Dog-eared & Overdue

Author: Kate Gukeisen

  • Library Learning Blogs

    Teacher-librarians can use blogs in their school libraries to connect with students and the community, to support learning standards, and to give students a voice in collection and program development. I like the idea of a blog written by the school librarian(s) that promotes library activities and resources; a blog written by students in which…

  • Library Learning Standards

    Teachers, Did you know the American Association of School Librarians has learning standards that align with the Common Core learning standards you use in your content area teaching? The AASL Learning Standards & Common Core State Standards Crosswalk contains a number of connections that can provide a basis for collaboration with your school librarian. The crosswalk…

  • Informal Leadership

    Last week I had the opportunity to attend a seminar in which we explored concepts of informal leadership, including strategies for problem solving, crisis and conflict management, and building diverse teams. While I consider the relationships built during the week the most valuable “take-away” from the experience, the following take-aways represent the moments from the…

  • Mobile Learning Tools at School

    I am excited about the learning that can happen on mobile devices (mLearning). In this post, I’ve included a few thoughts about using mLearning in schools, as well as a useful chart for choosing appropriate mLearning tools and a brief description of an activity that will engage even our youngest students in meaningful mLearning. There…

  • Our Reading Summer

    “Reading Summer” at our house is that brief time of year when we have the opportunity to read whatever we want, without the distraction of assigned reading. I enjoy reading. I  actually find my textbooks engaging. There is something, though, about having an entire three weeks to binge on my own reading choices that makes…

  • TURI KUMWE: We are Together

    This summer, I took a Youth Services in Library Environments course that included a one-week residency at Syracuse University. In the class were the usual mix I’ve come to expect in my library & information science classes at the iSchool–a wonderful mix of students from around the country who represent a wide variety ages, backgrounds,…

  • Digital Move in Progress, Geographical Move to Come

    I’m so glad you found me! I am currently working to make sure that my old blog has migrated to my new blog address in a readable sort of way. I have a few drafts in the queue about literacy, the digital divide, collaboration, and our upcoming move to Georgia. That move won’t happen for…

  • Incorporating Informational Text Into Library-based Activities

    School librarians can serve an important role in supporting teachers and students as they adjust to new expectations. While I still have a number of questions about the best way to assist teachers as they integrate Informational Text into their lessons, I see a number of opportunities that these authentic texts offer. Check out my Goodreads…

  • Death To (Assigned) Summer Reading! Long Live Summer Reading!

    Alexander Nazaryan’s article Trust Me, Assigning Summer Reading Is Totally Pointless has set off a rather passionate discussion about summer reading among book-lovers and library-types. I’ve been baffled to see Nazaryan’s article characterized as anti-summer reading. I found the opposite in the article. I think the way to encourage summer reading, and the love of reading in…

  • Encourage Making Over Using

    The following is an actual question, posed by an actual school librarian:   You can’t use citation generators–why?? That is awful–we need to prepare kids for the real world. In the real world we use the generators. The original post that inspired this “question from an actual school librarian” was by a school media specialist asking…