Culled from the responses of 694 randomly selected educators, including librarians, teachers, and principals, the study compares findings with those from a similar survey conducted in 2009.

According to the report, “2012 Survey of K-12 educators on Social Networking, Online Communities, and Web 2.0 Tools,” 82 percent of all K-12 educators now use social networking for personal and professional use, up from 61 percent in 2009.

The study provides information about educators’ favorite sites by category and reveals social networking patterns by age and frequency of use. It also reveals educators’ concerns about privacy and provides information about school district technology access policies for students and teachers.

Facebook, Edmodo, and the Discovery Education Network most popular in their categories

Facebook is the most used social networking venue among respondents, with 85 percent using the site, the same percentage as in 2009.

LinkedIn is the second most popular, accessed by 41 percent of respondents, up from 14 percent in 2009. Twitter is third, at 39 percent, followed by Google+ (27percent), Ning (11percent), and MySpace (20 percent).

Younger educators network the most, with 97 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds networking online, as opposed to 75 percent of respondents who are 55-plus, according to the report.

Among education-focused sites, Edmodo has the most members, accessed by 27 percent of respondents, followed by edWeb.net (15 percent), ASCD EDge (9 percent), Classroom 2.0 (9 percent), We are Teachers (6 percent), Teacher 2.0 (5 percent), NSTA Learning Center (4 percent), and Educators PLN (3 percent).

Librarians use the first four of these education-focused sites more than teachers or principals, according to the study. Looking forward, 31 percent of librarians say that they will likely join a new networking and PD site in the next year, as opposed to 22 percent of teachers and 31 percent of principals.

For librarians, the top five branded online communities are the Discovery Education Network (49 percent), Edutopia (31 percent), PBS Teachers (30 percent), Thinkfinity (25 percent), and BrainPOP Educators  (24 percent).

Webinars are the most popular networking tool among educators, while document sharing is the most used in classrooms.

Concern over privacy and restrictive school policies

Forty five percent of respondents express concern about privacy on education sites, while 26 percent worry about inappropriate relationships with students. Twenty six percent are concerned that affiliation with a social network “might head to an incident that would jeopardize my job,” according to the report. Among those surveyed, 80 percent keep their personal and professional accounts separate most of the time.

Twenty-three percent believe that their school or district’s policy on Web 2.0 tools is restrictive to teachers, and 47 percent think their schools’ regulations are a hindrance to students.

Fifty four percent of respondents work in districts that allow kids to bring their own devices to school, but only five percent of those schools allow students to use them with no restrictions. 64 percent of educators think it likely that their districts will “open up policies on BYOD in the future.”

“There is growing awareness that online communities help teachers create an extended personal learning network and access a wealth of professional development resources—often at no cost to the teacher,” a press release connected to the report states.

The press release adds that the U. S. Department of Education has encouraged educators to access online resources by declaring August 2012 “Connected Educator Month,” along with initiatives including the 2010 National Education Technology Plan and the Connected Online Communities of Practice Project (COCP).

Districts are using technology to innovate and change the ways students learn and teachers teach. For example, the Vancouver (WA) Public Schools have a roadmap for student learning that includes blended and online courses, Bring Your Own Device, 1:1 programs, and an increasing use of mobile devices by students, teachers, and administrators. We are not alone. Many districts are experimenting with similar initiatives, not to mention learning management systems and the increased use of digital resources in lieu of textbooks and library books.

Given this shift to mobile and personalized learning, teacher librarians must ante up for digital resources to meet the needs of students and teachers. As I look at the survey’s statistics on the use of ebooks and digital resources, I don’t see a widespread or sufficient commitment among school libraries. One of the highest levels of reported technology growth in the 2012 survey was the use of ebooks. Forty seven percent of respondents indicated usage with students and teachers, up from 31 percent in 2011. Additionally, 25 percent indicated that they planned to use ebooks in the next year. If those intentions translate to action, that would mean that in 2013, 72 percent of libraries would have and use ebooks.

