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About
this Issue
Balancing
Safety with Productive Learning
By Anita McAnear
To read letters to the editor, click Readers
Respond
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NOTE: Where indicated, files are in PDF format (view PDF instructions). Some files are in MS Word (view
MS Word instructions) or Rich Text (view Rich Text instructions) formats.
Until I started receiving offensive, unwanted e-mail daily, I
was definitely
an advocate of education over censorship when it comes to
Internet access.
I still want that orientation, but I recognize that Web safety
and privacy
from unwanted messages is a complicated issue.
I know my 16-year-old daughter gets similar e-mails on her
account.
Fortunately, I also know her attitudes to such garbage and
what she
does with it. Neither of us is very good about looking for a
technology
solution, but it is really irritating that our private lives
are so
easily invaded.
In this month's issue, we have four articles that, although
they don't
solve my personal e-mail challenges, do pose solutions for
providing
safe exploration of Web content. We also have a rich variety
of curriculum
articles that highlight the use of technology to support
learning beyond
doing a little surfing of the Internet.
Richard Culatta describes how to download or create Web pages and
save them
on the school's server as a low-cost and safe method of providing
increased
learning resources and interactive multimedia content to students.
 Download
the full article (PDF, 557 KB)
Judi Harris, Paula White, and Becky Fisher help primary teachers
capitalize
on the motivation inherent in Web content for emerging readers with a
method
that provides safety and the scaffolding necessary for dependent
readers to
read and comprehend Web-based text.
Download
the full article (PDF, 312 KB)
Fortunately, educators can count on other educators to mine good Web
sites
for particular topics. The upcoming bicentennial of the Lewis &
Clark expedition
(1804-06) is an opportunity to bring alive the spirit of adventure in
your classroom.
Gail Lovely discusses the varied and rich Web sites available to help
you to
do so no matter what grade you teach.
Download
the full article (PDF, 301 KB)
Students who busy themselves by providing us with rich content on the Web are
providing a service to themselves as well as others. "Authentic doing"
is how Howard Levin describes his students' engagement as they publish oral
histories based on student-conducted interviews about the Holocaust on the Web.
Their project is a substantive use of technology to support learning and an
excellent example of project-based learning and technology integration. Read.
William Sumrall capitalizes on fascination with miniatures and models
to use
spreadsheets for a real-world application of ratio and proportion.
When students
finish with activities they not only understand measurement, ratio,
and proportion,
they also have an understanding of real-world uses. No more "What
good
is this?" for one math topic!
Download
the full article (PDF, 465 KB) (Includes Supplement)
Download
Supplement only (PDF, 131 KB)
Digital video turns out to be a very effective tool for science
education that
really makes a difference in student learning. Donna Ross, Randy
Yerrick, and
Philip Molebash describe how digital video enhances planning
investigations,
using high and low speed observations to collect data, controlling
variables,
and communicating findings from scientific study. They also offer
suggestions
for teachers to begin using digital video in their science
instruction.
Download
the full article (PDF, 279 KB)
Data loggers have tremendous potential for helping students do
science. Katrina
Malakhoff, one of those students, describes how she used the HOBO for
her science
project.
Download
the full article (PDF, 324 KB)
Cindy Wilson, Susan Jones, and John Hail conclude their three-part
series on
transforming the one classroom computer into a powerful learning tool
with a
focus on independent study. The variety and richness of the ideas in
this series
make it easy to find a place to start and make maximum use of one to
four classroom
computers.
Download
the full article (PDF, 281 KB)
Don Hall also concludes his three-part series on new management
skills for
technology coordinators. The last article looks at managing the
operations to
keep the day-to-day activities flowing smoothly and in line with the
vision,
giving the manager time to plan for the future. Don't miss Don's
supplements
online. See Using L&L PDFs 101 for downloading
instructions.
Download
the full article (PDF, 593 KB) (Includes Supplement)
Download
Supplement only (PDF 124 KB)
Download
Supplement, Rich Text Format (RTF 110 KB)
We have covered project-based learning fairly extensively in
L&L
with Diane McGrath's PBL column and numerous articles that model the
process.
