A heads up on the latest hardware (ipods, handhelds, portable storage, and more) for the k-12 audience from School Library Journal
Unlock the Web with Open Source By Steve Hargadon - 12/01/2008
OK, so you’ve been watching the read/write revolution take place, but you feel that your students are destined to stay on the sidelines of history because these great Web 2.0 services are blocked at your school. Don’t despair. Open-source solutions can help bring Web interactivity to your classroom or library while still withstanding the scrutiny of your network administrators.
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Sanyo PLC-XL51/3M MPro110 Projectors By Jeffrey Hastings - 12/01/2008
Two products arrived at my house for review this month. One was in a large 20-pound box, the other was a small one-pound carton. I'd expected the big box. It held a high-end, short-throw LCD projector from Sanyo. But what was in the little box? Being rather simple at heart, surprises excite me. I tore it open.
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Big House Library By Kathy Ishizuka - 12/01/2008
One of my favorite things about Twitter is making connections—with great new people, ideas, and sites, like this one. The online portal of the Casa Grande High School library in Petaluma, CA, Big House Library was created by Anna Koval, the school’s teacher- librarian, who’s also a Twitter friend.
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The Inside Story: Find the full content of children's books on the Web By Anna Adam and Helen Mowers - 12/01/2008
Nothing beats cuddling up with a good book. But when you’re looking to get your hands on the right title or want to do something more, like share a good book with a class or access full-text volumes from a vast collection, technology can help. Whether it’s a peek inside a book that you’re after or a good chat with like-minded bibliophiles, these digital tools could be a reader...
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The Buzz 12/01/2008
Wear Your Photos Like me, you've probably got plenty of nice photos lying around—or backed up somewhere on a hard drive gathering metaphorical dust. Put your collection to work at Kimbra Studios, a unique retail site offering custom sterling jewelry made from your photos. Choose your product, from necklaces and charm bracelets (pictured above) to belt buckles, upload your image, and your ...
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Pulse Smartpen Digital Audio Recorder with “Paper Replay” By Jeff Hastings - 11/01/2008
Well shut my mouth. Back in the January 2006 issue of SLJ, I reviewed a novel, high-tech educational toy: LeapFrog’s FLY Pentop Computer. While genuinely impressed by the wildly original deployment of digital technology packed into a plump pen, I also had the sinking feeling that the gadget lacked the unique utility that would give the new pentop concept the staying power it needed to evo...
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Everyday Explorers Kathy Ishizuka - 11/01/2008
everydayexplorers.nationalgeographic.com There’s a new user-generated video site, but it’s perhaps not what you’d expect. Among the posted clips: a pair of mourning doves, in time-lapse, busily tend a nest atop an air-conditioning unit. A school of Pennant Butterfly fish descend through a group of divers off the Maui coast.
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PreS-K–A five-year-old (rabbit) awakes one morning to discover that there will be no school, no daddy flying home today, and no going outside–until the snow stops.
Your Photos
The staff of Salinas Public Library (CA), aka The John Steinbeck Public Library, pose with Lewis Buzbee, author of Steinbeck's Ghost, a middle-grade novel that centers around the threat of the library's closing in 2004. After a difficult struggle, the library remains open and has just extended its hours to seven days a week.
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