Category Archives: Academic

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Registration now closed

Colorful lightsRegistration is now closed for our New Library Celebration and Jess Lourey Author Talk event. 

Don’t miss this great event on May 5th at the St. Cloud Community and Technical College! Come and check out their new library digs, enjoy author Jess Lourey, hear about eBooks MN, and enjoy Cinco de Mayo themed food and drink!

Get more information here, and make sure to register! Deadline is close of business Friday, April 29, 2016. We look forward to seeing you there!

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/n66vvn2, licensed under CC BY 2.0
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

CMLE Weekly Review: 4/21/2016

This issue of the Weekly Review recaps our blog posts from April 15-20, 2016.

CMLE Updates: State & Regional News
– State Library Services Update 4/14 More
– New staff member at CMLE! More
– Jess Lourey – Author Spotlight More
– MN Book Award Winners! More

Upcoming Events and Registration Information
– Register now: Participants receive a free book! Celebrate the new SCTCC library, author Jess Lourey, and eBooks MN More
– Notable dates for your Noggin – May More

Tech Bits and Ideas
– Video tips for the classroom More
– New makerspace technology! More

Resources You Can Use
– Treasure trove of old seed catalogs More
– AASL recommended app: Kahoot More
– Minecraft portal to help teachers More
– Heard of Google Cardboard? More

Food For Thought
– Kids who are under connected to the Internet More

Just For Fun
– 10 of the shortest books ever! More

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist

Kids who are under-connected to the Internet

bustle...“What’s it really like to do your homework on a smartphone you’re having to borrow from your mom, but she needs it for something else? Are you really able to do your research paper?” – Victoria Rideout

Many U.S. schools have improved their internet connections, but for many kids, home is still a major hurdle for learning as assignments go online. With so many 1:1 schools, where do these under-connected kids turn to complete their school work? That was one of the questions examined in a report by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center when they surveyed 1,191 parents with children ages 6 to 13, considered lower-income or “low- and moderate-income families.” The results aren’t promising. Most families didn’t have any internet access, and those that did usually only had mobile, and it was slow.

It seems that the digital divide is being addressed in schools but have we only gone part-way?

Read the whole article now.

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/kh96ovf, licensed under CC BY 2.0

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist

Google Cardboard: accessible Virtual Reality

Want to engage your patrons with Virtual Reality but can’t afford a $600 Oculus Rift? Enter Google Cardboard, an inexpensive way to give a Virtual Reality experience without the high cost. Simply put, Google Cardboard is a housing made of cardboard that turns your phone into a virtual reality (VR) viewer. With many selling for $15, Google Cardboard can be accessible for many libraries. But why limit yourself? Google Cardboard also offers blueprints so you can build your own! Why not hold a makerspace activity allowing students or patrons to build their own?

Need more ideas? Check out LITA’s article about five ways to start using Cardboard in your library or check out this video about how McDonald’s Sweden is launching a promotion that invites kids to turn Happy Meal boxes into Virtual Reality viewers:

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist

Author Spotlight: Jess Lourey

Jessica LoureyJess Lourey is a Minnesota-based author who firmly believes “books are magic.” According to her website, when she is writing, she feels that she is “in the right place at the right time.” She shares her enthusiasm about writing and books with her students at St. Cloud Community & Technical College as well as with the public through workshops and presentations.

Her work explores several genres, including mystery, YA, and even fantasy. In September, her new book Salem’s Cipher will be released. It will be the first book in the Witch Hunt series. Preorder your copy here.

February FeverLourey will be giving a presentation at our event on May 5th at the new SCTCC Library. Come tour the new library and hear a show-and-tell about ebooks Minnesota. Plus, you will get a FREE copy of February Fever, from Lourey’s popular Murder by Month series!

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, culinary students will be providing a taco bar as well!

Get excited for spring, fun activities, and time with colleagues. Register here! Thanks to the library staff at SCTCC and Minitex for their partnership.