Signal Mountain Middle High School Library Media Center

One Experience Proven to Make

Students More Successful in College:

Follow us ONLINE!

March 1, 2015 Volume 2, Issue 7

Empowering students to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers,

skillful researchers, and ethical users of information.

SMMHS Library/Media Center Mission:

The SMMHS library/media center is committed to equipping the school community with 21st Century skills in order that they may have a positive impact on their community, country, and world.

Library Hours

7:15-2:30 daily

Lunch—we’re open, but no

food please!

During class—just have a

pass and sign in!

2

Directed Studies: See Ms. K

for a pass

2

SMMHS LMC

Want your child to have an advantage when it’s their

turn to begin college? One way they can do this is to get

familiar with the library and its resources. Studies show that

students who know their librarian and who use their library’s

resources for research during middle and high school

experience more success in college (Barack). ONE of those

resources is our website. What can parents do with this

information? Encourage your child to get on the library website

and learn which tools and tutorials are available to them

there. Remind them that just because the physical building is

closed, it doesn’t mean the library is closed. Our library has a

strong website with lots of resources. Exploring this site can

teach them that these tools are available as well as how to

use some of them. Do you want/need a tutorial that isn’t on

our website? Contact Ms. K, and she will post one for you!

Parents who support their children with this can help make a

significant impact on the educational standing of their child.

Get on our library website & explore today!

Barack, Lauren. “Study Ties College Success to Students’ Exposure to a High School Librarian.” School Library

Journal. 19 Sept. 2014. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.

Todd, R.. “There is Knowledge to Be Gained.” 2009. School Library Media Activities Monthly. 25 (10): 55-58.

Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

The SMMHS library is increasing our

online presence to accommodate our

patrons. Every afternoon at 2:30 we

post a book trailer on Twitter and

Facebook as well as advertising

library events and programs, on

Pinterest you’ll find resources for

students, parents, AND teachers —

e v e r y t h i n g f r o m b o o k

recommendations and effective study

tools to classroom organizing

strategies and bulletin board ideas!

Here’s how you can stay informed:

***************************

Follow me on Twitter @GingerKirchmyer

Find and Follow us on Pinterest:

www.pinterest.com/ginjatheninja/

Like and Follow us on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/smmhsmediacenter

Chromebooks

Have you met these sweet little

guys yet? Just a tad bigger than

an iPad, these shortstacks pack a

punch with versatility. If you

haven’t purchased a device for your

SMMHS student, this might be

worth the investment. For just over

$200 a pop, these mini-computers

have everything a student needs:

keyboards, internet, word processing;

they even take SD cards and

flashdrives. Operating a Chromebook

isn’t any different than a normal

laptop, but it’s lighter and smaller,

so it’s easier for students to

manage. This is definitely worth the

(minor) investment!

Want to help determine which authors will receive

the award for the state of Tennessee? If you

haven’t started reading already, you only have one

month left. Consider voting for this year’s

Volunteer State Book Award. The requirements

are that you have to be enrolled in a Tennessee

middle or high school, and you have to read at

least 3 of the books on the

list. What list? Well, I’m glad

you asked. Just click on the

VSBA slide to the right, then

scroll down to your

appropriate level - choose

either the Middle School

Nomination List or the High School Nomination

List. Then select the titles that look most

interesting to you. You can watch the slide shows

(below) to learn more about the titles:

When you come into the library, we can point them

out to you. Any book with this sticker (see the

sticker to the left) is a VSBA nominee.

Voting will be available soon, and the

winners will be announced in the

Who

Will

Win?

Have fun!

Johnson, Juliet. “Use Social Media Sites For Their Original Purpose And You Will See Excellent Results.” National Association of Sales People. n.d. Web. 28 February 2015.

<http://tinyurl.com/m3gzrkc>

Hische, Jessica. Mom, This Is How Twitter Works. 2010. [blog]. 28 February 2015. <http://www.momthisishowtwitterworks.com/>

Vaughan, Pamela. “The Ultimate Cheat Sheet for Mastering LinkedIn.” HubSpot Blogs. 31 March 2014. Web. 28 February 2015. <http://tinyurl.com/44vq6l7>

Christine, Julie. “Learn How to Use Google Plus | A Beginner’s Guide.” Fabulous Blogging. 14 March 20`3. [blog]. <http://tinyurl.com/ps3lhca>

Do you get irritated when you check in to Facebook, wanting to see the latest pictures of your family’s get-together only to get slapped in the eye-balls by someone posting a political rant? Or you have a Twitter account, but you have to wade through all the personal posts of what your dieting friend is eating each meal in order to get to what you’re there to find? It’s a frustratingly com-

mon scenario. Part of the reason for the problem is that digital literacy is a new skill. Most of today’s parents didn’t learn this in school, so not only are they unsure of what they’re doing, they can’t teach their children; in fact, many parents are relying on their kids to teach them. Digital literacy is such a new concept that even schools are just start-ing to pay attention. With the realization that this new “hobby” has staying power and professional relevance, social media isn’t going anywhere. So, to take a step in the right direction, here’s a snapshot of how to properly use of each of America’s top 5 social me-dia sites (Johnson):

1. LinkedIn: Used to develop and manage your professional reputation, this is not a place to connect with friends unless they have knowledge of your professional abilities and talents. Potential clients or employers can use the site to verify that your abilities, honors, and experiences are what you say they are. 2. Google+: Designed as a social tool to enable Google to help you search more effectively, it uses your info to refine your queries (not to spy on you). So, for exam-ple, the types of results provided in a search for “pesticides” will vary for a farmer in Kansas versus a little old lady in Florida with a roach problem. 3. Facebook: The purpose of Facebook is to connect and chat, but we mustn’t forget that it’s not a diary or private conversation; it’s a public forum. Just like you wouldn’t go to a football game and start yelling that so-and-so (political figure) is a jerk or to the theater and ask them to put your YouTube on the screen before the movie starts, you shouldn’t do that on Facebook. This is why there is a “Group” feature. Create groups in order to communicate those things with the people who will care so you don’t waste everyone else’s time. :) 4. Twitter: Designed as a business tool, this platform was originally used primari-ly for the purpose of keeping up with the latest sales and business info; now users also follow topics of interest by using hashtags. For example, if you’re talking to others in your group about a conference you’re attending, you might say “Session on Topic X is incredible! #XYZ Conference. These bite-sized news blasts are only sup-posed to be enough to keep you in “the know.” 5. Pinterest: This curation tool is for the purpose of finding resources for things like projects, health, personal expression, or even for collecting articles and info related to your career or hobbies. Typically people find a picture or article they like and “pin” it to a folder in their account. It allows them to go back and look at it later when they have the time to deal with that content.

So, how did you do? Are you an annoyance to others? Are you maximizing your efficien-cy by using these tools properly? Well, the Social Media Police aren’t going to throw you in jail if you do it wrong, but you might get unfriended. Social etiquette is just as im-portant online as in person. Good luck and have fun!

Are You Using Social Media Correctly? G. Kirchmyer 1 March, 2015.

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Check out this month’s

SMMHS Library Website!

Find a great book, learn

about our programs, and

access databases and

MLA citation rules to

complete research for

your classes!!

Need to know when your mid-

dle school child is scheduled

to visit the library for book

check-out? Click here!