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May/Jun 2008: Features |
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Teachers have been looking for alternatives to standard written book reports and other student reports for years, often combining them with art projects for more visual presentations. Some exciting new possibilities have been created as a result of more powerful computers, increased internet use, the development of inexpensive digital and video cameras, new software, and other technologies. Read Charles Doe’s latest “Look At … ” report to learn more.
Imagine if textbooks were alive … living, changing, evolving, and improving … never out-of-date! … a textbook that would give students images, videos, and interactive tutorials about a subject, a vocabulary word, or a topic … a digital textbook that would be student-driven, a model for differentiated learning, and geared toward helping all students learn through visualization, interaction, and simulation. In the age of Web 2.0, all this and much more is possible. And it’s all at our students’ fingertips with just a click of a button. Welcome to the “Age of the Wikitext!”
Just when you thought you understood how to fully integrate internet learning into your curriculum, along comes Web 2.0, the “social side” of the internet where people can communicate with others and contribute their own content. As a librarian you should be able to communicate with students, parents, and teachers the issues that they face when placing materials on Web 2.0 social networks, and one of the big ones is copyright. This article looks at several situations in which library users may use popular social networking sites and confront copyright laws.
"Building community" is a powerful phrase and a tremendous responsibility for a library, and even more powerful is the experience of stepping back and seeing the community grow as a result of what you are doing to create new groups of people and new ways to share and discover information. As the technology education librarian for teens and youth at the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC) in North Carolina, Kelly Czarnecki believes creating virtual communities is an important aspect of this responsibility as participation in online communities is driven by advances in technology. Find out why, and how, in her article.
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May/Jun 2008: Product Reviews |
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Susan Hixson reviews Kidspiration 3, the latest version of the cross-curricular visual learning program for grades K-5.
Alie Kurtz reivews Learn360, a video streaming service for K-12.
Charles Doe reviews Lexia Reading v5, a collection of three software programs combined with management functions.
Sally Finley reviews MIND Research Institute Algebra Readiness, a program that provides a visual learning approach for a comprehensive algebra readiness curriculum for grades 6-12.
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May/Jun 2008: Columns |
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Hundreds of vacation destinations beckon families to visit each year. From battlefields and hiking to hands-on fun such as panning for gold, there is an adventure for everyone. And in the classroom in spring, students can prepare for their journeys via a wide array of learning activities. CyberBee has been scouting for summer excursions that will delight and nurture the minds of all ages. A few favorites are presented here.
Storyboarding--the graphic organization of a story’s arc using pictures or illustrations--is one of the great skills to learn. In a storyboard, the pictures are displayed visually in order to present the line of the story or the events you want to present. It’s a powerful way to visualize and understand the ultimate experience of your story, whether it ends up in print, comic, game, or film format. And it is just made for learners of any age, as well as being a great skill for the marketplace. Want to learn more? Read Stephen Abram’s Pipeline this month!
Media specialists have useful and unique skill sets that can serve them well if they want to continue working when they leave their K–12 jobs. They are multimedia creators and producers, writers, speakers, university instructors, online instructors, educational consultants and leaders, and volunteers for the professional organizations they belong to. They work with print and technology; they use their organizational, teaching, communications, and advocacy skills. They are excited and passionate about their work. Mary Alice Anderson offers thoughts and lots of examples on the subject of media specialists and retirement in this month's Media Center column.
Early this past fall Mary Ann Bell got tired of hearing other people talk about Twitter and feeling left out. She had been mentioning it as something new to the Web 2.0 world in presentations and with students, but felt a little hypocritical for doing so without participating. So, as she reports in this month's Belltones, she paid the site a visit and signed on. Follow her journey from skeptic to convert, plus how and why Twitter won her over and what it can do for you as well.
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May/Jun 2008: In the Spotlight |
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The HP 2133 Mini-Note PC is a full-functioned mini-notebook PC with pricing that starts at less than $500.
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