Next week is Science Literacy Week, a nation-wide celebration of science. This year’s theme is Exploration & Innovation. Check out events happening around the U of T campus and stop by the OISE Library to explore our interactive, hands-on science display as well as our book display with materials from our curriculum resources collection.
The OISE library display case located on the first floor near the sitting area is filled with current educational resources on technology in education. Resources provide information on both research and practical applications on everything from online courses to remix culture. Items are available to borrow, simply ask one of our helpful OISE staff members to assist you.
Learning Identities in a Digital Age: Rethinking Creativity, Education and Technology situates education and technology in an inter-generational and interdisciplinary conversation. It will be of interest to students, researchers and practicing education professionals who want to understand the wider sociological and psychological significance of new technologies on education and learner identity. This book examines how shifts in thought have translated into fresh ideas about creative learning, interactive tools, curriculum reform, and teacher identity. The text identifies how learning identities have been promoted, and position young people as networked learners, equipped for political, economic and cultural participation in the digital age. Available in OISE Stacks 371.33 L898L
Education in a Digital World: Global Perspectives on Technology and Education. The book takes a comprehensive look at digital technology use in educational settings around the world. Drawing on a wealth of theoretical and empirical work, the book tackles a number of pressing questions. Available in OISE Stacks 371.33 S469E
Distrusting Educational Technology: Critical Questions for Changing Times. Following a wide-ranging interrogation of the ideological dimensions of educational technology, this book examines in detail specific types of digital technology in use in education today, including virtual education, ‘open’ courses, digital games, and social media. It then concludes with specific recommendations for fairer forms of educational technology. An ideal read for anyone interested in the fast-changing nature of contemporary education. Available in OISE Stacks 371.33 S469D
Building the Successful Online Course. This book will be a guide to anyone who may wish to teach online in any subject area at any level. The book provides actual examples of problems and solutions concerning online courses and also includes examples of supporting documents. Through a supporting Web site, the book will include actual examples of multimedia support now in use The book might also be used in graduate classes as a curriculum development guide. Readers would use the book as a guide as they actually create online courses. This would take most of the guess work out of course creation and provide a solid foundation for distance learning programs. The book provides a simple yet effective approach to online learning. Available in OISE Stacks 371.33 H168B
Handbook of Mobile Learning. This handbook provides a comprehensive compendium of research in all aspects of mobile learning, one of the most significant ongoing global developments in the entire field of education. Rather than focus on specific technologies, expert authors discuss how best to utilize technology in the service of improving teaching and learning.For more than a decade, researchers and practitioners have been exploring this area of study as the growing popularity of smartphones, tablets, and other such devices, as well as the increasingly sophisticated applications for these devices, has allowed educators to accommodate and support an increasingly mobile society. Available in OISE Stacks 371.33 H2363
DIY Media: creating, Sharing and Learning with New Technologies. This book describes expansive and creative practices of digital literacy that are increasingly influential and popular in contexts beyond the school, and whose educational potential is not yet being tapped to any significant degree in classrooms. This book is very much concerned with engaging students in do-it-yourself digitally mediated meaning-making practices. As such, it is organized around three broad areas of digital media: moving media, still media, and audio media. Specific DIY media practices addressed in the chapters include machinima, anime music videos, digital photography, podcasting, and music remixing. Each chapter opens with an overview of a specific DIY media practice, includes a practical how-to tutorial section, and closes with suggested applications for classroom settings. Available in OISE Stacks 371.33 D631
Handbook of Design in Educational Technology. The Handbook of Design in Educational Technology provides up-to-date, comprehensive summaries and syntheses of recent research pertinent to the design of information and communication technologies to support learning. Readers can turn to this handbook for expert advice about each stage in the process of designing systems for use in educational settings; from theoretical foundations to the challenges of implementation, the process of evaluating the impact of the design and the manner in which it might be further developed and disseminated. The volume is organized into the following four sections: Theory, Design, Implementation, and Evaluation. Available in OISE Stacks 371.33 H2364
