Librarians are perfectly situated to become media mentors for families seeking help navigating the digital landscape, but not all librarians are comfortable in that realm themselves—yet. Perhaps you are (or know) a children’s librarian who would like to start using apps in the library, but you’re not sure how to get started?  I have teamed up with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to create a free, self-directed online course called Digital Storytime: Kids, Apps & Libraries that is available to anyone interested in learning more about sharing apps with kids. Although the target audience is librarians, the content will be helpful to anyone wanting to know more about kids, apps and the role librarians can play in the app conversation. The course is a safe and flexible place to start exploring. Learners can learn at their own pace, bit by bit, and directly apply content to their work (e.g. talking with families about screen time or recommending a high quality app), even if they don’t have an iPad themselves.

Digital Storytime: Kids, Apps, and Libraries is a free online course produced by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

The course is set up as a game in which users travel through four different “destinations” based on the following questions:

1. Why are librarians part of the app conversation?
2. How are librarians using apps in libraries? How are they sharing apps with families?
3. Which apps are the best to recommend and how do I evaluate apps myself?
4. Where can I find new excellent apps to add to my collection?

Each of those destinations has four tasks:

1. Read something—often a blog post or online article
2. Watch something—usually a short online video
3. Explore an app, an iBook or similar resource
4. Do a practical assignment that will help you get started using apps in your library.

Once the four tasks are completed for each destination, users will be rewarded with a “souvenir” including a list of trusted app developers, sample program plans, and free printable, professionally designed media tip sheets for parents that can be distributed at your library and more.

The course is very practical and full of concrete suggestions.  If you would like to learn more about current research around kids and their new media usage, the course includes a rich list of further resources that users are encouraged to explore independently.  We hope that this course will inspire children’s librarians everywhere to make that first step towards becoming the media mentors that our community members need us to be.

Digital Storytime: Kids, Apps, and Libraries »

Carissa Christner works as a Youth Services Librarian in Madison, Wisconsin which she likes much better than her first job in high school, working at a theme park. She and her two young children love to test out new apps together, read books and go for walks in the woods. She blogs about her library adventures at http://librarymakers.blogspot.com.

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On November 14, 2016, the National STEM Video Game Challenge celebrated its fifth year with an awards ceremony and reception in Washington, DC at National Geographic for all 24 student winners and their families, as well as leading educators, game designers, and policy makers from across the country. I’ve been involved with the STEM Challenge for the past three years, and was humbled by the winning games’ quality, the caliber of the speakers the students met, and the excitement that leading innovators brought to the students’ games.

The day started with a trip to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), Founding Sponsor of the STEM Challenge. The winners were treated to an insider’s perspective on the game industry through a panel of veterans, including Emil Pagliarulo of Bethesda Studios and Mike Angst of E-Line Media. Panelists talked about their own challenges and missteps, reassuring students that early failures helped them learn to effectively iterate on their designs to create better games. Just as a player in a game keeps trying after losing a level, they encouraged the budding designers to consider themselves to be those players—learning to bounce back and try out new strategies when met with challenges.

Erik Huey of ESA speaking to the winners.

The panelists also suggested students invest in their soft skills. They told the winners that it was not enough to make a great game: you need to know how to collaborate with teams and communicate your ideas. To brush up these skills, they suggested the students playtest with as many people as possible to gather feedback and experience presenting their games. “To make a game of lasting value, you don’t need to be at the cutting edge of tech,” Emil explained to the students, “you need to be on the cutting edge of creativity.”

Riding high on the advice from the panelists, the students were then treated to a surprise guest: Ed Fries, the creator of the Xbox. After taking a few minutes to geek out, the students learned about the history of Microsoft’s involvement in the gaming industry and how Fries sees the industry evolving. Discussions of VR, AR, and player engagement took center stage as the students were encouraged to imagine possible gaming innovations. The students and adults in the room were frozen in excitement during Fries’ talk, learning about the politics and pragmatism that made modern gaming a reality.

Before long, the winners were off to National Geographic for the awards ceremony and reception where politicians, policy makers, educators, and designers spoke about the importance of game design. Michael Levine of the Cooney Center acted as MC, welcoming the dignitaries and winners to the event. He reflected on five years of the STEM Challenge and was the first to tell winners that this was the strongest batch of games yet. Michael’s sentiments were echoed by Erik Huey of the ESA and Dr. Kit Matthew of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, two of the STEM Challenge’s sponsors.

Michael then welcomed keynote speaker Ellen Lettvin, Robert Noyce Senior Fellow in Informal STEM Learning at the Department of Education. Ellen recognized that for many, games are the first step onto the STEM pipeline. They are a gateway that help you express your passions and bring learning to life. She congratulated students on their vision and reminded them that, “Discovery consists of seeing what everyone has seen but thinking what no one else has thought.”

