The September/October 2014 issue of Knowledge Quest also features two online exclusives. Click on the PDFs to read the online exclusives for this issue.

Advocating Advocacy: Raising Voices to Make Change
By Kevin Hodgson
Across the country, it remains difficult for teachers, librarians, and other educators to find their voice amid the clatter of news stories of teacher evaluations, Race to the Top initiatives, Common Core shifts, Next-generation standardized testing and using data analysis to guide instruction. Some educators feel reprisals for speaking out in public forums. Yet, advocacy for education is a key component to engaging the public in understanding the role of education. Luckily, there are more opportunities than ever opening up in online and offline platforms for professionals who spend their days dedicated to the education of children to speak up and add their perspectives to the discussions about the future of schools.

Privacy vs. Free Speech in the Digital Age
By Gary Price
As part of a larger discussion on privacy and what others may do with online information, recent events bring into focus one of the reasons that teachers and librarians work hard to teach digital literacy: it is unlikely that there will ever be a way to easily remove online material. One of the most valuable ideas the school library community should be sharing with students, teachers, administrators, parents, and anyone else who will listen is that once you press send, post, publish, or share, that item is then immediately posted somewhere public or even semi-public and you lose control of what you posted FOREVER. This is true for material in any format. Furthermore, attempting to have material about you written by others or material you’ve authored removed is both not very feasible and also a slippery slope.

Author: Meg Featheringham, KQ Editor

Meg Featheringham is responsible for the development and production of the AASL journal, Knowledge Quest. When not working at AASL, Meg enjoys playing euchre, attending concerts and plays, spending time with family and friends, and reading (of course).

Categories: KQ Content