Social Media for School Leaders: A Comprehensive Guide to Getting the Most out of Facebook, Twitter, and Other Essential Web Tools. In this book, Brian Dixon, an expert in social media in education, offers detailed descriptions of the best online tools available today and provides step-by-step instructions for using them to move a school community from awareness to advocacy and from feedback to collaboration. Offers school leaders everything they need to implement social media throughout their campus and their communities. Contains expert advice for creating a sustainable social engagement strategy Features screenshots and examples from schools and individuals who are using social media to the best effect. Available in OISE Stacks 371.33 D621S
Considerations on Educational Technology Integration. Journal of Research on Technology in Education ( JRTE) editor Lynne Schrum suggests that this may be remedied by developing a new research agenda-one that connects educators and researchers, and looks not only at the past, but provides direction for the future. In Considerations on Educational Technology Integration, Schrum brings together some of the best JRTE articles that focus on classroom technology integration, demonstrating how research can be used to connect theory to practice-moving education forward. Topics include digitized primary sources, mobile computing devices, the influence of teachers technology use on instructional practices, and implementation and effects of one-to-one computing initiatives. Available in OISE Stacks 371.33 C755
Cases on Formal and Informal E-Learning Environments: Opportunities and Practices. This book brings together cases outlining the practical aspect of formal, non-formal, and informal online learning, introducing conceptual aspects of these types of learning, knowledge-base, new learning paradigms, policy implications, evaluation and concerns, design, and development of online learning. Available in OISE Stacks 371.33 C3382
Video Resources from the Blogging and Podcasting in the Classroom Series by McIntyre Media Inc.
1) Blogging in the Classroom. This title discusses the various ways in which blogging can be used by educators to make learning more fun and relevant to students. It includes several strategies and techniques that will help improve literacy, verbal and social abilities, and creativity. Available in OISE Curriculum Resources 006.7 B652
2) Podcasting in the Classroom. This program helps educators realize the power of podcasting and put it into action. Viewers will learn how podcasts can disseminate class lectures, additional lecture notes, and study guides while opening up alternative teaching perspectives, bridging the gap with disabled learners, and building media literacy. Also included are resources for searching and finding existing podcasts, such as public radio directories and websites that serve as podcast archives. Available in OISE Curriculum Resources 006.7876 P742
“Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads” – Bob Shea, Illustrated by Lane Smith
Bob Shea brings a fun and spunky twist to the Wild West in his children’s book “Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads”. When a band of outlaws are causing trouble in Drywater Gulch, 7 year old Sheriff Ryan rides into town on a tortes to save the day by using his knowledge of paleontology. Lane Smith brings the Wild West to life by using a wide range of brown hues and gives little Sheriff Ryan a pop by dressing him in white with a large hat and dinosaur belt buckle. Full of humor and fun illustrations, this book is sure to bring out the Wild West in all of us, while showing that you can apply things you learn and know to any situation.
“Haiti My Country” – Poems by Haitian Schoolchildren, Illustrated by Rogé
After Quebec illustrator Rogé spent several months preparing a series of portraits of Haitian children, Students of Camp Perrin wrote accompanying poems, which created the award winning work “Haiti My Country”. Beautiful descriptions of the Haitian landscape frame the various poems. Reminders of the hardships brought on by nature’s destruction in the form of earthquakes or floods are woven through the works. However, these young poets see their surrounding nature as assurance for a happy and confident future.
“Loula is leaving for Africa” – Anne Villeneuve
When her triplet brothers bring her to the brink, Loula decides she wants to run away to the furthest place she can think of- to Africa. After packing her essentials, her toy cat, her tea set and her drawings, Loula sets off with her mother’s driver Gilbert on an adventure. With the help of her imagination, she is able to cross deserts and piranha-filled waters in order to reach her destination. Filled with colorful and vibrant illustrations, this story shows the power of imagination and takes the reader on a journey with Loula.
