Public library data report

The 2012 report on public library statistics includes details on public library finances, resources, annual use figures, and technology from more than 1300 public libraries throughout the US and Canada. Subscribers to PLAmetrics can access PLDS data (2002–2011) and public-use IMLS data (1998–2009) and take advantage of convenient templated or customizable reporting features.
Public Library Association. (2012). 2012 Public Library Data Service Statistical Report Survey. Chicago: ALA.
www.plametrics.org

YA reading proficiency report

This report focuses on the development of reading proficiency during the transition from adolescence to early adulthood. The span of time between the ages of 15 and 24 is a critical period of development for young people. Once compulsory education is completed, individual decisions about post-secondary education, employment and other life choices have to be made with major consequences for future learning and employment outcomes. A good foundation in reading proficiency facilitates success in specialized education during higher education or during job-related training. Since reading proficiency is not the goal of such specialized or professional learning, reading skills may begin to atrophy. So both learning gains and losses need to be considered as human capital is developed.
OECD. (2012). Learning beyond fifteen. Paris: OECD.

http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?sf1=identifiers&st1=982012031P1&LANG=EN 

Mobile technologies report

AASL Joins CoSN in Release of Report on Mobile Technologies and Social Media
This new report aimed at helping inform and guide education decision makers as they revise policies related to the use of mobile technologies and social media in schools. The report includes several key observations:

1. The use of mobile Internet devices and social media by young people is widely prevalent. The use of student-owned mobile devices for classroom instruction is growing, and more schools are moving from policies that ban their use to integrating them into the classroom.
2. Students and schools experience substantial educational benefits through the use of mobile devices and social media.
3. There are legitimate concerns about the use of social media that need to be addressed.
4. Current federal, state and local policies and procedures need modification or clarification in order to respond to current realities of expanded social media and mobile devices in schools.
5. Equity is a vital issue to consider when establishing policy around social media and mobile technologies.  

CoSN and the FrameWorks Institute.  (2012). Making Progress: Rethinking State and School District Policies Concerning Mobile Technologies and Social Media. https://www.cosn.org/Portals/7/docs/Press%20Releases/2012/UNESCO-CoSN_WorkingPapersOnMobileLearning.pdf
 

Gaming in schools survey

About half of K-8 teachers say digital games have become a regular and beneficial part of today’s classroom, according to a recent survey. Responses from a random sample of 505 K-8 teachers across the country indicated that 50 percent of the teachers reported using digital games in classroom instruction for at least two days a week.Eighteen percent reported using games daily. Elementary school teachers tended to use digital games more often than middle school teachers did, with 57 percent of K-5 teachers reporting using games compared with 38 percent of middle school teachers.
 Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. (2012).Teacher attitudes about digital games in the classroom.
http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/images/presentation/jgcc_teacher_survey.pdf

Mobile tech and social media in schools report

Leading education associations released a new report aimed at helping inform and guide education decision makers as they revise policies related to the use of mobile technologies and social media in schools. The report includes several key observations:

1. The use of mobile Internet devices and social media by young people is widely prevalent. The use of student-owned mobile devices for classroom instruction is growing, and more schools are moving from policies that ban their use to integrating them into the classroom.
2. Students and schools experience substantial educational benefits through the use of mobile devices and social media.
3. There are legitimate concerns about the use of social media that need to be addressed.
4. Current federal, state and local policies and procedures need modification or clarification in order to respond to current realities of expanded social media and mobile devices in schools.
5. Equity is a vital issue to consider when establishing policy around social media and mobile technologies.

American Association of School Librarians and Consortium for School Networking. (2012).  Making progress: Rethinking State and School District Policies Concerning Mobile Technologies and Social Media. www.cosn.org/MakingProgress

Tech use in schools study

A study that sheds light on the debates and the intersections of technology and 21st century skills from the vantage point of school-based educators.The study addresses five myths about technology use in education—particularly by teachers—and educators’ perceptions about the effects of technology use on student learning, behaviors and skills.
The findings, based on a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. K–12 teachers, principals and assistant principals, suggest that teachers have a vital role to play at the intersection of technology and 21st century expertise—modeling their confidence with technology, guiding young minds toward constructive educational purposes, and teaching students the tried and new skills for college and career readiness in a competitive world.

Grunwald and Associates. (2010). Educators, technology and 21st century skills: Dispelling five myths. Retrieved from Walden University, Richard W. Riley College of Education website: from www.WaldenU.edu/fivemyths