"The library, as we once knew it, may no longer be relevant. School librarians, as we once knew them, may no longer be relevant. And, yet, this is undoubtedly the most exciting time in history to be a librarian.
The future of the school library as a relevant and viable institution is largely dependent on us and how quickly we respond to change."
"25 Awesome Virtual Learning Experiences Online
posted by Mark on June 18th, 2009
Virtual Learning Experiences OnlineJust because you're online doesn't mean that you can't experience the world first-hand - or as close to first-hand as possible. Here are websites that feature virtual learning experiences, exposing online visitors to everything from history to geography, astronomy to anatomy, literature to government."
From PBS Learning Media, this 5 minute video relates the history behind single women homesteaders and the 1862 Homesteading Act. You can opt to stream or download the video. You can also see the standards tied to this content.
Google's World Wonders Project aims to bring to life the wonders of the modern and ancient world.
By using our Street View technology, Google has a unique opportunity to make world heritage sites available to users across the globe. Street View is a hugely popular feature of Google Maps which is already available in dozens of countries. It allows users to virtually explore and navigate
"Create an eBook from online content
The world of educational resources and materials is shifting away from print stuff towards digital stuff. One of the reasons for this shift is the ease of creating and sharing digital stuff.
ePUBS and tablets and apps like iBooks are merging into a mini-Perfect Storm event that supports and encourages the use of digital content. As social studies teachers, we need to take advantage of these sorts of tools.
And I just ran across an incredibly easy to use online tool called Readlists that lets you create an ePUB book from resources that you find on the web. Imagine being able to create a digital book that has a variety of articles, data, and multimedia.
Readlists is the latest project of the Arc90 people - the same people who created Readability."
"Creating & Reading on the iPad: PDF vs. ePub
A cart of 30 iPads showed up at my school the other day & I get to organized the deployment and classroom use, a daunting task. Prior to the 30 iPad cart, I have been working with teachers and students to use 4 iPads, primarily in two math classes. I have blogged about both ideas here and here.
"