The 8 Best Fact-Checking Sites for Finding Unbiased Truth
With deliberate misinformation campaigns and the continued prevalence of fake news, fact-checking sites are now more important than ever. So in the digital era, where news travels quickly through multiple channels, how do you check your facts? Here are five of the best fact-checking websites, like Snopes and PolitiFact, so that you can find the truth. If you were wondering who is there to fact check the fact-checkers, that would be MBFC. From Palmer Report to Breitbart and even browser extensions like Newsguard, MBFC rates them all.
Don't overlook your school librarian, they're the unsung heroes of literacy
When talking about teaching and learning, most people don’t immediately think of librarians. But in a school where the librarian or learning resource centre manager is valued and properly made use of, we can teach important skills. Librarians are in the privileged position of being able to work with teachers across all subjects and students of all ages, observing the inner workings of a school from a slight distance.
How to Run a Teen Book Club
Book clubs have become a staple of library services, although book clubs for adults outnumber book clubs for kids or teens. So, how does one run a book club for teens? My book club has the same format every meeting. All of my teen programs start with a few minutes to chat and catch up, as I have discovered that nothing really gets done unless the teens can talk a bit first. Then there is time to discuss the book. I make sure any questions I bring are open-ended; rather than being a “did you read the book” quiz, this is a time for the teens to discuss what they thought of the book.
10 Reasons Librarians Are More Important Than Ever
Read how these passionate and savvy educators support schools and students every day. Without question, one of the most important members of the school community is the school librarian. Also known as library media specialists, librarians play a unique role in our schools. Often asked to take on a wide range of duties, these passionate and savvy educators deserve more than only a week of praise. And in case you need a reminder of all that librarians do for our students and our schools, we've put together a list -- but it's only a start. 1.
PISA’s warning: teachers need to teach Information Literacy explicitly if we are to reverse the decline – Information Literacy Spaces
On December 03rd 2019, Stuff news reported on the results of the 2018 round of the OECD’s PISA(1) testing in Reading Literacy, Mathematics Literacy and Science Literacy(2). The article noted the consistent downward trends in achievement, since 2012, of New Zealand 15 year olds in these three ‘curriculum’ areas. I want to concentrate on Reading Literacy.
Ten easy tips to be a library rockstar
Gwyneth Jones, a teacher librarian based in the USA, shares ten tips to brand yourself as a library rockstar. The first thing I need to say is that I don’t know that I really love the term ‘library rockstar’, because I think all librarians and library professionals are rockstars or have an inner rockstar just waiting to come out. I also think it sounds a wee bit elitist. But who doesn’t want to rock at their job? I was recently interviewed for an article with this title already chosen, and rather than fighting against it, I went with it!
Nonfiction Monday – Rounding up the best nonfiction for children and teens
Lynn: You’d have to live in a cave in the wilderness not to know that far too many Americans have a very sketchy concept of what a fact actually is or how to verify it. The need to understand this important issue is one of national importance these days as it is clear that millions of adults don’t grasp the difference and the impact on our culture is stark. Here, with a great way to start addressing the issue, is Michael Rex with a fabulous picture book, Facts vs.
The Research – Canadian School Libraries
Why school librarians matter: What years of research tell us By Keith Curry Lance and Debra E. Kachel (Phi Delta Kappan, 2018) When schools have high-quality library programs and librarians who share their expertise with the entire school community, student achievement gets a boost.
Five Kinds of STEM-themed Nonfiction Books for Kids
It’s a great time for children’s nonfiction! In recent years, these books have undergone exciting and dramatic changes, evolving into five distinct categories. Who can benefit from understanding the characteristics of these categories? Teachers and parents: Different kids prefer different kinds of nonfiction books. Understanding the five categories can help teachers and parents guide children toward the kind of nonfiction they’ll enjoy reading the most.
This Library Takes an Indigenous Approach to Categorizing Books by Sydney Worth
For more than a century, the Dewey Decimal Classification system has dictated the way libraries organize their collections. And the way they organize and sort information says a lot about what kind of information is prioritized—and what’s left out. Books on Indigenous communities often get looped into the history section. As a result, information on Native peoples literally gets left in the past. X̱wi7x̱wa Library (pronounced whei-wha) at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, is working to change that. The library aims to counter Western, colonial bias and better reflect the knowledge of Indigenous peoples.
Celebration Weeks & Promotional Events
ALA's offices and divisions sponsor a variety of library promotions throughout the year that libraries of all types all across the country can get involved with to promote libraries and create awareness of library issues. Check out the links below to see how you can bring these promotions to your library. The oldest of these events is National Library Week. See the list of ALA Upcoming Annual Conferences & Midwinter Meetings. Additional library promotional opportunities resources follow below, including dates for selected non-ALA events.
What is a Teacher Librarian?
A qualified teacher librarian is defined as a person who holds recognised teaching qualifications and qualifications in librarianship, defined as eligibility for professional membership for the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Within the broad fields of education and librarianship, teacher librarians are uniquely qualified. This is valuable because curriculum knowledge and pedagogy are combined with library and information management knowledge and skills.
Library Lovers' Day 2020
The theme for Library Lovers' Day 2020 is ‘Uncover something new’. Library Lovers' Day is an opportunity for library and information professionals to show off their libraries and for people across Australia to show their love for libraries. Ideas for your communication channels Encourage your patrons to spread the #LibraryLoversDay by having a competition for the best social media post using #LibraryLoversDay. Change your library’s Facebook or Twitter avatar and/or banner to the avatars and banners available in the resources section below. If you're library has a newsletter, consider adding in a story about Library Lovers’ Day using the free resources below and advertise how your library is celebrating.
