Economics research

Our new residential Dean is also teaching Economics. This is a practical course and these mini projects use the Internet  to research real- world situations.

This is a great example of authentic learning

Going to college - http://thewebbschool.libguides.com/EconomicsProjectOne
Buying a car http://thewebbschool.libguides.com/EconomicsProjectTwo

What is Mr L.R. Smith working on in the library and archives?

This year is the 100th anniversary of American involvement in World War I.

In the library and archives there are more than 600 glass slides that date back to World War I .  These slides were part of the collection of William R Webb Jr.

We have both the projector and the script that goes along with the slides.  Mr. Smith is doing the tedious work of cleaning, identifying, and digitizing the slides.

Starting with a full agenda

We are just three weeks in and we have existing and new collaborators in the Library. Keep the projects coming, we love to see the library in use!

Teaching research with the History Department 

Research about the causes of the Revolutionary War
http://thewebbschool.libguides.com/history8
The three research categories

• Enlightenment ideas -- Search for individuals known for Enlightenment ideas
• The Great Awakening -- Search for those ministers known for sparking The Great Awakening, and colonial history
• Economics & the coming of the American Revolution - Search for Boston Tea Party, King George III of England and general colonial history

Public Performance

8th grade began immediately to work on their declamation

http://thewebbschool.libguides.com/declamations

Economics

Economics of College - online research and survey research

http://thewebbschool.libguides.com/EconomicsProjectOne

Moving on and moving in

Students from 17 different countries moved into Webb campus this weekend. On Friday we had the international student orientation . This event was hosted in the library .

On Saturday was move-in day and new student orientation this was where all new students came to campus both town students and residential students. The library hosted many events that day including the middle school meetings and social .

Summer Fun at the Library

We had a blast this summer reading aloud about all different kinds of animals. We really focused in on for animals that are native to Tennessee.  The animals that we covered this summer were referred to as  "Tennessee critters!" We learned about the sounds that animals make.  We learned about whether they are nocturnal or not. Also, we learned about what they eat and what their tracks look like.

Summer Programming off to a good start

Today we read "Yertle the Turtle" by none other than Dr. Seuss! Each week we are focusing on animals that find a home in Tennessee.  This week was all about Turtles.


A great resource for Tennessee Wildlife is:
Tennessee Watchable Wildlife



Children also learned a little about empathy.  Especially for poor Mack who found himself shouldering the load at the bottom of the turtle stack.

Other Resources:
10 Human Rights Heroes
Life Lessons from Dr. Seuss



Turtle snacks, crafts, and games -

Tennessee Critters read all about it!

Wednesdays in July

The Webb School Library will be open Wednesdays in July from 10am - 3pm

to both Webb and the Bell Buckle Community

This summer's theme:
Tennessee Native Creatures

July 5 - Yertle The Turtle -Lesson about Turtles, make crafts, and enjoy snacks

July 12 - Scaredy Squirrel - Lesson about Squirrels, make crafts, and enjoy snacks

July 19 - My Lucky Day - Lesson about Foxes, make crafts, and enjoy snacks

July 26 - The Kissing Hand - Lesson about Raccoons, make crafts, and enjoy snacks

Children’s Story time 10:30 am 

[parent or caregiver must be present for children under 10] 

For teenagers we are open for book check out. 

Also, we will celebrate the book release of Alan Gratz, "Refugee" on July 26th 

Call or Email if you would like space for a book club or if you would like to volunteer this summer.      

hlittle@webbschool.com   

931-389-5758

The William Bond Library

Ms. Little's absolutely NOT mandatory summertime reading list

Here are some books I want to read for FUN this summer 

Children of Exile by Margaret Peterson Haddix

What's it about: This is a science fiction novel that is about Fredtown "a happy, safe place to grow up."  The protagonist, Rosi, is suddenly moved from Fredtown to her new town the adults are calling home.  But "home" is not what she expected.

Why I want to read this: First because the author is Margaret Peterson Haddix.  Second, because I have a daughter transitioning from high school to college and I think this story will help me with empathy.

