AASL announces landmark Web sites for teaching and learning
Contact: Melissa Jacobsen
AASL Communications Specialist
(312) 280-4381
NEWS
For Immediate Release
July 15, 2009
CHICAGO – The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announces a new resource for school library media specialists and their teacher colleagues. The Best Websites for Teaching and Learning: Landmark Websites, a list honoring the top Internet sites for enhancing learning and curriculum development, is considered the "best of the best" by AASL.
The Landmark Web sites for Teaching and Learning are recognized because of their exemplary histories of authoritative, dynamic content and curricular relevance. The Web sites include: ALTEC; Annenberg Media Learner.Org; Apple Learning Interchange; Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD); Discovery Education; Edutopia; EduWeb; Field Trip Earth; Global School; Google Earth; Library of Congress; MIT Open Courseware; Merlot; Moodle; NASA; Our Documents; PBS Teachers; Read, Write, Think; Smithsonian Education; Thinkfinity; and WebQuest.
"The task force worked very hard to target websites that support learner-centered, inquiry based curriculum. In the hands of knowledgeable educators, these innovative and versatile Web 2.0 tools and resources can be used to engage and motivate students in the learning process and to develop 21st century skills," said AASL Best List Task Force Chair, Pam Berger.
All honored sites are free, Web-based sites that are user-friendly and encourage a community of learners to explore and discover. They also provide a foundation to support AASL's “Standards for the 21st-Century Learner” and its counterpart publication, “Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs.” Valuable information on each site, including tips for effective classroom use, are available at
www.ala.org/aasl/bestlist.Â
The Landmark Web sites focus on Content Resources and Lesson Plans; Collaboration; and Global Education. Each of these Web sites offer tools and resources to make school library media specialists instructional partners in curriculum design as outlined in the AASL publication “Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs.” This distinction is a one-time honor.
"School library media specialists are indispensable leaders in the school community," said AASL President Ann M. Martin. "These vetted resources are designed to assist with curriculum development that will sustain and increase knowledge and skills growth for the school community."
The American Association of School Librarians,
www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), promotes the improvement and extension of library media services in elementary and secondary schools as a means of strengthening the total education program. Its mission is to advocate excellence, facilitate change and develop leaders in the school library media field.
