On Monday, May 19th library professionals throughout the country joined Children and Technology Committee members for a lively We Are ALSC Chat titled Beyond the Screen: Navigating Screen Time After COVID. Participants explored multiple related topics including. Based on the committee’s research, participants learned that the pandemic exacerbated the issue of screen time when almost everything in a child’s life moved to remote and online. Prior to the pandemic, adolescents spent more time than the World Health Organization’s recommended limit of two hours of screen time per day. During the pandemic, screen time rose by nearly two hours a day and stayed higher once students returned to in-person learning. Research suggests excessive screen time has presented negative impacts on children of all ages, especially in early developmental years (ages 3-6). The committee commented that there are not many studies that analyze the interactions between school and out-of-school screen time. Positive…
Tag: Children and Technology committee
Music and Story time Programs
How do you incorporate music into your story time programs? Has this gotten more difficult as more music has gone in the direction of streaming? This was a recent and interesting discussion on ALA Connect. In the past, we used CDs, but some of us moved on to streaming. This may be great for listening – but problematic for story time programs. What works best—Spotify? YouTube? Apple Music? Amazon? Dropbox? CDs? To pay or not to pay? We polled ALSC’s Childrens and Technology committee members to see how each of our systems tackle this issue. The solutions are varied and work for those of us who use them, but they may not work for all. With CDs, availability is the issue as they are neither being produced nor purchased as much. If you still have CDs, one option is to download them either to Dropbox or to a network drive….
Encouraging Guilt-Free Screen Time
I’ve heard plenty of parents express guilt over letting their children watch videos or play games on their phones – “I know I shouldn’t, but it’s just so I can get the dishes done.” It doesn’t help that it seems like recommendations are changing constantly and parents don’t always know where to look for the most up-to-date information. The last two years have been even harder – video chats and schooling have moved online and our children are getting more screen time than ever.
Digital Media Resources updated for 2022
Hello Friends! We have some exciting news to share. The ALSC Digital Media Resources page has been updated. This list, created and updated annually by the ALSC Children and Technology Committee, curates current digital and tech articles, blog posts, and websites impacting the youth services field. This year we’ve added some new categories–media mentorship and podcast advisory–and updated recommendations on the familiar topics of children’s eBooks and apps, early learning, and research. Each section’s resources are selected with focused attention on the interactions of children and technology.
Tips for Circulating Technology Kits
Someone in our library had the idea: why not allow children to bring home a piece of our makerspace, the TEA Room (Technology, Engineering, and Art). Thus the TEA kit, our circulating technology kit was born.
Unplugged Picture Books
Technology at the library doesn’t have to be only apps, gadgets, and gizmos- it’s important to use your traditional book collection to support your technology literacy efforts too! Picture books can be a fun way to establish a print literacy connection in a tech program, or a great way to recommend families to extend ideas at home. I’m currently reading The Nature Fix: Why nature makes us happier, healthier, and more creative by Florence Williams and it has inspired me to think about picture book that might spark a conversation with children about the importance of spending time away from our technology. Some of these picture books may talk about robots, electronics, or computers, but they also focus on the value of unplugged time, a topic that media mentors know should be addressed in any discussion of technology and children. Check out some of my favorites below: Doug Unplugged by Dan Yaccarino Hello! Hello! by…
Tech for STEAM Learning, Play, and Programming
It can be easy to feel overwhelmed with choices when it comes to the ever changing world of technology, but part of the fun can be exploring the fun, new gadgets and toys that come out! By speaking with other youth services librarians, keeping in touch via social media, and sharing our work, I’ve discovered that the task of keeping up with the next big thing becomes a little easier.
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,…