New database resources, Book Creator, Copyright

New Resources Available to BISD

Two new databases are available to BISD through our Texquest subscription. When you sign in to Texquest through your campus library website, you and your students have access to the Chilton Library database, which offers "quick online access to repair, maintenance and service information on popular vehicles, with information on actual tear-downs in easy to follow step-by-step procedures."

You and your students also have access to Learning Express/PrepStep through our EBSCO subscription. See your campus librarian for login credentials. Prep Step provides STAAR preparation, student success skills, resources for core academic areas, as well as college and career preparation resources. Students will need to create an individual log in.

This year we have access to the public library side of Learning Express which offers support for career planning, college admissions, and more. Resources are available in Spanish.

Our database subscriptions are some of our most powerful resources with Google Classroom integration, translation and read-aloud capabilities, and built-in citation tools. Teaching students to access their awesomeness is time well spent! Contact your campus librarian for more information.

Book Creator

Book Creator has been an amazing paid IOS app for quite awhile, but the free Chromebook app makes it more accessible to our students. The free subscription allows a single teacher to create 1 library and store up to 40 books. Click the image below to see first hand what this powerful app can do. 

Here are some ways to use Book Creator in the elementary classroom. Check out Book Creator's expansive teacher resource center for ideas on using the app in middle school and high school classrooms to promote critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication in content areas, and more. Book Creator's channel on YouTube offers additional resources and tutorials. I'd love to help you and your students use Book Creator in your classroom!

Copyright

Last month at Region XX, Marty Rossi shared this video as part of her training on Open Educational Resources. The librarian in me loved the simple explanation of copyright and creative commons licensing. As we and our students create more and more digital content, understanding copyright and licensing is important. This video could be used with secondary students to support digital citizenship.