ikids: adding tablets and apps to your programs for young children

iKidsAdding Tablets and Apps to Your Programs for Young Children

Lisa MulvennaClinton-Macomb Public Library

Michigan Library Association Spring InstituteMarch 27-28, 2014

Why I Need to Know About Tablets

Why should libraries use apps? Your customers want apps!* They are cost effective. The technology is available to everyone,

regardless of their income or special needs.

Customers can test the apps before buying.

*”Libraries in the Digital Age” by Pew Research Center. January 22, 2013.http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2013/01/22/part-4-what-people-want-from-their-libraries/

Kids apps are important! The number of children reading digitally

has doubled over the past 2 years-a faster pace than seen with adults.

75% of parents surveyed reported that they want help finding apps and ebooks for their children.

“Kids and Family Reading Report, 4th Edition” by Scholastic 2013http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/kfrr

Should we be using tablets with young children?The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning recommend:

Avoid “passive” screen time with young children.  Instead use shared tech time as an interactive experience between caregiver and child.

The report highly recommends the use of “interactive media” that encourages creativity in children.

Access to technology for children at day cares, schools and libraries is an important key in improving their digital literacy.

Limits should be in place for children of all ages, and special considerations are given in working with infants and toddlers.

Appropriate Uses of Technology with Children from Birth through Age 8 from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning.  Position Statement, adopted January, 2012http://www.naeyc.org/content/technology-and-young-children

Tablets and Common Core Many states are planning online testing

for the 2014-2015 school year. Reading online is a skill, similar to

reading fiction or nonfiction books. It needs to be practiced.

Libraries who use tablets in their programs or as mounted stations are giving their users a chance to build their online skills.

iPad vs. Android-Which should I get?

Google (Android)

Apple

Number of users (in millions)

900 600

Number of apps (in thousands)

800 1250

Number of developers (in thousands)

150 235

Number of downloads (in billions)

48 50

Paid to developers (in millions)

900 5000“How Much Do Average Apps Make?” by Tristan Louis. Forbes. August 10, 2013.http://www.forbes.com/sites/tristanlouis/2013/08/10/how-much-do-average-apps-make/

Check out your schools Are your schools using tablets in the

classroom? Which are they using? Are there plans to add tablets for in-

school use?

According to School Library Journal’s 2013 Technology Survey (November 2013 issue), 34% of the respondents have tablets in the schools. Another 11% plan to add them over the next year.

Of the 155 million iPads sold since the beginning, 10 million (or 6%) were in the schools as of June 2013.*

*“The iPad Goes to School” by Devin Leonard. Bloomberg Business Week. October 24, 2013.http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-24/the-ipad-goes-to-school-the-rise-of-educational-tablets

All About AppsWhat to look for and where to go to find them

What makes a good app? Interactivity-it’s no fun to stare at a

screen that does nothing.

If it is a digital book, I make sure that it translates well from paper to digital. Some are done okay and some have bells and whistles. (Sandra Boynton’s books are a good example of bells and whistles.)

Can it make my life easier while adding something special to a program? For example, Felt Board allows you to set up a flannelboard rhyme rather quickly. I compare that with the time it would take me to buy felt and cut out shapes.

Can it provide some sort of story time extension? My new favorite example is I Hear Ewe.

I know nothing about apps. Where should I go next? Just like books and media, apps have

reviews. They are a great resource, especially if you are just starting out or looking for something new.

Similar to book publishers, apps have developers. After awhile, you know that an app will be good based on who created it.

Children’s Technology Review

Common Sense Media

Digital Storytime

The Horn Book

Kirkus

Little eLit

Parent’s Choice

Publisher’s Weekly

School Library Journal

App DevelopersWhile there are more, these are the ones that I use the most: Duck Duck Moose Loud Crow Interactive Night & Day Studios Nosy Crow Oceanhouse Media Software Smoothie Toca Boca

Adding Apps to Story TimeHow & why to add them, plus great apps to add

When adding apps to your line-up, consider: Intention-why are you adding it?

To be trendy? Because your director wants you to? Customers want them? Because it can add something different? They can do something that I can’t?

Logistics I can use a single iPad in front of a group

of about 10-15 kids. If I have more than 15 kids, I use an

Apple TV so everybody can see.

Apple TV HDTV with HDMI port

HDMI Cable

Your other option is to hook your iPad up to a projector.

Projector VGA Adaptor

Screen

How to acquire apps In order to purchase apps from Apple’s

App Store, you need an iTunes account. Legally you are allowed to transfer 1

app to 10 devices with the same Apple ID for one purchase price. This can work for anything in the Apple family, including iPhones, iPads, and iPods.

If you have more than 10 devices, use Apple’s Volume Purchasing Program.

My Favorite Apps for Story Time

The Going to Bed BookThis is a digital book app that translates well to a tablet. Here’s why: You can read or the narrator can read the

story. Words are highlighted as they are read (or

at a reading pace if you are reading aloud). This is great for early literacy!

Almost every illustration does something special. You can read this app many times and find new things every time.

Available on iTunes and Google Play.Created by Loud Crow Interactive.

I Hear Ewe Pairs well with animal noise stories, such as

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? There’s also a screen of vehicle noises so

you could pair it with almost any transportation story time.

Available on iTunes.Created by Clairware Software.

Go Away, Big Green Monster! While you can read the story yourself,

you can also sing it or read along with Ed Emberley.

