Turning Pastimes into Passions – Creating a Summer Technology Series

Libraries are experiencing the same epidemic all over the country: children are captivated by technology!

I am an inner-city children’s librarian who loves planning weekly youth programs.  However, my young patrons do not want to leave their beloved technology behind for anything (except for snacks).  Instead of fighting it, I embraced it by creating a summer-long program series to show children how to turn their pastime into a passion, and hopefully a future career.

At my branch, we are very lucky to have a computer lab that holds twelve students.  I limit the ages to 8-13 years old because of the motor skills, reading skills, and attention span needed to complete the activities.

I selected fifty websites that children can easily navigate to produce different types of art: paintings, videos, comics, music, games, stop-motion, and green screen photos.  Each week we focus on one type of art and integrate art history, techniques, concepts, and analyses.  I ask the children to explain if they liked or disliked the website, how and why they made their pieces, and to give positive comments to others’ art.  At the end of each lesson, I print the list of websites we used in that class so the children may practice the art sites on their own.

This will be my fourth summer running the computer art program and the children are already excited.  I am delighted to share the resources with all of you, so that you may show your youngest patrons how to turn their pastimes into passions!

 

Create Easy Art

National Gallery of Art 3D Twirler

National Gallery of Art Digital Collage Machine

Color and Pattern Manipulator

Pointillism with Light

Scratch String Art

Flame Painter

Tessellation

Pattern Creator

This is Sand Art

Light Weaver

Spiral Art

Create Digital Paintings

Canvas Painting

Drip Painting

Abstract Painting

Texture Painter

Graffiti Paint

Paint Spin

Pattern Coloring

Spin Art

Color Kaleidoscope

Vine Painting

Create Videos

Voki Movie Maker

Zimmer Twins Movie Maker

Tumble Town Movie Maker

GIF Maker

Storybook Movie Maker

Toy Theater Sticker Movie Maker

Toy Theater Animation Movie Maker

ABCYA Animate Cartoons

Photo Editing

Tuxpi Filters

Green Screen Lite App for Android

Create Comics

Marvel Superhero Comic Maker

Make Beliefs Sticker Comics

Comic Strip Generator

Create Video Games

Sploder 3D Game Maker

Sploder Shooter Game Maker

Lego Game Builder

Create Stop-Motion Video

Toy Theater Digital Stop-Motion Animation

Stop Motion Studio App for Android

Create Digital Music

Old School and New School Turntables

Drag and Drop Musical Composition

Sticker Music Composer

Button Base Computer Keyboard Music

Virtual Drums

Toy Theater Music Stamps

Toy Theater Music Stickers

One Motion Easy DJ Turntable

One Motion Easy Drum Machine

Tony B Sound Machine

I believe this program is so successful because the children get satisfaction and ownership in what they create.  Also, they take pride in helping each other to navigate the sites and creating beautiful works of art.

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Our guest blogger today is Angela Bronson. She currently works for the Toledo Lucas County Public Library as a Children’s Librarian at the Kent Branch and is pursuing her MLIS at Wayne State University.

Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at alscblog@gmail.com.