April 14, 2010
School Principals Learn New Tools To Build Literacy

The Source for Learning’s TeachersFirst lent a hand recently to school principals who want to help teachers use the latest tools to promote literacy.

At the 2010 annual convention of the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) in Houston, TeachersFirst presented a session called “Building School-wide Literacy Using Free Web 2.0 Tools: Practical Ideas and Hands-on Practice.”

During the presentation, principals from across the U.S. and Canada were introduced to free, safe, educator-reviewed online services that encourage reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

Candace Hackett Shively, SFL’s Director of K-12 Initiatives, gave the principals hands-on demonstrations of the programs. She also showed how building-wide planning and peer support can help teachers take full advantage of the free literacy-building tools—even teachers who are hesitant about using technology in their classrooms.

More information about the TeachersFirst grade-by-grade elementary school literacy model is available on the TeachersFirst.com site.

At the TeachersFirst informational booth on the convention’s exhibit floor, attendees were invited to talk about how technology is being used in their schools. Brief video statements from some of the attendees can be seen here.