Beecher Feature

Library Media Center Staff Change
The First Five
New Technology
Resource Reminders

• World Book Encyclopedia
• Soundzabound Royalty Free Music and Sound Effects
• Reading Apps

I'm thrilled to share that we have a new library media center Instructional Assistant, Mrs. Brianna Bond-Dunaway. Mrs. Dunaway will be managing the circulation desk, as well as helping to support the student and staff curricular needs. She is a wonderful human with a servant heart and is eager to get to know our students and staff! With this new addition, I hope that our media center team can foster an even more collaborative role with teachers in planning learning activities, projects, and resource curation. Your DCHS school library program is not an extra - it is an integral part of the educational journey upon which our learners (of all ages) embark. Mrs. Dunaway's email is bbonddunaway@decaturproud.org and her phone extension is 01606. Stop in to say howdy!

August is already in our rearview mirror and things have not been dull in the library media center. I love that we had teachers and students who were able to dive right in and utilize the school library to meet their academic needs. It was especially fulfilling to see the media center through the eyes of our freshman. Mrs. Dees introduced her freshmen ELA classes to the library and it was great to see their awe of the school library, and take advantage of what it can provide. Check out some of the photos below of how our students and teachers are using their school library.

In May of 2024 we acquired a large monitor with AppleTV and while the shine may have worn off for some (I'm told we are adding these to classrooms when projector bulbs die), this is an ideal addition for the library space. Prior to acquiring the monitor, the only large instruction airplay option was in our media center project room. Now, we can up our instructional game in the library with the mobile monitor/AppleTV. The flexibility we've gained enables us to provide more instructional opportunities in our larger open space. We have already used it for large and small group instruction and look forward to utilizing it for station work and BreakoutEDU activities.

New to our Makerspace is the VariQuest Cutout System and boy are we stoked! Sure, we still have the clunky Ellison machines (still only two) but we plan to phase them out eventually as word gets out about the system. One of the reasons we acquired the new technology is to help keep kids on task when they need to work on visual aids for their projects. With a teaching staff of over 100 educators and a student count close to 2000, we needed a way to move the process of letter and shape cutting along. Our new system will keep the makerspace from looking as if a tornado hit, minimize the amount of time the students are out of class because of the long line to use the Ellison machines, save a massive amount of paper (you're welcome, Choice Academy), and offer a mind-blowing amount of fonts and shapes to meet curricular needs. The short video below will give you a look at functionality.

A QR code will be distributed to each classroom. The form link will also be housed on the library website along with the shape catalog. Complete the form, submit it, and we will complete your order for you. It is that simple. May students use the form to make requests, too? Absolutely! We will complete the requests as they come in and send a message to the students' @decaturproud.org email to come pick it up. This should really help out with bulletin boards and certain door decorating contests! Last minute/second requests should be accompanied by chocolate.

The video below shows one of our students using a manipulative we made (in about 40 seconds) to study geometry formulas!

Our library media center webpage provides links to a silly amount of resources for students and teachers. You're encouraged to book mark that bad boy for quick and easy access.

Students would be wise to bookmark this site on their iPads, too!

Let's have a lookie-loo at two resources housed on the website.

1. World Book Encyclopedia Online

2. Soundzabound Royalty Free Music Library

<---------Some of you will remember these....the good ol' fashioned World Book Print set. This was in my home when I was growing up and used, constantly. Between this set and our PONG video game (IYKYK), my house was a hip place to be. 😉.

Let's fast forward a (ahem...few) decades. World Book Encyclopedia is still an awesome resource but the print days are OH-VAH! Would Book Online is fabulous and often overlooked because of this thing called Google. Hey, Google is great, but perhaps it isn't always the best option due to advertisements, overwhelming results that are not always relevant, and sketchy sources.

Soundzabound is the only royalty-free audio that meets all licensing requirements for grades K-12.

Peruse the Create! column on the DCHS media center website and you'll find our link to Soundzabound. This gem provides a wide range of sound effects and music clips in 56 different genres! One of the newest additions to their collection is lo-fi study music. Create a productive, calming atmosphere in your space by trying out the soothing sounds. It's perfect study music!

Below you can check out two sample videos using royalty free music. Keep in mind it is more than just music! The sound effects are great, too! Do you need a spooky vibe? The haunted house sounds will fit the bill! Sports, traffic, techno and more - all at your finger tips AND copyright compliant! The content is for DCHS staff and students....our school account is password protected - reach out to get the credentials!

The SORA, Libby, and Comic Plus apps are parked in MOSYLE. These apps are great for reading/listening to books on the iPad or cell phone. Please encourage your students to utilize these free resources to read what they love. Share with your students what you are reading or listening to via these convenient apps as well. It really does make a difference!

Thanks for reading the first Beecher Feature of the 2024-25 school year. We look forward to sharing more news from the DCHS Library Media Center. Here's a glimpse into what's in store....

• Book & Bake kicks off this week. Our first novel will be The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen by Isaac Blum.
• Author visit is September 30 - stay tuned!
• Gale in Context for Educators - need a refresher?
• BreakoutEDU - need a refresher?

Deana Beecher, Library Media Specialist

dbeecher@decaturproud.org

317.856.5288 x01605

Bri Dunaway, Library Instructional Assistant

bbonddunaway@decaturproud.org

317.856.5288 x01606