This week is Choose Privacy Week , an event sponsored by the American Library Association. While privacy has been part of our recent national discussion, privacy issues are nothing new to K-12 public education, which must follow at least three privacy rules and laws. These include the 1974 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a … read more »
It took the better part of a school year, but now your classroom is moving along smoothly. Your class is familiar with your teaching style, you have learned the quirks of individual personalities, you and your students have mastered all of the “new” technologies and materials from the beginning of the year, and everyone is … read more »
The invisible web is a world of resources not available using conventional search engines. Last month we looked at databases of information found behind paywalls, but often accessible with a library card. Now let’s investigate some sites that are freely available, but take some knowledge and instruction to use. A great place to start is … read more »
Way back in the twentieth century, your high school English teacher probably decreed that you needed ten sources for your research paper. You probably moaned about how hard it would be to find that many. If you were savvy, you headed to your school or public library to find the resources you needed. If you … read more »
Evaluating resources, in any medium, is a critical thinking skill for information literacy, media literacy, or digital citizenship. Of course, it is also part of educational state standards patterned after the Common Core. They emphasize reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from texts. In a discussion of the key shifts in the standards, the … read more »
“Silently like thoughts that come and go, the snowflakes fall, each one a gem.” William Hamilton Gibson Some of us anticipate the first snow of the year, others dread it, and still others live in areas that never experience even one snowfall during the winter. Whatever your situation, now is the time to learn more … read more »
Now that most of us are well into the first quarter of the school year, many teachers have assigned students their first significant formal research assignment for the year. English teachers and school librarians love academic research or at least don’t dread it! Most teachers know they should be giving students an opportunity to work … read more »
There is one day that is ours. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American. O. Henry A recent TeachersFirst blog post by Paula Deal discussed the use of primary sources and suggested several resources for finding primary sources for all grade levels. What better time of year to include primary sources than … read more »
“Begin at the beginning,” the King said, very gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop. ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland Although many of us have been in school for what seems like weeks, with the cool breezes of autumn, now is the time to think about school year … read more »
October is the time of the year we look forward to many of our favorite events. Carving pumpkins, picking apples, and trick or treating are just a few things we look forward to. Other anticipated events each fall are the baseball playoffs and World Series. Take advantage of student enjoyment of baseball to motivate and … read more »