All posts by Theresa

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Recommended App: Historypin

History Pin iconRecently, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) came out with their 25 Best Apps for Teaching & Learning for 2014.  The apps were chosen because they foster innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration.

The app Historypin made the list. Users can take a picture on their smartphone and put it on the map – creating a modern event. Users can also compare and contrast their images to the past and learn about whatever geographic area they are in! AASL recommends having students “take a photo of a location that interests them and use the app to start a research project into the history of the area.”

This free app is available on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone, and is recommended for all grades K-12.  Check out their short introductory video:

For more apps, check out our 2014 Recommended App archive!

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Booklist: 2014 Teens' Top Ten Titles

Top 10 YALSATeen Read Week has come and gone, and that means another booklist – YALSA’s (Young Adult Library Services Association) Teen’s Top Ten!  Teens from all over the country voted on these books between August 15th and October 18th this year.  Here’s what they loved:

  1. Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park
  2. A.G. Howard’s Splintered
  3. Brandon Sanderson’s The Rithmatist
  4. Rick Yancey’s The 5th Wave
  5. Emmy Laybourne’s Monument 14: Sky on Fire
  6. Janet Edwards’ Earth Girl
  7. Joelle Charbonneau’s The Testing
  8. Brandon Sanderson’s Steelheart
  9. Leigh Bardugo’s Siege and Storm
  10. James Dashner’s The Eye of Minds

Check out the Teen’s Top Ten website, where you can watch a video countdown of the list (featuring Willow Shields of ‘The Hunger Games’ movies), book trailers, and other videos.  You can also see previous winners and check out their toolkit to help you show off these books to your young readers!

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Youth librarians get together virtually on Storytime Underground

ExclamationLooking for a way to interact with your peers, other than attending conferences?  Storytime Underground might be worth a look!  In a post on American Libraries Magazine’s website, Abby Johnson of the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library explains how Storytime Underground began: with a gathering of children’s librarians at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago.  The librarians were “sharing ideas, brainstorming, and troubleshooting issues related to early childhood librarianship.”  Since that first meeting in 2013, Guerrilla Storytime has been held at conferences across North America.  Storytime Underground is the virtual version of Guerrilla Storytime, “an informal idea-sharing website where youth librarians can learn from each other,” as Johnson describes.  Now you can be a part of this group that is formed by librarians from all over the country.

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/mfbbv7p, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

 

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Tablets Engage Students in the Classroom

Kids with Education Tablet ComputersMany schools are acquiring – or trying to acquire – tablets for classroom use.  The hope is that tablets can be used as classroom tools and improve learning.  Studies vary on what percentage of students currently have access to tablets, but those students that do are primarily using tablets from parents or through a tablet program at their school.  While the tablets are used for all sorts of subjects, the most popular apps on tablets are for reading and literacy.  In an interview by Ben Johnson with Adriene Hill of Marketplace Tech, Hill says that only about one third of 4th grade students are considered “proficient” in their reading skills.”  Apps on tablets can help – they are more engaging and seen as more fun by students.  Technology is also more “personalizable,” Hill says – it is easier to tailor the app to the student’s needs.  You can listen to the full 3-minute interview here.

Looking for apps to use?  Look for our weekly ‘Recommended App’ post, which features a new app each week that has been recommended by the American Association of School Librarians.  So far, we have featured Monster Physics, Duolingo, Brian Cox’s Wonders of Life, Subtext, and Notability.

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/mhroxam, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Young Filmmakers Shine in the 90-Second Newbery Film Contest

90-Second NewberyDo you know some young filmmakers?  They could be part of the Newbery Film Contest!  This is a contest for kids to compete in, creating 90-second (or shorter) videos “that tell the entire stories of Newbery-winning books.”  You can find out more about the 90-Second Newbery Film Contest here.  Interested, but not sure where to start?  They’ve provided a guide of tips and tricks for contestants.

Submit films by Saturday, December 20th, 2014. Deadline extended to Friday, January 16th, 2015 as of 12-11-14

Also, save the date for the Minnesota screening of the best local entries – it’s Saturday, February 28th, 2015, from 3:00-4:30 PM.  The screening will be held at the Hennepin County Library (Minneapolis Central) and will be co-hosted by James Kennedy, who runs the program, and Kelly Barnhill, the Minneapolis author of ‘The Witch’s Boy.’  If you have questions about this event, contact Jennifer Verbrugge (State Library Services)  at 651-582-8356 or jennifer.verbrugge@state.mn.us.

 

This post came as part of a larger announcement from the MN State Library Services.