TECH TRENDS

• Sure, Online Learning Can Help Student Achievement—with Teachers' Help
  While virtual learning classes continue to show great promise for student achievement, they can be dependent on the quality of the teaching and the ability of the instructor, according to the International Association for K–12 Online Learning (iNACOL), a Vienna, VA-based research group that advocates digital instruction.
  
  In its 11-page report, iNACOL examines several studies, including the U.S. Department of Education’s meta-analysis released this year, concluding that online learning, blended with face-to-face instruction, can be more effective than traditional classroom teaching alone. more » » » 

Blogs

• ShelfTalker: A Children's Bookseller's Blog
  Josie Leavitt, Co-owner, Flying Pig Bookstore, Shelburne, Vt.
  The Death of a Library
  It was with shock and horror that I read the "A Library Without Books" article from the Boston Globe when my friend Vicki Uminowicz posted on the New England Children's Bookselling Advisory ...
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• Bowllan's Blog
  Amy Bowllan, The Hewitt School, New York
  Writers Against Racism: Varian Johnson
  Varian Johnson is the author of My Life as a Rhombus (Flux, 2008) and the forthcoming Saving Maddie (Delacorte, 2010). Briefly describe the impact racism had on you as a youn...
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• A Fuse #8 Production
  Elizabeth Bird, Children's Librarian, Children's Center at 42nd Street
  Fusenews: The Spy Who Loved Memes
  I am both thrilled and honored to note that I have been shortlisted for Book Blogger Appreciation Week in the Best Kidlit Blog category. Woot woot! And there are lots and lots of great childre...
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• Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  Nina Lindsay, ,
  Back to Newbery
  The day after Labor Day heralds Christmas shopping, the donning of fall fashions weather-permitting or no, and...Book Awards Season. So here we are to Heavy Medal once more. "We" looks a ...
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NEWS

• Enter to Win Walter Dean Myers’s ‘Riot’ Research Newspapers
  Interested in winning the original Civil War-era newspapers that award-winning author Walter Dean Myers used to research his latest book, Riot (Egmont, 2009)? The archive of newspapers from four states, which covered the infamous 1863 New York Draft Riots, will be the top prize in a contest sponsored by Egmont.
  
  Myers integrated accounts from an archive of 20 separate daily newspapers, including the New York Tribune, the New York Herald, the New York Times, and the Philadelphia Press, which covered the four-day period in July 1863 when Irish immigrants, angered by a federal draft that would involve many of them in the Civil War, rebelled in the streets of New York City by burning down buildings and targeting black people. more » » » 
• New PETA Web site Promotes Humane Education in Schools
  People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)—the animal rights organization known for its provocative ads and celebrity supporters—has launched a new Web site aimed at helping librarians and other educators teach students about “humane education.”
  
  TeachKind.org offers free lesson plans, books, and other materials that encourage students to “be compassionate toward all living beings.” The site’s Share the World kit helps young students better understand and appreciate the animals in our world, and Just Choices offers a curriculum that captures students' attention as they learn about social justice movements. Teachers are also encouraged to promote animal-friendly wardrobes and include animal rights in their lessons. more » » » 

WATCH AND READ

• Rockin’ Reads from Disney: JONAS and a New Hannah Book Series
  JONAS
  Got Jonas Brothers fans? Hot on the heels of their success with Camp Rock (a 2008 Disney Channel Original Movie) and a 3-D concert film (released in theaters in 2009), this popular boy band is now starring in their own television show. JONAS, an original series created by Michael Curtis and Roger S. H. Schulman, debuted on the Disney Channel in May 2009 with new episodes airing through September. more » » » 

JOB OF THE WEEK