Just carry an iPad into a restaurant or a school library and see how much attention you get! It's a device everyone wants to get their hands on, touch, and play with. But just what are its strengths and weaknesses as a teaching and learning tool in schools? That's what author Carolyn Foote and her colleagues wanted to find out in their district. Read on to learn about their ongoing iPad pilot project at Foote's high school research center as they examine whether the devices are helpful in a school and/or library environment.
There's a quiet—or not so quiet—shift happening in school libraries across America. The social media revolution—reflected in all manner of shiny iPhone apps, blogs, Nings, Facebook pages, and other social networking tools, sites, and platforms—is real, and it's running like a loud line of students straight through the stacks, into the common areas, taking a sharp turn, and heading right on up to the teacher librarian/media specialist's desk. Are you ready for it? In this article, Victor Rivero addresses issues, answers, and resources to help.
Alice Kurtz reviews Shmoop, a free portal of digital resources, primarily for literature and social studies topics, that help students relate subjects being studied in school to their daily lives.
Charles Doe reviews TimeMAPS, a money management and life skills program, a complete course or a supplement, intended to teach "personal finance literacy" defined as the knowledge needed to make responsible financial decisions.
In other columns this year, Stephen has explored the nature of the ebook in school libraries. But, he notes, he hasn't actually discussed the pros and cons of the print and electronic formats for books in general, nor focused on the classroom as opposed to the out-of-classroom library use of books. So that's what he covers in this issue, starting with a simple list of pros and cons.
As her bio notes indicate, Mary Alice is an online adjunct instructor for the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and she's well versed in the ways of teaching online. Since online education is growing in importance, whether for higher education, professional development, or for K-12 settings, Mary Alice offers the benefits of hers and many of her online colleagues' experience in this realm for this month's Media Center column.
Why shouldn't kids have a chance at school to look up information to satisfy their own curiosity or to explore a hobby or a personal interest, especially if they don't have internet access at home? In many schools, figures Mary Ann, strict rules, tight filters, and overly zealous teachers prevent students from using computers to find anything not strictly tied to a specific class assignment. To that mentality, she raises a virtual fist and sends up a virtual shout … hogwash!