Three Article Reviews by  Debby  Marocchini

Curtiss, Pamela M.; Curtiss, Kerry E. “What 2nd graders taught college students and vice versa.” Educational Leadership, Oct.95, Vol. 53 Issue 2, p60, 4p, 2c.

Narrates the experiences of two second grade teachers who used the Internet computer network from their classrooms.  They were able to form a dialogue with the second graders. This article also has the reactions of the second graders. The article claims there was an improvement in the children’s writing, reading, and comprehension after using the Internet.  The college students’ reactions who participated in this project are also recorded.
 

“Big Bird meets Big Blue: CTW and IBM jointly create science curriculum.” Wilson Library Bulletin, Jun94, Vol. 68 Issue 10, p19, 1/5p.

This was a report on the joint efforts between IBM and the Children’s Television Workshop  to develop a science curriculum for first and second graders.  The CD ROM which was used for this effort is also listed.
 

Murray, Janet. “Librarians Evolving into Cybrarians.”  Multimedia Schools, March/April 2000, Vol. 7, n.2, pp27-33.

This article relates how the role of librarians has changed over time with the advent of technological progress. Libraries are more dynamic than they were as a result. They are considered to be “navigators” who help teachers, students, and their parents.  There are web sites available in this article, the most interesting being   a resource to help allay parents’ fears about children using Internet in both home and school (http://www.4j.lane.edu/safety).
 

Review by  Leigh Ann Gronback

Teacher Magazine, October 2000

Article – Technology:  Read My Links (An upstart dot-com takes on textbook publishers
with online curriculum that promises to tame the wild and wooly Internet.)
by:  Molly Rath

 BeyondBooks.com is run by President and CEO James Cassano, a former corporate executive.  Cassano is attempting to revolutionize the way education is delivered in the classroom.  His company, he believes, is selling what teachers want – customized curriculum that sorts through the World Wide Web’s resources and pipes it into schools through the internet.

 The idea was hatched when Cassano decided to make the company more than just an Internet conduit between students and teachers.  He met over the course of several months with a couple dozen history teachers.  Last spring, 954 schools were signed up for a free trial.  By late summer, 2,4000 had signed up for a try.  Teachers liked what they saw and urged Cassano to do more.  They felt it was a way to capture the interest of hard-to-reach students, those who find textbooks boring.

 Cassano’s focus is on history.  Basically, the curriculum for the packages are divided into 12 units.  The units begin with an introduction and each chapter includes a summary of the topic.  Sprinkled throughout the chapters are links to take students to primary sources.  Teachers agree that it is a way for students to access good information.

 Cassano explains that he is not trying to replace textbooks but to complement what teachers are using in the classrooms.  However, there are some schools that are replacing old textbooks with the service.

 At present, it is an interesting area, but there are many bugs to be worked out.  Problems include meeting standards of individual states and the demands of customers.  Another problem that I can see is addressing the needs of all students.  Use of such a service should supplement, not replace, classroom teachers, textbooks, trade books, and other means of delivering information and promoting understanding.