"Critical thinking is when the brain is active, making connections to the material and applying original thought to the concept. It's the difference between struggling to remember ("ugh!") and struggling to solve ("yeah!")." Whilst all kids think, not all activities trigger critical thinking. There are some ideas here that use targeted approaches and strategies to cause those young brains to work.

10 things to consider when thinking about creating a makerspace in your classroom.. These should assist you to understand why you would consider it and encouragement to do it.

The School Librarians of Rhode Island (SLRI) found that the image students, and parents in particular, held of Rhode Island public school libraries was behind the times. It was clear that perception needed to evolve along with reality.What they decided to do is explained.

Make the goal for a literacy-rich classroom and expose students to as many different types of books as possible in order for them to continue to grow in their love of reading or to find an entry point for reading. Lots of ideas mentioned here

"The issue of supporting and expanding copyright exceptions for education is on the table now within the context of the reassessment of the EU copyright rules, the international agenda at WIPO, and other national level copyright reforms"

"The issue of supporting and expanding copyright exceptions for education is on the table now within the context of the reassessment of the EU copyright rules, the international agenda at WIPO, and other national level copyright reforms"

HyperDocs are perfect opportunities to grow teacher librarian/ classroom teacher partnerships. A true extension of what TLs do or should be doing in a hyperlinked information landscape, HyperDocs are all about curation and collaboration, instruction based on engaged inquiry, as well as our mission to inspire learning communities to think, create, share and grow.

HyperDocs are perfect opportunities to grow teacher librarian/ classroom teacher partnerships. A true extension of what TLs do or should be doing in a hyperlinked information landscape, HyperDocs are all about curation and collaboration, instruction based on engaged inquiry, as well as our mission to inspire learning communities to think, create, share and grow.

Video that shows you how to create templates in Google Slides. Google Slides is a presentation tool that allows you to create and share presentations for free online. "If you don't want to create your own template from scratch, there are tools out there that can help you out. Slides Carnival offers free basic templates for Google Slides and Powerpoint. They have different template categories to browse through like Simple, Creative, Inspirational, and Formal."

This is an interesting article about how we can foster creativity, communication and thinking skills. Libraries can play an important role libraries in creating these areas.

This year Marchetta is appearing as an ambassador at the Emerging Writers' Festival She says "I felt very nurtured in the early days by writers such as John Marsden and Isobelle Carmody and I've always found it important to follow their example". This interview takes her back to the original novel and focuses on celebrating the 25th anniversary of "Looking For Alibrandi."

There are 4 tools discussed here, that offer students a platform to demonstrate their honesty, courage, and integrity in the classroom.

A digital storytelling wheel that features quite a few interesting resources that your students could use in class to create and share digital stories.  They have been organized into 3 types: iPad apps , Android apps, and Web tools for digital storytelling.

Article discusses "how we can motivate students for the noble pursuit of truth and help them see why it still matters.

David Raymond @dnomyard is part of equipping Virginia high school students to defend themselves from cyber attacks. With knowledge in digital forensics and current technology, the Virginia Cyber Range is working to lead the world in educating its students on cyber security. Learn how in this wide-ranging conversation about modern security.

Published on 2 Dec 2014. The debate on Net Neutrality is about the future of the Internet and the outcomes of this debate could impact every US internet user. This video explains what net neutrality is and why it matters, by focusing first on the idea of neutrality

"There are lots of ways to incorporate video into the classroom. From capturing students' attention as you kick off a lesson, to providing context for a new learning experience, teachers use videos in lots of different ways. Whether you are looking for a clip to send home to students via Google Classroom or want to connect a video link for a QR code scavenger hunt, educational 360 videos are worth exploring. 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."

Libguide that offers advice on how to identify Fake News. The ability to tell accurate news from fake news is an important skill that you'll use for the rest of your life.  This LibGuide will give you valuable insight in telling fact from fiction online, plus a chance to exercise your newfound skills. 

A list of on-line resources that can to aid teachers and their students with the task of spotting fake news. The articles, guides, lesson plans and videos deal with the importance of evaluating websites.

Google Slides have made the process of creating an eBook so much easier than doing it using Google Docs. Google Slides allows you to manipulate and edit images in ways that you cannot in Google Docs. With Slides, you can add backgrounds, borders, and layer text boxes, graphics, and shapes. If you have ever been frustrated with trying to get an image in the exact spot you want in Google Docs, you may want to try it in Google Slides. Since you can easily convert your slides to PDF, the most universally accepted file format, your eBook can be read on practically any device.

Some useful advice/tips about how to assist students understand how to identify "fake" news.