February 17, 2013

Make-your-own-ebooks platform: Aerbook Maker

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SLJ columnist Jeff Hastings test drives Aerbook Maker, a new platform for creating your very own tablet-ready graphical ebooks.

Brain Hive Goes Live: On-Demand Ebook Service Rolls Out to K–12 Schools

Brain Hive Goes Live: On-Demand Ebook Service Rolls Out to K–12 Schools

Pay-as-you-go ebook service BrainHive is now available to schools. Titles offered include a range of fiction and nonfiction from publishers including Random House, Charlesbridge, Lee & Low, and Lerner. Carolyn Foote, district librarian, Eanes ISD in Austin, TX, calls it an “out-of-the box and creative pricing model that sets a new standard.”

Teens 2012: Truth, Trends, and Myths About Teen Online Behavior

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Wondering if your perceptions of teen online behavior are correct? Have boys really started texting more? Does it seem like most 13 year olds are already engaged in online social networking? Get the answers to these questions and more from this terrific Slideshare summary of “Truth, Trends, and Myths About Teen Online Behavior,” the latest teen-focused study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, sponsored by the Pew Research Center.

Kno Launches K–12 E-Textbooks, Geared Toward Parents, Home Use

Kno Launches K–12 E-Textbooks, Geared Toward Parents, Home Use

Education software outfit Kno has partnering with publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to offer interactive textbooks for K–12 students. The digital titles, which align with Common Core subjects, are available for $9.99 or less for a one-year rental.

Summertime and the Reading Is Easy: Kick back with a good ebook app or two

Summertime and the Reading Is Easy: Kick back with a good ebook app or two

Handy tools for reading and ebook discovery that you can enjoy using yourself and perhaps put them to use with students in the classroom or library.

Best of Apps & Enhanced Books: July 2012

Best of Apps & Enhanced Books: July 2012

Two exquisitely photographed resources documenting the natural world and a digital rendition of that charming creation by Herv√© Tullet are SLJ’s top apps if the month.

Ebook toolkit: Storia

Ebook toolkit: Storia

You might want to check out Storia, says SLJ columnist Jeff Hastings. Scholastic’s slick and promising ereader platform is in soft launch, and they’re preparing to go big with it this fall.

Librarians, School and Public, Tap the Best in Kids’ Apps | ALA Annual 2012

Librarians, School and Public, Tap the Best in Kids’ Apps | ALA Annual 2012

Talking apps at ALA: Gretchen Caserotti, Amy Graves, Travis Jonker, and John Schumacher hosted a session on using apps with kids in the context of library services, both in public libraries and schools.

Kindle for iPad Now Supports Children’s Books, Graphic Novels

Amazon’s iPad and Cloud Reader apps now support more than 1,000 children’s books, comic books, and graphic novels in full color. Titles include Ian Falconer’s Olivia (Atheneum, 2000), Donald Crews’s Freight Train (Greenwillow, 1993), the popular “Sesame Street” and “Curious George” series, Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman” series, and comics featuring DC superheroes such as Batman, [...]

Fledgling Publisher Budding Reader Distributes Ebooks—Free of Charge

In an unlikely value proposition for a publisher, the fledgling ebook shop Budding Reader strives to give away as many ebooks as possible.

Ebook toolkit: Mackin VIA

SLJ’s Jeff Hastings test drives the integrated ebook/database platform Mackin VIA.

Every Platform Tells a Story: Transmedia has the power to make any topic more vivid and personal

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Transmedia isn’t just a new buzzword that belongs to academics or high-priced media consultants. It’s an approach to storytelling that boasts a range of potential curricular applications that applies to literacy and the content areas.

ETots: a Public Library iPad Program for Preschoolers

Children’s services librarian Cindy Wall documents what she learned in presenting an iPad program for her youngest users —one and two year olds.

Print Books, Basic Ebooks may Top Enhanced Ebooks at Fostering Literacy, Says Study

While enhanced ebooks engage young children with their interactive elements, print or basic ebooks may be more effective for encouraging literacy.

SLJ’s App Review: Best of Apps & Enhanced Books (May 2012)

Bats, a haiku collection, and a stunning atlas that takes full advantage of the iPad’s interactive features are the apps of the month as reviewed on SLJ’s Touch and Go blog.

Ebook toolkit: Cool Tools for Multimedia Publishing

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When it comes to creating media-rich publications, iBooks Author is just one of many great options.

Happi Papi Helps Educators Discover Apps

A program created by a consortium of developers to distribute apps free of charge is gaining traction with educators and app shops alike.

The Library as Genius Bar: In Mercy High’s iPad program, librarian Linda Behen offers tech support and more

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When the class of 2016 enters Mother of Mercy High School this fall, each of the 135 freshmen will receive a new iPad. That’s part of the school’s mission: to help students access the technology best suited to their needs, according to Linda Behen, the school’s library media specialist.

Best of Apps & Enhanced Books: May 2012

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Reviews in this column first appeared in SLJ’s blog Touch and Go. After each review, you’ll find the date it appeared online. Online, there are links to related resources, a trailer (if one exists), and a “purchase” button. Please note that later versions of some of these titles may now be available. Visit Touch and Go at slj.com for additional reviews, commentary, and interviews with people in the field.—Daryl Grabarek