As soon as I saw The Daring Librarian blog, I was looking for a way to subscribe to it. Even a quick scan has already shown me a whole bunch of fun new activities to do in your library, and ideas for tying it to social media, too! I had never heard of a book bento but now I very much want to try making one for a library Instagram! I love Gwyneth Jones’s use of Bitmojis and her very unique style. Another think that drew me to this blog, especially as a resource for staying current, is the edits she has gone back and made to earlier posts for clarity or with hindsight after implementing ideas. It’s always disappointing to find a good blog that never updates, but this one not only updates, it updates and makes sure to keep itself current if ideas aren’t working or need revision. This is not a blog that exists in a vacuum. Of course there is the added appeal of Gwyneth being a middle school librarian, just like I want to be! Instant role model.

On the AASL website, I found Book Creator. I worked with another type of online book-creator earlier this semester, but this tool has a lot more options and customization. It can combine the principles of art with any other subject. I was particularly interested in Book Creator because it hosts the books online, which means that students can collaborate on a group project (even across states or countries, which was awesome to see). A school library could make very good use of this tool during distance learning as part of project-based learning standards, as well as a fun way to stay engaged online.

For more quick and fun ways to stay engaged during distance learning, I liked the look of Baamboozle. The most frequent request my students gave during the spring semester was more Kahoot games. Of course learning games are more fun than endless Google form worksheets. Baamboozle offers a lot of different games on many different subjects relevant to our seventh grade curriculum. It would be very fun to switch up the games sometimes instead of boring the students with endless Kahoots as well!

It’s vital as a librarian to stay up-to-date not only on books but on technology. It’s easy to find a tool you’re comfortable with and stick with it, but as uncomfortable as trying new things can seem sometimes (especially under the eyes of teenage students), it’s important not to stagnate. Your library wouldn’t attract very many patrons if it never rotated its activities schedule, after all. As an Instructional Assistant, especially one that’s younger than most of the teachers I support, I am often the go-to tech support for my departments. The next time I’m asked if I know any good apps or websites for distance learning, I will definitely be checking back to the AASL archive.