My First NECC: The big tech show still resonates for two first-timers Kathy Ishizuka - 08/01/2009
NECC, the big National Educational Computing Conference, has come and gone, but attendees, both in person and virtual, are still basking in the glow of all that sharing (bit.ly/dbGY5). School librarians Keisa Williams of Monarch Academy, a K–5 charter school in Oakland, CA, and Melissa Techman of Broadus Wood Elementary School in Albemarle Co.
More
Site of the Month: Library of Congress Teachers’ Page Kathy Ishizuka - 08/01/2009
www.loc.gov/teachers Most of us know the excitement that primary sources can bring to teaching. Photographs, maps, correspondence, and other original records that have survived from the past spark the imagination, and a staggering 13 million of these items have been digitized and made available online, thanks to the Library of Congress.
More
Professional Reading 07/01/2009
LOW, Elizabeth Cothen , comp. Big Book of Animal Rhymes, Fingerplays, and Songs . 324p. illus. bibliog. index. score. Web sites. CIP. Libraries Unlimited . 2009. pap. $40. ISBN 978-1-59158-630-2 . LC 2008032664. Low has compiled more 650 rhymes, fingerplays, poems, and songs. Her introduction supports new storytime planners as well as veterans who might need an additional song or poem for a pr...
More
Professional Reading 06/01/2009
CRANE, Beverley E. Using Web 2.0 Tools in the K-12 Classroom . 189p. charts. diags. illus. photos. reprods. appendix. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Neal-Schuman . 2009. pap. $59.95. ISBN 978-1-55570-653-1 . LC 2008046167. In this extensive resource, teachers will find a wealth of suggestions, ideas, unit plans, and answers to questions pertaining to how to integrate and us...
More
Social Media Specialists?: The use—or nonuse—of social tools sparks Twitterstorm By Lauren Barack - 06/01/2009
A recent firestorm on Twitter involved media specialists and education technology experts who considered whether librarians who don’t engage in social media are jeopardizing their careers not to mention student learning. “Can a media specialist do their job now if they are not also a social media specialist? I’m not sure,” Karl Fisch (on Twitter: karlfisch), director of ...
More
Professional Reading 05/01/2009
BOLAN, Kimberly . Teen Spaces: The Step-by-Step Library Makeover . 2nd ed. 225p. charts. diags. illus. photos. reprods. appendix. further reading. index. Web sites. CIP. ALA . 2008. pap. $40. ISBN 978-0-8389-0969-0 . LC 2008026621. An essential guide for any library planning a teen-space project, this second edition presents valuable information.
More
ALA Connect: The Mother Ship Evolves By Christopher Harris - 05/01/2009
I wonder if the American Library Association (ALA) truly understands what it’s getting into with its launch of ALA Connect (connect.ala.org). Part of the organization’s new site design, Connect uses the open-source Drupal framework to provide an online collaborative workspace for its members.
More
Professional Reading 04/01/2009
CHANCE, Rosemary . Young Adult Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide . 188p. (Library and Information Science Text Series). bibliog. further reading. index. CIP. Libraries Unlimited . 2008. Tr $65. ISBN 978-1-59158-558-9 ; pap. $50. ISBN 978-1-59158-555-8 . LC 2008027090. This work is designed for use by instructors of YA literature classes and is well suited for that task.
More
Twittering Dante By Lauren Barack - 04/01/2009
Cracking Dante’s Inferno is a tough row to hoe for any high school student—but what if the reading assignment was conducted via Twitter? The exercise “Twitter in Hell” was handed to some lucky seniors at University Laboratory High School at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, after reading the classic tome.
More
Professional Reading 03/01/2009
ADAMS, Helen R. Ensuring Intellectual Freedom and Access to Information in the School Library Media Program . 254p. appendix. index. Web sites. CIP. Libraries Unlimited . 2008. pap. $40. ISBN 978-1-59158-539-8 . LC 2008016753. Pointing to the school media professional as a leader in promoting principles such as the Library Bill of Rights and ALA's Code of Ethics within the parameters of local...
