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"Virtual reality is an immersive tool that allows students to engage in learning in new and exciting ways. In the first article in a three-part series on virtual reality in education, Curriculum Designer Dr Susan O'Donnell and Project Manager Adrian Rayner at VR Learning & Design Hub, Cairns Southern Corridor, explain how virtual reality has been used in many industries and commercial products over decades, why using it comes so naturally to 21st Century learners, and why virtual reality represents exciting learning possibilities for students and teachers alike."

"Virtual field trips can help students explore a new space, build vocabulary and background knowledge, and expand their world view. Whether you want to explore the setting of a novel, introduce a place-based math problem, or make connections to current events, virtual field trips can expand upon traditional lessons in many ways." Annotated list of free virtual field trip resources

The terms augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are often used interchangeably in conversation, but they actually represent two completely different ways to experience information.

"Although still an emerging technology in terms of recognizing its full potential, virtual reality offers the opportunity to step into places, roles, and experiences that were previously impossible, or at the very least, inaccessible to most. "

This virtual museum provides a century of coverage generatued by the Horn Book and includes significant articles, editorials, controversies, and illustrator profiles from the US children's literature scene.

"Virtual Library is a curation of free educational resources and tools to assist students, educators, parents and the community."

"Getting kids to contribute in virtual classrooms takes some work, it turns out. "We keep calling this generation digital natives as if they are simply whizzes at everything computerized. They aren't," wrote Tim O'Brien on Facebook. "They need personal support, scaffolding, and reassurance that technology does not provide. It is simply a tool, not a teacher.""

"On City Walks you can go for a virtual walk in more than a dozen cities around the world. You can experience the cities with or without sound. You can go for virtual walks in the daytime or at night. At the start of each walk you'll see some quick facts about the city that might help you understand a little more about what you're seeing during the walk."

The Virtual Learning Resources Center indexes thousands of the best academic information websites, selected by teachers and library professionals worldwide, in order to provide to students and teachers current, valid information for school and university academic projects!

360 video gives students the power to explore a space from every angle. YouTube hosts a range of 360 video content and one of my favorites is from the BBC. On the BBC's YouTube channel you'll find different types of video options for a virtual visit to places around the world. As you search through their content you'll see that they've tagged their videos as 360 to make it especially easy to find.

The mission of the Skype an Author Network is to provide K-12 teachers and librarians with a way to connect authors, books, and young readers through virtual visits. Wouldn't it be great to invite authors into your classroom or library to video chat with students before, during, and/or after reading their books? We are growing a list of authors who want to make that connection with you via Skype. Visit our Skype Overview page to learn more about Skype. The site also shares some great success stories to inspire and inform you for planning and organising.

"Discussions that are centered in students' experiences spark more text-to-self connections and help students internalize concepts like empathy."

"While author studies can give useful background, there's nothing like talking with an author about the unique inspiration and process they go through in creating. This sense of connection is part of why people tell stories and become authors in the first place-we need to know we aren't alone. While this connection continues to be true, the truth is a universal one."

There are many possibilities for using apps in creative ways in libraries. In Nicole Hennig's online course, "The Book as iPad App," 60 one of the assignments is to participate in a virtual brainstorming activity about this topic. Librarians are from school, academic, and public libraries, and this list is based on the many creative ideas they came up with. Since this course was focused on interactive book apps, the ideas are mostly about those. Feel free to imagine using these ideas for all types of apps.

"Research about educational trends and pedagogical models shows the significant difference effective school library services can make on student literacy and learning outcomes. The research findings illustrate the positive impact of dynamic, inclusive library services and environments - physical and virtual - that are aligned with the school's vision and learning goals."

Guidance on library website design

Author visits are powerful for hooking students to books. Both face-to-face and virtual author visits are worth consideing

Promoting literature during home schooling - a range of ideas, some will transfer back to the library for ongoing activities

"Virtually every children's book requires illustrations. Before you even decide on an illustrator for your book (or, if you are an illustrator, before you decide what book you are going to draw) you need to decide on an illustration style. What is an illustration style? It is the type of artwork that you will use in your children's book, and there are many types. Additionally, there are also different types of mediums, used to create art, which can be used in a variety of styles, but all have a flavor of their own."