Playing computer games designed to improve cognitive functions can increase students’ test performance more than traditional methods, such as one-on-one tutoring, according to a Yale study.
All About Escape Rooms
Can you find the missing scientist? Travel back in time to ancient Egypt? Escape room games use problem-solving skills to boost curriculum—and they’re fun. Play one here.
ICivics Upgrades “Win the White House” Game
A popular, interactive, and nonpartisan game that engages kids in the electoral process has been revamped.
Steampunk, SLIME, and Game Design: Lead the Change Fast-Learning Sessions
Three rapid-fire presentations on steampunk making, organizing a regional maker expo, and digital game design wrapped up our Lead the Change Maker Workshop.
Twenty-Five Vlogs for Teens (and Teen Librarians)
Librarian and blogger Molly Wetta presents 25 notable channels and vlog series—covering categories such as gaming, beauty, and science and technology, and more—that may be of interest to teens.
The Human Connection | The Digital Shift 2015
Libraries may be going digital, but librarians still bring—and need—that personal touch. On October 14, Library Journal and School Library Journal’s virtual conference, The Digital Shift, Libraries Connecting Communities, aptly demonstrated this in a wide range of offerings throughout the day-long event.
Game Design Proves Popular at Orange County Center
Since its grand opening in February 2014, the Orange County Library System’s (OCLS) Dorothy Lumley Melrose Center for Technology, Innovation, and Creativity has offered patrons access to high-tech tools ranging from 3-D printers to flight simulators. In the past year and a half, the center, located in the library’s central branch in Orlando, FL, has become a locus of creativity within the community, helping patrons connect and collaborate with others who share their interests. Ormilla Vengersammy, Melrose Center manager and Technology and Education Department Head for OCLS, described the center’s growing video game design program as one such example.
Biodiversity Heritage Library Launches Crowdsourcing Games
The Purposeful Gaming and BHL project recently launched its first two browser-based video games, Smorball and Beanstalk. Both are designed to offer players a fun online diversion while helping the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) enable full-text searching of digitized materials. Funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which was awarded in December 2013, the project is exploring how games might be used to entice people to participate in crowdsourcing efforts at libraries and museums.