Learning Standards Hot Links

4.1.1

Read, view, and listen for pleasure and personal growth.

Read Kiddo Read
Although there are literally thousands of web sites and blogs dedicated to reading, this notable source sponsored by James Patterson is an attractive and user-friendly stopping place to find thrilling books in a variety of genres and levels.

4.1.2

Read widely and fluently to make connections with self, world, and previous reading.

4.1.3

Respond to literature and creative expressions of ideas in various formats and genres.

Goodreads
LibraryThing
Shelfari
At these social networking sites for book lovers, students can develop their independence and love of literature through communicating with other readers in online reviews and community group discussions. Librarians can set up log-ins for individual students and run private discussion groups for individual classrooms or the school community. Students and teachers can use these sites to maintain a list of books they've read and would like to read, give ratings and reviews of those books, and participate in book challenges to stretch their reading muscles.

4.1.4

Seek information for personal learning in a variety of formats and genres.

Snopes
This web site investigates and proves or disproves urban legends, "common fallacies, misinformation, old wives' tales, strange news stories, rumors, and celebrity gossip." Using this site to evaluate common rumors or outlandish stories that kids have heard can build a healthy sense of skepticism and would be a fun kickoff or focus to a unit on media literacy. (Note: Snopes is a large site and some of its content can be adult in nature, so preview before teaching and use discretion.)

4.1.5

Connect ideas to own interests and previous knowledge and experience.

23 Things
All Together Now
Students and teachers can each benefit from starting a 23 Things learning project in their libraries. The original 23 Things project was started by Helene Blowers at the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County in 2006 and encompasses "3 Things (or small exercises) that you can do on the web to explore and expand your knowledge of the Internet and Web 2.0." In 2008, School Library Journal launched a similar project geared specifically towards school librarians, All Together Now, a six-week program that focuses blogs, RSS, podcasts, wikis, Flickr, social networking, video sites, Twitter, tagging, GoogleApps, and other Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 tools. Working alongside students on this kind of learning experience can promote good habits of experimentation, curiosity, collaboration, and lifelong learning.

4.1.6

Organize personal knowledge in a way that can be called upon easily.

Evernote
Evernote is an online service that allows users to collect and tag text notes, links, screenshots, pictures, and web pages and file them into folders that are automatically indexed and searchable. A program like Evernote or GoogleDocs can help students develop a personal note-taking system using tech tools that makes sense to them and that can be consistently applied to learning in any subject area.

4.1.7

Use social networks and information tools to gather and share information.

GoogleReader
Netvibes
RSS feed aggregators like GoogleReader and NetVibes allow learners to easily manage their personal learning networks with information that is constantly updated. Students and teachers can build a collection of blogs and other news sources to inform their personal areas of inquiry and manage multiple changing sources of information. Using a feed reader is an essential part of life for the 21st-century learner.

4.1.8

Use creative and artistic formats to express personal learning.

The Unquiet Librarian
Buffy Hamilton's blog follows the development of her Media21 program in her library, which fully integrates 21st century skills with Web 2.0 technology to support research across the curriculum. Watching her thinking unfold as she develops and executes creative projects with her students is a great source for any librarian's personal learning network (PLN).