Showing posts with label The Supper Club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Supper Club. Show all posts
Mar 19, 2019
App Survey response or, "Why I don't focus on "educational" apps"
Thanks to everyone who participated in the my survey about the app recommendation services that we offer at Madison Public Library. I was honored and humbled to see that many of the participants are children's librarians from across the country!
One of the questions that several people asked was why I don't review or recommend many overtly "educational" apps. When I asked Katie Paciga, researcher and head of the ALA "Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award" committee her thoughts on this topic she told me, "Children learn in many ways, including open ended play with things that interest them. Reducing their experiences to those deemed as "learning," narrowly focused on cognitive skills, diminishes their opportunities to experience in ways that are often the most developmentally appropriate for that particular child."
Here is my own response:
I've heard many parents say, "Well if my kids are going to be spending time on a device, at least they can be LEARNING something while they're at it!" and while that sentiment makes some sense, I think we need to think carefully about how kids learn best. Many of the apps that are being marketed as "educational" are focusing on some really specific skills -- letter/color/shape recognition, letter sounds, matching things, adding, subtracting, etc.
Recently, I was testing an app with my daughter and one of the activities started by telling the kids about basic color mixing and then asked her to find things that were a certain color in a picture. I know that my daughter will learn more deeply about color mixing by physically painting with watercolor paints or mixing blobs of play dough together and I would rather she learn in those hands-on ways.
There are other --more subtle, more complex-- ways that my children can benefit from app use, such as innovative problem solving that they get from playing Inventioneers or Gorogoa, impulse control that they can practice while playing games like Shine: Journey of Light, looking for different results when playing games that have cause and effect with no prescribed "correct answer" like Toca Mystery House or Sago Mini Super Juice, or a chance to just lose themselves in an imaginative world such as those in the Toca Life apps.
I realize that there are schools that would like to use apps in the classroom and for those needs, there are a number of app reviewers such as Teachers with Apps, Kindertown (though they aren't writing new reviews anymore their database has some great titles and their app has a really nice interface), Moms with Apps, and Children's Technology Review that review more of the "educational" apps. However, as one survey respondent noted, "It's great to have reviews of apps coming from a library perspective. A lot of the information I find comes from teachers, and what works well in a classroom often doesn't work well in the library or in storytime. Thank you for taking the time to provide all of this great information!!"
I hope that you find my App Recommendations page to be a useful resource. High quality apps are becoming increasingly difficult to find, but I refuse to compromise my standards and will only review apps that I think are truly worth your money and your child's time. I know that their time in childhood is limited and there's no reason to waste any of it using poor quality media.
Jan 9, 2019
Win a Pillow Play Set from Sago Mini!
Hey everybody! Have you ever used Madison Public Library's App Recommendation Page? Or gotten other app advice from me in other ways (App Fairy Podcast, The Supper Club App Storytime, etc.)? I'm looking to streamline and improve the library's app recommendation services and would love your feedback.
Please take a moment to complete this survey before January 31, 2019 and you could be entered to win one of these fabulous Sago Mini Pillow Playsets (or other app-related goodies)!
Thanks a bunch!
Please take a moment to complete this survey before January 31, 2019 and you could be entered to win one of these fabulous Sago Mini Pillow Playsets (or other app-related goodies)!
Thanks a bunch!
Feb 15, 2018
New book (and podcast episode) about kids and screen time
I've got a new episode of the App Fairy in the works (so exciting!) but while I'm polishing it up, here's a great podcast interview about kids and screen time. I've been reading about this issue for YEARS, but learned a few new things from this author, so give it a listen!
https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/find-right-amount-screen-time
It's based on a new book (which I haven't read yet) called The Art of Screen Time: how your family can balance digital media and real life by Anya Kamenetz
Don't forget! Although I'm not doing a regular monthly app storytime this season, there will be a few app storytimes (called the Supper Club) at other branches.
April 3, Pinney Library, 6:00
May 3, Central Library, 6:00
Dec 10, 2016
The Supper Club presents: Apps about Emotions
When kids know more specific words for emotions (like "frustrated" or "furious" instead of just "mad") it's easier for us to help them find the right ways to handle their feelings. Here are some great apps that both directly and indirectly offer opportunities to talk to kids about different emotions.