But the willingness to play is not matched by a commitment to pay for these resources. When measuring ebooks as part of library collections, data reveals that digital titles remain more a novelty than a core resource. For those with ebooks in their libraries, the average number of titles owned was 265. And only 31 percent reported having reference or noncirculating ebooks in their collections. Many school library collections boast tens of thousands of print titles. This gap speaks for itself.

The survey also suggests that many libraries haven’t transitioned to online. A number of libraries fail to provide (or even provide access to) any digital information resources. Nine percent of school libraries indicated that they do not have a library website of any kind. Among those that do, one in five lacks links to electronic resources on that site. Despite an apparent two-fold increase from 2011, the number of teacher librarians who report using free Web-based resources in 2012 (78 percent), begs two questions: What were they using in 2011, and what are the others using? In many cases, it’s not a digital subscription: only 62 percent of teacher librarians report using digital subscriptions in 2012, up from 54 percent the previous year.

To use another poker analogy, school libraries have no choice but to be “all in” with ebooks, etexts, online databases, and digital resources. In my district and others, 1:1 programs now exist in which students are issued laptops or tablets, which they can use both at home and in school. In many cases, these initiatives include the use of learning management systems, online textbooks, and digital content that provides a wealth of information and content, often embedded in the courses themselves. For the first time, there’s no good reason for a print textbook. More ominously, there are also fewer reasons for a school library, especially one with only 265 ebooks. While we have strong libraries and teacher librarians throughout our district, our newest STEM magnet school opened last fall with no physical library and is currently without a teacher librarian.

Teacher librarians need to learn and master a new game. The knowledge and use of technology and digital resources must be ubiquitous, pervasive, effective, and thorough. The survey clearly demonstrates this is not happening. For every teacher librarian who uses a tablet computer, there are three who don’t. For every school librarian who uses Web 2.0 tools such as Edmodo, Diigo, and Pinterest, many colleagues do not. Aside from ebooks and subscription databases, most teacher librarians report that they play no role in purchasing or recommending purchase of technology for their schools.

Respondents listed several reasons why they haven’t embraced digital resources and educational technology in their libraries and schools—funding, training, and uncertainty. Vancouver has found ways to address these issues so that teacher librarians stay in the game, lead and support student learning, and align their school library programs with the strategic needs and direction of the district.

Funding. Everyone faces budgetary challenges. But teacher librarians have choices about where and how monies are spent. In Vancouver, our teacher librarians have begun several collaborative efforts to invest in ebooks, building on a longstanding district-wide suite of digital resources. There’s a conscious and coordinated effort to build and grow digital collections to support student learning. As iPads become more common, we are now seeking ways to leverage these tools to access ebooks and other online resources.

Training. Vancouver trains teacher librarians to be technology leaders in their schools. Now in its fifth year, this program has built valuable confidence and expertise so that teacher librarians are the first—rather than the last—to learn and adopt educational technologies. Teacher librarians have learned how to use Web 2.0 tools like Google Drive, Wallwisher, and Prezi to lead both building and district training efforts.

Uncertainty. As an early adopter of online resources and now ebooks, I understand the uncertainty associated with digital publishing. With competing platforms, vendors, and formats, there’s a chance of putting money on the table and being dealt a difficult hand. Despite that, I don’t think we have a choice. We’ve placed some bets on promising vendors knowing that our savvy populations require our collections to be mobile, digital, and relevant now, not next year.

As a longtime teacher librarian, I believe that we are perfectly poised to lead, teach, and support students and teachers in 21st-century schools. We have a small pile of chips in the form of information skills, systemic vision, and a longtime role as collaborators and educational leaders. But here’s the hand we’ve been dealt—our students, our teachers, and our schools are digital. And in many cases, our libraries, collections, and skills are not. The average age of survey respondents was 50 years old, meaning that like me, most of us knew libraries when the rules were different. The good news from the 2012 survey is that many teacher librarians are very much in the game. Now all us need to see that bet and raise it. Game on!

Mark Ray is the Vancouver (WA) Public Schools’ manager of instructional technology and library services and a former state teacher of the year.

