Helping your child with their reading is a necessary but also immensely pleasurable activity, both for you and your son or daughter. As well as the conventional means of sharing books and stories, there are now a number of great reading apps which can add to the enjoyment and the success in your child’s learning journey. Here are some of the best apps currently available. Starting out Starfall Learn to Read Kicking off with the alphabet and bringing in phonemes (sounds) which help your child to pronounce all of the English words, this app then moves on to comprehension, covering all of the beginner bases which will set your child off on the right foot to becoming an accomplished reader, writer and speaker. Reading Raven This app also has a particular focus on phonics-based learning, and helps kids master all the steps to recognizing letters, sounds and ultimately words, by…
Category: apps
Celebrate National App Day!
National App Day is observed annually on December 11. “App” (short for software application) first found its way into print in the 1980s. By 2010, it was named word of the year by the American Dialect Society. Today there are over 2MM apps across Apple and Android platforms with thousands more introduced daily.
Notable Children’s Digital Media Committee wants your Apps!
The 2018 inaugural Notable Children’s Digital Media Committee welcomes your suggestions of Apps for the initial January 2018 list. Per the ALSC Board, children’s digital media is defined as follows: Any real-time, dynamic, and interactive media content or product that is available via personal electronic device across multiple platforms that enables and encourages active engagement and social interaction while developmentally appropriately informing, educating, and/or entertaining. The Committee will select, annotate, and present for publication, a bi-annual list of notable children’s digital media, including websites and Apps of interest to young people and their families, from birth through age 14, starting in January 2018. Please note the following: Apps must currently be available through a US distributor. Apps will be evaluated based on the following criteria: 1. Respect young people’s intelligence and imagination 2. Exhibit venturesome creativity 3. Reflect and encourage the natural interest of children and young adolescents in exemplary…
Media Mentorship, Diversity and Inclusion, and the Screen Time Symposium
The Screen Time Symposium, a collaboration between the Developmental Media Lab and the Erikson Institute, was held September 9th in Chicago. Organized by Carly Kocurek and Jennifer Miller, this interdisciplinary symposium raised many “provocations” around digital media for young people—all of which are relevant to our work as youth services librarians, and especially as media mentors, working to select the best tools and apps for the children we serve.
An “Apportunity” to Learn – Evaluating Apps
Parents, teachers, and librarians; are your children wasting an opportunity to learn while using mobile apps? Not all educational apps are equal, while some are not even worth your time downloading. For children under the age of 5, parents and educators should look for apps that enhance these five categories: reading, writing, singing, talking, and playing. Older children are developmentally ready for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and creative apps, like those that facilitate the creation of art, music, movies, and writing.
Eight Examples of Innovation in Children’s Digital Storytelling
For the last 20 years I’ve had one of the best jobs in the world, serving as the Coordinator for the BolognaRagazzi Digital Award (BRDA).
Pokemon Go, Libraries, and Media Mentorship
Pokemon Go popularity is not showing any signs of slowing down anytime soon. According to a report from USA Today the game has topped 15 million downloads and the average person is spending around 33 minutes per day in the app. With the game continuing it’s pop culture run and with libraries as many Pokestops or Gyms, this is a perfect time to embrace media mentorship in the library and incorporate it into our Pokemon Go programs.
Play With These Great Apps If You’re #leftbehind! #alaac16
Sitting in the AASL Best Apps for Teaching and Learning has me so energized for returning to my library and sharing these with families and kids! As a media mentor, I’m always looking for new, high quality apps… And here’s a list! -JoAnna Schofield, Youth Programming Coordinator, Cuyahoga County Public Library (Ohio)