Georgia Martinez, winner of the Scratch Middle School Category, receives her certificate.

After Ellen’s keynote, certificates were awarded to each of the STEM Challenge winners. Kathleen Scwhille, Executive Director of the National Geographic Education Foundation, presented the winners of the inaugural Nat Geo Explore category with their prizes. Schwille explained that the winners embodied the values of National Geographic with their eagerness to explore new worlds through their games. The winners were then inspired by a video from National Outreach Partner VSauce, in which they were congratulated and awarded VSauce Curiosity Boxes.

Following the award distribution, several early STEM Challenge partners reflected on their experiences with the program. Kumar Garg, Assistant Director of Learning and Innovation at the White House OSTP, was in the room when the initial STEM Challenge was delivered by President Obama. He reflected on the decisions that led to its creation and expressed excitement for the many students who had started on the STEM pipeline through gaming. Kumar reminded students that President Obama is a huge science geek and is proud of their accomplishments.

Each of the 24 winners with their awards following the ceremony.

Kumar was followed by Jen Stancil, President and CEO of the Glazer Children’s Museum in Tampa. Before her time at the Glazer Museum, Jen led some of the first workshops in Pittsburgh and produced the STEM Challenge special that aired on WQED and PBS stations nationwide. Jen explained that she was drawn to the STEM Challenge because she saw how games brings families together. “There are parents, grandparents, and caregivers that are trying to connect with [their] kids,” Jen explained. “Instead of putting a screen in the way of connecting, they’re embracing game design as a way to connect with something that a kid in their life feels is important.”

Next, Michael Levine read remarks from Kristen Burns of the Grable Foundation, two-time Regional Spotlight Sponsor. She congratulated the winners, five of whom got their start from Pittsburgh-based programming.  Kristen was followed by Susanna Pollack of Games for Change who spoke of new pathways for students interested in social impact games through the Games for Change Student Challenge. Finally, Mike Angst, CEO of E-Line Media, ended the event with a quote from great literature: Spiderman! Through games, he argued, students become superheroes. They can create one thing and have it inspire hundreds of people.

The winners exhibit their games and discuss their development process.

Following the award ceremony, it was time for the students to showcase their games. As one winner explained, getting to see what other winners made was “mad awesome!” Students excitedly swapped tips for finding playtesters and getting feedback as junior designers, trying new tools, and balancing their games. Parents could hardly keep up with their winners as they excitedly dove into new friends’ games, even scheduling virtual gaming meetups. While the event ended at 6pm, it was clear that the relationships developed over the course of the day were just getting started. 

As the Educate to Innovate initiative comes to a close, it’s clear that there’s no end to innovation in game design education in sight. We can’t wait to see what students will create next.

When we think of apps for kids, we often think of games for either entertainment or learning. But apps aren’t limited to just games or books—they can also provide important social, emotional, and physical experiences too. In Family Time With Apps, we explore how to find the best apps to fit your child’s needs, provide tips on how (and why!) to use apps together, and highlight resources to make the process of selecting apps less overwhelming, and more fun. To help you get started, here are five tips for using apps with kids to support early learning and development.

1. Play Games Together

“Learning is not so much about the transfer of information as it is the transfer of culture,” explains Jens Peter de Pedro, who is currently Play Advocate and Experience Director at Lingokids. “To that end, culture is really just the answer to ‘Who cares about what?’ Your children will care about what you care about, and later about what their friends care about. When you let yourself go into a state of pure play, where your true emotions show, that the most important kind of learning will happen, because your child will get a glimpse of your soul and be able to see what you truly care about.” Learn more about the power of collateral learning by reading A Mouse in the House and the Desire to Learn.

2. Read Together for 15 Minutes Every Day

“Research shows that becoming a reader starts long before children even enter school,” writes Teri Rousseau, President of Education at Reading Rainbow. “The younger and more frequently a child is exposed to books the better. Reading aloud to your child is an important part of their development. It builds literacy and language skills by exposing them to vocabulary they may not hear in everyday conversation. It also helps a child develop comprehension and critical thinking skills by introducing them to new concepts and broadening their view of the world.” Check out I Was Read To: I Was One of the Lucky Ones to learn more.

3. Help Children Become Content Creators

“When I talk to other parents, I often pick up a concern that tablets and apps aren’t fueling kids’ creativity in the same way that physical materials can–a notion that I politely disagree with,” explains Stuart Dredge, journalist and children’s app reviewer. “There is a fertile well of apps available for iOS and Android devices that encourage children’s creative instincts, nudging children with creativity-driven tasks or presenting them with a set of characters and environments, and leaving the plot up to them. Devices are just as good for lean-back watching as they are lean-forward playing—and they are also great for creating.” Read Using Apps to Put Creative Tools Into Young Hands for more ideas.

