Ideas about social media, teens, and the future of libraries were shared in a dynamic online exchange sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and Connected Learning.
About Lauren Barack
Lauren Barack writes about the connection between media and education, business and technology, and is the recipient of the Loeb Award for online journalism. She can be found at www.laurenbarack.com.
California 10th Graders Improve Their Writing Skills—Through an Interactive Fiction Game
By on April 3, 2013 Leave a Comment
“You hear a lot about gaming and engaging kids in STEM subjects, says teacher Jason Sellers. “So, I wondered, what does gaming look like in English?” Sellers, a teacher at the French American International School in San Francisco, found out, basing a classroom lesson in Playfic, an online community where users write, share, and play games using Inform 7, a programming system for creating interactive fiction based on natural language.
STEM Video Game Challenge Encourages Librarians to Mentor Students
By on March 4, 2013 Leave a Comment
Students are invited to enter the annual National STEM Video Game Challenge, and organizers are hoping school librarians will help mentor and support kids throughout the process.
Give Lessons a Byte on Digital Learning Day
By on February 5, 2013 Leave a Comment
Join the nation’s many school librarians and educators planning to dive into projects, programs, and day-long activities tomorrow in celebration of the second annual Digital Learning Day.
School Library Thrives After Ditching Print Collection
By on January 8, 2013 45 Comments
Minneapolis’ Benilde-St. Margaret’s school library remains a vital educational space where students still research, investigate and—above all—learn, even after high school principal Sue Skinner donated or re-purposed nearly all the books in its print collection in 2011.
High School Students Use Cell Phones in Class—but not for Schoolwork, Says Study
By on January 7, 2013 47 Comments
Just as many high school teachers are becoming comfortable with incorporating smartphones and other digital devices into classrooms to aid with learning, a new study finds that a majority of high school students are already using cell phones in class—to text, to send emails, and to browse social media sites.
Home-Schooled Florida Teen Creates ‘Jurassic’ App
By on December 27, 2012 Leave a Comment
Most kids who are obsessed with Tyrannosaurus Rex end up playing with figurines or poring over dinosaur-themed books. Not Evan Frost. Instead, the 13-year-old from Palm Beach Gardens, FL, turned his interest into an app he developed for Android phones.
New COPPA Rules Tighten Laws Governing Children’s Privacy Online
By on December 20, 2012 Leave a Comment
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced new amendments on Wednesday intended to help bring the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) into the digital age.
Cleveland Public Library Hires Buffy Hamilton, the Unquiet Librarian
By on November 14, 2012 8 Comments
Buffy Hamilton, best known as the Unquiet Librarian, will soon be joining the Cleveland Public Library. Starting next year, Hamilton will become CPL’s Learning Specialist and will work to engage Cleveland’s patrons, from students to the greater public, through “library-supported communities of participatory learning.”
Common Core Will Stress Already Inadequate E-rate Funding
By on November 5, 2012 Leave a Comment
The E-Rate program, which is responsible for the funds dedicated to connecting schools and libraries to the Internet, is unable to keep up with high demand., and schools’ needs are only becoming more urgent with the advent of the Common Core Standards.
