As a children’s librarian at a public library, I was delighted recently when a parent brought in two kids for a play date. The friends spent the afternoon giggling and playing educational games side by side on our computers. We all know that libraries are about so much more than just books; in this case, the library provided a fun and welcoming space, as well as free access to a suite of learning games that the families would otherwise have to pay for on their own. However, this visit also reminded me that some of these library benefits don’t extend to at-home use. When the parent asked if the kids could access these same games at home, I had to say no because our library’s subscription is only good on-site. In the moment, I recommended a few alternatives for free learning games that the parent could check out at home—reliable…
Tag: digital media
Media Mentorship
To use technology or not to use technology? I feel it is no longer a matter of “not” to use. The pandemic has shown us that technology is a part of everyone’s daily life, and we need to be there for our young patrons and their caregivers to guide them, just as we do when helping patrons find the right information and books. As with any media, we are here for our patrons to advise, program, and curate. “student_ipad_school – 038” by flickingerbrad is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Training takeaways Recently, I attended a virtual training session on Media Mentorship where youth librarians from Maryland and Indiana learned about the use of digital media and our roles as digital media mentors. Prior to the training, attendees read A Guide to Media Mentorship by Lisa Guernsey of New America. During the morning session, presenters examined the basics of media mentorship—old…
Music and Story time Programs
“Music baby.” by cross-eyed doll is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0. 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…
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.
Connect & Amplify: Podcast Engagement from 2021
As the pandemic progresses, librarians and librarian-podcasters have turned to digital solutions to engage kids and families in podcasting whether it is through creation, discovery, or facilitating podcast learning. These inspiring initiatives have created many new podcast makers and they have worked to amplify the stories in their communities and beyond.
The Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award
The Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award recognizes the most distinguished digital media created for an early learning audience by a producer based in the United States. 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.” (Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Committee Manual, 2018, p. 5).
Digital Media – Register for an Upcoming Webinar Series!
If you went to our Charlemae Rollins President’s Program during #alaac17, you learned a ton on digital media and it’s relationship to child development. If you couldn’t make it, check out this great post by Mary Voors! Following up with this, we are partnering with The Erikson Institute to have a two-part webinar series on digital media. Part 1 Tuesday, September 19, 2017 | Topics for discussion: New Media, Media Literacy, and Media Mentorship in the Library The Right Media for the Job: Considering the How, When, Where and Why Inclusion & Diversity in New Media: KIDMAP Toolkit and Evaluation Checklist Part 2 Tuesday, September 26, 2017 | Topics for discussion: What does high quality look like? Tips for Evaluating Story and Game Apps The Art of the Selection: Choosing Great Tech Tools for Making and Creating We are offering this webinar series for free! Both webinars take place in…