Educational Technology in Schools

"When used appropriately, educational technology is a tool to assist with implementation of the Common Core Standards, help raise graduation rates, and prepare students for life beyond K-12 education. Technology employed in isolation, without direct instruction, or highly qualified guidance, fails to address these concerns. It is the intent of this AASL [American Association of School Libraries] white paper to provide a review of technology-related topics that can contribute to success and might serve to generate interest in further research on filtering practices, Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs), apps, social media, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), and related subjects." Read this four-page document here. Are there ideas in the report with which you particularly agree or disagree?

What Content-Area Teachers Should Know About Adolescent Literacy

The goal of this report (click on the title for this post to download it), prepared by the National Institute for Literacy (part of the U.S. Department of Education) is to help address middle and high school classroom teachers’, administrators’, and parents’ immediate need for basic information about how to build adolescents’ reading and writing skills. The report summarizes some of the current literature on adolescent literacy research and practice. It is divided into two main sections. The first section describes five key components that are critical to the development of reading proficiency: decoding/phonemic awareness and phonics, morphology, vocabulary, fluency, and text comprehension. The second section discusses four other areas that are fundamental in helping adolescents achieve advanced levels of literacy: assessment, writing, motivation, and the needs of diverse learners.

Clinical Report: The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families

An article published in the journal Pediatrics on March 28, 2011 discusses the potential benefits and risks of using social media by children and adolescents.

New Study on Reading in the Digital Age: Parents Say Electronic, Digital Devices Negatively Affects Kids' Reading Time

This article summarizes a study showing students' and parents' thinking about the use of electronic books and social media sites. Are children reading "for fun" less than they used to because they're spending more time with electronic devices ? Is the technology a motivator for kids to read more?

Accessing Scholarly Articles

If you're not sure where to start when you want to find articles from Swilley Library academic databases, here is a PowerPoint presentation that will offer some navigation advice.