The world's largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens
The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) revealed its inaugural Best Apps for Teaching and Learning list on Jun 30 at the American Library Association annual conference. Head of children’s services at Darien Library, CT, Kiera Parrott highlights some of her favorites from the 25 winning apps that cover a broad range of subjects, inspire curriculum connections, and can be used for classroom instruction and public library programming.
Teacher librarian Joyce Valenza reflects on the 2013 Best Websites for Teaching & Learning, the highly anticipated list chosen annually by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL).
The central theme of year’s lively ISTE conference encouraged educators to take away limits that hinder their students’ learning, and let students build something that matters.
Discovery of ebooks in K-12, particularly worthwhile fiction, has been tough going. A new site, Here Be Fiction, will attempt to remedy that, enabling users to identify quality ebooks accessible to schools on library-friendly licensing terms. Featuring ebook previews and reviews, HereBeFiction.org will enable librarians and others to discover fiction from a wide variety of publishers made available for both individual and multi-user access.
The ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Conference in San Antonio from June 23-26 offered unique opportunities for educators to interact, learn about the latest ed tech resources, and hear new ideas from education leaders. At a conference this size, it’s impossible to see and do it all, but here are some highlights that librarians can take back to their schools in the fall.
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.
June 24 marked the debut of Graphite, a free, online guide to digital learning products compiled by and for educators. Created by Common Sense Media, a national nonprofit, the new resource reviews and rates digital products, including apps, games, websites and digital curricula for K-12.
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.
Andrew Carle, a technology educator at Flint High School in Northern Virginia, scurries about the classroom, rearranging desks and chairs, strategically sprinkling around wires, batteries, transistors, and clocks—all the while a video camera whirs in the background. A few seconds later, 10 seventh graders saunter in and the room becomes a hive of activity. Students [...]
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.
Ideas about social media, teens, and the future of libraries were shared in a dynamic online exchange sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and Connected Learning.
The iPad has been the tablet of choice for schools, thanks to volume purchasing, volume management, and the vast selection of apps. But that may be about to change. With the recent launch of Google Play for Education, Google is set to challenge the iPad’s dominance.
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.
The idea of Snapchat is simple, delightfully so. Take an image or a video and send it to a friend. Ten seconds after the receiver opens the file, it self-destructs—or does it? The truth is “the Internet never forgets,” says INFOdocket’s Gary Price.
A closer look at the recently launched DPLA, its features and “how it works, both good and bad.” Linda W. Braun, a library consultant and educator, offers this screencast on the highly anticipated project.
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.
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.
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.
A recent national report from the Pew Research Center that stated that most parents consider libraries important for their children has attracted some criticism from the library community, which is concerned that the findings are based on a skewed sample and put too much emphasis on reading.
