InternetSchools

=Internet @Schools=

This journal provides educator's guide to technology and the web. In the current issue, it talks about the increased usage of eBooks and how eBooks bring a success in students' learning. Besides students' learning, the percentage of U.S. adults with an ebook reader doubled from 6% to 12% in this half year. eBooks will increasingly become important tools for learning. E- can be applied in E-Readers, Etextbooks, Econtent, Elearning. On the market, there are more than a dozen providers in the area of ebooks, etextbooks, and other digital content for academic use.

From this journal, teacher librarians can find guides on how to select appropriate online resources to align with classroom learning.

Wen

This sounds like an interesting article. While at the OELMA conference I went to a session on using eBooks within the library. It will be interesting to see how schools and libraries transition into utilizing eBooks. While they are being utilized at a rapid rate by the general public, and I know some schools are testing them for academic purposes, the majority of schools have not yet taken this chance. It seems that there is still such an issue with cost and maintenance. I know for the librarian that presented they purchased devices to find out that the company changed its loading guidelines, making it temporally impossible to utilize devices they spent good money on. I like the idea of the eBooks, but wonder if better regulations need to be in place to assure schools are protected form the ever changes rules of the trade.

Shari

I think a guide on appropriate online resources is always a good thing to have. So many sites that look like good resources can't hold up to use by students. I would be interested to learn about how ebooks have been shown to impact student learning and with them getting cheaper everyday they could soon be in every school library.

Tara

MultiMedia & Internet@Schools is a journal about using the internet and multimedia learning in schools. There are several articles about the use of social networking media in schools and how it can be helpful, how iPads can be more than just fancy tech toys, and how to make online classes more effective. There is also an article about electronic resources in the library which are important in 21st century learning communities. One article I thought was really important and a hot topic right now is the debate about e-books vs. p-books. The main issue in this article is whether or not there are educational benefits and drawbacks. Some people are convinced that e-books will make p-books no longer useful. So far this has proven untrue, however ebooks are making improvements and are becoming more useful educationally. With the introduction of e-textbooks, ebooks could be making a bigger impact in the classroom soon.

Ashley

I find the topic of social media in schools interesting. There is such a gap between districts and what they are permitting students to do or have access too. While reviewing the websites for a previous assignment I noticed some schools offering Twitter and Library Blogs, while others have their filters set so high that it is almost banned by the district. I think that using such media in schools can be beneficial, especially when teaching 21st Century skills, but if it must be done with the right approach. Just giving students computer access and iPads does not teach them the skills they need to prepare for tomorrows work force. They need to be guided by individuals that understand how to best utilize the tools. This is where I think a well trained librarian comes in to play. A librarian can properly train staff which will build a strong foundation in effectively implementing postive technology skills to students.

Shari

I am leery of ebooks used in schools because I can see the reading devices walking away with students. I am interested to read this article to see what they say about possible theft concerns. I think if they can be used in the library or classroom they could really make a positive difference. For Language Arts and Reading classes they could be tremendously useful because they could access free classic novels because their copyrights have expired.

Tara

//Internet Schools// focused on 21st century skills and the necessity of preparing students for a technology rich life after school. They also stressed inquiry learning through wikis and collaboration. There were some articles on scaling and scaffolding as well. The scaling and scaffolding would work well to teach 21st century skills in bursts and avoid overwhelming students and parents who should be able to keep up with the skills their children are learning.

Tara

This would be interesting to read. I think your last statement of teaching the skills in a way as not to overwhelm students and their parents is important. I hear all the time parents complaining about what their kids are learning at younger ages than they did. Throwing the rapidly changing technology into this now advanced curriculum does create an unbalance of parents not being able to relate to and unable to assist their children in succeeding.

Shari