A teen asks, “Why should we care about history, anyway? It’s over.” Marc Aronson replies.
Give Students a Break: Four Strategies to Combat Information Overload
By on June 12, 2013
When it comes to presenting resources to students and teachers, librarians have been as guilty as any regarding information overload. But in this digital age of abundance, our real value is being able to discern quality over quantity.
Is This It for the Nook?: While its future is unclear, the Nook is an ideal ereader for schools
By on June 6, 2013
While the future of Barnes & Noble’s hardware division is still playing out, the Nook line of ereaders boasts a quality user experience and library-loan friendly features. Jeff Hastings provides a rundown of the Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight and the Nook HD tablet in his video review.
ALA, It’s Time to Step Up for School Libraries | Editorial
By on June 4, 2013 9 Comments
What if ALA leadership fought for school librarians like it fought for access to ebooks?
The Road Ahead: Common Core Insights | Consider the Source
By on May 29, 2013 2 Comments
What lies ahead for teachers and librarians just embarking on the Common Core journey? Marc Aronson shares his thoughts and insights.
College Readiness: Librarians Can Help the Transition | On Common Core
By on May 21, 2013 1 Comment
Education buzzwords—whole language, multiple intelligences—come and go, but 45 states chose to adopt the Common Core Learning Standards. The questions educators now face are what types of instruction help students develop these skills? And how do librarians insert themselves into these critical discussions?
Kids Suffer When Librarians Are Cut from Schools | Feedback
By on May 21, 2013 2 Comments
Check out School Library Journal’s reader responses to Rebecca Miller’s editorial, “The Cost of Cuts,” the review of Dig Those Dinosaurs, and more.
The Best PowerPoint Alternatives for Creating Great Presentations
By on May 20, 2013
We’ve all endured “death by PowerPoint.” It’s a painful experience for the audience and probably not all that fun for the presenter either. To help students deliver effective presentations—free of those deadly bullet points—SLJ columnist Richard Byrne cites his go-to applications.
Constellations | Consider the Source
By on May 14, 2013 1 Comment
The focus on the close reading of texts suggests a new idea to SLJ’s columnist—an idea that taps librarians’ expertise and offers an exciting approach to inquiry.
What Are You Afraid Of? We Can’t Afford to Hesitate | Project Advocacy
By on May 14, 2013 Leave a Comment
Educators “must be fearless in advocating for our students’ needs,” says Carolyn Foote. In this debut of her SLJ column, “Project Advocacy,” Foote provides school librarians and media specialists with a “seed kit” of inspiration for stepping out and building a professional network and leveraging the autonomy of your library program.
SLJ Reviews Information Literacy Courseware ResearchReady
By on May 8, 2013
What is ResearchReady? The new information literacy courseware is “just about everything we try and teach condensed into a single convenient, Web-based and tablet-friendly can,” according to SLJ columnist Jeff Hastings.
Self-Published Ebooks not a Solution for K-12 Schools
By on May 6, 2013
While self-published titles may be an option for public libraries when it comes to acquiring ebooks, not so for schools, according to SLJ columnist Christopher Harris, who lays out the ongoing challenges for ebook adoption in K-12.
433 Words on Why Fandom Doesn’t Belong in Schools
By on May 3, 2013
A key part of the power of the fandom is precisely that it lies outside the realms of codified hierarchy we find in school and in the workplace…
RE: Reading | Consider the Source
By on May 2, 2013 2 Comments
The close reading of fiction and literary works is a standard requirement in our schools. Can we say the same of nonfiction?
World Peace and Other Aspirations: The Role of Play | Editorial
By on May 1, 2013 Leave a Comment
Pam Sandlian Smith’s ongoing reinvention of library service at the Anythink Libraries in Colorado shows what leadership exercised in a spirit of wonder and playfulness can achieve. John Hunter’s World Peace Game takes playing to a new level for learning. We can all learn from both.
Childproofed: When Your School Has Inflexible Filters | Scales on Censorship
By on April 23, 2013 Leave a Comment
Pat Scales, chair of the American Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee, answers readers’ questions about censorship. This month, Scales addresses what to do when your school has inflexible or strict Internet filters, including strategies for aiding students in completing research assignments and advice on instituting new policies for challenged materials.
Getting Kids Engaged with Primary Sources | Cool Tools
By on April 22, 2013
Primary resources can help bring history to life for students. Make the most of first-hand accounts and other primary source content with tools such as the National Archives’ Digital Vaults, video tour included.
We Are Not Alone: National Curricular Reform Around the Globe | Consider the Source
By on April 18, 2013 Leave a Comment
In adopting the Common Core State Standards, U. S. educators are part of a larger educational reform movement. From England to Japan countries around the world are debating a national curricula. Why are so many nations considering one? And where does the impetus to do so come from? Marc Aronson ponders these questions in his latest Consider the Source column.
BYOD: Mobile devices belong in the classroom | Pivot Points
By on April 16, 2013 1 Comment
BYOD, or bring your own device, programs offer media specialists an opportunity to connect with students, teachers, and school administrators—and to take a leadership role in their schools and districts.
SLJ Reviews Gobstopper and Subtext: Apps that Enable Interactive Classroom Reading
By on April 15, 2013
The ability for teachers and students to embed their own content into digital texts, write notes, and get feedback on student reading—classroom reading just got a lot more dynamic. SLJ columnist Jeff Hastings test driives Gobstopper and Subtext.
