April 27, 2024

The Educational Potential of Augmented Reality

Consider this your cheat sheet to augmented reality. There’s so much more than Pokémon Go.

Test-Driving Google Arts & Culture | SLJ Review

Google Arts & Culture offers virtual tours and a wealth of multimedia content related to art and museum and historic locations around the world. Carli Spina reviews the learning potential.

Screen Gems: High-Quality Picture Ebooks and Apps for Tots

Advice on making smart app and ebook choices for the under-five set.

SLJ Reviews Sphero’s New Robot, SPRK+

An upgrade of the popular robotic sphere, SPRK+ sports a tougher, transparent shell and other features, all toward making STEAM learning fun.

VR, Whole Libraries in a Contact Lens: ISTE 2016 Top Takeaways

Nearly 20,000 attendees convened in Denver for a notably robust ISTE 2016. From virtual reality to the new open resources platform Amazon Inspire, SLJ taps the highlights.

How To Talk Code | Digital Literacy

Last summer, Bloomberg BusinessWeek devoted an entire issue to “What Is Code?” a single article by Brooklyn-based writer and programmer Paul Ford. Ford’s breakdown of key concepts pulls back the curtain on the fundamentals of computer programming and makes a compelling argument that any smart person can learn the basics—and that the basics are worth learning even for those who aren’t planning to become professional coders. It is, in part, a case for coding as a new frontier in digital literacy. There’s a growing interest in this type of education among kids, teens, businesspeople, career changers, and the generally curious. And a growing number of public libraries are already responding to this need within their communities. Here’s a look at ways in which a few libraries have made their programs a success.

On Demand | Academic Media

Whether the topic of discussion is electronic resources, collection development policies, or patron-driven acquisition, academic librarians have a history of giving media and video short shrift, argues deg farrelly, media librarian and streaming video administrator for Arizona State University Libraries (ASU).

Work Smarter Through “Extreme Listening” | SLJ Summit 2015

CEO of Caravan Studios Marnie Webb unpacked design thinking in her SLJ Summit keynote, providing a model for developing projects, from idea to prototype, through deep, empathetic listening.

“Hatch” Library Maker Space in a Mall Draws DIYers, Students, and Entrepreneurs

No library card is required to use the tools at the Hatch maker space, located near Dunkin’ Donuts in a mall in Watertown, MA, and launched by the Watertown Free Public Library with diverse community funding.

Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden” on the iPad | Touch and Go

Our reviewer Pam Schembri cites the performers’ commentary as one of the strengths of this production, and calls it “a treasure for both professionals, students of music, and dabblers.”