What's new, what's hot and what's not in Education Technology including Google Game, web based tools, wikis, blogs in schools and more from School Library Journal
MA School Library Transforms into New Learning Commons By Debra Lau Whelan - 12/10/2008
Before there was the enormous LCD TV, coffeehouse, and scattered comfy couches, the library at Chelmsford High School in Massachusetts was a run down mess. The bright yellow paint was peeling. The furniture was outdated. The carpet was frayed—and everyone kept tripping over the duct tape that helped to keep it down. More
Conferences Are All a Twitter: Live blogging, tweets help spread the joy of events By Christopher Harris - 11/01/2009
Conference season is upon us. But school and library budgets being what they are, funding for travel is scarce these days. But a growing trend toward bringing these events online makes it easier than ever to attend sessions virtually and even join in the rich conversations that make conferences so valuable.
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SLJ Reviews the Netbook Toshiba Mini NB205-N230 By Jeffrey Hastings - 11/01/2009
Windows 7, Microsoft’s answer to the ill-received Vista operating system, was released on October 22, just days before this review was due. I started using Windows 7 in beta last winter and was impressed by how well it performed on my old Thinkpad T40. Since then, I’ve been eager to see if Windows 7 would perform equally well on a more Spartan device: the typical netbook.
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Yes, They Can: Google Lit Trips and games give kids a new perspective on social justice By Lauren Barack - 11/01/2009
Children, especially girls, are finding supporters across the globe—some their own age—who are engaging with virtual education programs, an online game, and books that promote social justice and a better world. “Education seems like a simple thing,” says Greg Mortenson, coauthor of Three Cups of Tea (Viking, 2006) and founder of the nonprofit Pennies for Peace.
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The Buzz: Tools, Trends, and Gizmos 11/01/2009
Props for the iPod Another day, another stylish gizmo for the Apple line. Portable stand iBend props up an iPhone or iPod Touch for viewing a movie or video. There’s a basic model ($4.99 for two) and three colorful artists’ versions. Increasingly, schools are adopting iPods for the classroom and on a larger scale.
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Web Site in a Rush: H1N1 threatening, EdReady goes up fast By Steve Hargadon - 10/01/2009
If a pandemic or other significant event made it difficult or impossible for your students, staff, or teachers to physically attend school, how would you make sure that communication and education still take place? This is the question looming for educational institutions nationwide, given the potential of the H1N1 virus to disrupt or even close schools this year.
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Document Camera Califone Diggiditto DC596 By Jeffrey Hastings - 10/01/2009
The Diggiditto is a unique little document camera, so let me begin by highlighting its most prominent quirk: it doesn’t provide display output so that you can connect it directly to a digital projector. Since many teachers use document cameras as an overhead unit—for projecting the material they’re working with in real time—it’s important to know that this one conn...
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The Buzz 10/01/2009
Copyright, the Video Some concepts inherently lend themselves toward fun visuals. That’s not exactly the case when it comes to copyright law. Nevertheless, this video, created by the Copyright Clearance Center, is a lively production, animated in a retro style that makes you think you’re watching a ’50s-era commercial à la Mad Men—all the while absorbing the ins and...
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SLJ Covers 2009 A bigger and better view of SLJ's covers from 2009
BookExpo America 2009: SLJ's Day of Dialog School Library Journal held a Day of Dialog in conjunction with the annual BookExpo America on May 28, 2009 at the Brooklyn Public Library. Full story: bit.ly/1a0G7o
2008 National Book Awards Nominees in the young people's literature category graced the red carpet on Awards night Nov. 20, 2008.
The Alvin Ho Collection, Books 1 & 2 (unabr). 4 CDs. 4 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape (library.booksontape.com). 2009. ISBN 978-0-7393-7997-4. $38. Gr 2-4–Alvin Ho, a quirky Asian-American second grader, is articulate at home but so afraid of school that he is unable to speak while he is there.
Clowning around at the second annual Atlantic City Free Public Library Family Fun Festival last weekend. About 2,500 people came out to enjoy the beautiful day and the many festivities, including an array of performances, face painting, poetry readings by local teens, games, and music.
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The Alvin Ho Collection, Books 1 & 2 (unabr). 4 CDs. 4 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape (library.booksontape.com). 2009. ISBN 978-0-7393-7997-4. $38. 