Photo by Pixland

The Global Education Conference, held around the clock November 12–16, offered a wide range of sessions by and for educators worldwide. A highlight: “Apps Galore: Top Tools for Global Collaboration (iPad),” in which teachers Ruth Metka, Fran Siracusa, and Jennifer Williams at Country Day School in Largo, FL, recommended apps for school use. The educators incorporated these apps as a part of a Flat Classroom Project—a student-centered, multimodal learning environment—during which their school connected with schools in China, Turkey, and Minnesota.

The trio emphasized that the best way to successfully use apps with young children is to pair a virtual activity with a concrete one. For example, their students mailed painted handprints to other schools, but also used apps to create a videos, maps and presentations to send electronically.

The Tripline app lets kids share animated maps to show and narrate their (virtual) travels by pinning pictures, and adding background music or recordings to the map. Combine with any basic weather app to really let kids feel their destination.

For a really fun video-making experience, they suggested the Puppet Pals app. Kids cut out a picture of themselves using a finger on the iPad, then digitally manipulate the puppet on a background of their choice to create scenes. Try taking pictures of your school, then letting puppet-students give a tour.

The Country Day School teachers recommend two educationally-focused social networking apps with Web 2.0 components, which they felt encouraged participation, offered good teacher control, and were generally safe for classroom use. Neither tool requires kids to have an email address to register. The Edmodo app allows teachers to create groups (for example, for same-age classes at schools in different locations). Schoology is a lot like Edmodo, and kids like it because the interface is  similar to Facebook.

Nearpod gives teachers control over the pacing of presentations viewed on the iPad. Slides appear on students’ devices simultaneously, and multimedia and interactive elements keep kids from getting bored with their synchronized viewing experience.

Don’t forget that sometimes the most familiar apps are the most effective, they advised. Skype is a wonderfully versatile tool for connecting live. Just be sure you make clear rules about who gets to talk when — maybe pass around a special “talking stick.” And if you do carry out a global project in your school, be sure to blog about it.

Globaledcon sessions are archived online and can be viewed at anytime—check out presentations on themes ranging from “Expand online professional development for educators with mobile learning” to “The Connected Middle School Student: Fostering Global Collaborations through International Projects.” Presentations on language learning and environmental issues are especially well-represented.

First Book staff and volunteers unload boxes of new books at a warehouse in lower Manhattan. Photo by First Book

(This story was last updated at 9:32 a.m. on November 26.)

Those wishing to help school libraries and children’s collections that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy now have an array of giving options, thanks to several disaster relief programs, children’s book publishers, and charities.

Scholastic Book Grants Program announced plans to donate one million books to those in need. The initiative is a partnership with the organization Kids in Distressed Situations (K. I. D. S.) to assist educators, families, and students in the New York tri-state area who have lost reading materials due to the storm. Schools and libraries may apply for Sandy-related book grants through December 31, 2012.

Simon & Schuster’s education and library marketing department is offering aid in the form of donations of 500 “best of” titles to public and school libraries needing to rebuild their collections, according to a press release. S & S has partnered with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project Literacy Lifeboats Initiative, individual schools, and state and regional associations, including the New Jersey Library Association (NJLA), in these efforts.

The nonfiction publisher Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights Inc., donated 500 children’s books to Operation BuddyPack, an initiative by the Heart of America Foundation, to assist schools and students affected by the hurricane.

Mackin Educational Resources, a Minnesota-based company that provides schools and libraries with books, ebooks, and other resources, is encouraging those affected by the hurricane to take part in their online fundraising program, Funds4Books Disaster Relief. For each dollar donated to East Coast schools and libraries, Mackin will provide a 10 percent match.

New York City teachers can turn to the online school charity Donors Choose with specific storm-related requests. A Hurricane Relief Fund donation page had logged more than $77,000 in contributions as of November 12. The New York City Department of Education also offers ways to help afflicted city schools. Donations can be made here.

In addition, the New York City School Librarians’ Association (NYCSLA) is creating a donation program organized by city librarians who attended the New York City School Library System’s 23rd Annual Library Fall Conference on November 6.