More
Professional Reading 02/01/2009
FREDERICKS, Anthony D. African Legends, Myths, and Folktales for Readers Theatre . illus. by Bongaman. 166p. (Readers Theatre Series). maps. index. Web sites. CIP. Libraries Unlimited/Teacher Ideas . 2008. pap. $25. ISBN 978-1-59158-633-3 . LC 2007044594. This collection of scripts begins with an introduction that defines readers theatre as "a storytelling device that stimulates the imaginati...
More
Reviews: Professional Reading 01/01/2009
BARR, Catherine . Best New Media, K-12: A Guide to Movies, Subscription Web Sites, and Educational Software and Games . 237p. (Children's and Young Adult Literature Reference Series). index. Web sites. CIP. Libraries Unlimited . 2008. Tr $50. ISBN 978-1-59158-467-4 . LC 2008020191. Most of the items reviewed in this volume have come out since 2000.
More
Enhancing News Literacy By Lena Consolini Quinn - 01/01/2009
YouTube, Facebook, blogs, and text messages. Today’s youth have access to an extraordinary amount of news sources, but how can they discern the accuracy of this information? A revolution in media has sparked an explosion of information, thanks largely to the Internet. Beyond traditional print and radio sources, we have opinion blogs, social networking and sharing Web sites, such as MySpac...
More
Professional Reading 12/01/2008
AL-HAZZÁ, Tami Craft & Katherine Toth Bucher . Books About the Middle East: Selecting and Using Them with Children and Adolescents 182p. charts. diags. illus. bibliog. index. Web sites. CIP. Linworth 2008. pap. $39.95. ISBN 978-1-58683-285-8 . LC 2007040149. The authors have packed a lot of information about the cultures, religions, politics, and geography of the Middle East into ...
More
'Click, Clack, Moo’in the White House Library? 12/01/2008
Chances are you won’t see Click, Clack, Moo (S & S, 2000), The Tale of Despereaux (Candlewick, 2003), or Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Abrams, 2007) in the White House library. But if students at Milton Terrace South Elementary School in Upstate New York have their way, these and other children’s books will be on the library’s shelves by the time President-elect Barack Obama and h...
More
What Should Every Librarian Know? By Brian Kenney, Editor-in-Chief - 11/01/2008
If there’s one thing all library and information science school graduates share, it’s some degree of dissatisfaction with their professional education. It was too practical. Or too theoretical. There wasn’t enough technology. There was too much. It failed to challenge the library status quo.
More
Professional Reading 10/01/2008
BARCHERS, Suzanne I. & Michael Ruscoe . Against All Odds: Readers Theatre for Grades 3–8 . 251p. (Readers Theatre Series). index. CIP. Teacher Ideas . 2008. pap. $30. ISBN 978-1-59158-677-7 . LC 2007048817. In this collection of 25 scripts, students are introduced to famous people who have faced and overcome challenges, such as Tom Cruise's dyslexia, Zina Garrison's bulimia, and Fra...
More
Professional Reading 09/01/2008
FONTICHIARO, Kristin . Podcasting at School . 170p. charts. bibliog. glossary. index. CIP. Libraries Unlimited/Teacher Ideas . 2008. pap. $30. ISBN 978-1-59158-587-9 . LC 2007035040. This title presents encouragement and incentives for implementing podcasting within the school curriculum. Part I explains the basics of Web 2.
More
Professional Reading 08/01/2008
ERNST, Linda L. Baby Rhyming Time 235p. w/CD. illus. appendix. further reading. index. Web sites. CIP. Neal-Schuman 2008. pap. $59.95. ISBN 978-1-55570-540-4 . LC 2007043246. This useful resource provides background, logistics, and a wealth of practical ideas for programs. Ernst describes brain development and language acquisition clearly, with quotes and references for support.
More
Singer Reba McEntire Teams with Reading Rockets By SLJ Staff - 07/30/2008
Country singer Reba McEntire is teaming up with PBS’s Reading Rockets to host a new show about how to make the most of the years before a child starts school.
More
