Wednesday, January 31, 2018

TRY OUR NEW "COLLECTIONS" RESOURCE!





Try our new Black History Collection, which includes interesting "outside resources such sites as PBS, TeacherVision, and YouTube, as well as our own MHS resources, again, all in one place.

I am proud to introduce an innovative RESOURCE for our teachers and students called "Collections." Collections is new component within our Destiny Discover Resources, which is, as the name suggests, a “collection” of our MHS Resources, including books, ebooks, and databases, as well as free resources from the web on a particular subject - all in one place. I hope you will find it a useful tool to supplement your curriculum and add variety to your presentations.  


Rather than students “Googling” all kinds of irrelevant ‘hits,’ on a topic, you can send them to one of our/your Collections that has every resource they will need.  Sending students on an open search, often results in them getting sidetracked (don’t we do this too?)  Instead, students can spend their time digging into the research by reading, watching videos, and learning all from within one “collection.”


How is this “different” than anything else?  It includes easy access to something you may not be familiar with called OER’s, Open Educational Resources, a partnership with the Department of Education that includes free, unlicensed/openly-licensed, and unrestricted content.  Many of these have lesson plans tied to State and National Standards.  


Another great feature of Collections is that YOU can also create your own. I welcome suggestions as to what kind of Collections you would like me to begin creating for you, and I am available to teach you how to build your own collections.  Within a collection, you can also easily include documents such as instructions, graphic organizers and rubrics so that directions and resources are all in one place.


Follett explains the appeal of Collections for teachers: Pair content with instructional goals and provide personalized learning for students. Save all your activities, pictures and videos in Collections to bring your lesson to life. Add already-created notes, worksheets, quizzes and more. Work virtually to curate supplemental materials for new units, lessons and projects. Add documents from Google Classroom or upload videos to set the stage for a lesson.


I hope you’ll try out this new tool soon.  It is a wonderful way to curate our OWN resources and add other free/educational resources as well.  Please contact me to learn more about building your own Collection!

Monday, January 8, 2018

Smile Makeover and Giant Dreams

  When I took the position of Library Media Center Specialist 4 years ago, I had a lot of dreams.   Winning a National Smile Makeover Contest for someone else was NOT one of them. Sometimes Dreams Come to Us in the Most Unusual Ways. (Updated August, 2021)

Happy New Year, 2018! I hope this first blog post of the new year gives you reason to smile. It is the celebration of an almost two-year journey, a dreams-do-come-true story chronicling how our library's presence on social media led to a local girl winning a National Smile Makeover Contest in an improbable intersection of circumstances - a New Year's viral video, @giantslibrary on Twitter, and a generous cosmetic dentist (Dr. Daniel Rubinshtein) from NYC. It is the inspirational story of a Smile Makeover for Haley Jordan, a 2012 MHS grad with Giant Dreams, who is well on her way to making them come true.  
It has been called the most important human gesture we can give - the smile. In Ron Gutman’s Ted Talk, The Hidden Power of Smiling, he reports that British researchers found that one smile can provide the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 chocolate bars!   According to one article, smiling can increase your lifespan by 7 years! Sharing a smile costs nothing and reaps priceless benefits, making Haley's gift much more priceless than the aesthetic value alone.

Put aside the latest political press about Twitter.  This tale is a testament to the powerful capability of social media for good.  Haley’s story inspired Dr. Rubinshtein, and in turn, his spirit of giving inspires others to give back as well. His own version of Haley’s Smile Makeover has over 60,000 views!


Just after New Year’s 2016, Dr. Rubinshtein’s Smile Makeover Contest had gone viral.  As Marion High School’s Library Media Specialist, I saw the video on Twitter; a young dentist was offering a life-changing opportunity, the chance for a new smile. Immediately, I KNEW who could use that makeover, a former Marion High School alumni, who was part of a rising new YouTube sensation, The Fitness Marshall, consisting of three Marion grads, Allison Florea(2012), Haley, and its creator, Caleb Marshall (2011). I went to work on my entry.  It would be a long shot; after all, this was a national contest; there would be thousands of entries.  


Two weeks later, I received a call from NYC - Haley was the winner! I felt like I’d won the lottery! True to his word, Dr. Rubinshtein paid for Haley’s travel as well as her dental care as she began traveling between Indiana and New York for her dental visits while she attended Ball State University.  It wasn’t long after Haley’s braces were put on, that her smile began to change.  By Christmas of the following year, it was already beautiful!  

While the online popularity of the Fitness Marshall continued to climb, in March of 2016,  Haley began her own YouTube channel featuring makeup techniques and tips, as well as Vegan cooking segments.  


Eighteen months after her first consultation, on October 17, 2017,
Haley underwent her final visit with Dr Rubinshtein.
As a surprise for her, Dr. Rubinshtein invited me to fly to NYC to be there for the unforgettable celebration as Haley’s smile was completed.  I will always carry with me the joy of that afternoon, meeting Dr. Daniel in person, and seeing Haley’s beautiful smile without braces for the first time. Most of all, I’ll remember this improbable journey of generosity and heart.   In Giving Back: A New Year's Resolution for Social Media Celebrities, Barrett Wiseman identifies a new class of celebrity, “the social media influencer,” and challenges them to give back with consistent dedication, rather than the usual one-stop photo op or one-time donation.  



Haley sees her smile without braces for the first time. 

Also known as “Dr. Snapchat,” Dr Rubinshtein went beyond what Wiseman suggested by committing to a long-term investment in Haley.  How easily he could’ve chosen someone closer to NYC, someone whose treatment would be over in a few months.  Instead, he spent almost a year and a half flying Haley back and forth from Indiana to NYC, making adjustments until all was just right. He is a rare giver
and asks only that Haley give back as well.  One only has to catch her vlog and see her passion for helping others be healthy to know she is already doing that. She is generous with her time and engaged with her followers in ways that depict a sense of responsibility to give back.


Between the time of her initial consultation with Dr. Rubinshtein and Haley’s final visit, The Fitness Marshall has achieved star status with over a three million subscribers!  “Its fans and popularity have grown beyond the groups wildest dreams and has granted Haley a life that once seemed unattainable.”     
                                      Jennifer Sherlock of jennacommunications 

Part of Ultabeauty's Ulta Collective! 
With a smile that matches her personality Haley, Haley has over 73,000 followers, and is thrilled to be a new representative for Ulta Collective! The Fitness Marshall has been named NUMBER 1 by Glamour Magazine for the Best YouTube workouts for 2021!

With his Smile Makeover Contest, Dr. Rubinshtein hoped to inspire others to “find ways to integrate your interests and skills with the needs of others.”  Although we all may not be in the position to offer such a substantial gift, we are capable of helping others, in both large and small ways.  Whatever ‘good’ you do, science, psychology, and the smiles of grateful people say it’s good for you as well as for them.  


May 2018 be filled with Giant Dreams and genuine smiles, both ones you give and ones you receive. With one smile, you CAN change your world. Never underestimate its power.  
See Haley’s VLOG to hear her reflections about her smile makeover.


The Fitness Marshall, Voted #1 by Glamour Magazine! 



Haley with our Marion High School Marketing Class


Haley with one of her younger fans, Lula:)



Resources on the Positive Effects of a Smile and Giving Back