Comments on: Education Week http://beatblogging.org/2007/11/13/education-week/ Pushing the practice of beat reporting Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:26:06 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: phil shapiro http://beatblogging.org/2007/11/13/education-week/comment-page-1/#comment-2 phil shapiro Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:27:34 +0000 http://beatblogging.org/?p=6#comment-2 I'm fascinated by how public libraries are moving closer to having a more overt educational function in our communities. It's just one step away from providing access to digital content to providing access to digital classes -- using such free software as Moodle. Two years ago I was hired by the Takoma Park Maryland Library as an Instructional Assistant. I'm an educator -- hired by a library -- to serve the youth and adults in our community. I'm wondering if other public libraries are moving in this direction? If a public library is a place for self-advancement, doesn't it make sense of the library to offer some free (or low-cost) classes online? And what kinds of partnerships are being formed between public libraries and schools? Despite some valiant attempts, I don't have much contact with schools in my area. What is the value of greater coordination? What are the costs what libraries and schools don't coordinate? I’m fascinated by how public libraries are moving closer to having a more overt educational function in our communities. It’s just one step away from providing access to digital content to providing access to digital classes — using such free software as Moodle.

Two years ago I was hired by the Takoma Park Maryland Library as an Instructional Assistant. I’m an educator — hired by a library — to serve the youth and adults in our community.

I’m wondering if other public libraries are moving in this direction? If a public library is a place for self-advancement, doesn’t it make sense of the library to offer some free (or low-cost) classes online?

And what kinds of partnerships are being formed between public libraries and schools? Despite some valiant attempts, I don’t have much contact with schools in my area. What is the value of greater coordination? What are the costs what libraries and schools don’t coordinate?

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