How good is Oyster, the new ebook subscription service? Linda W. Braun puts the application through its paces in a screencast series showing how to get started with Oyster, how to search titles, and what it all means for libraries.
Power Tumbl’ng: Why Tumblr Is a Great Way to Reach Teen Patrons
By on September 12, 2013
Tumblr can be a successful way to connect to new and diverse audiences, provided you understand who you’ll be attracting to your site and how to use Tumblr to your advantage. Should libraries and librarians use Tumblr? Teen librarian Robin Brenner says yes, and explains why.
Sharing Public Domain Ebooks with the Book Elf
By on September 6, 2013
The Book Elf is a new tool for getting PD digital content into the hands of readers. Discovery of titles could be improved, but it does have some potential.
SLJ’s School Ebook Market Directory
By on September 3, 2013
Which ebook provider will best meet your school’s needs and budget? SLJ’s snapshot of 19 ebook vendors outlines the suppliers’ range of offerings, terms of use, and pricing options.
E. It’s Complicated. How Two Schools are Riding the Transition to Ebooks
By on September 3, 2013
For this close-up report on going digital, SLJ talked to academic experts, librarians, teachers, and students at two Illinois high schools. Big questions: What are the best ebook providers? How many student iPads get damaged? Do students read more in ebook or print? And more.
A Minecraft Library Scores Big: Mattituck, NY, Branch Is a Hit with Kids
By on September 3, 2013
Inspired by the experiences of Connecticut librarian Sarah Ludwig’s Minecraft library club, Elizabeth Grohoski and Karen Letteriello of the Mattituck-Laurel Library (NY) are now using a virtual Minecraft library to attract young patrons. The game allows users to build in a 3-D virtual world with cubes similar to Legos—but without any proscriptive kits and manuals.
ConnectED Will Bring Faster Connections to Schools and Libraries | Next Big Thing
By on August 28, 2013
What could your library do with gigabit broadband? If you don’t have a list of innovative ways to use an Internet connection 10 or 100 times faster than the current norm, start making it now.
Organize the Web with EduClipper | Test Drive
By on August 26, 2013
Sure, the Web is a key resource for educators, but what’s the best way to share the good stuff you’ve collected with students and teachers and keep it all organized? EduClipper may be an answer.
Life with Raspberry Pi: Sparking a School Coding Revolution
By on August 19, 2013
A $25 computer that fits in the palm of your hand, the Raspberry Pi has the potential to challenge the digital divide and make coding in schools as commonplace as textbooks. Computing could truly become about what kids can make rather than what schools can buy. Teacher Chad Sansing explains it all, with resources for digging in and getting started.
Maker Summer: A Global Project Offers DIY Opportunities
By on August 19, 2013
Tinkerers of all ages are flexing their creative muscles during the Summer of Making and Connecting, a global project geared to empower digital crafters and match people with maker activities, online or on the street.
Hachette, Mackin Partner to Distribute Ebooks
By on August 12, 2013
Mackin Educational Resources, national distributor of PreK–12 books, ebooks and digital resources, has announced a new partnership with Hachette Book Group (HBG), beginning this month. As part of the deal, HBG’s entire catalog of more than 6,000 eBooks will be available to Mackin customers, on and offline, through their school’s exclusive MackinVIA platform.
Updated ClassDojo App Lets Teachers Collectively Respond to Student Behavior
By on August 8, 2013
ClassDojo, the free application for recording and managing student behavior, has been updated. As of today, ClassDojo sports a new “Class Sharing” feature, allowing multiple teachers to communicate more easily about their students’ behavior and collectively foster behavioral development.
YALSA Updates Teen Book Finder App with 2013 Titles
By on August 8, 2013
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has just launched an updated version of its free Teen Book Finder app—which debuted in June, 2012—to include all of the books the association honored in 2013. The first of its kind, Teen Book Finder gives teens, librarians, parents, and young adult literature aficionados access to YALSA’s recommended reading and award-winning titles from the past three years.
Ten Websites Added to ALSC’s “Great Websites for Kids”
By on July 31, 2013
The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Great Websites for Kids (GWS) committee announced the inclusion of 10 additions to its compilation of exemplary websites for children on July 29. These online resources are geared to children from birth to age 14, and range in subjects as diverse as animals and dinosaurs; games and entertainment; history and science; art and music; and resources for teachers and parents.
From Scratch to Tynker: Tools to Teach Kids How to Code | screencast tutorial
By on July 29, 2013
A screencast tour of four free applications to help kids learn how to code: Daisy the Dinosaur, Hopscotch, Scratch, and Tynker.
Summer Project? Six Tools to Upgrade Your School Website
By on July 17, 2013
School’s out—and time to enjoy some serious lounging. Summer is also a time to consider your Web presence. If your website could use an upgrade, consider these tools to give it a boost for back-to-school—and save you time this fall.
Pew Study: Technology Aids Students’ Writing Skills Though Challenges Remain
By on July 16, 2013
Digital technologies are impacting American middle and high school students’ writing in many ways, both good and bad, a new national report from the Pew Research Center shows. According to the survey, tech tools provide significant advantages to learning—although students are still having trouble with informal grammar and navigating the issues of plagiarism, citation, and fair use.
‘Here Be Fiction’ Site Launches with 500+ Ebooks
By on July 16, 2013
The School Library System of the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership (GVEP) has announced the launch this week of “Here Be Fiction,” a site devoted to the discovery of fiction ebooks available with school library friendly licensing terms, with over 500 ebooks from 17 participating publishers.
StarWalk Kids Media Offers Free July Access to eBook Collection
By on July 12, 2013
StarWalk Kids Media has announced that it has made all 160-plus ebooks in its collection available free of charge to children, families, and educators during the entire month of July. In just the first three days after the initiative was launched via Twitter (#PopUpLibrary), nearly 3,000 ebooks have been read, the company says.
Learning Together: New Council to Study Latino Families’ Digital Media Use
By on July 11, 2013
The National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Street Workshop have created the Aprendiendo Juntos (“Learning Together) Council (AJC) to identify models and practical strategies to improve digital literacy for Hispanic-Latino families. AJC plans to use the findings to influence public and private sector investments in effective programs for the community on a regional and national scale.