In this month's column, Diane makes use of a unique opportunity to
look at what
happens over time when teachers and students do a series of projects
together.
The teacher she describes has the added benefit of an involved
researcher to
collaborate with to reflect on the daily experience and modify
projects based
on that reflection.
Download
the full article (PDF, 1,112 KB, 3 minutes.)
Profiling ISTE members is leading to wonderful insights, hints, and
tidbits.
This month's profile is no exception. Mel Dressel reveals a successful
handheld
implementation model and an ingenious incentive program for teachers
to integrate
technology into their teaching.
Download
the full article (PDF, 147 KB)
Certainly, challenges remain, but as the articles in this issue
prove, L&L
authors have always proven quite resourceful. Perhaps a solution to my
e-mail
problem is on the way!
Readers
Respond
Shortchanging the School Library?
It was with both great pleasure and great distress that I
read Denise
Johnson's article "Choosing the Right Books for
Struggling Readers"
in the September 2003 issue (pp. 22-27).
The rich collection of technology resources will be useful to
the teachers
in our district as we look for new ways to improve all
students' reading
abilities. Many of the resources were new to me, and they look
carefully
chosen for their usefulness. (That's the pleasure part.)
(Here's the distressed part...) While classroom libraries
were promoted
in your article, school library media centers received only a
negative
mention ("The school library can provide support, but
their collections
are often inadequate." p. 26), and the expert services
provided
by school library media specialists were not suggested as a
resource
for already over-worked classroom teachers at all.
While many school libraries do not offer adequate
collections, building
a common set of reading resources that is selected, organized,
and managed
by a trained professional is more economical and can offer
more opportunities
to students than individual classroom libraries can ever hope
to do.
Many school libraries provide circulating collections
available for
extended periods of time in classrooms. Rather than dismiss
school libraries,
I hope that in the future you encourage their use. The sharing
of scarce,
valuable resources is what libraries are all about, after
all.
As valuable as a good school library print collection can
be, a professional
school library media specialist (SLMS) can contribute even
more to reading
improvement efforts in a building. Through both training and
experience,
most SLMSs, have an outstanding knowledge of children and
young adult
literature, current best practices in reading, techniques for
effective
reading guidance, and guidance in the use of a wide range of
educational
technologies. A growing number of statewide studies have shown
that
schools with good library media programs have reading test
scores 10%-15%
higher than those without them (see, for example, Powering
Achievement:
School Library Media Programs Make a Difference by Keith
Curry Lance
and David V. Loertscher). Book leveling, administering reading
management
systems, and reviewing online reading materials can be done
more efficiently
and reliably by a professional library media specialist than
by the
average classroom teacher.
I know you were writing for a "technology" journal.
Again,
I appreciate the information about technology-based reading
materials
you gave. I would hope, however, that all resources that can
improve
student learning are at least mentioned in articles that
appear in L&L.
Keep the value of library media programs and library media
specialist
in mind in your future writings. Thanks.
Doug Johnson
Director of Media and Technology, I.S.D. 77, Mankato Public
Schools,
Mankato, Minnesota
(from the SIGMS discussion list)
A big thank you to Doug Johnson for his comments concerning
the article
in the September 2003 issue of L&L. Being a media
specialist
I spend a great deal of time working with teachers and
students on reading
guidance. We do provide a well-balanced collection in our
media center
and do allow teachers to check these books out for extended
periods
of time. We do not have the resources for each teacher to
maintain a
library in the classroom-at least not the kind of library that
provides
a wide selection that meets the needs of every student in the
class.
I have a program in place that introduces students to the many
different
genres of literature to encourage them to read a variety of
books. I
am constantly reading professional journals to stay abreast of
new ideas
in reading guidance that I can share with my teachers. I feel
that my
media program is a valuable asset to our school. Good library
media
programs and trained media professionals make better
schools!