4. Explore the Outside World

“My kids are digital natives, and if there’s one thing my son loves as much as digging up creepy crawlies outside, it’s my iPad,” says Melina Gerosa Bellows, Chief Education Officer of the National Geographic Society. “He loves games and learning and downloading new apps without my permission (but that’s a story for another time!). There are so many great digital tools for helping kids engage with and learn about nature, and I’m a huge fan. Digital nature for digital natives is a win-win for me, because my kids can explore outside and then continue to experience it indoors.” Learn more by reading Digital Nature for Digital Natives.

5. Prepare for New Experiences

“New experiences require tons of practice for kids, and I truly believe that apps can help parents and caregivers guide kids through many major life steps,” suggests Jason Boog, author of Born Reading. “The Family Time with Apps guide outlines a crucial idea for parents: ‘New experiences like the first day of school, first plane trip or first haircut can be scary for a child. Playing a game related to the activity or creating a photo album can help children imagine, talk about, and prepare for what will happen.'” Check out Preparing for New Experiences for additional tips.

How do you use apps with family to promote learning? Share your tips in the comments.

Caleb Koo

“I’ve always been interested in crafting stories,” says Caleb Koo, a 15-year-old from Galena, Ohio. “And telling stories through a video game is very easy.” Caleb designed Conquering the Underworld, which won the Middle School Gamestar Mechanic category of the 2016 National STEM Video Game Challenge. In this “choose your own adventure”-style game, players navigate a complex underworld collecting tools, defeating enemies, and exploring new levels. “The idea of meeting a variety of characters under different circumstances appealed to me, so I chose to incorporate that,” says Caleb about the inspiration for his design.

Screenshot from Conquering the Underworld

When he’s not designing his own games, Caleb enjoys reading, writing, playing video games, and doing parkour. His favorite subject in school is math, and after high school he hopes to become a doctor or engineer. For Caleb, creativity is the driving force behind any good game design—whether that creativity is demonstrated through an innovative storyline or in unexpected gameplay mechanics. He’s also found that inspiration can strike anytime and anyplace. “Sometimes when I’m in the car or waiting in line at a restaurant, I think of new ideas,” Caleb explains. “I write them down and later insert them into my games or writing.”

Elisha Azaria

Aspiring programmer Elisha Azaria, 13, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania learned about the National STEM Video Game Challenge from his father — whose work with artificial intelligence helped to inspire Elisha’s winning game design. Created as a complex 3D game, Alien AI Abduction won the Middle School Unity category of the 2016 National STEM Video Game Challenge. In Alien AI Abduction, players run, jump, and blast evil robots as they navigate four levels of increasing difficulty.

Screenshot from Alien AI Abduction

“I started with a basic Unity3D game, and had many ideas for improvement,” says Elisha. “I implemented each of them until I got a totally different game that I liked.” Thanks to his iterative approach, Elisha was able to build out the complexity of his game over time while remaining confident that he had a playable game to fall back on. In addition to his interest in programming and game development, Elisha’s favorite subjects in school are math and robotics. His advice for other aspiring designers? “Ask for feedback—and follow it.”

Kimberly Do

Kimberly Do, 16, has a deep fascination with outer space. An avid member of her school’s NASA Student Astronaut Challenge team, the Plant City, Florida native used cosmological interest to inspire her game design, Escape Velocity, winner of the High School Game Design Document category of the 2016 National STEM Video Game Challenge. Kimberly learned about the STEM Challenge when she participated in a workshop at the Glazer Children’s Museum, and was excited to combine her love of art and coding in order to create her game design. In Escape Velocity, players learn about the physics behind orbital trajectories and explore space as they attempt to rescue a lost shuttle crew.

Screenshot from Escape Velocity

“The most valuable lesson I learned while creating this game was to always persevere,” says Kimberly. “I worked hard to complete all of my self-created deadlines, going through ten drafts and countless artistic edits in order to complete my vision for Escape Velocity.” When she’s not designing games, Kimberly enjoys illustrating and making digital art, in addition to listening to music, crocheting, reading, and cooking. After high school, she plans to study computer science, and is interested in working in UX as a product designer. Kimberly encourages other aspiring designers to follow their passion and always persevere.

