the media window

You may already know of these websites, but even if you do, I have discovered lately that it really can pay off for me in terms of my own educational knowledge base to find new websites to learn from and also to revisit those that I already know about. Good educational websites are dynamic and change with the educational times! With that in mind, I am taking a look at four particular websites today to see what they are about currently and to possibly locate good information for me as a media specialist and teacher in an elementary setting.

International Society for Technology in Education
According to their website “ISTE provides leadership and service to improve teaching, learning, and school leadership by advancing the effective use of technology in PK–12 and teacher education.” It is a resource place for many useful publications, finding jobs and job seekers, getting technology education, and learning the recommended standards in technology for students, teachers and administrators. ISTE is a nonprofit organization and benefits from becoming a member can be found here. I have appreciated this organization for the guidance NETS provides, and as a place for me to learn more about education and professional development throug their Second Life presence on ISTE island.

Library of Congress
According to James H. Billington, the Librarian of Congress, “The Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections.” It is a vast website that you can wander around in for hours. I love best the Digital Collections area, where you can find old newspaper articles, wonderful collections of historic photographs, maps and so much more. There are separate resource areas developed for kids and families, teachers, librarians, publishers, researchers and visitors in this website and each of them is specially designed to meet the needs of that particular group.

American Library Association
The ALA website is getting a makeover and you can see what it look like here. As they complete the changeover this fall, you can still access their old website. The ALA’s mission is “to provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.”
the ALA has provided many scholarships and awards over time, including the prestigious Caledecott and Newbery awards that are given to authors and illustrators each year. I use it professionally as well when making careful purchases from my media budget as I usually scan  the Children’s Notable Lists for good ideas for our media center.

School Library Journal
SLJ is not only a wonderful print journal, it also has a great online presence as well! All of the current school library news, current trends, interviews with authors and illustrators will be found here. As a media specialist, SLJ is one of the resources that I can rely on for excellent reviews of current titles that I may purchase for my media center. It’s just one of the best!

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