The Daring Librarian

This is a fun online game to bring kids together in the classroom, with 1:1, teams, or through virtual learning. Students do NOT need to join the website or share any personal information! Jigsaw Explorer offers a variety of free puzzles. This site also allows players to engage in games with others so that classes, friends and family can collaborate on the same puzzle from different locations. Solving a jigsaw puzzle as a group also encourages participation & conversation. "Try the Jigsaw Explorer an online shared jigsaw puzzle! You can control the number of pieces and playing is just drag and drop with a satisfying click. Choose from daily, weekly, and mystery puzzles." There’s also a search feature towards the middle of the page. How to: Choose your favorite puzzle. Click Play this Puzzle. Click the people icon for the Multiplayer option Add your nickname that will identify you to the other players, then click Create Game Link. Copy this game link & share with...

    I saw this on my Twitter feed and it struck a chord.  Caution: The following is a pep talk and a whole lotta personal opinion. Every teacher on my end of the hall is burnt and over it already. Every single one of us. Being forced to teach in a pandemic, wondering which kids will bring it, who will get it, what will happen, and will I take it home. This is worse than online by parsecs. https://t.co/zJfxFje4aN — Doug Robertson (@TheWeirdTeacher) October 3, 2021 At first I answered this way. Proper exhausted. I thought it was just me. https://t.co/ZmHHyXPXsI — Gwyneth Jones (@GwynethJones) October 3, 2021 But then, after a few hours of thinking about it, and a 2 hour Sunday nap  - I added this: Although I agree with this, and I am exhausted every weekend, our kids need us! This might not have been what we trained for or expected but if not us, then who? Let’s step it up we got this! #ExtraNapsOnWeekends — Gwyneth Jones (@GwynethJones) October 3, 20...

Did you know about Secret Bitmoji's? Well, I just stumbled over them this summer and WOW! Cool! Are these new features or something we just missed? Since Bitmoji never talks to me -- and I've Tweeted and Instagrammed them over and over for years and nothing......I guess this is a new feature? The ability to make a Bitmoji with just about any word.  I found this in the weirdest way, I was searching for a picture of an orchid -- because my Dad got my Mom & I orchid plants and I was asking how hers was faring. I found ALL these cartoons with the word Orchid -- but no pictures. Like why????  What was funny, it wasn't a cartoon of an orchid, it was just the word. I tried it again and got a different set of cartoons.    Then I realized, wait..... it's just the word. I know, I'm slow sometimes - don't judge me.  So of course I tried my name See that little pencil on the top? That means it's going to write out what you put in!    There are also other ...

  I really should name this post "What I did during Covid" Which, in short, was a LOT OF Geek Squad Tech help to my kids, families, teachers, & staff. I created content to help my kids to connect, lots of tech troubleshooting tips, held numerous LIVE Tech-Help-Desk sessions, and hosted #MediaBreaks. Media Breaks are Virtual Lunch Bunches, read alongs, contests, & community bonding experiences.  It was really important to find ways for kids to feel connected to our school and to each other.  That is a herculean task. To help kids feel like they're a part of something when they're sitting in their houses wearing flannel pants. OR was that just me? So, here's some stuff I did - hopefully you will find it helpful!  Since we are going to still have 400+ kids learning virtually for the rest of the school year keeping kids feeling connected and tech tips are going to be important.  .....and yeah, I'm exhausted. Aren't you? See my Instagram for more ideas...

OK, here's one way I weed. Go Tinder. Get a book cart and travel around (Fiction or NF) and look at the books. Be surface. Be superficial. Be judgey.    Be FAST.  I make quick decisions. I don't agonize over it. I pull any books that are suspect, beat up, butt ugly, feature dated illustration, dated cover art, and just not attractive - I know, harsh. They're not people. SWIPE Left. Put them on the left side of cart shelf. Then, with titles I'm on the fence about, put them on the right side of the cart shelf - then go and check those books on PAC to see how many times they were really checked out & make the final decision. I will re-read a blurb here and there and the first couple pages if I'm really on the fence. I'll be honest, I got rid of a LOT of historic fiction a couple years ago. They just weren't moving. It pained me to get rid of the American Girl series, once so popular & an easy read - but they just weren't moving. And now feel a li...