With the proliferation of technology in school and at home, parents are looking for direction on how to keep their kids’ media habits in check. Librarians, who are often at the front lines of media and tech in schools, can provide that crucial guidance. The discussions shouldn’t focus on denying technology, though, said Michelle Cooper, Library Media Specialist, White Oak ISD, TX in the edWebinar “Achieving Media Balance in a Tech-Immersed World.” Instead, librarians can help families learn how to maintain a healthy balance and become good digital citizens.
Online assessments are becoming more common, and students who have strong digital literacy skills often score higher on them. Students who lack these skills may not be able to effectively demonstrate mastery of key concepts in math, reading or writing on online assessments. Technology and digital literacy specialists at Flagstaff Unified School District in Arizona reviewed the importance of teaching digital literacy skills and how their district is doing so in “Improving Student Performance on Online Assessments.”
edWeb is 10 years old! It feels like such a big milestone, especially since it’s been 10 years since the dawn of the “connected educator” movement. I still remember so well when the U. S. Department of Education issued the 2010 National Education Technology Plan. The plan included the first statement I know of that… read more →
Do you have a PLN? Those who do swear by it and live by the mantra “alone we are smart, together we are brilliant.” A PLN can help you find and curate the best ideas and resources, and build a network of supportive peers in a time of constant change. Steven Anderson, Digital Learning and Relationship Evangelist, and Shaelynn Farnsworth, Literacy Consultant, joined Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb.net for conversation with Larry Jacobs on Education Talk Radio on this topic. Larry kicked off the conversation with the question, “What is the value of a PLN and how has that changed over the past 10 years?”
Current approaches to identifying students with reading disabilities are often problematic and ineffective, and will not lead students to academic success. Significant improvements in identification and screening have been made to provide greater support, and earlier. In “Cutting-Edge Research to Empower Schools to Support Students with Reading Disabilities,” Rick Wagner, Associate Director for the Florida Center for Reading Research, discussed problems with current methods and how to better help students with these disabilities.
edWeb.net has free professional learning on such a wide range of topics that we call it “free-range PD!” Learn, share, and mentor with colleagues in your school and district, or meet up in edWebinar chats and in our professional learning communities with educators all around the world. Classroom teachers, librarians, and administrators can use edWeb to fuel their professional growth by viewing edWebinars live or on-demand, joining online discussions, accessing free resources, and creating a support network.
Maps tell stories, explain, illuminate, and inspire. Students of all ages and across subject areas can benefit from using interactive maps to gather, analyze and interpret data, and gain insight into our world. In “How Online Mapping Activities Shape Learning Experiences for K-12 Students,” Charlie Fitzpatrick, K12 Manager at Esri; and Mike Wagner, Teacher at Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia, shared how online mapping can shape learning experiences for K-12 learners.
Student privacy and school security are growing concerns in schools that can have consequences from negative media attention to losing parent and student trust. Defining and assessing levels of risk in the school is a crucial part of online security and privacy. Although there is no such thing as zero risk, there are measures we can take to significantly reduce risk. Bill Fitzgerald, Director of the Privacy Evaluation Initiative for Common Sense Media, provided simple ways to assess online privacy and security in “Online Security, Privacy, and Risk: How to Avoid Becoming a Headline.”
Each year, K-12 schools and districts that have leveraged technology to dramatically improve the educational experiences and achievements of their students are honored through SETDA’s Student Voices program. Mountain Heights Academy in Utah, the 2017 Student Voices Award winner, encourages students to participate in the instructional design process using an OER curriculum. In “Students Collaborate with Digital Tools to Support Bee Populations,” four students from Mountain Heights Academy explained how they work together and use technology to collaborate on their project, Operation Bee.
Once your school district makes the commitment to have a digital library, the next step is for people to understand how they can stay engaged. In “Secrets from the Front Lines: How Schools Can Boost Digital Engagement,” Kelly Hladek, Library Media Specialist and Technology Liaison at Morton High School, School City of Hammond, IN, discussed best practices for engaging students, teachers and the community in the district’s eBook and audiobook collection. In just one year of having a digital collection, checkouts from the district’s digital library increased by 184 percent.