In June 2016, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announced their 25 Best Apps for Teaching and Learning. The apps encourage qualities such as innovation and active participation, and are user-friendly.
Learn about stars, planets, and and outer space with Professor Astro Cat’s Solar System app. Users are able to earn medals and parts to build a rocket for completing tasks and correctly answering questions. There’s even a “jetpack challenge” quiz for students to play. The app is a good tool to reinforce concepts learned in science class.
Get more information about the app from this review, or this article from Fundamentally Children which features feedback from kids that have used the app, and also lists other related apps to try in the classroom!
Cost: $2.99 Level: Elementary Platforms: iOS and Android
Have you been looking for new ideas to spice up your storytime? Sign language with babies and toddlers can be a fun addition! It encourages participation and can make the experience more interactive and entertaining.
ALA is offering a webinar “Liven Up Baby and Toddler Storytimes with Sign Language Workshop” and CMLE wants to extend an invitation to any interested librarians that may want to participate! If we can get just two additional people that would like to come view this webinar from CMLE Headquarters, we will qualify for the group rate for the workshop, which is $40 instead of $60.
The online workshop is 90 minutes long and begins at 1:30pm on Wednesday, Dec. 7th.
At the completion of this workshop, you will be able to:
List 3 benefits of using sign language with young children
Describe at least 3 ways to use sign language in baby and toddler storytimes
Demonstrate 3 ASL signs appropriate for use in baby or toddler storytimes
You can find more information about the workshop here.
If you are a children’s librarian, or even just a parent that has taken your child to storytime, you know how fun and important that time can be! In this article from the ALSC blog, librarian April Lee describes her use of introducing bubbles into her storytime adventures.
Lee shares how she was initially apprehensive about using bubbles as a prop during her storytime, but then discovered that a bubble machine solved most of her worries, and the experience was very positive. She writes that the bubbles “Give children a fun sensory experience and a chance to play together at the beginning of storytime – as opposed to just the end – along with breaking down the initial shyness among the group.” You can even find her original bubble-related song lyrics on her blog!
Another example of bubbles and storytime can be found in this post on the Library Village blog, which describes several different types of bubble machines and even links to some bubble songs on YouTube. For more things bubble-related, including recipes and activities, check out this link to Pinterest.
Have you used bubbles in your library or media center, during storytime or a different activity? Share your experience in the comments!
A recent Star Tribune article, Internet Flips the Idea of How to Teach a Class, highlighted the efforts of some local college professors and instructors utilizing the flipped classroom method in their classrooms. Not only is this article (and its information) local, but it also details some of the successes and failures of this new teaching method. In addition, a recent study of 720 physics professors showed that at least 72 percent had tried various interactive teaching methods (like those that are a part of the flipped classroom); however, at least a third of those instructors tried — and eventually stopped using interactive methods. Some cite push back from students in the flipped classroom, as well as little support for instructors once they’ve “made the switch”. Ongoing support, continuing education, and access to professional resources is a must for forward-thinking instructors who have gotten up the gumption to attempt the flipped classroom.
Splashtop Whiteboard allows teachers and students to turn their Android tablet or iPad into an interactive whiteboard. Once connected to their computer over Wi-Fi, they can watch Flash media with fully synchronized video and audio, control PC and Mac applications, then annotate lesson content from an Android tablet or iPad. Splashtop Whiteboard offers users of existing interactive whiteboards—such as Mimeo, Mobi, Promethean, Polyvision, or SMART Technologies—a way to extend their investment by accessing their tools from anywhere in the class (all four corners of the room!) without using wireless slates. This app costs anywhere from $2.99 to $9.99 and can be used with iPad iOS 4.0 & up and Android 3.1 & up.
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In June 2016, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announced their 25 Best Apps for Teaching and Learning. The apps encourage qualities such as innovation and active participation, and are user-friendly.
