Technology

On July 11, the FCC narrowly passed the "Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" for the Program to Modernize E-Rate which translates into $2 billion over the next two years towards WiFi funding in schools and libraries.

In the past couple of weeks I’ve come across a couple of videos that refreshingly reaffirm the importance of girls’ voice and what beauty is really about. In case you missed them  . . . Twenty-year-old Nashville songwriter Meghan Trainer creates a pastel universe that is all about acceptance and positive body image in her [...]

Hachette authors James Patterson and JK Rowling, and John Green of Penguin/Random House, are just some of the authors embroiled in the ongoing public battle between Amazon and Hachette Book Group over the renegotiation of their contract on profit share. Amazon has been cited with using bullying tactics, Hachette books sales have suffered, and authors, like John Green, are speaking out.

For three hours at ISTE's Digital Age Library Playground, teacher librarians excitedly milled from station to station, absorbing knowledge, connecting with colleagues, and exploring new strategies. At any given time, hundreds of people were not only taking in the presenters' shared knowledge, but trying out the resources being discussed.

Jennifer LaGarde's sold-out ISTE presentation, “How to Survive the Zombie Librarian Apocalypse!,” struck a chord among teacher librarians. Her talk hinged on a statement she'd once heard: “There are only two types of librarians: zombies and zombie fighters.”

One of the most versatile and easiest-to-use platforms I’ve used over the past several years is ThingLink. I’ve used the interactive poster tagging tool to create and embed media-rich image maps, to annotate and evaluate the claims infographics make, as a portfolio and as a curation tool. This summer, educator, consultant and ThingLink Education Community Manager, [...]

On July 11, a big E-Rate vote for Wi-Fi funding for schools and libraries is coming up. The latest FCC proposal states that libraries' Wi-Fi funding be determined by a space's square footage—$1 per square foot. With $2 billion at stake, librarians across the country are objecting to this funding formula with claims that it doesn't serve high-need urban libraries where square footage does not represent the number of visitors.

The loss of a giant in the field, Walter Dean Myers, is juxtaposed against the ongoing tension around print/digital and our popular feature on music’s role in early learning in our top 10 stories of the past week.

Given the focus on ebooks these days, could old-fashioned print books provide a superior reading experience? Actually, yes—especially for young children whose literacy skills are just beginning to emerge.