WEBOOKS, a cooperative ebook purchasing plan, has been named a Cutting Edge Technology Project by the American Library Association. This model can work for districts and consortia around the country, says Christopher Harris.
Flying Twice as High: Reading Rainbow 2.0 | SLJ Talks to LeVar Burton
By on February 12, 2013
Thirty years after its debut, most of us can still remember every word of the theme song and hum its melody. That’s the legacy of, and the power behind, Reading Rainbow, says LeVar Burton. In this one-on-one interview, Burton chats candidly to SLJ about the reiteration of the brand as a subscription-based tablet app and its anticipated expansion to the Web, children’s literacy, his ongoing mission to create lifelong readers, and his efforts to advocate for access for all kids.
Quiet: Speaking Out on Introversion | Links of the week
By on February 11, 2013
An interesting convergence on the web has more than a few people talking about quiet contemplation.
Bookshare Launches New eBook Tools for Kids with Print Disabilities
By on February 7, 2013
Bookshare has announced that it is launching two new additions to its product line as part of its continuing effort to help kids with print disabilities connect with books. Bookshare Web Reader allows readers to directly open books with a browser without requiring them to download the book or utilize separate software, while Bookshelf allows readers (or their teachers) to organize selections by any system they choose.
Resources for Digital Learning
By on February 6, 2013
Technology integration isn’t confined to a single 24 hours, of course. To help inform your practice on Digital Learning Day and beyond, we offer related stories featured in SLJ and the Digital Shift, including the insight and expertise of Joyce Valenza, Richard Byrne, and other contributors.
Give Lessons a Byte on Digital Learning Day
By on February 5, 2013
An Alternative Search Tool for Your Tablet
By on February 4, 2013
A new app for the iPad and Android devices uses a highly visual format to provide a different search experience for the tablet user. More than just a pretty interface, Izik—which debuted last month as the top reference app in iTunes—is based on Blekko, the search engine that boasts higher quality results based on human curation.
Planning Common Core Lessons?: Free, Web-based applications can help align your plans with the new standards
By on January 31, 2013
Ready or not, here they come. At almost every school I visited this year, teachers asked me to address the Common Core (CC) standard in my workshops. Planning lessons with CC in mind presents a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. These sites are designed with the express purpose of helping plan lessons around Common Core.
Hot Topic at Midwinter: Library Maker Spaces, Ideas for Cheap, Hands-On Fun
By on January 29, 2013
From ebooks to digital literacy, there was plenty to debate at the Midwinter meeting of the American Library Association. But the unconference on January 25 revealed clear consensus on one topic: maker spaces. They’re red hot.
CES 2013 Top Trends for Schools: From adaptive ebooks to crowd-funded technology, products to look out for
By on January 23, 2013
Grumbling about the relevance of CES notwithstanding, several standout products are set to impact K–12 education. SLJ columnist Jeff Hastings taps the highlights, including one overarching trend that’s bound to affect a wide range of devices for all users.
The DPLA and School Libraries: Partners Focused on Digital-Era Learners
By on January 22, 2013
If we build it well, a Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) can help school libraries meet the information needs of students even as local budgets shrink. The DPLA can provide important resources to the partnership between library-based and classroom-based teachers, especially during this period of rapid change in education, in libraries, in technology, and in the world of information generally.
As Tablets Supplant Ereaders, New Challenges Arise for Publishers
By on January 17, 2013
Sixty percent of publishing executives believe that tablets have become “the ideal reading platform,” and 45 percent believe that dedicated e-readers will soon be irrelevant, according to a recent online, by-invitation survey conducted by global research and advisory firm Forrester.
Get to Know Goodreads: Share this primer to the social reading site and help teachers and kids connect with great books
By on January 16, 2013
That’s the first thing you do when you finish reading a book? Pass it along to a friend? Return it to the library? Place it on the unruly pile of titles that you charitably call your “office”? Scores of dedicated readers log on to Goodreads and share their opinions with the world. Imagine Facebook and your [...]
Annotate the Web with Popcorn Maker | screencast tutorial
By on January 14, 2013
Popcorn Maker, a tool for enhancing and remixing Web video from Mozilla, gets the screencast treatment by Linda W. Braun, who says the free, browser-based application would help librarians, both school and public, curate the Web.
Kids’ Ebook Reading Nearly Doubled Since 2010, Scholastic Reading Survey Finds
By on January 14, 2013
The number of kids reading ebooks has nearly doubled since 2010, according to Scholastic’s Kids & Family Reading Report, which was released today. The national survey of kids age 6–17 and their parents also found that half of kids age 9–17 say they would read more books for fun if they had greater access to ebooks—although 80 percent of kids who read ebooks say they still read books for fun primarily in print.
Reading Rainbow Partners With National Geographic Kids, Expands App
By on January 11, 2013
RRKidz has announced that its flagship brand Reading Rainbow is partnering with publisher National Geographic Kids to expand its interactive reading subscription app, available exclusively on the iPad. The company is also expanding its library with a new branded island featuring dozens of books as well as videos hosted and narrated by RRKidz co-founder LeVar Burton.
Lego Celebrates 15th Year of Mindstorms Robots With New EV3 Platform
By on January 9, 2013
The Lego Group has unveiled Lego Mindstorms EV3, a radically redesigned upgrade to its popular robotics platform that’s designed to introduce a new generation of tech-savvy kids to the world of robot building and programming. Lego announced the new platform earlier this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, timed to the 15th anniversary of the original Mindstorms debut.
Ebook Toolkit: SLJ Reviews StarWalk Kids
By on January 9, 2013
School Library Journal columnist Jeff Hastings test drives the new Web- and subscription-based ebook collection StarWalk Kids.
School Library Thrives After Ditching Print Collection
By on January 8, 2013
Minneapolis’ Benilde-St. Margaret’s school library remains a vital educational space where students still research, investigate and—above all—learn, even after high school principal Sue Skinner donated or re-purposed nearly all the books in its print collection in 2011.
High School Students Use Cell Phones in Class—but not for Schoolwork, Says Study
By on January 7, 2013
Just as many high school teachers are becoming comfortable with incorporating smartphones and other digital devices into classrooms to aid with learning, a new study finds that a majority of high school students are already using cell phones in class—to text, to send emails, and to browse social media sites.