Silly Snouts by Three Little Witches (iOS, 99c)
Chomp by Fox & Sheep (iOS, $2.99)
Breathe Think Do by Sesame Street (iOS & Android, free)
Fiete Match by Ahoiii (iOS & Android, $2.99)
Gigglebug’s Face Race by Gigglebug Entertainment (iOS only, $2.99)
Peek-A-Zoo HD by Duck Duck Moose (free, iOS
only)
Sago Mini Dress Up by Sago Mini (free, iOS only)
--This cute baby animals aren't afraid to show you how they feel about the clothes you choose for them!
Tinybop’s Me (iOS only, $2.99)
--I love how it asks users what color makes them think of certain emtions!
Take out box:
Toontastic by Launchpad Toys (iOS only, FREE (originally a $20 app, now it's free because Google bought it. Hooray!))
--check out the moods the different
music sliders can set!
Oct 26, 2016
The Supper Club presents [more] Monster Apps!
I can't resist monsters in October! Here is my second (annual?) monster app round-up:
Takeout Box:
Our hands-on activity tonight was this great free printable based on the Monster Mingle app. Print it out yourself and enjoy it at home!
On a sidenote, this month I FINALLY got the wireless hook-up to work and was able to wander around the room and allow kids to interact directly with the touchscreen while I demonstrated it. (So exciting!) If you've been wishing for a more interactive Supper Club experience, the time is now!
Can't get enough monster apps? Check out last year's list!
Oct 3, 2016
The Supper Club presents: Math Apps!
Here are the math apps we talked about this month at the Supper Club. There are MILLIONS of math apps in the app store, but most seem to be really rote learning even if they're dressed up like play. These apps below seem to do a much better job of just incorporating math concepts into real-world concepts. Enjoy!
Activity: geoboards!
Aug 17, 2016
Supper Club: What's Inside?
Apps that dig a little deeper to find out what's INSIDE?
X is for X-Ray app by Touchpress & Amphio Limited($1.99, iOS only)
-- an alphabet app with interactive x-ray art of each object.
David Wiesner’s SPOT by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ($4.99,
iOS only)
-- how deep can you dig on a ladybug's back? It'll boggle your mind!
Knock-knock with Bato by Otataa (99c, iOS only)
--take a walk with Bato as he gathers friends and instruments for a music party.
Three Little pigs and the secrets of a
Pop-up Book by Game Collage ($3.99, iOS only)
--a crazy mash-up of classic children's book and high-tech x-ray images revealing the "hidden" gears that make the pop-up pieces move. (See an excellent preview video by clicking on the app title above.)
Skyscrapers by Tinybop ($2.99, iOS only)
--explore and play with the properties of very tall buildings. The plumbing gets the most giggles per minute!
Tiny Pirates by Wonderkind ($2.99, iOS only)
--design your own pirate character, then play in the seaport or out on a pirate ship (cut away so that you can see the activity inside the ship)
Take-out
box:
How to make Electricity by Crayonbox (FREE for Lite version, full version $2.99, iOS
only)
Bogga Magic by BoggaTap (99c, iOS, free-Amazon)
This is My Body by Urbn; Pockets ($2.99, iOS only)
Dada Trains by DADA Company ($2.99, iOS only)
This evening's hands-on project was to create our own pop-up books (or cards) using these fabulous reference pages from Bookzoompa. Only one kid had time to stay and make one at the library tonight and you can see hers above in the title photo.
Jul 2, 2016
The Supper Club: Outer Space Apps
If you love outer space, have we got some apps for you!
(photo credit: Moonbot Studios)
At the June Supper Club meeting, we explored the following outer space apps:
Ready, Jet, Go! by PBSKids (free, iOS (requires version 8.0 or later) & Android)
After Wild Rumpusing all day, the only craft I offered was a recommendation to go home and make a cardboard rocketship to accommodate playing with the Moonbeeps: Gizmo app.
(photo credit: Moonbot Studios)
At the June Supper Club meeting, we explored the following outer space apps:
Take-out
box:
Ready, Jet, Go! by PBSKids (free, iOS (requires version 8.0 or later) & Android)
After Wild Rumpusing all day, the only craft I offered was a recommendation to go home and make a cardboard rocketship to accommodate playing with the Moonbeeps: Gizmo app.
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