The Hudson Valley Library Association (HVLA), made up of private school librarians in New York City, Long Island, Westchester, New Jersey, and Connecticut, is also doing its part with a Google Document on its listserv offering HVLA members the option to ask for specific materials or financial assistance. HVLA will then match those requests with donors.

Urban Librarians Unite (ULU), an organization dedicated to promoting librarianship in cities, is also gathering book donations. ULU is specifically seeking children’s books because these materials usually sit on low shelves where flooding damage is worst. However, they are also accepting YA books, as well as monetary gifts.

Other established national disaster relief programs are renewing promotion of their services in relation to Hurricane Sandy. First Book, an organization that provides new books to needy children, announced a partnership last week with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the Albert Shanker Institute that pledged to match every donation of $2.50 made to First Book, up to $35,000 for new books. Donations can be made here.

According to First Book’s director of communications, Brian Minter, the organization distributed five million books after Hurricane Katrina, and has already raised enough money to provide 20,000 books in the wake of Sandy. In addition to that, First Book is in the process of delivering a truckload of 30,000 books to be distributed in New York at the request of AFT and its New York City affiliate, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), on November 12.

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Beyond Words Grant program, funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and established in partnership with the National Education Association (NEA), offers help replacing school library books, media, and other equipment, as well as financial aid associated with absorbing students from other afflicted schools in states served by Dollar General stores.

While Beyond Words was incepted in 2006 after Hurricane Katrina, AASL issued a new press release about the program on November 9, 2012, stating that Dollar General had distributed over $1.6 million to more than 130 schools during the past six years. Last June, AASL also announced two annual catastrophic grants in the amount of $50,000 for schools in need. Ongoing grants will be awarded to eligible applicants in amounts ranging from $10,000-$20,000.

“We wanted schools to know that assistance is available,” AASL President Susan Ballard told SLJ. “We are hopeful that members along the East Coast in the greater New York-New Jersey area will have a chance to apply for those grants.”

Ballard anticipates that “we will have a greater feel for what the needs are and how we can marshal a plan going forward” after the New Jersey Association of School Librarians (NJASL) conference from November 29 to December 1.

In the meantime, a new page on the New Jersey Department of Education site provides schools in the state with tips for navigating the federal assistance process and directs those wishing to help to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund.

Also geared toward aid in New Jersey, “YA for NJ” is an initiative in which over 170 YA and middle-grade authors offered items for an online auction, including autographed books, school visits, online meetings. All proceeds will go to the Community Foodbank of New Jersey.

Students whose SAT preparation was affected by Hurricane Sandy also received free assistance from Revolution Prep, an educational software and services provider that offered a free online SAT review session on November 15 to help students prepare for the tests, rescheduled for  November 17 and December 15 because of the storm.

Most New Jersey schools were open on November 13.  Katie Llera, a librarian at Sayreville Middle School, was one of many educators looking forward to returning to school after more than a week without power. Llera took part in volunteer efforts while schools were closed, and she also emphasized the importance of social networking to keep educators and students connected during that time.

Last week, Llera relied upon Edmodo, a social media website for educators, to keep in touch. The site is ordinarily used for her school’s book club, but Llera created other posts to distract students from the stress of the hurricane, offering news about the Garden State Teen Book Awards and information about a Skype chat with fantasy author Gail Carson-Levine. “I was just trying to get them to look forward to school, to keep their mind a little bit off of what’s happening,” she said.

Jennifer Jamison, a school media specialist in the Atlantic City, New Jersey, School District, has been working with Atlantic City Teachers United (ACTU), a group set up last week to help Atlantic City students and their families with basic needs after the hurricane. Though ACTU isn’t officially sanctioned by the Atlantic City Board of Education, it has reached out on the ground and through Facebook to gather donations, dropped off at school libraries, for those who are most in need.

The library at Atlantic City’s Brighton Avenue School was destroyed by the storm, Jamison said. While books are certainly on her radar, at the moment, “Kids don’t have underwear or mattresses.”  At ACTU, “We are collecting necessities,” she explained. “This is not a two-week thing. This will be a year-long initiative.”

As Jamison and others take the steps toward recovery over the coming weeks and months, they will have many ways to seek help.