As many of you know, the Wausau School District is undergoing an important and ambitious 1:1 iPad pilot next year, and John Muir is a part of that pilot. Based on recent conversations I've had with a number of staff members, particularly ones who will be most affected by the iPad pilot next year, I thought I'd do a little research to help us integrate without reinventing the wheel.
Here are two great resources that will help you learn some quick tips and functions of working your iPad. Unfortunately, there is not a video for every function, but most of them at least come with screen shots and concise explanations. For beginning users, my advice to you is to bite off a few of these functions at a time as you casually use the iPad over the summer.
For those of you who have eReaders and have caught the e-reading bug like I have, the Wisconsin Digital Library is an invaluable resource. It brings library resources from around the state right to your hands within minutes! It's also a great way for teachers and librarians to help students find books for themselves that may be unavailable at their own school libraries. The process for checking out books can be a little complicated, but the reward is fantastic. Please check out the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium's Digital Library FAQ page for more help.
In a nutshell, here are some things you'll need to know:
All books are free, and most can be checked out for a period of 7-21 days.
Videos and audio books are available.
If your school doesn't participate in the consortium, you need a local library card.
You can check out up to ten titles at a time and place holds on items that have reached their maximum checkouts.
The following video is a great tutorial showing you how to download an eBook and transfer it to your device. Give it a look!
In the past two weeks, I've enjoyed Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, and Big Nate: From the Top by Lincoln Peirce. I have currently placed a hold on Wonder by R.J. Palacio, and I will be notified when the title is available for download. The best part about this whole process is that I've been too busy to go to the public library before it closes, yet I've still had the opportunity to delve into excellent books whenever I can. A big thank you goes out to the Wisconsin Digital Library Consortium for making this possible!
Woo hoo! We're ready to start using Blogger as a library. Keep checking back here for announcements about new books, book reviews by students and staff, technology tips and updates, and other cool stuff!