“Catch that Goat! A Market Day in Nigeria”—Polly Alakija
Follow Ayoka on her trip through the Nigerian marketplace in search of her mischievous goat, while learning counting and exploring new cultures. At the end of the story, Polly Alakija provides an introduction into the Yoruba people, culture and language. She provides a description of Yoruba dress, and explains the importance of proper greeting processes in the Yoruba culture. This book is a bright and exciting resource to teach global cultures in a fun way.
“The Patchwork Torah” – Allison Ofanan
sky, Illustrated by Elsa Oriol
Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, David becomes sofer, a scribe who writes the Torah. His grandfather teaches him at a young age that the Torah is something special and not something that can be throw away, so he begins to develop a collection of damaged Torah’s, with the hope of restoring them to their former conditions. Each Torah added to David’s collection comes with a story and a piece of history. Ofanansky created a story that shows the importance of sacred objects and introduces some aspects of Judaism and various historical events.
The ground floor of the OISE library features new acquisitions in the library collection. Be sure to stop by to check out new titles in a variety of areas. The books highlighted here explore different topics in the field of gender studies-from leadership and development, to feminism and private security.
“Gender matters everywhere in the world.“
Based on her popular TEDx talk with the same name, author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie writes about her personal experiences growing up in Nigeria. We Should All Be Feminists is a short and powerful read that explores what is means to be a feminist in today’s world. Adichie brings to light unquestioned stereotypes and cultural practices that devalue women and why championing for gender equality benefits both men and women.
The Routledge Handbook of Gender and Development is a comprehensive reader focusing on international development. Organized 
into 8 sections, the handbook offers the writings of over 50 scholars who explore topics such as the environment, poverty, health, conflict, and economics. Incorporating case studies and theoretical approaches, this collection brings together critical analysis with practical considerations to highlight the realities of women’s lives in the development process and possibilities for future policymaking.
Women & Leadership in Higher Education is the first volume in a new series focusing on Women and Leadership: Research, Theory and Practice. The book is organized into four sections outlining the state of women and leadership in higher education, strategies for leadership development, experiences and contributions, and perspectives from female university presidents. The book uses facts and demographics in the higher education landscape to illustrate the need for change and offers strategies for leadership development. With the premise that colleges and universities are integral to the shaping the future, the book’s message is that those involved in leadership in these organizations must be on the forefront of innovation and change.
This next book also focuses on women in higher education and on one women in particular. Deans of Women and the Feminist Movement: Emily Taylor’s Activism tells the story of the pioneering Dean of Women at the University of Kansas, Emily Taylor. Taylor worked to open doors for women in positions of leadership and among her many achievements, she created a system of women’s leadership strategies that doubled the number of women in higher education presidencies. Author Kelly Sartorius organizes the book into themes and uses Taylor’s story- set amidst the backdrops of upheaval and change in the 1960s and 70s- to understand women’s leadership in academia.
Private Security in Global Politics brings together scholars from around the world and in various domains of study to engage in a discussion about “critical gender studies in private security”. Editor Maya Eichler states that the increasing privatization of military security is “intensely gendered” and demands for feminist informed analyses of security privatization. The book is organized in four sections-the first part looks at feminist theorizing on military privatization, parts 2 &3 on empirical explorations of masculinities, and part 4 on political issues focusing on accountability, regulation and ethics.
Share the wonders of 
plant growth—and avoid the mess of soil and water—with the Bean Germination kit. Set in a non-toxic plastic case, this kit displays the process of germination. Starting from a tiny seed which expands as it germinates, the tiny sprout develops a taproot and lateral roots before a young stem and first leaves are formed. The kit displays these stages in 6 real examples which can be viewed from all sides for a true to nature experience.
Keep this kit handy during your lesson as an illustrative tool for teaching, or have students work independently or in groups to identify the stages of growth. You can also combine the Bean Germination kit with your classroom experiments in planting seeds; use it to describe to students what’s happening under the soil as their seeds germinate. Unlike your real seedlings, the Bean Germination kit will “live” on from year to year!
The Bean Germination kit is now on display on the library ground floor coffee table, near the circulation desk. You can view this kit, and other activity kits, in the OISE Library K-12 Manipulatives Database.