Refugee by Alan Gratz [available July 25, 2017]

What's it about: This story follows three children a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany,  a Cuban girl in 1994 and a Syrian boy in 2015.  All three are refugees.  This promises to be an action-packed read about escape and survival.

Why I want to read this: Why, because I love survival fiction.  I also really like this author! I can tell he puts a lot of work into his writing. [It always helps to meet the author.]




The Gender Game  by Bella Forrest

What's it about: This one is about a world that is divided by gender where the Women rule the East and the Men rule the West.

Why I want to read this: Mainly because I have not read any self-published authors.  Also, the premise of a specific gender ruling intrigues me. We will see ... this one is 416 pages.

Need More recommendations

Checkout TeenReads on Instagram

So now the question is  - What are you reading this summer?

To Ban Or Not To Ban

Is that, the Question?

It is no surprise that educators struggle with classroom management in the age of the smartphone. The number of distractions is just too large to list. This coupled with the temptation to cheat and the problem of cyberbullying has led many schools to ban smartphones altogether. This often pushes education about these issues into the "after school" territory. When this happens, parents need advice and education for teaching digital citizenship to their children.

Shakespeare Selfie

Help is Here!

A good resource for understanding and teaching digital citizenship is Common Sense Media. This site has information for both Parents and Educators. The site also provides in-depth data and review to help determine age-appropriateness of everything from books, to video games.  It is neat how they give a parent opinion and a kids opinion in the recommendations for appropriate age.

What happens when you ban ...

I have to say that banning something like technology goes against my nature as a librarian. Especially when I am fighting so hard to provide access to information. 

Signe Whitson makes a great point in her article Why Banning Social Media Is Not the Best Answer for Kids.

"... adults do kids a frightening dis-service by banning the use of technology outright. At best, this head-in-the-sand approach ill-prepares kids to deal with the world in which they live and at worst, it creates a fervor among these young people to get their hands on social media in sneaky, risky ways."

We have all seen what banning a book does for circulation of the banned books.  I have noticed when you ban technology and social media there is indeed a fervor that drives students "underground."

You can't teach if you are not in the classroom

Some educators may brag that they don't really pay attention to social media. This is sad to me because they are discounting an important part of their students' lives.  Two years ago in 2015 Pew and the Internet reported that 73% of teens had a smartphone and 41% of teens were on Snapchat and half of teens were on Instagram.  When you ignore the technology platform it becomes a teacherless classroom.  We need teachers of all ages in the social space [online] teaching about honesty, courage, and respect.  How? Not necessarily befriending young people as peers, we instead need to provide positive role models of not just "appropriate" but honest, courageous, and respectful behavior online!

Traditional Values for the Digital World

So, how can we as educators help Generation Z, born into our data-rich world, learn digital citizenship and discernment skills? Jason Ohler in a 2011 article, Character Education for the Digital Age introduces the idea that we should encourage students to live a single life.

"The "two lives" perspective says that our students should live a traditional, digitally unplugged life at school and a second, digitally infused life outside of school."

The article further discusses the idea of developing and teaching traditional values and how to apply them to the digital world.   Ohler cites two organizations lists of principles.  These lists show the overlap of what is important to diverse groups.

International Center for Leadership in Education: "The 12 Guiding Principles of Exceptional Character"  - adaptability, compassion, contemplation, courage, honesty, initiative, loyalty, optimism, perseverance, respect, responsibility, and trust-worthiness 
Heartwood Institute: "The Seven Universal Ethical Attributes" - courage, loyalty, justice, respect, hope, honesty, and love 

Finding ways to teach these intangibles is a challenge.  And teaching without a teacher-parent partnership is nearly impossible.  Join me as I search for ways to encourage parents and teach students to live a singular life.  One where students don't hide from the trusted adults in their lives.  And one where we embrace the positives of technology and the digital world and use tech for the greater good.  

Ways to start merging the digital and physical space

• Learn about the technology for yourself

• Ask your child or student to teach you how to set up an Instagram, Snapchat or Twitter

• Ask students for tips on the "unwritten rules" [like don't screenshot everything]

• Read about emerging technologies and recommend those with educational benefits 

• Make the technology conversation less threatening 

• Ask students "how can we use technology for good?"

Take a look at our Digital Parenting Book Display