So often, people think of presentation slides as just that: a visual aid for delivering a presentation in front of an audience. But these slide apps (like Google Slides and PowerPoint in Office 365) really are powerful tools for delivering interactive user experiences. They can also create visually stimulating products to deliver a message and valuable content. By thinking outside the box with Google Slides, PowerPoint and other similar tools, teachers can create unique learning experiences for students. Or students can create them to share with other students.

There's a TED Talk I've been showing my students for the last couple of years called "The Danger of a Single Story" by Chimamanda Adichie. In this amazing TED Talk, Adichie warns us how stereotypes are formed, prejudices take root, and discriminatory behaviors occur when "one story" is told about a group of people with whom we have limited contact or understanding. Although it is convenient to accept a single narrative as a "universal truth" to be applied to all members of a group, it is very dangerous. So dangerous and powerful, in fact, that entire genocides have been committed using this very tactic.

E-readers and tablets are becoming more popular as such technologies improve, but research suggests that reading on paper still boasts unique advantages

So here they are: 15 formats for structuring a class discussion to make it more engaging, more organized, more equitable, and more academically challenging. If you've struggled to find effective ways to develop students' speaking and listening skills, this is your lucky day.

Colleen Pennell, of the Nerdy Book Club reflects on her teen daughters early disinterest in reading. "My guess is that many girl readers who are reluctant may not have been provided enough choice over what they read and/or have been fed a nonstop diet of leveled books since kindergarten. Moreover, little respect has been afforded to the multiple types of texts, both traditional and nontraditional, that girls consume. In this blog post, I reflect upon the reading lives of girls, especially those who are reluctant, and focus upon three avenues that can help all girls feel like a member of the literacy club."

Publishing a children's book in Russia is not a straightforward matter, as Anna Starobinets found when her detective stories set among woodland animals were deemed to be far too beastly for children

Dust Echoes is a series of twelve beautifully animated dreamtime stories from Central Arnhem Land, telling stories of love, loyalty, duty to country and aboriginal custom and law. Supporting resources available.

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.

Create story books with super easy tools. Publish your own hardcover or paperback books. Promote them to our worldwide community. Free education options available.

Publishers, booksellers and illustrators tell Madelyn Travis about the challenges facing picture books today. the book Trust looks at the publishing side of picture books and issues.

Home page for a journal that explore creative, or literary, non-fiction. Creative Nonfiction, defines the genre simply, succinctly, and accurately as "true stories well told." And that, in essence, is what creative nonfiction is all about.

An increasing number of authors are designing materials that connect print and electronic resouces to tell complex, rich stories. They may incorporate audio, video, gaming, and social technologies to create synergy.

Researchers are discovering just how powerful an effect a good story can have on the brain, and not just in terms of entertainment. A memorable yarn can also help us retain important information, both in casual and formal learning settings.

The Boat', an interactive graphic novel about escape after the Vietnam War. Based on the story by Nam Le, adapted by Matt Huynh. Cleverly designed, sound effects with enhanced navigation for reading, presented in black and white. Aimed at upper primary and above and supports studies on refugees, boat people, survival and immigration.

The Eve Pownall Award for Information Books has been a part of the CBCA Book of the Year Awards since 1993. This is a very important category and an interesting one to judge. The 2015 awards have seen a wide range of interesting books in this category. I have drawn together some interesting threads regarding this category in order to frame discussion around this year's entries.

A website for teachers filled with ideas for literacy teaching using visual resources such as film, animation, photographs and picture books.

Slide presentation that introduces the genre, its key qualities and some representative titles and authors.

Students need literacy skills to match their knowledge environments. UNESCO (2003) framed its Literacy Decade positioning literacy as a freedom beyond reading and writing, to include capacities for communication and equal participation in the world. This recognizes multiliteracies (New London Group, 1996) and a knowledge paradigm of multi-modal, constantly shifting, non-linear communication, especially in digital form, that has shifted how we understand literacy.

Reading science trade books is the perfect way for students to build literacy skills while learning science content. The books that appear in these lists were selected as outstanding children's science trade books. They were chosen by a book review panel appointed by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and assembled in cooperation with the Children's Book Council (CBC).

Blog site devoted to celebrating children, books and reading with commentary about reading, great titles and links plus lots more.