Category Archives: Tech

School Media Specialist, Tech

AASL Recommended Apps: Equity Maps

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announced their picks for Best Apps for Teaching & Learning 2019. “Apps recognized foster the qualities of innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration and are user friendly to encourage a community of learners to explore and discover. “

The app Equity Maps allows educators to “chart & record the interaction of students or colleagues to measure and graphically illustrate levels and types of participation. Participants are clearly labeled, and participation can be easily tracked by tapping on the student’s icon. There are also icons for chaos, pair/share, small group breakouts, silence, media, or teacher talk. Analytics are viewable immediately and can be broken down individually for the purpose of conferencing with students and providing feedback.”

Platform: iOS
Cost: $1.99
Grades: All

The Tech Coach site includes Equity Maps in this article about new apps with exciting possibilities for classroom use. This article on Edu-Tech tools shares one tech instructor’s experience working with teachers who have used Equity Maps to help grade their classroom discussions. Finally, this article from the Deerfield Scroll shares one school’s use of the Equity Maps app and opinions about it from both teachers and students.

This video (1 min) shows how the app works:

School Media Specialist, Tech

AASL Recommended Apps: Wolfram Alpha

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announced their picks for Best Apps for Teaching & Learning 2019. “Apps recognized foster the qualities of innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration and are user friendly to encourage a community of learners to explore and discover. “

“Wolfram Alpha is a credible source for instant expert knowledge and computation, using algorithms and data to compute answers and generate reports for you. This app is so much more than just having an encyclopedia in the palm of your hand, it really is like having someone who will look up what you are wondering about and interpret the available information.”

Their website is seriously impressive and offers information in the areas of math, science and technology, society and culture, and everyday life.

Platform: iOS & Android
Cost: $2.99
Grades: 5-12

This video on the Wolfram website goes into detail explaining how to compute answers, provide practice problems, and other ways the app can be used in the classroom. There are several teacher reviews of the app to read on Common Sense Education. This article from Make Use Of gives a variety of suggestions for ways the app can be used for learning, including using their “Random” button to find new and unexpected knowledge.

Watch this video (1:20) to see how the app works. They also explain how Wolfram Alpha is different than a Google search.

If you are interested in the best apps for your library, media center, or classroom, you can read our 2019 series here or find all past apps discussed in our archives.

School Media Specialist, Tech

AASL Recommended Apps: PBS Kids Scratch JR.

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announced their picks for Best Apps for Teaching & Learning 2019. “Apps recognized foster the qualities of innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration and are user friendly to encourage a community of learners to explore and discover. “

If you are interested in the best apps for your library, media center, or classroom, you can read our 2019 series here or find all past apps discussed in our archives.

“PBS KIDS ScratchJr is a creative coding app where learners can create their own interactive stories, games, and animations by snapping together colorful programming blocks to make their favorite characters move, jump, dance, and sing. Learners are empowered to solve problems, design their own projects, demonstrate knowledge and develop computational thinking skills that are foundational for later academic success.”

Platform: iOS & Android 
Grades: K-2
Cost: FREE

The PBS website has this page of five lesson plans to use with the app. Coder Kids has this great article with more details about the pros and cons of using the app and includes several projects. Finally, this video shows you how to use the app to create a race and a maze game.

Watch this video to see the app in action:

Check it Out:, School Media Specialist, Tech

November VR Training in St. Cloud AND Cambridge!

You are invited to in-person training Nov. 5th and 8th!

Quick Update: our St Cloud location is just about full! So we would love to see you in Cambridge too! If you are signed up for St Cloud, but would like to shift to Cambridge (it’s on that Friday), just send us a quick email to admin @ cmle.org (no spaces). Each day and location will be flexible, as we know you have tight schedules – we are just happy to see you!

Mark your calendars! We hope you take advantage of our upcoming VR training to learn how to operate the VR headsets we are loaning to our school libraries FOR FREE. You can reserve your own kit here.

Please RSVP at the bottom of this post. You are welcome to drop in to training as your schedule allows. You are still allowed to reserve VR kits for your school if you cannot attend training.

St. Cloud Training:

Tuesday, Nov. 5th 9am – 3pm (lunch provided 12 – 1)
Classroom at cmERDC location: 570 1st St. SE St. Cloud MN 56304

We are located inside the cmERDC building

Cambridge Training:

Friday, Nov. 8th 9:30am – 3pm (lunch provided 12 – 1)
Meeting Room at the Cambridge Public Library: 244 S. Birch St. Cambridge, MN 55008

We’ll have a morning and afternoon training session with lunch in between so both sessions can eat. Please feel free to attend both sessions in order to get comfortable using the headsets and Portal.

The plan is to cover fundamentals in the morning and more advanced VR skills in the afternoon, but please feel free to drop in or leave as your schedule allows! Remember to bring your own computer (and headphones if interested).

At this training session, you will learn how to operate the devices, find lessons that line up with your curriculum, send the VR/AR content to the devices, and use the headsets effectively in your library, media center, or classroom.

The ClassVR vendor will be holding a free Q&A webinar on Nov. 13th. Here is the link in case anyone is interested in participating. CMLE staff attended the one offered in October and found it useful.

Visit our page to find out more information about the VR kit loan program, including instructions and links to additional materials.

RSVP St. Cloud Nov. 5th training:

RSVP Cambridge Nov. 8th training:

Check it Out:, School Media Specialist, Tech

AASL Recommended Apps: Mixerpiece

Learn art history and make your own creations with this cool app!

“Mixerpiece is a sort of digital magnetic board, with more than 200 items and shapes which you can use and combine to create new works of art while learning art history. Have students demonstrate their understandings of the art elements – line, shape, color, form – using original masterpieces. Students can learn to identify similarities or differences in pieces of artwork by putting them together into something new. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.”

Platform: iOS  
Grades: All
Cost: $2.99

Best Apps for Kids has this review of the app which also includes suggestions for using the app for education and fun. Mixerpiece is included in this article from App Ed Review featuring the best apps to use for Social Studies. Finally, this post from Parents’ Choice gives some details regarding the art history used in the app.

Watch this 30-sec video to see how your students can learn art history while having fun with this app!