western maryland regional library

WMRL Oct 2014

Goals for Today

1. Confidence to begin (or continue!) using new media in storytime

2. Evaluate Apps & eBooks (appvisory)3. Traditional storytelling in the digital age4. Model positive media behaviors5. Build personal network for sharing

information about new media and kids

News You Can Use: Carly

What is new media?

● Not just iPads & apps!● Any kind of emergent technology● Content creation: camera, video,

book-making, writing, drawing, audio

● Multi & transmedia● Wearable tech

What are some concerns about new media & young children?●

What are some concerns about new media & young children?● Commercial messages● Displacement of time doing other things● Eye/Neck/Body/Brain strain● Less creative and open-ended play● Less time running around outside● Sleep disruptions● Age inappropriate content● Under 2s (AAP)

These concerns are all valid.

How can children’s librarians support parents & caregivers to make their own healthy media decisions?

Reasons for Engaging with New Media in Libraries● Ubiquity of tablet technology● Whether it’s good for kids or not, parents are

handing the devices over● Access to content (multilingual, diverse, high

quality)● Societal need for Media Mentorship ● Potential to increase the overall quality of

content

What if we were to commit to ensuring that every family with young children had access to a

media mentor?

Psssssst! You’re already a media mentor!

What Does it Look Like?

The Best App For Young Children...

...is one that supports the development of a relationship with another human being.

Joint Media Engagement

Reframing the Issue

• There is no either/or

• Relationships first, then technology

New Media for Kids in LibrariesPediatrics Pedagogy

American Academy of Pediatrics

Parent Recommendations from the AAP Guidelines● Limit “entertainment” screen time to <1-2

hours a day● Discourage screen media for children <2● Keep screen media out of child’s bedroom ● Monitor media usage● Coview● Establish family media plan

National Association for the Education of Young Children & Fred Rogers Center

Guidelines for Educators

● Select, use, integrate & evaluate media in intentional & age-appropriate ways

● Balance of tech & non-tech● Prohibit use of passive media● Limit use for <2 year olds● Consider recommendations from health orgs● Equitable access to technology

LittleeLit Guidelines for New Media in Storytime● Access: Act as media mentor to your

community & support equitable access to information

● Content: Content should be high quality & age appropriate

● Engagement: Any technology use should support the development of relationships

3 Cs of Screen Time by Lisa Guernsey

● Content

● Context

● Individual Child

Tips for parents on how to support their children to be love reading; with print AND digital books.

Other resources

Fred Rogers Center ELEJoan Ganz Cooney CenterDot complicatedCyberwise

Born ReadingCommon Sense MediaNAMLE

Images that make us sad

New Media Storytime!

Storytime as a venue for media mentorship.

General Guidelines• Start with a buddy!

• Tie content to the collection

• Start with books & music you already love

• Always test out apps the day you share them

• Balance tech & non-tech

• Engage parents in discussion

• Hand held or mirrored?

• Try not to use apps with ads

• Use mix of paid & free content

• Have a backup

• If you have tech difficulties, talk through it

• Use the vast body of knowledge you & your colleagues ALREADY have!

Suggested Apps to Try out• Animal Sounds

• Bean’s baby

• Boynton 4-pack

• Byron Barton Collection 1

• Endless ABC

• Felt Board App

• Four Little Corners

• Grow a Reader

• Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy

• Mother Goose on the Loose App

• Sock puppets

• Wee Sing ABC

Keep in Mind• Be explicit for caregivers

WHY you are using the screen/iPad, make sure you know for whose benefit you have chosen a digital tool

• Digital tools DO NOT replace any of our current storytelling tools; they are another tool in the toolkit

• Use the best tool for the job (hint: a lot of the time, the best tool is NOT digital!)

• We want parents to be able to ask us questions about this topic; they won’t if they feel judged

• Children under 2 shouldn’t have too much access to technology. But it might support their caregiver’s learning process.

3 Easy Ways to Get Started• Find your favourite Storytime Book digitally (app,

iBooks, Kindle, Nook, library offerings etc)

• Try a Digital Felt Board

• Post lyrics, welcome and/or resource slides for the parents

Tips & Tricks• Set Up (wired or wireless?)

• Lyrics (projected)

• Felt Board/MGOL (live or screen shot)

• Digital Books (always have paper copies to check out, or on same theme; you can use books you’ve never been able to use before)

• Images (non-fiction! Create your own content!)

• Sounds (what does a peacock REALLY sound like?)

• Music (Easy playlists; display album cover while song is playing and include call number on screen while dancing around)

• Talk Sing Read Write Play!

Make It!

Salmonberry Photo Courtesy of Nomemade

Mother Goose on the Loose!

How do you evaluate books?

