News, Features and best practices in technology for the k-12 classroom and media center from wikis and podcasts to the latest gadgets from School Library Journal en-us http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/community/Web+2%2E0/47079.html?nid=3270 2009 Reed Business Information. Subject to its http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/info/260304.html Terms of Use. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:48:37 MST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6704981.html?nid=3270 If your school library is in need of a tech overhaul, enter Acer's School Library Technology Makeover Contest and possibly win 10 new notebooks and two desktop computers for your media center. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6703701.html?nid=3270 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. Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6703704.html?nid=3270 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. Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6703664.html?nid=3270 With just 100 words, several lucky schools can win laptops, Microsoft software, PC monitors and a slew of other technological tools by entering this year’s Samsung’s Four Seasons of Hope contest. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6702816.html?nid=3270 The Windy City just landed one of the hottest spots for teens—and it’s at the public library. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:05:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6699614.html?nid=3270 Florida’s Naples News Media Group wants K-12 students to keep turning the pages of its daily newspaper—but digitally. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6700414.html?nid=3270 With so much focus on 21st century skills, shouldn’t school librarians be recognized as leaders in this new era of learning? More than 200 media specialists and influential education and government officials descended on Washington, DC, this weekend to help answer that question as part of School Library Journal’s fifth annual Leadership Summit. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6700179.html?nid=3270 More than 200 media specialists and leaders in the profession descended on Washington, DC, this weekend to talk about librarians as leaders of the 21st Century. Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6699112.html?nid=3270 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. Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6698986.html?nid=3270 While public libraries continue to make tech-based educational resources a priority for K-12 students, digital services dipped last year as budgets were trimmed across the country, says a new study by the American Library Association (ALA). Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6685542.html?nid=3270 Digital textbooks, once the playthings of a few Arizona high schools, are suddenly looking like they might become commonplace. And that could end up being a great thing for school librarians and, more importantly, students. Back in May, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the Free Digital Textbook Initiative, which would make open-source textbooks—for now just in science a... Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6685546.html?nid=3270 Kathleen Kohl was penning 2,000-word short stories at 12 years old and by 13 set her sights on writing a novel. In a move gutsy enough for any would-be writer, much less a teenaged one, Kohl last year signed on for National Novel Writing Month, an online contest, of sorts, that challenges all comers each November to complete a 50,000-word piece of fiction over 30 days. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6685547.html?nid=3270 John Palfrey is one busy guy, with an impressive gig. In 2008, he was named the Henry N. Ess III Professor of Law and Vice Dean for Library and Information Resources at Harvard Law School. And when he’s not teaching courses on intellectual property and Internet law, there’s a good chance he’s overseeing the L school’s research library. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6685549.html?nid=3270 www.teachersfirst.com/firstday.cfm Ah, the first day of school. For students, educators, and parents alike, it’s a remarkable occasion, loaded with excitement, anticipation, and, yes, sometimes even a tear or two. To help get things off to a good start, the Web site TeachersFirst has created “First Day of School Icebreakers. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6685550.html?nid=3270 School librarians searching for a better way to broaden their science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) resources for K–12 students may soon have some innovative help. Marcia Mardis, an assistant professor at Florida State University, is embarking on a three-year project to build an RSS-like feed that she says will search Web sites and online libraries, pluck specific images and o... Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6685481.html?nid=3270 Could 22nd-century researchers think of the Captain Underpants Web site as source material? They might if kids taking part in the K-12 Web Archiving Program decide they want to preserve it for future generations. Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6686159.html?nid=3270 Students in San José, CA, can now text local librarians reference questions on everything from the Gettysburg Address to the definition of an isosceles triangle, thanks to a newly launched pilot program. Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6673578.html?nid=3270 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. Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6673580.html?nid=3270 Over the past few years, Google has changed the way we search. Later this year, the search giant is going to reinvent how we communicate and share online with its new Google Wave application. To get a good feeling for what Google Wave’s about, imagine that your email program got a bit hungry and ate your instant-messaging client. Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6673581.html?nid=3270 The American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) decision to require permission—and potentially a fee—to commercially use its Standards for the 21st-Century Learner (bit.ly/lWd9B) has generated ire among its members. “At first I was annoyed, but now getting mad,” posted librarian Beth Frise on Twitter. Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST