Evaluating Websites

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(Screenshot from RADCAB website)

As part of our Library Instruction programme at ESA we work with students on evaluating the quality of information available on the web.  We teach something called the CARRDSS Approach, but there are many other systems (and acronyms) out there.

One really neat little one that I have recently come across is the RADCAB acronym. The creation of a school library Media Specialist, RADCAB comes with a great little website.  Bookmark this site for easy reference.

What Kids Are Reading, In School and Out

From the MonkeySee blog at NPR

Walk into any bookstore or library, and you’ll find shelves and shelves of hugely popular novels and book series for kids. But research shows that as young readers get older, they are not moving to more complex books. High-schoolers are reading books written for younger kids, and teachers aren’t assigning difficult classics as much as they once did.

Listen to the broadcast here.

New! Free LaPresse iPad App

MONTREAL, April 18, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ – La Presse today launched La Presse+, its all-new, free-subscription digital edition for iPad, available now on Newsstand. After three years of research and development and a $40-million investment, this new digital edition fully leverages the multi-function capabilities of the iPad and delivers the most comprehensive news and information experience ever from Québec’s largest newsroom. La Presse+ joins the existing platforms (print, Web, mobile) of the La Presse ecosystem.

Perfect for French classes!  Learn more here…

Copyright Matters

(Screenshot from cmec website)

From The TeacherList: As you may or may not be aware, Canadian copyright legislation was updated recently.  The Council of Ministers of Education also updated and released the 3rd Edition of their publication, “Copyright Matters!”  From the introduction: “This booklet gives teachers user-friendly information on copyright law, covering items from the Canadian Copyright Act and its regulations, contractual and tariff arrangements with copyright collectives, and court decisions.”  You can download your own pdf copy at the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada website.

The URL is:  http://www.cmec.ca/140/Programs-and-Initiatives/Copyright/Copyright-Matters-/index.html

For further information on Canadian copyright, be sure to check out 2Learn.ca.  On part of this site, Your Digital Presence, which has an entire section on Copyright and Ownership.  It was just updated to reflect the current changes.

WISC-Online

Wisc-Online is a digital library of Web-based learning resources called “learning objects.”
The digital library of objects has been developed primarily by faculty from the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) and produced by multimedia technicians who create the learning objects.
These are really quite interesting.  A collection of online, interactive lessons (called learning objects), games and quizzes on a variety of subject areas.