All posts by Sheri

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

AASL Recommended App: Touch Van Gogh

touch_vangoghThe American Association of School Librarians (AASL) came out with their 25 Best Apps for Teaching & Learning. The apps were chosen because they foster innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration.

The Touch Van Gogh app reveals the secrets in and behind the paint on Vincent van Gogh’s canvases. While exploring “the location, history, style and composition of the paintings, students will enjoy rubbing the screen to reveal art hidden under some of the paintings as they discover that Van Gogh recycled his canvases.” AASL recommends using this app for art classes studying composition, color, style, media and Van Gogh’s works.

This award-winning app is FREE for iOS devices and on Google Play. AASL recommends it for Upper Elementary, Middle, and High School students.

Touch Van Gogh App – details & download

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Recap of Snippets and Sneak Peeks Event

Snippets and Sneak Peaks: Winter EditionWe had a wonderful time at our Snippets & Sneak Peeks: Winter Edition event on Tuesday, January 12th. Attendees braved the sub-zero windchill to listen to the staff from Barnes & Noble in St. Cloud share their favorite children’s and young adult books. Three authors also shared about their books: Ryan Jacobson, Aimee Bissonette, and Kristin D. Van Risseghem. Librarians and media center staff heard snippets from 57 books – some of which were just officially published that day!  We had tasty treats, coffee, and warm conversation to make this a fantastic event for all who attended. Thank you to ITEM for partnering with us on this and also to the Barnes & Noble staff: Jennie, Andy, Katie, and Amy for all the work you did.

Photo credit: Maria Burnham
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Spotlight on Books Conference

Book - child

The annual Spotlight on Books conference will be held on April 8-9, 2016 at Chase on the Lake in Walker, Minnesota. This is the 28th year for this wonderful conference focusing on children’s and youth literature. This is a perfect get-a-way for teachers, librarians, parents or college students who have an interest in this topic.

The conference will have a variety of presenters including Anton Treuer, Candace Fleming, Eric Rohmann, Carrie Ehlert Newman, and a special Skype lecture with Debbie Reese on how to “Indigenize your Library”.  For more details and registration click here for the conference website.

Image credit: https://unsplash.com/(Dishan Lathiya), licensed under CC0 1.0

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Notable Dates for your Noggin: February 2016

Calendar BannerEach month we’ll bring you a compiled list of fun national holidays, birthdays of authors, and publication dates of favorite books.  You can use these for your own personal use or for some library inspiration! Yes, we know it is still January, but it is time to think ahead!

February is Black History Month. Other things to celebrate in February. . .

February
1  Langston Hughe’s birthday (1902)
3  Carrot Cake Day
4  Thank a Mailman Day
7  Laura Ingalls Wilder’s birthday (1867)
 Send a Card to a Friend Day
8  Boy Scouts Day
10  National Cream Cheese Brownie Day
11  Judy Blume’s birthday (1938)
 National Make a Friend Day
15  Norman Bridwell’s birthday (1928)
16  Almond Day
17  Random Acts of Kindness Day
20  Love Your Pet Day
26  Tell a Fairy Tale Day
27  John Steinbeck’s birthday (1902)
 Strawberry Day
 Chili Day
28  Lemony Snicket’s (Daniel Handler’s) birthday (1970)

Did we miss anything?  Let us know if we did!

For our calendar of library events, including conferences and library days, check out our CMLE Events page.

And for more Notable Dates for Your Noggin, check out our Notable Dates page.