The monster’s face is interactive. The arrows for turning pages (arrows in

bottom right corner) and getting back to the home screen (home button in top left corner) are some of the easiest that I have seen. This makes this a great app for beginners.

Available on iTunes and Google Play.Created by Night & Day Studios.

Felt Board You can preset your board to have all of

the pieces on the screen, especially if you have kids who like to take them all off.

Works well with “count down” rhymes where you take something away.

Saves time-you don’t have to cut out all of the pieces!

Five Little Monkeys Five Big Boats

5 Little Snowflakes Mary Wore a Red Dress

Available on iTunes.Created by Software Smoothie.

Felt Board-Mother Goose on the Loose Supports the MGOTL program. Great for putting together nursery

rhymes.

Available on iTunes.Created by Software Smoothie.

Peekaboo Vehicles HD Just like the name implies, you are

playing peekaboo with the vehicles. This makes this a fun guessing game in between stories.

Early literacy-You hear the noise of the vehicle, see its name spelled out, and hear the word pronounced.

Available on iTunes and Google Play.Created by Touch & Learn.

If you like this app, there is also Peekaboo Forest, Peekaboo Farm, Peekaboo People, Peekaboo Zoo, Peekaboo Trick or Treat, and Peekaboo Sesame Street.

My A-Z This flashcard app matches letters to pictures.

This is a great way to reinforce early literacy skills.

For extra fun, you can add your own pictures and change the text. Below is a train in the CMPL Children’s Department.

Available on iTunes.Created by Night & Day Studios.

Fingerpaint with Sounds Do you introduce a “Letter of the Day” in story

time? If so, then this app is a great addition to your program. Instead of just seeing the shape of a letter (like with a magnet), kids can watch the letter formation as your finger moves.

For children with special needs, this app is a good introduction to using a touch screen. Wherever you touch, paint appears.

Available on iTunes and Google Play.Created by Inclusive Technology Ltd.

Alphabeasties While there are a lot of great early lit

games with this app, I use the “Learn” function.

In “Learn”, you see the letter and hear the letter. When you go to the next screen, you see and hear the name of an animal that begins with that letter.

Available on iTunes.Created by CJ Educations.

Sock Puppets This is a fun and different way to

present songs and rhymes. You can also use it to introduce a letter of the day.

Create your own sock puppet characters and record what you want them to say.

Available on iTunes.Created by Smith Microsoftware Inc.

Trains by Byron Barton Words are highlighted as they are read. As you touch different parts of the

illustrations, the words for those appear and are said.

Available on iTunes.Created by Oceanhouse Media.

Itsy Bitsy Spider HD The pictures drive the song. For

example, when you touch the spider, it sends him up the water spout. The song then waits until you touch the rain and wash the spider out.

Available on iTunes.Created by Duck Duck Moose.

Endless Alphabet Choose a word or letter that will fit with

your story time theme. Match the letters to the letter shapes to spell the word.

Letter names are said as they are matched.

You are then given a short example illustrating the picture, followed by a definition.

Available on iTunes and Google Play.Created by Originator Inc.

Spell “cooperate” by moving letters to the matching spaces.

The two animals show how they cooperate to lift the purple block.

Make a Scene Farmyard It works just like a flannelboard-you move your

“stickers” around to make a scene.

I like this one for singing Old MacDonald Had a Farm, but you could also use it for any “5 Little” rhymes.

Saves time-you don’t have to cut out all of the pieces!

Available on iTunes.Created by Innivo Ltd.

Nursery Rhymes with Storytime Can use narration or say the rhyme

yourself. Words appear on the screen-good for

early literacy. Pictures match the words.

Available on iTunes.Created by ustwo.

Dr. Seuss’s ABC If you have the story narrated, the text is

highlighted as the story is read. This is great for early literacy.

For more fun, you can touch illustrations and the reader says their name, while text is displayed. For example, if you touch a bubble, you will hear “bubble” while you see the letters “bubble” floating across the page.

Available on iTunes and Google Play.Created by Oceanhouse Media.

Touch & Say Screen illustrates the concept. My

favorite ways to use this are with colors and feelings with the volume turned down.

Great app for special needs.

Available on iTunes.Created by Interbots.

sad orange

Tablet TalesA totally iPad-based program @ CMPL

How this works Register 12 kids for program. We have

a set of 15 iPads for programs. Ours is for ages 2-4 as that is where the

demand is. Your library may be different.

Preload apps on all devices. Create handout for parents. I include

apps used and recommended apps on the same topic.

The actual program Introduction-Demonstrate:

The volume and home buttons How to open and close apps How to swipe (if you are using book apps)

Book App-Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton

Felt Board song-BINGO

Book App-Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr. Seuss

Old MacDonald by Duck Duck Moose

Explore Time I show off the other apps for the

program. I once again show how to change the

volume and where the Home button is if they get stuck.

I encourage the kids to explore. This portion usually takes 10-15 minutes

before kids lose their attention span. I have had it go 45. Know your time limits.

Peekaboo Barn by Night & Day Studios

Make a Scene Farmyard by Innivo

PromotionHow to inform the public about great apps

Curated apps on web site

How we do ours Apps are being constantly tested. About once a month, I send a new list

with descriptions to our web team to add to our site.

We split ours into two age groups-2-5 and 6-12. So far we haven’t had requests for teen or adult, but the possibility is there.

We use Quixey.com to link the apps since there tend to be multiple platforms.

Questions? Contact me at lmulvenna@cmpl.org. Follow my blog at

www.lisaslibraryland.blogspot.com. Follow me on Twitter @lmulvenna.