Are You a Responsible Internet-er?

If you think the Internet isn't a huge part of your life, you're kidding yourself. At this point, much of your social life has probably been documented on one social media site or another.
What many teens don't always think about, however, is how all those tweets, posts, and snaps are affecting them in the long run.

When it's time to apply for college, grad school, or for a job, are all those selfies visible to the world? Will a potential employer love the idea of reading all those posts about you ditching school or sleeping off a hangover? And what about the way you treat others online, and the way others treat you?

Well you might not know the answers to these questions but these quizzes can help you build a better online you. Is your online presence helping or hurting you? Is your personal information safe? (The last thing you want is to have your identity stolen, trust me).


And while we're on the topic of making mistakes online, check out Politwoops- a collection of tweets that politicians have posted...and then deleted. Nothing is really gone from the Interwebs in the age of screenshots and cached pages.  Sort by position or state and find your favorite mistakes from politicians you love (or love to hate).

What Do You Need to Know Before You Leave High School?

You're going to be learning a lot throughout the four years of high school. Some of it will be extremely useful (Driver's Ed and CPR/Health class) and some of it will be...less useful (come on, you probably won't be using quadratic equations on a daily basis).
But what about the real life skills and knowledge that you're somehow just expected to pick up in your life? How do you learn things like hard-boiling eggs? Changing a tire? Filling out tax forms and applying for jobs?

There's plenty of knowledge you might not have when entering high school that you'll be expected to have upon graduating, or soon after. 
Here are some lists and websites with some of that helpful and/or random information to get you started on your journey towards "knowing it all":

• The New York Times has a list of articles to read before you turn 18, including articles on negotiating your rent, college applications, cooking like your mom, and the importance of sleep.
• The collection of charts on UsefulCharts.com may come in handy if you are a visual learner (meaning: you like pictures) or like random history facts. Charts include Greek mythology timelines, European royalty family trees and American and Global history timelines, among others. 
• Want to sound educated and well-read (even if you're not)? Study up on your semantics skills at Difference Between - learn when to use "British" versus "English" , the difference between ISIS and ISIL, and get the lowdown on political figures and global issues. 
• Need some summer options? Learn about various Jewish summer programs for teens and young adults, both in the US and abroad at Find Your Summer.
• This doesn't really qualify as a life skill but our teen years are a great time to write Future You an email about...well anything. You pick when it will be delivered and give yourself advice, talk about your life, or make predictions and see if they come true. It's like a digital time capsule for yourself!

Of course, the most important things you'll learn as a young adult aren't taught in school or found on any website- things like kindness to others, respect, ambition, pride in your accomplishments...for those things, it just takes time and a little bit of effort.

Podcasts

Are you a podcast pro? Can you recite Serial by heart? Are you listening to one right now? Or are you scratching your head and wondering what a podcast is?  

Well the good news is, there are a zillion tenn-friendly podcasts out there and we've put a list together to get you started. Whether it's while exercising, driving (be careful!), or just sitting around, podcasts are a wonderful medium to learn about interesting new things and stay connected with the latest trends. Here are some to get you started:

• 99 Percent Invisible is a design podcast about the products that surround us every day. If you consider yourself an innovator or an artist, check this one out.
• The Memory Palace is for the history buffs out there. Each episode focuses on overlooked incidents from the past. A great human interest podcast. 
• Pitch is the definitive music-lovers podcast. Chock full of trivia, science, and history about the way music works to move us.
• A near perfect pop-science podcast is RadioLab. This one's not just for science geeks.  

And if none of the above float your boat, check out AudioSearch - THE search engine for podcasts on any and every topic imaginable. |
So you'd better get those ear buds ready! 

(via SLJ.com)

Find your Library Bliss!

What's your library happiness? Finishing a really good book? A satisfying ending, a great twist, or an infuriating cliffhanger? A cozy chair and the latest in that popular series you've been dying to get your hands on? 

In honor of September being National Library Card month, post an Instagram pic of you holding your library card and showing us what your #nshahslibraryhappiness is and we'll feature you on our Instagram page! 
And don't forget to give your public library card a workout!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to school to all!

For those of you new to NSHAHS, this blog is the place to go to look for library news, contests, programming, and general information.
If you are new, please stop by the library and introduce yourself!

Some helpful links:
The library catalog
The library website

Click here to follow the library on Instagram    


Follow @nshahslibrary on Twitter too!

EDTech: All about Blogging

(This is a post responding to an EdTech assignment.)


Blogging is one of my favorite things to do as a librarian. I use this blog as a "catchall" for all of the interesting articles, pictures, contests, and book reviews that don't really go anywhere else but are more just for fun.

I love that students can comment and link to related articles and fun things. It's more interactive than a website where they can browse and research but not give me any feedback.

I have been hesitant to post actual pictures of students or the library in action on the blog, since it is a public forum and open to the whole Internet.

There's also the risk of students being immature and/or inappropriate in the comments, but moderating the posts does help. As for students blogging themselves, I think it's a great idea and can only help with writing skills. Like any online presence, safety is the most important thing and they should keep their blogs private if possible. 

I would love to institute student blogs (or guest posts from students) where they can write their own book reviews. 

Teachers assigning blogging to students have to balance the "fun" side of it with an expectation of school-worthy material. Meaning just because it's a blog, grammar and content can't just be thrown by the wayside. There has to be some academic value, but it give students an opportunity to post pictures, videos, written content and more and students can interact with one another's work, which is great! 

Again, online safety rules have to be followed and there should definitely be a strict anti-cyberbullying policy if students are to blog. 

Take a Reading Challenge!!

Believe it or not, we're back! The weather may be dreary and there are no vacations in sight...but don't let that get you down! Stop by the library to take the 2016 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge!



Pick up the Challenge Form at the NSHAHS library. The first five students to fill it out completely will be featured on the library Instagram page! (You can also email the completed form to Book Riot for 30% off in their store).











The Book Riot Challenge a bit too ambitious for you? What about trying the NSHAHS Library Challenge?! The first five readers to complete the challenge will also be featured on our library Instagram page!

And remember: If you get stuck, come in to the library for ideas, suggestions, and recommendations!

Happy Reading!!

(via Book Riot)