By the way, I also train and work in all the technology areas
with
my teachers. I do not discount the value of these resources.
They also
can be used to promote reading, literature, books, etc. I try
to stay
informed about new resources in this area that I can share
with my teachers.
It is a full-time job, but very rewarding.
Media centers and trained media professionals are crucial to
our students.
Let's all get the word out!!
Gloria Chandler
Media Specialist, Riverside Elementary School, Evans,
Georgia
(from the SIGMS discussion list)
I echo Doug's remarks about Denise Johnson's recent article
in L&L.
While it was good to find all of these reading resources
listed in one
place, it was upsetting to see Dr. Johnson discount a valuable
reading
resource-the school library media center and the school
library media
specialist. We train school library media specialists to
collaborate
with classroom teachers. We train them to develop collections
that support
both the curriculum and students' leisure reading interests. A
classroom
teacher should not feel that she or he has to develop a major
classroom
library. One of the benefits to the students in visiting the
school
library media center is that a trained, certified professional
can help
them choose books that would be both appropriate and of
interest to
them.
Sally Brewer
Associate Professor, Library Media & Technology,
University of Montana
SIGMS President
Author's response: I do not believe anyone,
especially
educators, would disagree that school libraries and trained,
professional
SLMSs play a critical role in education, not only in the
services and
instruction they provide directly to children, but also as a
resource
to teachers and other support personnel. SLMSs are
knowledgeable about
a broad range of children and young adult literature and can
make informed
decisions when recommending books to children and teachers
based on
expressed interest and general readability. That is why I
mentioned
in my article that school libraries can provide support to
classroom
teachers.
Yet, as the article points out, general knowledge of interest
and readability
obtained through book levels, reading management systems, and
reviews
is not enough to make informed decisions about appropriate
book selections
for struggling readers. It is the powerful combination of the
classroom
teacher's intimate knowledge of the struggling reader's
interests, prior
knowledge, language, and strengths and weaknesses with the
reading process
and his or her knowledge of the supports and challenges of
individual
books that allows the teacher to effectively match the reader
with "just
right" books.
Additionally, it is an unfortunate reality that funding for
school
libraries across the United States has been cut due to recent
budget
constraints, affecting not only the purchase of books and
technology
resources, but also personnel. In the recent School Library
Journal
(SLJ) article "School Libraries Struggle with
Layoffs,"
Kathy Ishizuka reports that to remain open, many school
libraries have
limited their hours of operation and recruited parent
volunteers to
fill cut SLMS positions. Furthermore, a biennial survey
conducted by
SLJ (reported in "New Money, Old Books" by
Marilyn
Miller and Marilyn Shontz) found that only 61% of media
specialists
hold a degree in school library media. For many teachers, a
trained,
professional SLMS may be something of the past and they must
be prepared
to step in where dwindling library resources and untrained
staff leave
off.
Trained, professional SLMSs can inform teachers of invaluable
resources
when collecting books and technology resources. But, teachers
must be
aware of the strengths and weaknesses of these books and the
strengths
and weaknesses of students' reading abilities to make
"just right"
book selections.
It is my hope that the resources listed in the article and in
the online
supplement at http://www.iste.org/LL/
will be of value to both teachers and SLMSs as they work
together to
meet the needs of all students.
Denise Johnson
The College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia
L&L welcomes letters to the editor. Please send
all responses
to articles or general feedback about the magazine to editor
Kate Conley
at letters@iste.org.
Using
L&L
PDFs 101
Nearly every article you read in L&L is also
available to
ISTE members online as a PDF. You have the right to share
these files
for nonprofit, educational purposes with your sutdents or
colleagues.
It's simple - go to http://www.iste.org/ll/
and choose the article you would like to download. You'll be
prompted
for your member number, then the article will transfer to your
computer.
Now, post the PDF to your own private Web space or restricted
class
area. Please do NOT link directly to an L&L
PDF or
provide the URL of the PDF from our site - it won't work.
Copyright © 2003, ISTE (International Society for Technology
in Education).
All rights reserved.
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