You Oughta Know About ...

. . . Book Scanner App & Classroom Check Out App !

Happy 2015, everyone! I am linking up again with the wonderful Jasmine McClain from Buzzing with Mrs. McClain to bring you this new year's You Oughta Know About . . . Book Scanner App!

If you are a teacher that has your own classroom library and your school uses Accelerated Reader, then this post is for you!

About 5 years ago, my 5th grade friend and I spent months coming to school on a Saturday to label each book that had an A.R quiz in our school's entire library and our own classroom library. I know what you might be thinking: "cray, cray"! It's okay, I had a stipend position that paid us to do that. So worry not. But as you can tell, that was some tedious stuff; coming in on a weekend having to type EVERY single book title and author on A.R bookfinder, copying and pasting all the reading level, grade appropriateness, and etc... onto an Excel sheet, to printing a label for the book's spine, and then finally sticking all that info on the book. Sounds stressful, right?!?

Well, stress no more! This is where the bookscanner app comes in. It works on any phone that has a camera so that you can scan the book's barcode, just like you would scan a Q.R Code or a barcode if you use Target Cartwheel to find if an item has deals.

After scanning the book, the app gives you all the A.R information you or your student may need to know. Just as so:

Now you will have the book's quiz #, book reading level, points students earn, and interest level of a book in A.R. I even keep an old old iPhone that has a scanner in my classroom so students can check the information when they can't find it on my book's spine or on A.R bookfinder.

The best part of the bookscanner app however, is that it then sorts a book inventory list on your phone for you and allows you to have a list of all the books you own in your classroom library that has an A.R quiz. 

Simple and easy peasy like Mac 'n Cheesy right? Now no more worrying on organizing your classroom library. But wait, what about if you allow your kiddos to check out books from your classroom library so they can read for A.R time or at home? No worries, I got you covered again!

That's where Classroom Check Out App comes in and saves your day! No more losing books you spent your hard working dollars on or forever saved Scholastic points on. The Classroom Check Out App will help you with keeping track of your books that have been borrowed & checked out and to which student.

First, you scan the book the students want to check out so that it registers in your phone's system. It even allows you to scan and see how many copies of one book you have:

Next, you create your class list:

Then, just like magic . . . you are now able to keep track of everything at the palm of your hands! It tells you which student has which books and the date that they borrowed your book. 

I hope you can find these two apps as useful to you as it has been for me. I don't know how I survived the last 5 years without these 2 apps! 

An InLinkz Link-up

January 2015 Currently

WOW . . . another year has come and gone. I seriously CANNOT believe it is already 2015! For my first post from the new year, I will be linking up with Farley from Oh' Boy 4th Grade.

Listening: Catching up with Season 8 of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians". I seriously have not had much television time this school year. It's nice to just veg out on my couch and watch mindless show with absolutely nothing to do!!!

Loving: I have also been catching up on all the books I have not had a chance to read during the regular school year time. I just finished 3 books and they were ALL so amazing! The first one I read was If I Stay after renting the movie version Redbox. Then, I went and read the sequel, Where She Went. 

There were a lot of mixed reviews on the sequel and a lot of people didn't (*Spoiler Alert) like the happy ending. (*Spoiler Over). For me though, I absolutely LOVED the sequel and Adam's point of view. I will admit, the ending was rather rushed, but not every book is going to end the way one wants it to. 

Then, the 3rd book that I can't believe took me so long to discover is Eleanor and Park. Wow! Just absolutely WOW is all I can say. It took me back to high school crushes and I just fell in love with Park's character and his entire family! I hope there is a movie version of this. I would love to see how it is interpreted into a movie.

I am now working on reading Paper Town. 

Were it not for the fact that I get super lightheaded and nauseous from taking antibiotics for my root canal infection, I would've finished this book last night. 

Thinking: And speaking of root canal infection, I can't stop thinking about it. I have been to SO many doctor and dentist appointments this past week. First of all, I didn't even know there are different types of dentists and they all focus on a different thing. I first went to my regular dentist for a cleaning, then had to go to the endodontist, then the oral dentist. Now, I found out that my root canal infection is so bad that there is no saving the tooth so I will have to get an implant; which I have been researching and found out is extremely costly and my insurance does NOT cover it. Seriously a pain in the buttocks!

Wanting: Some Pinkerry Yogurt and KBBQ. The perfect combo to a lunch or dinner!

Needing: To heal. I have lovely kiddos this school year, but they come in with all sorts of colds and flu to school. I not only had the regular cold and flu, but it got so bad that it turned to a sinus infection. I pretty much have been a walking mucous for the last 3 months. Pretty disgusting, right?

Yes, Maybe, I Wish: Yes, to having an extra week off! I get 3 weeks off and I can use it to recuperate my body. Maybe I should start getting off my butt and start putting all the Christmas decor away, but I am not ready to do that yet. I wish that I had  a personal assistant to run and do all of my errands. I can't help but feel entitled to my vacation time and I just want to do NOTHING, NOTHING I tell ya!

That is all for my January currently.  Wishing everyone the best 2015 has to offer!