go for reliable information about the world and to tap its literary treasures, this blog is the place to be for the latest news about the library and its hidden treasures.  Because the library is firmly seated not only in the literary world but also in the greater RRHS community, you’ll frequently find posts about happenings at the public library and local bookstores as well as observances that generate awareness of issues that affect the RRHS family like World Autism Awareness Day, GenTX Day, and National Day of Silence.  Finally, in the Book Talk posts, you’ll find all things bookish - comics; student, faculty, & staff reviews; books-to-movies; trailers; etc.  So, be sure to visit - early and often.  And if you follow the library on Twitter , you’ll be automatically notified when there’s a new post; if you’d prefer to be notified via text, then simply text ...

Collecting Online Projects Use Google Drive to create a form that will make short work of collecting and grading online projects. Then, you can link this form to your course web site, so students can access it from any- and everywhere. My ITS, Brandie Cain-Heard, calls this the Assignment Tracker. Here are the steps again: Use a Google Form to create an "In Box" for all of your student's work.  Post the link to the form on your TeacherWeb page. Students submit the form to turn in assignments. Results automatically appear in a spreadsheet. Create the form one time and use it all year. **This post was originally written in collaboration with Brandi Cain, Round Rock High School Instructional Technology Specialist, and was published on the  Round Rock High School Technology   blog on  May 2, 2013.**

  Here on our Getting It Right blog we usually showcase teachers and students using technology at RRHS. We'll add a few action shots and give you some creative commentary as well. However, in this edition our librarian wanted to add a little flavor to this months submission.  I can tell this "Tech Diva"of ours, she's not one who follows BUT leads people to greatness where technology is concerned. Needless to say, we're becoming the best of friends. She is a keeper. :)  The Google Suite: Get Your Head in the Cloud   by Christina Taylor, RRHS "the Tech Diva" librarian Sometimes just being able to wrap our minds around managing the various ability levels and diverse needs of our students is daunting.  Fortunately, the Google suite that comes with our district email is here to help; moreover, it’s free and can be manipulated to be as simple or complex as you like.  Christina Taylor, our new librarian and power user of these services, makes the following r...