Instructure Canvas is a free learning management system that teachers can use to record grades, post assignments, and interact with their students. Students can use Instructure Canvas to communicate with each other and collaborate on assignments. Instructure Canvas integrates Facebooks, Google Docs, and email systems outside of Instructure. Another neat feature of Instructure Canvas is that students can subscribe to RSS, email, and cell phone alerts to stay abreast of any new content their teachers post.
Learnopia is a new service that offers hosting for online courses. Learnopia is also a place to find and take online courses. If course creators make their courses free for others to take, then hosting is free. Currently, there are courses on Learnopia that are free and others that require payment.
Great set of archived webinars for Library Media Specialists. Focus is on public libraries, but there are several webcasts that pertain to school libraries.
Teaching Library is a place to find free teaching ideas and lesson resources, all linked to books that can be used in the classroom. Each book has ideas for uses in different areas of the curriculum, along with related video content and downloadable materials. You can browse by category or author.
Today's reality is that readers and information seekers are having increasingly less need to visit a physical library to meet their basic information needs. Digital information sources, readily accessed from classroom, home or mobile computing devices, are the choice of many learners and teachers. The "Net Generation" student increasingly prefers the visual and the virtual rather than the printed text. Why, many educators are asking, does a school need a physical library when seemingly all resources can be obtained using an inexpensive netbook and a wireless network connection? How can these large physical spaces in our schools be re-purposed for greater educational impact? Doug Johnosn