The other day I learned about this awesome web tool TweetBeam during a Buncee chat.  TweetBeam populates a wall of tweets based on a hashtag or topic.  You can also sign in your twitter account for a personalized show. TweetBeam's interactivity is an elegant streamlined way to capture an experience such as a conference, conference, festival, or museum display.  On a personal note, a TweetBeam twitter wall can make an event such as a wedding or a graduation even more memorable.  Check TweetBeam out for yourself at https://www.tweetbeam.com/.

Do you need to record video tutorials? Inevitably, you're all alone and you need to take close up shots. Take videos hands-free with the flexible cell phone mount.  You can bend it into a table stand or even wear it around your neck.  The mount is adjustable and fits most phones.

Photo booth frames are so much fun, but they're bulky and don't fit in suitcases.  That's why I love the inflatable photo frame!  And to hack it for social media, attach a clear sheet protector so you can add any message quickly and neatly.  

Thinking about starting your own YouTube channel?  You will definitely need this green screen chair backdrop and lavalier cell phone mic to make your videos look fun and professional.  The Webaround provides a nice solid background for your students' Flipgrid videos even if they don't use the green screen effect.  Order a lavalier mic (wired with a clip is fine) that is compatible with your cell phone.  Throw it into your bag and you will be able to record awesome sound wherever you are.

You love your students, but you don't love their germs!  Give them fist pumps instead of high fives with this giant fist drink cooler. ***Do not add a beer can!

Promote communication, collaboration, and critical thinking through the design thinking process.  These dry erase mats are large enough for groups, and thin enough to carry in your suitcase. Turn them over for blank canvases for creation.  Don't add more waste to our landfills and use these mats over and over again.

STEM Dry Erase Mats Introduce the engineering design process, while helping visual learners understand the idea, with these STEM Dry Erase Mats. Designed to help guide students ...

I believe that libraries are worlds of possibilities for our children. They should be places of "yes, and" not "no, but." We really need balance, as do all aspects of education.

What's "new" can be just flashy gadgets and toys unless there is sound pedagogy and skilled educators. Sometimes "old school" techniques can transform classrooms and libraries. But making is nothing new. Our public librarians have run hands-on programs for decades and, before the age of testing and data-driven decisions, we used to have fun reading and making with crayons, glue, scissors, paper, and clay.

We need balance. We need something so EVERYONE has a reason to visit the library. We need a place where ALL students can explore and experiment. Libraries are places of equity and opportunity. It may be only place where our students will have access to materials that they can't afford at home. It can be the place where English language learners and special education students interact through collaboration, rather than being hindered by language and abilities.

Making isn't new.

Making is what makes us human.

If you've never seen art teacher Cassie Stephens' clothing creations, you are missing out!  Inspired by famous artists, Cassie is the Ms. Frizzle of the art classroom.  You can check out her cool creations on her blog here:

Well, I'm no seamstress and certainly no artist.  In fact, I'm more at home with a hot glue gun and some Velcro.  But I do enjoy fun clothes and accessories. So what are some of my favorite things?

I wore these space-themed Mary Jane flats by Hot Chocolate Design to the National Week of Making in Washington, D.C. in June 2016.  This composition notebook inspired tote was the perfect way to carry my belongings while touring the national monuments. They made everyone I met smile! I have to admit that I'm a bit of a hack.  How did I make this pair of fancy footwear for Flipgrid Live in 2018? By gluing stickers and adding green shoelaces. There's no place like Flipgrid! I've just discovered a new online clothing line called Svaha, that is based in Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C.  With an upcoming presentation at the Beth Yeshurn Day School Young Authors Celebration in Houston, Texas and a full day workshop with librarians through the Alberta School Learning Commons I was searching for library-themed clothes that were fun, comfortable, and easy to pack.  This book print skirt and typewriter key skirt fit the bill.  And for a bonus, both included deep pockets...perfect for carrying a pair of scissors and a roll of duct tape for my maker activities!  Use my referral link to receive 20% off an order of $50 or more:  http://i.refs.cc/d5pfWKhd?smile_ref=eyJzbWlsZV9zb3VyY2UiOiJzbWlsZV91aSIsInNtaWxlX21lZGl1bSI6IiIsInNtaWxlX2NhbXBhaWduIjoicmVmZXJyYWxfcHJvZ3JhbSIsInNtaWxlX2N1c3RvbWVyX2lkIjoyNzg5ODQwNTZ9

How could I attend the National Week of Making Kickoff Celebration at the White House without making my own pocketBOOK? One of my favorite hacks is inspired by a librarian I saw at a conference years ago.  She had the brilliant idea of collecting author signatures on a tote bag that resembled a library card.  This library card scarf by Out of Print has been traveling with me for about a year and a half and is embellished by the signatures of authors I meet.  It's lightweight, easy to pack, and always sparks a conversation What do you collect when you are on vacation? Do you bring home postcards, ornaments, Starbucks mugs, magnets, or t-shirts?  I collect pressed pennies that you make from those crank or automated machines.  The problem is that there really wasn't a way for me to display my collection until I realized that I could make jewelry with them.  If you are really talented and have patience you can create your own jewelry from scratch using copper wire and findings.  I cheated and purchased a few copper-colored necklaces, hole-punched my pennies, and  attached them with jump rings.  You can do it too, with these hole punch pliers:  https://www.beaducation.com/p/293-jewelry-making-tools-metal-hole-punch-plier-1-8mm-hole

Over Easter break, I had the privilege of working with a phenomenal group of Alberta librarians who braved the snowy spring weather (even as far as 2.5 hours away) to "hack" all things advocacy, reading, and making.  After a few days experiencing the natural beauty of western Canada, the Alberta Learning Commons Council "Hacking School Libraries" mini-conference was my last stop before returning to New York. 

I was excited and I was anxious.

I had been planning and organizing, and then RE-planning and RE-organizing for this professional development session for months. You see, my co-author Stony Evans wasn't able to join me on this journey, and it would be my responsibility to design a full day of professional development for a group of librarians whom I had only met through twitter.

I was determined to inspire them with big ideas, but also hacks that they could begin using on Monday.  So how can you create a full day workshop that offers something for everyone, follows a good pace, and engages the audience?  Here are 5 hacks to help you design successful professional development sessions:

1.     Know Your Audience
I can't stress this enough.  I will always remember the comment that a participant had submitted in the follow up survey about one of my presentations.  There it was, in black and white: "She didn't know her audience." I didn't know my audience? How could that be? I am a librarian, and I am speaking to a room full of librarians.  How could I NOT know my audience?​ 

Something had happened that day for someone to leave that type of feedback.  I will never forget the day that I had read that, the feeling of dejection, the feeling that I had let someone else down.  That librarian didn't know how I had crafted each of my slides with such care, the countless days I had spent rehearsing my anecdotes, and how two days previous I had received a standing ovation for the very same presentation. I can't fix the past, but I can certainly change my future.

Ask the organization how many people will be attending and their role.  Give a survey, if possible, and ask questions related to your presentation.