The world's largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens
Sarah Bayliss (shbayliss@gmail.com) writes frequently for School Library Journal and The Digital Shift.
A design revolution is reinventing the children’s room in public libraries and changing the way young children learn. This new breed of literacy-packed play spaces in libraries is inspired by children’s museums and the developmental theories that drive them.
School libraries in Galt, California, are open this summer and preparing to circulate 240 new Google Chromebooks to the community. Once slated for closure after a $790,000 budget gap, it’s a big turnaround, thanks to community fundraising that started with a seventh-grader, who opened her wallet and said she would donate $40 to keep the school libraries running.
New rules take effect this month intended to protect kids’ privacy online, and some librarians are worried. Some say that the more stringent regulations may impede mobile app use in elementary schools—and also prevent kids from recreationally sharing favorite hobby sites with each other.
The American Library Association (ALA) this week launched a preview version of Digital Learn, a free online resource for librarians working with digital literacy learners. The new hub, which will be fully available June 30, follows recommendations released this month from ALA’s Digital Literacy Task Force.
An exploration of New Orleans’s hurricane-ravaged Ninth Ward and a student-driven study on how to conserve energy in a school are the winners of this year’s SIGMS Technology Innovation Awards bestowed at ISTE, the annual ed-tech conference held in San Antonio, TX, June 23–26.
Only one in three parents of children ages eight and under reads stories to their kids each night, according to a new survey by the literacy organization Reading is Fundamental (RIF) and Macy’s.
Amazon Kindle’s FreeTime Unlimited, a subscription service geared for parents, has added 1,000 books, games, educational apps, movies, and TV shows to its offerings for children since its launch six months ago.
This month, librarians are gearing up for the American Library Association annual conference in Chicago. But some question whether “annual” really serves their professional development needs. In a time of contracting budgets, layoffs, and demands for tech expertise in the library, is ALA still the must-attend event for all? Or is ISTE (the International Society for Technology in Education conference) in San Antonio a better choice?
Librarian bloggers Sophie Brookover, Liz Burns, and Kelly Jensen—concerned that librarians are not always adept at promoting their achievements—have been hosting a month-long online event called Show Me the Awesome, an opportunity for librarians to share their accomplishments. Here are some of the highlights.
Teenagers are revealing more about themselves on social media than ever before, but they’re also taking more steps to protect their privacy online, according to “Teens, Social Media, and Privacy,” a May 21 report issued by Pew Internet. The report also found Twitter use among teens—especially African Americans—is rising, while teens’ fondness for Facebook is on the decline.
Winner of the 2012 Edublog Lifetime Achievement Award, UK-based educator Tim Rylands uses gaming and other IT to inspire learning and creative writing. Rylands, who presents internationally at conferences and schools, blogs at www.timrylands.com. He spoke with SLJ about how his teaching techniques, his favorite apps, and why he’s more than just the “Myst man.”
Dell announced the winners of its Dell Education Challenge, an international competition recognizing projects that support learning issues among K-12 students.
On a family trip to Tanzania, high school librarian Paula Busey became acquainted with Samwel Melami Langidare Mollel, a Maasai warrior who spoke five languages. The high school educator arranged for Melami to guest teach at her Colorado school in an educational exchange that drew the attention of National Geographic, which honored Busey as a 2012 Traveler of the Year.
