Great Websites for Kids – new sites just added!
This past year, I’ve been serving on ALSC’s Great Websites for Kids Committee. The committee’s is charge is:
to administer and evaluate ALSC’s great sites within the criteria and procedures established for selection and reconsideration. To complete other web site selection tasks as appropriate. To maintain communication with the children and technology committee. To work closely with the ALSC staff liaison and the director of the ALA public information office. The committee will function electronically
The Great Websites for Kids committee is extremely well-organized and very hard-working (as I write this, I’m aware of a looming deadline to review and score 42 sites using the committee’s guidelines and rubric). It’s been a pleasure to be a part of the committee, and I look forward to continuing on for another year.
With no further ado, I’d like to announce the sites chosen this year by the Committee.
Please visit the Great Websites for Kids page for these and other great sites!
- B.J. Pinchbeck’s Homework Helper www.bjpinchbeck.com
- Common Core – State Standards Initiative http://www.corestandards.org
- Dav Pilkey’s Extra Crunchy Website-O-Fun pilkey.com
- Engineer Girl http://www.engineergirl.org/
- Howtosmile.org www.howtosmile.org
- National Center for Learning Disabilities http://www.ncld.org/
- Start With A Book http://www.startwithabook.org/
- Tween Tribune http://tweentribune.com
- Tween Tribune en Español http://tweentribune.com/spanish
- Wonderopolis http://wonderopolis.org
Congratulations to all of the new additions! Descriptions of each site may be found on the Great Websites for Kids page. Suggestions for new sites are always welcome. Use the “Suggest a Site” form found on the GWS for Kids page.
Current members of ALSC’s Great Websites for Kids Committee:
Katherine Opal Scherrer (REFORMA Representative)
Ms. Kimberly Probert Grad (Co-Chair)
John E. Peters (Co-Chair)
Paige Bentley-Flannery (Member)
Ms. Lara Anne Crews (Member)
Mr. Brandon M. Hines (Member)
Ms. Suzanne Gayetsky Kovach (Member)
Mr. Edward McCoy (Member)
Lisa Taylor (Member)
Julie F. Roach (Consultant)
Laura Schulte-Cooper (Staff Liaison)
Consider volunteering for one of ALSC’s nearly 60 committees. There are many opportunities for virtual membership.
Roxie Munro
Great list…really a lot of fun! However, I noticed that not all of sites have a Privacy Policy (supposed to be easy to find and obvious to a parent), or they have an outdated one (COPPA kicked in on July 1….).
Lisa @ Shelf-employed
Thanks for mentioning this. I will bring your comment to the attention of the committee. Speaking for myself, however, the way I understand the law, is that the Privacy Policy is not required if the site is not “collecting, using or disclosing” information about children. That is not to say that I don’t agree that posting a Privacy Policy is a good idea (I do!), but there appears to be some wiggle room in the law. http://www.business.ftc.gov/documents/Complying-with-COPPA-Frequently-Asked-Questions#Privacy Policies and
Roxie Munro
Great, Lisa! If anyone wants more information, I did a short blog piece on it a couple weeks ago with several helpful links: http://roxiemunro.wordpress.com/
Lisa
Thanks so much. I’ve shared your input with the committee and our co-chairs are already updating our rubric to include COPPA. PS – Love your books! 🙂