How do you evaluate books?

ReviewsKnow the Author, Illustrator or PublisherHigh Quality TextHigh Quality Illustrations

Easy NavigationIt Doesn’t CrashHigh Quality ContentKnow the Developer

Evaluating and Choosing Digital Media● Make intentional decisions about digital media with kids● Explore newly downloaded apps on your own and then

together with young children● Look for apps and other media that help adults and

children write, read, play, sing and talk TOGETHER (EECR2 early literacy practices for kids under 8)

● Consider the 3 C’s: Context, Content, Child (discussed in Screen Time by Lisa Guernsey)

Good Book Apps Have...● Meaningful interactive elements that add to the story

and are not only for interactivity’s sake (Interactive elements shouldn’t distract from the story)

● A great story with high quality images● Plain, highly-readable font● Read-to-me and read-to-myself options● Settings for turning on/off music and other sound effects

Good Game/Activity Apps...● Are fun to play over and over again● Offer open-ended play● Encourage creativity● Strengthen one or more of the early literacy practices

(ECRR/ECRR2)● Are age appropriate● Have Intuitive way-finding● Use a clean, uncluttered display

High Quality Developers

Oceanhouse MediaNosy CrowLoud CrowToca BocaSago SagoNational GeographicRandom House

Duck Duck MooseNight & DayWe Are WheelbarrowSoftware Smoothie

How do parents feel about finding high quality

apps?

Review Sources

● Children’s Technology Review● Common Sense Media● Digital-Storytime.com● Horn Book● Kirkus Reviews● Little eLit (suggested uses)● School Library Journaland your personal network….

I trust librarian reviews more than other reviewers...

Walk Through Review Sources

Evaluation Communication

Pair Activity: Book App Evaluation

Read a Book App out loud to your partner

See if you can find a review for it

How might this app support Early Learning Practices?

ECRR Practices/Skills

Talk Sing Read WritePlay

Phonological AwarenessVocabularyPrint MotivationPrint AwarenessLetter KnowledgeNarrative Skills

Book Apps!

Some Good Free Apps ● Felt Board- Mother Goose on the Loose● Bean’s Baby● The Artist Who Stole Bits of the World● Grow a Reader● Amazing Xylophone● Animal Sounds- Fun Toddler Game● MOMA Color Lab● Exploratorium

Free Apps & Apps for FreeWhat’s the difference?

● Free Apps● Free with in-app purchases, ads, &

links to full versions● Free and it’s just a teaser● Free temporarily● Promo Codes

More information: How to Find Apps for Free

Where Can I Learn About Free Apps?

Felt Board

Pair Activity

Choose a Book, Song, Story or Rhyme

Make a Felt Board story!

International Children’s Digital LibraryE-Books from over 60 countries in a wide variety of languages

Access to otherwise inaccessible titles

Designed to provide books to underserved kids with limited library access

Apps that Explicitly Support Engagement

Developers Want Parents to Engage

Many app developers include tips for parents & teachers on how to use the app as a springboard for engagement, conversation, relationship building or real-world activities.

Kathy Reid-Naiman’s Together Time

Apps for Oral Storytelling?!This whole “printing press” thing will ruin our children’s ability to commit our culturally significant stories to memory!

The Traditional Storyteller

Using New Media to Record Stories

How might we use mobile devices to record and share our own stories?

Pair Activity

Choose an App to tell your own story!● 30hands● Sock Puppets

Apps to Tell Stories

Felt BoardHaiku DeckiMovieInfiniscrollKeynoteKid In StoryMy Story

Calgary Public Library: Grow a Reader

Mother Goose on the Loose App

Traditional Storytelling Tools

● Felt Boards● Puppets● Handouts● “Big Books”● Music

Handouts

● Lyrics or words posted on screen during program

● Uploaded to library’s website for access later● Benefits include: not having paper strewn

about program room, anytime access for parents to remember songs, faces pointed up to sing instead of down in their laps

“Big Books”

● Digital books can be as big as your screen allows

● Huge storytelling books; always have physical copies available for checkout if you have them

Digital Music and Audio

Devices provide easy access to a variety of music and audio perfect for storytime

Apps: iTunes, Overdrive, SoundCloud

Recorded sounds like animal calls can be paired with related animal books

Model Positive Media Behaviors

● Joint Media Engagement: Fancy words for time-tested concept “read to your bunny, and your bunny will read to you!”

● Content, Context & the Individual Child

● Age-appropriate & intentional usage

Make a Book!

Use the My Story App to tell your own story!

Not Just Book-Based Apps!

Pair Activity: App Evaluation

Read a Non-Book App out loud to your partner

See if you can find a review for it

How might this app support Early Learning Practices?