App of the Year 2021
App of the Year 2021:
2020 has been to many people a year to forget. With a global pandemic and the ever changing status of students being on campus, hybrid, or being fully virtual, this has been an especially tough one for educators and parents. If you believe that friction is needed for growth, this year has required an unbelievable amount of both!
Yet, recently, I was interviewing a teacher for one of our high school openings and something that she said really struck me. While I did not have a moment to ask the question, the candidate started talking about what really drives her. Professional development, she said. I have to learn, it is in my personality, I always want to grow.
This tenacity for growth ought to be at the core of all educators, especially educational leaders. And throughout much of 2020, one app has enabled for my growth to sky rocket - Libby.
Libby is an app that allows you to access an incredible amount of digital books and audiobooks completely free! Sound too good to be true? Well, it is not, as long as you have a US library membership. The way Libby works is that it connects with libraries across the US so they can share their digital offerings to your mobile device. Always having Libby on my phone and iPad and having those bookmarks synced makes learning incredibly easy and convenient.
Now, many of you reading this will be disappointed as you currently reside outside of the US. Do not worry, I do too. With the pandemic, I have not been back to the US for 18 months, which is a family record that I did not want to earn. However, even while abroad, I was able to sign up for a library card online and gain access to its online library through Libby. There are also many libraries that welcome international members for free or a nominal fee. Massive libraries in New York City and Los Angelos are rumored to make this simple. Check them out.
What has Libby meant for me this year? Here is a small sample of what I have read or listened to since September - Dare to Lead, Atomic Habits, Measure What Matters, To Kill a Mocking Bird (in progress), The Dead are Rising (next). Not a bad list since I have only been using the app for about three to four months. Add in that administrators are notoriously overworked during this pandemic, as all educators are, and the fact that I am a very slow and meticulous reader, Libby has made a huge impact on me and my growth. This is not counting the 40+ books that I have borrowed and read to my kids at night.
So, dive in and download Libby. Connect or get a membership at a US library. And, may your need to grow, learn, and develop never be satisfied, but be a worthwhile pursuit. To a better 2021!