Did your tweens and teens get new tablets/devices during the winter holidays? If they haven’t already come into your library asking for advice about apps, they might be soon! Here are some already curated app reviews perfect for teens and tweens. This way you’ll be able to help your young patrons find exactly what they need for their new device! Photo App: Reviewed by Karen Jensen, Teen Librarian Toolbox Review Excerpt: “FotoRus is an app that does multiple things. You can create a collage, add a sticker or edit like a pro using the pro edit feature. My two favorite things about FotoRus are the Mag Library feature (InstaMag) and the PIP (photo in a photo) feature.” Storytelling App: Reviewed by Joyce Valenza, Neverending Search Review Excerpt: ” Plotagon encourages users to script a story–selecting locations; building dialogue; adding emotions, attitudes and postures; responding to characters; choosing sound effects and…
Tag: apps
Exploring Autumn with Apps and Websites
Autumn has arrived here in Northeastern Ohio, bringing with it crisp weather, all things pumpkin, and beautiful fall foliage. The trees are only starting to reveal their brilliant hues of orange, yellow, gold and red here, but soon I’ll awaken to a glowing landscape that seemingly exploded overnight. As this season traditionally brings many requests for fall themed library materials, as well as special fall programming, I was inspired to think of ways that technology may add further enjoyment and educational opportunities to this time. The best way to experience the beauty of fall is to strap on your hiking shoes and venture to the nearest wooded park (or your backyard!). Bringing along your smartphone or tablet, loaded with fall foliage apps, can enhance your exploration of autumn’s beauty. Children of a variety of ages will enjoy learning more about our natural environment with these apps and websites highlighted below,…
Back to School with Homework Help Apps and Websites
As the new school year gets underway, parents and teachers will inevitably look to us for advice about how to help their students take advantage of the many digital resources available to assist with studying, research, and homework. This can seem a daunting task for anyone, but as mentors of digital media, library staff should strive to stay on top of recent developments in educational technology so that we can guide families to the apps, websites, and services that will best fit their needs. Luckily, we aren’t alone in the search for quality apps and websites, as many aids exist to help evaluate, review, and recommend digital resources in this area. Every year, AASL releases its lists of Best Websites for Teaching and Learning and Best Apps for Teaching and Learning, identifying resources that “foster the qualities of innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration.” Each year’s list is broken down…
Apps, Online Tools, and More!
Being a children’s librarian has to be one of the most fun and rewarding jobs a person could have, but that doesn’t mean it is easy! Balancing multiple responsibilities, tight scheduling, and having to constantly be “on” are just a few of the everyday challenges. Luckily, for us, there are tools out there to help us along the way. I posed the question to the ALSC Listserv “What are your favorite apps or online tools that help you stay organized, focused and energized?” Here are some of the ways youth service staff are using technology to their benefit. Productivity: Google Keep is a post-it style system for checklists and notes. Share across your devices or with others. See real time progress on collaborative checklists or setup location reminder notifications. 30/30 is a task management system with a built in timer that tells you when to move on to your next…
Like Apps for Kids? #alaac14
Looking for ALA Annual programs on apps for kids? ALSC will be hosting two educational programs on apps — “The Apps are All Right! Exploring the Role of Apps in Children’s and Teen Services” and “Whet Your APPetite: Rapid Reviews of Apps for Children from Preschool to Tweens”, which will take place at the 2014 ALA Annual Conference. The Apps are All Right! program is scheduled for Saturday, June 28, 2014, 8:30 — 10:00am PT in Room S230 of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Designed as a primer for children’s and teen librarians, this program will offer a dynamic overview of the place of the app as a new format within the library profession. Four panelists will provide relevant research and examples from practice with diverse populations of children and teens. Participants will also be invited to explore the continuously evolving rationale for strengthening the role of the children’s and…
Jack Prelutsky’s new poetry app!
April is National Poetry Month! One of my favorite children’s poets, Jack Prelutsky has a new poetry app, The New Kid on the Block – interactive storybook of poems! It’s based on his book, The New Kid on the Block and includes a collection of eighteen poems that will make you laugh out loud! The app was created by Wanderful Interactive Storybooks and Living Books. To begin your poetry adventure, click on either “Read to Me” or “Let Me Play.” Scroll through the selection of poems, then pick a poem! Jack Pretlusky will be your guide. To select a poem, click on the arrows. To play inside a poem, click “Let me play.” While you’re deciding, Jack Pretlusky will sing you a poem about an alligator. This will make you smile. One of the key components in a good book app is the ability to clearly see and hear the words. The New Kid on the Block app does this and…
Getting ready for Tablet Time
Books, check. Craft, check. Apps, check. I’m getting ready to start a pilot project called Tablet Time. We’re scheduling it for seven branches, 4 sessions at each branch. Tablet Time is a way for families to get some hands-on experience with tablets while learning early literacy skills. I know this is a somewhat controversial subject: there are some who adamantly believe that libraries should not be promoting use of technology with young children. These programs are for families with children ages 3-6. While I agree that children under 2 really have no need to have a television, iPhone, or tablet in front of them, I do see the value in showing families good apps, how to use them with their children, and how to then extend those ideas into fun literacy games and crafts that they can do at home. And our Family Literacy funding agency must agree, because they…
The Gamification of Reading
John Hersey, author of Hiroshima, once worked on a committee for his children’s school to determine why children were struggling at reading. The group’s discovery was that the reason the children were struggling was because they thought the primers they were reading looked boring. They didn’t want to read stories featuring illustrations of perfectly mannered children that just looked dull, insipid, and boring. This idea of using interesting illustrations was taken up by William Ellsworth Spaulding, an editor at Houghton Mifflin’s textbook division. He borrowed an illustrator named Ted Geisel from Random House to create a textbook that contained words that experts had decided were important for first graders to know. Nine months later a book featuring 236 of those words from the list was created. Geisel had noticed that many of the words on the list rhymed; the first two words happened to be cat and hat. Cat in…