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This app lets kids access purchased databases and will also let users know available sources within 10 miles of there location. I think this app has the potential of combining 21st century informational literacy skills with "classic" literacy skill.

Students with the "Access My Library School Edition" app for their iPhone can search for their school library, enter a password and then access the Gale Databases . WPS has free access to the Gale Databases through the Massachusetts Library System. It is available online from the school computer network or online. See your school librarian for details.

An Iphone Ap for kids to let them access online data held in a library within 10 miles radius of them.

This article introduces a contest which promotes reading and media skills that began in 2008. It is sponsored by major publishers such as Simon and Schuster and Scholastic and 5 regional libraries, The contest is for students in grades 1-6. The students need to create a storytube on a book they have read. It is important to point out that teachers are not replacing a written report or are using this to enhance the report. I reviewed some of the winners and it is so great to see kids excited about what they read and using technology so easily. With students creating video media at such an early age and being so comfortable doing it only leads me to believe that when these students reach high school the work that they will create will be fantastic.

This article originally appeared in SLJ’s Extra Helping. Sign up now! By Jennifer Pinkowski -- School Library Journal, 07/09/2008 Funny accents, strange wigs, and spoiler-free plot summaries are the common elements in the winning videos made by contestants in StoryTubes, a new contest for kids that promotes reading-and new media skills-by capitalizing on the popularity of YouTube.

This link explains how libraries are using the power and popularity of YouTube to promote learning, literacy, creativity and technology. StoryTube is a great project idea that uses the power of the contest as a wonderful motivator.

Quick Facts About HOT No one thinks perfectly or poorly all the time. Memorizing something is not the same as thinking about it. You can memorize something without understanding it. Thinking is done in both words and pictures. These are just a few of the HOT qualities identified in this article

Thanks, Tom. I went back to the article after reading your comment. The address is: http://www.cdl.org/resource-library/articles/highorderthinking.php As I was exploring the site I must have copied an incorrect address. Sister

Sister Jacqueline, The article was well worth reading. It does a nice job of explaining the importance of higher order thinking and how it relates to problem solving and its importance in a school setting. Tom

Children in grades one through six submit short videos promoting their favorite books. The StoryTubes contest capitalizes on children's interest in technology to promote reading and media skills.

Collab-o-Write is a social media tool that lets students create or contribute to a story that is written by a number of different users.  http://library.thinkquest.org/2626 

Schools and libraries hungry for faster and more reliably funded Wi-Fi connections will be watching the July 11 open meeting of the Federal Communications Commission closely. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler's long-awaited E-rate modernization plan, which he released in outline form on June 20, will be discussed by commissioners and presumably voted on during the meeting. This article is so on topic right now. As we move forward and learn to incorporate the new technologies and collaborative tools for our students, isn't it sad that some school districts have to worry about how they will pay for access. Since this article has been posted, the FCC did vote to modernize the school and libraries E-rate. Unfortunately, this problem will continue to be present for the foreseeable future. Linda

The Storybird Ning webpage is a place for teachers to get together and brainstorm ideas and information relative to the implementation Storybird.com with their students. Storybird is a collaborative storywriting website that allow students to read, write, and share their creations. Students can illustrate their stories with images from the site's artwork library.

Have you ever thought, "Gosh, I wish I had time to learn more about Flickr, wikis, or (enter your Web 2.0 tool here)?" Well, this is your chance to take the time to focus on your personal and professional development around Web 2.0 tools. It's fun to explore these tools and figure out ways to use them in the library, with your personal Web sites, or in other ways.

I will give Zoho a look. We use google docs at my school now. Each staff member and student was given an account with the same extension. With so many sites to choose from it takes time to see which ones you lke. Google docs seems to show up in many articles.

Zoho Writer looks interesting as you need to be invited to participate. Google Docs are used extensively within our school, though I only used them for our NGY Ning project last year. We also use Google Docs for attendance in our after school programs.

This article discusses how students can gain real-world experience by blogging and podcasting.. They are able to hone writing skills, learn to take and give criticism and direction, use software in the production of the blogs and podcasts. They are using the essential skills of managing, analyzing, creating and evaluating, etc.

Economics podcasts for daily life. Hosted by Russ Roberts.

This was a really interesting article about some of the security issues related to mobile devices. Since some mobile devices are used in the classroom, it is important for educators and students are aware of some of the safety issues and how to avoid potential problems associated with them.

Awesome site for Math tutorials and videos

With a library of over 3,000 videos covering everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history and hundreds of skills to practice, we're on a mission to help you learn what you want, when you want, at your own pace.

A great resource for sites to use when writing literary criticism. Memorial Hall Library is located in Andover, MA and this particular article divides the information into the following categories: Plot Summaries, Criticism, Authors, Contemporary Authors, Reader's Advisory, Literary Awards List, and What do I Read Next? Easy to use and some new sites I did not know about.