This is a guest post with Heidi Shorter, a Technology Teacher with Howard County Schools in Maryland. We asked her to collaborate on this blog to showcase the ideas she shared in her Wixie Webinar last school year. 

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The American Association of School Librarians Standards Framework for Learners are designed to provide a clear vision of “the qualities of well-prepared learners” to guide school librarians and administrators as they develop “curriculum tailored to…local priorities and needs.”

The AASL framework is anchored in six areas that progress through four domains: cognitive (Think), psychomotor (Create), affective (Share), and developmental (Grow).

Wixie provides a digital canvas your students can use to develop their abilities to Inquire as they:

“build new knowledge by inquiring, thinking critically, identifying problems, and developing strategies for solving problems.” 

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Editors Note: This blog is a guest post from Jennifer Sturge the Coordinator for School Libraries in Calvert County Public Schools in Maryland.

In 2007, I attended my first Maryland Association of School Librarians conference where I still remember two stand outs: Joyce Valenza’s keynote and a little product called Pixie. After returning to my school, I promptly begged the Parent Teacher Association to purchase Pixie for my school library. It is hard to believe that 14, nearly 15 years later, I’m still in awe of the program!

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Even when school is on vacation, Wixie is not! If you use Wixie at school, let parents know their child can continue creating in Wixie over the break.

Note: Explore video directions for sending parents their child's Wixie log in information or simply head to the Settings in your Wixie teacher account for these tools.

Use these ideas to get parents and kids creating together at home. The ideas progress from easy to more difficult, from younger to older, so browse the list to find an idea that works best for your family. Don't forget to share your favorite ideas too!

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By the end of a normal school day, teachers are tired. During a pandemic? Beyond exhausted. If you are supporting teachers during this time, make sure their time spent for professional learning:

• • provides immediate resources to implement
  • makes future instructional planning easier
  • avoids a one-size fits all approach

And don’t forget the fun!

Here are a few strategies, along with corresponding content ideas, you can use to make your Wixie workshops engaging and useful.

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