SLS 5/8/26 - O²CM Bookish Bytes

📰 In the News 📰
Substack: Tech Isn’t Failing Our Kids. Poor Design Is
Substack: AI Chatbots Are Not Your Students’ Friends
Substack: AI and Alternative Assessment
Substack: is Sashimi the next great graphic novel series?
Article: Vernon Hills High School named National School Library of the Year
Article: Banned Books Week 2026 Artwork Unveiled
Article: Knowing Your Worth – Even When Others Don’t See It
Article: Grant Opportunities for School and Public Libraries
Article: Summer Reading Picks: Fun and Fast-Paced
Blog: 25 ideas for digital end-of-semester final projects
Blog: The Art of Classroom Timing: 10 Ways to Fit It All In
Article: Inside One District’s Experiment to Anchor Learning Around Career-Ready Skills
Blog: How to Help Middle School Students Navigate Challenging Texts
Blog: Using Technology to Enhance Student Voice
Blog: Encouraging Creativity and Deep Reflection Through Annotation
Article: Schools are teaching AI — and making a massive mistake
EdWeek is provided to every educator in O²CM
School Library Journal is provided to each O²CM School Librarian
Please Contact SLS if You Need Access with SLJ Access in the Subject Line
Teacher Appreciation Week Food Freebies
Hello everyone 😊
Michele Gorham (OCM AIE) and I are excited to share something fun with you—Operation Summer Break: Tips, Tools, & Boosts to Get You to Summer! From May 4–22, we’ll be sharing a new little boost each school day to help you make it to the finish line. Since this week is Teacher Appreciation Week, it felt like the perfect time to kick things off and celebrate all that you do! We hope it brings a smile (and maybe a little extra energy!) to your days.
Take a look: https://hturner.my.canva.site/osb2026
Happy May!
Heather & Michele
Blurred Cover Activity
Summer Reading Program Freebies
Google Drive Update
What’s changing
Google has added the option to lock Drive files by right-clicking the file, selecting “File information”, and clicking “Lock”. Locking a file makes sure reviewers can’t change a file. Edits, comments and suggestions can't be added to locked documents.
EDUGem Cards
💎 Use the Gem: Gem link
💾 Make your own copy: Gem link
✍️ Created by: Tori Engel (adapted by Eric Curts)
📄 Description:
This Gem helps students develop a strong, clear thesis statement for their research papers. Acting as a warm, patient English Language Arts teacher, it coaches students through the writing process—helping them brainstorm debatable claims and specific supports without ever doing the writing for them.
To use this Gem, students will have a collaborative conversation with the "Thesis Helper." They'll start by providing their current grade level and the general topic they want to explore. Gemini will then guide them step-by-step to build their arguments, draft a single-sentence claim, and polish the language until it perfectly meets all academic requirements, finally providing the completed statement ready to be copied directly into their document.
Recently Reviewed Titles
FREE Access to Skillshare & Treehouse
Professional Learning Opportunities
In Person Professional Learning
Virtual/Asynch Professional Learning
May 8 - WEBINAR: Roaches in My Cereal: And the Moral Imperative to Reimagine School (edWeb)
May 12 - WEBINAR: Designing Learning Ecosystems with AI: Moving Beyond Prompting (edWeb)
May 13 - WEBINAR: Scaling K-12 Computer Science: High‑Quality, Equitable Instruction in the Age of AI (edWeb)
May 13 - WEBINAR: 3 Reasons Your Directions Aren’t Working (And What to Do Instead) (edWeb)
May 15 - VIRTUAL Introducing Elementary Students to the World of Work (Teacher Center)
May 19 - VIRTUAL Designing Standards-Aligned Lessons with AI (Teacher Center)
May 28 - WEBINAR: CDLC In-Person Workshop: The Next Chapter – Lending Beyond Books (CLRC)
Jun 9 - VIRTUAL Rekindling Hope: Healing-Centered Education for Empowered Teaching and Learning (Teacher Center)
OnDemand Professional Learning (2 CTLE)
Note: You can sign up for these trainings anytime between 4/1-6/1
📬Listservs
Elem Listserv: elemlibs@ocmboces.org
MS Listserv: mslibs@ocmboces.org
HS Listserv: hslibs@ocmboces.org
BOB Listserv: bob@ocmboces.org
OPALS Users Group: opalsusers@ocmboces.org
Follett Destiny Users Group: destinyusers@ocmboces.org