Pursuing excellence for library service to children
Access to technology is crucial to a child’s success in today’s digital world. But what about families who do not have access or families who cannot afford to purchase the latest smartphone, tablet, or tech toy?
In February, the ALSC Children and Technology Committee blog post presented the criteria for the newest Youth Media Award, the Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award [EELDM]. It also featured the 2019 winner, PBS’s Play & Learn Science and the first of two award honorees, Tinypbop’s Coral Reef. Today I want to take you through the second honoree, Pop Pop Pop’s Lexi’s World, to highlight some of the features that stood out to the committee particularly related to the award selection criteria. The Skills Required to Navigate and Explore the Media Should Be Developmentally Appropriate and Suitably Challenging for the Intended Audience In order for an application to receive the Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award, the media must make the navigation and exploration developmentally appropriate and suitably challenging for the intended audience. Lexi’s World offers the child a simple provocation—a keyboard, a girl named Lexi, and a…
“Access to technology is a critical component for success …. Children who can access information via technology are at an advantage, and can better succeed in school. For kids with disabilities, the need for technology is even greater. Computers with appropriate technology can level the playing field, allowing kids with disabilities to compete fairly with their non-disabled peers.” Center for Accessible Technology https://www.cforat.org/
In February, the ALSC Children and Technology Committee blog post presented the criteria for the newest Youth Media Award, the Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award [EELDM]. Last month, the blog featured the 2019 winner, PBS’s Play & Learn Science. Today, I would like to take you through one of the inaugural award honorees, Tinypbop’s Coral Reef, to highlight some of the features that stood out to the committee particularly related to the award selection criteria. Media Reflects/Embodies Its Stated Mission/Purpose
Spotlight on PBS Play & Learn Science Last month, the ALSC Children and Technology Committee blog post presented the criteria for the newest Youth Media Award, the Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award. Today, I would like to take you through the inaugural award winner, PBS’s Play & Learn Science, to highlight some of the features that stood out to the committee particularly related to the award selection criteria. Facilitates active and creative use by children ages 2-8 in exemplary ways. In Play & Learn Science children engage in active inquiry around science concepts such as light and shadows, force and motion, and weather. The 2019 EELDM award selection committee found elements of humor in the dress up weather game and surprise in the sink/float game. Many of the 15 games we reviewed in the app at midwinter were open-ended, too. These replicate the “explore” stage of science learning…
Did you know that there was a newbie mixed in with this year’s Youth Media Awards? You may have missed it in the press release, but at the 2019 Midwinter Meeting of ALA in Seattle, ALSC presented one award and two honors for Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media [EELDM]. This award recognizes the most distinguished digital media created for an early learning audience by a producer based in the United States. You should know that this award considers all forms of digital media, defined as “any interactive media content or product that is available via electronic device across one or more platforms,” for “children ages 2-8 along with their caregivers, professionals, and media mentors serving them.” The 2018 award selection committee specifically sought out to identify the most outstanding “digital media that enables and encourages active engagement and social interaction while informing, educating, and/or entertaining in a developmentally appropriate…
In his new book, The New Childhood, Jordan Shapiro explores the changing digital world that children are growing up in and how parents can prepare them to navigate this world. Shapiro does not shy away from the fact that many parents are intimidated and wary about letting their children interact with the digital world to too great an extent, but at the same time he advocates that it is the role of parents to make sure their children have the tools to thrive in the world that they will be entering into as adults. One of the more striking points that Shapiro makes is in his comparison of sandbox play and digital play. Examining the field of childhood development, Shapiro demonstrates all of the ways in which digital play can fulfill the same roles as sandbox play while also preparing children for a world that is going to constantly demand…
Augmented Reality (AR) is such a cool concept, especially with apps like Pokémon Go and Quiver Vision. Ever since I learned about AR, I’ve been interested in working it into my programs and services. AR is an avenue to bring art, illustrations, and book trailers to life. But, can AR be used to do a storytime?