Ronan Bokarski

When 12-year-old Ronan Boyarski first started playing Minecraft, he quickly became curious about how video games were designed. The Locust Grove, Virginia-based student started investigating the process using Scratch before taking classes in Minecraft Modding, app making, and programming in C and Swift. His latest game design, Hungry Black Hole, won the Middle School Open Platform category of the 2016 National STEM Video Game Challenge. In Hungry Black Hole, players navigate a maze feeding stars into a black hole and avoiding penalties. “It was initially a game about shapes,” Ronan explains. “But I kept changing what I didn’t like—it eventually ended up very different!”

Screenshot from Hungry Black Hole

Ronan’s favorite subject in school is inquiry-based physics, and his favorite games include Munchkin, Destiny, Minecraft, and Dungeons and Dragons. “I also like to design apps, modify Nerf guns, read, do Taekwondo, play piano, hike, listen to Hamilton, and play video games,” Ronan says. He plans to major in computer science and minor in drama in college, ultimately becoming a video game designer. “Don’t get married to your first idea,” Ronan cautions aspiring designers. “Work hard, be creative, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”

Lucas Armand and Shrey Pandya

When Shrey Pandya, 13, of Exton, Pennsylvania and Lucas Armand, 14, of Malvern, Pennsylvania set out to create their own fast-paced first person shooter game, they were determined to come up with a concept that was educational, nonviolent, and engaging for young players. The result, Outbreak: Cellular Warfare, is an exciting adventure in which you take on the role of an immunity cell, combating pathogens within your host in order to keep them healthy. “The immune system provided a very interesting base to make fun game mechanics,” says Lucas. The boys decided to team up when they heard about the 2016 National STEM Video Game Challenge from a teacher, and their thoughtful collaboration led to Outbreak: Cellular Warfare, winner of the Nat Geo Explore Playable Game Middle School category.

Screenshot from Outbreak: Cellular Warfare

Shrey’s interest in game design goes all the way back to second grade, when he found GameMaker during an online search, followed tutorials, and created his first game, Hunt for Gold. When he’s not designing and playing video games, he enjoys other types of programming projects and riding his bike with friends. He hopes to study computer science and business in college, and aspires to work at Google or start a tech company of his own.

Lucas shares Shrey’s early roots in game design, and started learning GameMaker in third grade. “Over the course of the next three years, I began to learn C++ and C#,” Lucas says, “As well as little bits of other programming languages, the Unity engine, and the Blender 3D modeling software.” When he’s not designing and playing games, Lucas enjoys boating and spending time with friends. He’s interested in studying science or computer science when he’s older.

Throughout the design process, Lucas and Shrey learned a lot about game development—and how to work on a team effectively. “There will always be problems [with your designs], but you have to learn to overcome them,” says Shrey. For Lucas, identifying his own strengths and weaknesses was an important part of the process. “When we needed to branch out and working on several different things at once, I learned that I was good at making 3D models and creating AI, while Shrey was good at working on the networking and multiplayer,” he explains, “This division of power helped us make our game the best it could possibly be.”

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Zane Godil

Zane Godil, age 12, learned about the National STEM Video Game Challenge from friends in his community of Beaverton, Oregon who had entered in previous years. “It was interesting and exciting to see what they’d come up with and hear about their experiences,” Zane says. With a little encouragement from his mom, Zane was empowered to create Deep Space Mayhem, winner of the Middle School GameMaker category in the 2016 National STEM Video Game Challenge. In Deep Space Mayhem, players use a variety of weapons to fight off invaders in an outer space setting.

Screenshot from Deep Space Mayhem

“There were times when it was challenging or frustrating,” says Zane in regards to the game development process. “But I learned how to be persistent, keep going, and have patience.” When he’s not developing his own designs, Zane enjoys playing sports-related video games like NBA 2K16 and FIFA 16. In the future, he aspires to be a software engineer or a lawyer. “But I’m not sure yet,” says Zane. He encourages other aspiring designers to take the iterative process of game design in stride. “Never give up and always keep trying,” Zane recommends.

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Puja Chopade

For 10-year-old Puja Chopade of Madison, Alabama, major world problems like global warming served as inspiration for her video game design. Puja’s original game, Save the World!, won the Middle School Game Design Document category of the 2016 National STEM Video Game Challenge. In Save the World!, players learn about ecological problems around the world, and suggest possible solutions in order to earn points. As points are collected, the player is able to grow a variety of animals through different stages of development, unlocking additional organisms along the way.

Screenshot from Save the World

Puja’s interest in creating video games stems from an introduction to Code.org from a teacher back in 2014. When she’s not creating games of her own, Puja enjoys reading, playing chess, and doing math. “When you think you have done your best, make it better,” Puja suggests to aspiring designers, advice largely informed by the popular chess adage, “When you find a good move, look for a better one.” In the future, Puja hopes to apply her love of mathematics as an engineer.

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