Using Collaborative Learning in Classrooms and Libraries

Educators have long cautioned students about posting damaging information online, but now it’s also becoming important to build a positive digital footprint. When should students start building their online persona? The earlier, the better.

Wikipedia provides Internet users with millions of articles on a broad range of topics, and commonly ranks first in search engines. But its reliability and credibility fall well short of the standards for a school paper. According to Wikipedia itself, “[W]hile some articles are of the highest quality of scholarship, others are admittedly complete rubbish. … use [Wikipedia] with an informed understanding of what it is and what it isn't.”

To help you develop such an understanding, we present 10 reasons you can't rely on information in Wikipedia.

Nationwide, more boys than girls seem to be struggling with reading. Here are five tips from teachers, librarians, authors and literacy strategists to encourage boys to read.

Many teachers have yet to fully embrace the potential for the Internet to transform the social studies curriculum. Whether your class is named History, Government, Civics, Economics or Psychology, there is a great wealth of material available online that will engage your students. We’ve assembled just a smattering of the best of it here.

Around report card time many parents hear a familiar complaint: “My teacher just doesn’t like me.” Researchers at the University of Miami acknowledge there may be truth to these grumblings, and that “non-cognitive traits” influence students’ grades.

The dwindling number of male teachers in elementary and middle schools is cause for concern. Boys and girls need male role models in the classroom, educators say.

ADD-ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed disease in American children, but critics have long asserted that it is over-diagnosed. For teachers and parents, it can be difficult to discern the difference between immaturity and a treatable disease. Fortunately, the Web offers a bevy of outstanding, informational resources that help divine between the two, and cope with each of them.

Libya is experiencing violent upheaval as rebels attempt to end the decades-old rule of Col. Moammar Gadhafi. To understand how Libya has arrived at its present crossroads, one must explore the history of conflict that has shaped the country.

The revitalization of “Alice in Wonderland” shows the enduring appeal of certain fairy tales, and spotlights modern reincarnations and uses in the classroom.

As more cases come to light of tarnished online reputations proving disastrous in the professional world, more people consider changing their names on Facebook.

Many people are rediscovering the benefits of board games, while teachers are incorporating board games into lesson plans.

Diane Sieber, a University of Colorado professor, found that students who use laptops in class average 11 percent worse on tests than their peers.

With Facebook supplanting grief counselors as an outlet for grieving teens, schools need to participate in the process.

Some educators are using the arts and humanities to enhance their teaching of math. 

Critics are revisiting Dylan’s fabled "Blood on the Tracks," while teachers and students discover its significance as a literary learning tool.

An Illinois high school English teacher was recognized for incorporating newspapers into her lesson plans, highlighting the medium’s continued importance in education.

Students living in some poor rural areas of the U.S. face distinct challenges when applying to top tier colleges and universities, and may be overlooked by recruiters.

Several studies have tried to determine whether online media actually fosters creativity and improves writing skills.