Thursday, August 18, 2011

Harry Potter Photo Prints

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two hits theaters and will wrap up the 8-movie series. Millions of fans are buzzing about the final battle, and to help share in the excitement, Uppercase Living is offering three exclusive Photo Prints™ of the movie’s heroes: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Now you can add larger-than-life décor to your library or "Potter Parties", and on the bedroom walls of the littlest fans in the house. These prints will only be available until August 31 at 11:59 p.m., so don’t wait! 

The new adhesive features a patented technology that adheres well once applied, yet peels off easily to minimize the risk of wall-damage sometimes associated with prints of this size. 

http://shannonm.uppercaseliving.net/ShopLanding.m
Click on "Special Offers" to order the three prints.

Harry Potter Item # 700121
Size: 47"x 13.5"
Price: $49.95


Ron Weasley
Item #700122
Size: 47"x 15.5"
Price: $49.95

Hermione Granger Item #700123
Size: 47"x 11"
Price: $49.95


Photobucket

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Downloading eBooks from the public library

You will need to see if your public library has the R.E.A.D.S. system. You also need a public library card.

You will have to create a R.E.A.D.S. account. You might have to choose your local library type in your library number on the back of your library card.

You will need to download Adobe Digital Editions on your computer. You can get it here
http://reads.lib.overdrive.com/84D8F863-66E9-4684-94C2-807DA3717A10/10/337/en/Help-QuickStartGuide.htm
Scan down on the page and it's under Step 1.

Once you haev downloaded the program you  can browse the books. The Nook supports
* e-Book - EPUB files
* e-Book - PDF files

When you are on the main R.E.A.D.S homepage you can see those choices in a dark blue box on the left.

I will usually click on one of those so I don't waste my time looking at audio books.

Once you finds a book she wants she can click on "add to cart". I also put a hold on a lot of books to because you have to wait in line for them. They will e-mail you when it becomes available.

To download on your computer...
Click on the "My Cart" tab on the top.
Click "Proceed to Checkout".
At the top choose 7,14, or 21 days from the Lending Period drop down box.
Click "Confirm Checkout'.
Click "Download".
Save the file on your desktop.
Once it's there you can open Adobe Digital Editions and drag the book into it.

To get it on your Nook...
Plug in your Nook to the computer using the USB cord that came with it.
You'll have Adobe Digital Editions open and on the left under the Bookshelf you'll see "Media"...that's the Nook.
Drag the book over to that file and it will download it on your Nook.

There is also a Facebook group called,  "I have a Nook and I'm willing to share books". I've borrowed 4 of my books that way. People post what they have to share under the Discussion board there. If you are the first person to post that you want the book and you send that person a message then you'll typically be the one who gets it.

I've also sent a form and $15 to join the Philadelphia Free Public Library. (Not free to TN residents). They have a boatload of ebooks. It may have been money I didn't need to spend because I have found enough through my local library.

Be on the lookout for "Free Friday". B&N offers a free eBook on Friday's. Titles will vary. They also have a section of eBooks that cost under $5. Some titles change each month.

Grant #2 - "We're Nooked on eBooks"

The students are getting 6 Nook Colors from Barnes & Noble! I got mine for Christmas 2010 and I absolutely LOVE mine. I find that it is more convenient than carrying a book with me everywhere I go. The Nook fits nicely in my purse. I also set it up on the treadmill and read while I run. Makes the time go by much faster.

With the grant money I will also be purchasing some science and math related eBooks. Another good think about Nook's is that if you buy 1 book you can share that book across 6 Nooks. So I get to buy the book once and all the Nook's will have access to it.

Other great things about the Nook Color
- You can borrow books from the public library (with your library card).
- It's in COLOR - children's books still show the gorgeous illustrations.
- You can get Apps on it now.
- "LendMe" feature. You can share the eBooks that you purchase with other Nook owners. Actually you can also lend it out to a Kindle owner but I'm afraid they can't return the favor.
- The screen can be turned either horizontal or vertical.
- "Read and Play" Interactive books
- Exclusive "Read to Me" feature which reads the text to your young child or beginning reader.
- Build in Wi-Fi
- Lighted display screen that you can adjust. This is very handy for reading in bed at night.
- Adjustable text size.

I'm excited to bring these features, and Nook Colors, to my students.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Grant #1 - "Go Research Science"

So I said I would talk about the two grants...and then school started. It's the busiest time of year for a teacher.

Grant #1 - "Go Research Science"
A few years ago I learned about PebbleGo, an on-line database for K-3 students, and I fell in love with it! Unfortunately with budgets the way they are I couldn't afford a subscription. I am so happy that I was awarded the grant to purchase a 1-year subscription. It also turns out that you can get a discount if you purchase a subscription to all three databases so my students are in luck! This year we will have access to
* PebbleGo Animals
* PebbleGo Biographies
* PebbleGo Earth/Space
I know I already have one second grade teacher in mind for her animal research project.

What I love about this database:
* It is designed for emergent readers
* Fully narrated text which is perfect for students who can't read
* Citation help. It's never to early to teach students about how to cite their sources!
* Audio and video clips
* Text highlighting

For more details visit http://www.pebblego.com/login.php
You can find a rep and request a temporary password to get access to the databases to look it over.