Blogs and Blog Readers

Blog Readers

After viewing several blog readers, I decided that I liked Inoreader the best. The layout and functionality matched what I needed. What I really liked best was that I can follow an unlimited amount of feeds, all for free; while other readers, like NewsBlur or The Old Reader, had only a limited number of subscriptions for that price.

The layout of the reader is very user-friendly. Every blog that I subscribed to was located in the left-hand column with new posts listed in a gallery to the right. All of the new blog posts are available there, and they can even be removed once they are read by clicking the “Mark all as read” button on the top bar.  There are a number of reading options and settings, also located there that can be adjusted to your preferences.

More information on blog readers can be found at this website: https://zapier.com/blog/best-rss-feed-reader-apps/.

Blogs

There were several blogs that I like to follow, so I am so excited to be able to have a place where I can be updated with new information from all of my favorite blogs.

ALSC Blog

The Association of Library Service for Children hosts this blog located at . Their blog description states, “Pursing library excellence for children” and their blog contains posts to support school librarians. There is a plethora of information on this blog to include ALA award winning books, library programming ideas, ways to advocate for your library, book reviews, etc. It is a great resource for school librarians./https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/.

Watch.Connect.Read

This blog is amazing in finding new children’s literature. The author of this blog is a lecturer at Rutgers University and whose focus is to connect children with the right book. He has book lists, such as “The Top 20 Books of 2018,” but he also showcases many new books with reviews and interviews with the book authors. He also features book trailers on his blog that can be utilized to help introduce students to new books and help promote reading. His blog is located at: http://mrschureads.blogspot.com/.

The Library Voice

This blog follows the happenings at Van Meter Community School and is authored by https://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/. 
teacher/librarian Shannon McClintock Miller, who is the spokesperson for Future Ready Librarians. The blog features all kind of ideas for library programming and is an excellent resource for lesson ideas and finding new ways to integrate technology into library instruction. This blog can be found at

Erintegration

Looking for new ways to implement technology? Erintegration https://www.erintegration.com/ is an excellent blog that focuses on new technologies and technology instruction in grades K-12. She has a ton of information on iPad activites, Google Apps (including everything available in G-Suite for Education), Teacher Tech Tips and Digital Scoots. She presents her information in a way that is easy for teachers and librarians to learn and implement in their lessons.

The Book Wrangler

The Book Wrangler is an excellent blog that introduces and recommends new children’s literature. I 
love his blog description “Wrangling Up the Best In Children’s Literature.” He includes different ideas of activities, displays, etc. from his own library; but he also discusses new books for children and ways to incorporate those books into library instruction. He can also be followed on Instagram (monsterwranglermike) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/WranglerMike77). His blog is available to follow at https://thebookwrangler.blog/.

Staying Cool in the Library

One blog that I chose to follow on Inoreader is Staying Cool in the Library at . This blog has a ton of great information that can be utilized in an elementary library. She also has many links and posts about resources that she creates, which I have used in the past and is available on Teachers Pay Teachers. I get many of my lesson ideas from her site. The blog also includes posts about recommended books for different topics.  
http://www.stayingcoolinthelibrary.us/

Elementary LibraryMama

Elementary Library Mama is another great blog. Her blog also focuses on lesson ideas and activites. She also includes information for elementary librarians to us, such as booklists and collaboration. Her blog is located at: http://www.elementarylibrarymama.com/.

What is Tumblr?

Tumblr https://www.tumblr.com is a microblogging website where users can post information in a blog-style format, or they can post other things like pictures, stickers, videos, images, etc. in a way that is similar to social media (Pinterest, Facebook, etc.) It is also a place where you can connect with others. You can follow me on Tumblr at https://www.tumblr.com/blog/melwilkes.

Sources:

Bentley-Flannery, P., Groseclose, P., Frick, K., Voors, M. Public Awareness Comittee, & ALSC Children and Technology Committee. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/. 

The Book Wrangler. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://thebookwrangler.blog/. 

Cool, K. (n.d.) Staying Cool in the Library. Retrieved from http://www.stayingcoolinthelibrary.us/. 

Elementary Library Mama. (2018, September 10). Retrieved from http://www.elementarylibrarymama.com/. 

Erintegration Blog. (2018, December 29). Retrieved from https://www.erintegration.com/. 

Miller, S. M. (2019, January 16). The Library Voice. Retrieved from https://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/. 

Schu. (2019, January 17). Watch. Connect. Read. Retrieved from http://mrschureads.blogspot.com/. 

Tumblr. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.tumblr.com. 

Zapier. (2018, September 21). The 10 Best Free RSS Reader Apps in 2018. Retrieved from https://zapier.com/blog/best-rss-feed-reader-apps/.