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An SLJ reader’s daughter peruses our Early Learning-focused July issue, which featured the iconic Sesame Street character, Big Bird, on the cover.

From the librarian: “Thank you so much for the article on Sesame Street and mobile devices in SLJ’s July 2013 issue. My two-year-old was just as excited about receiving SLJ this month as her mommy was! We’ll make her a librarian yet!”

Early learning programs at Brooklyn Public Library.
All photos ©Philip Greenberg/Courtesy of Brooklyn Public Library.

How can we make smarter babies?  These days there seem to be brain building claims on almost every baby product. While many of these claims have been validated by research, what does the research say about educational apps for babies?  Earlier this week, the Campaign for a Commercial Free-Childhood (CCFC) filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission stating that there is no rigorous research to support Fisher-Price’s claim that their “Laugh & Learn,” apps  support language development and conceptual learning in babies. Is this Jean Piaget’s “American Question” for the 21st Century?

When Piaget, the renowned Swiss child psychologist, spoke to American audiences, he was often asked the same question: “What can we do to make children develop faster?”  Piaget’s answer: “Why would you want to do that?” He didn’t think that pushing kids to reach milestones before they were ready was possible or desirable. But this inquiry, often called the “American Question,” seems to continue to haunt the shelves of the baby aisle.

Back in 2000, when I first started working with a special early childhood collection at a public library, parents often requested the Your Baby Can Read kit. They seemed to be very excited about these flashcards, DVDs, and books that could “teach their babies to read” and get their child ahead. I was always tempted to respond with Piaget’s reply, but I held my judgment in check and encouraged them to read to their babies instead. The product has since been publicly discredited by the CCFC, but you can still find the kit online.

Fast forward to 2013. In Brooklyn, parents participating in an Every Child Ready to Read workshop asked the librarian leading it for some early literacy app recommendations. Apps for babies abound, such as “Baby Learning Card” or the aforementioned Fisher-Price “Laugh & Learn” apps (with 2.8 million downloads). Interestingly enough, the same watch-dog group that helped discredit the claims of the “Baby Einstein” DVDs and the Your Baby Can Read kit—the CCFC—is now questioning the educational claims of these very popular apps.

Are parents getting apps for their babies because they want their child to get ahead, learn letters, colors, shapes, and numbers? As a parent of a young child, I get it. There is always the feeling that you’re not doing enough as parent. Is my son getting enough breast milk? Do I read to him enough?  Do I play and talk with him enough? Parents use apps to keep track of feeding times and get baby care advice, why not get the hottest new tool to help baby learn? But is this the road we should be taking? Are learning apps right for babies?

Many, particularly the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), would say no. It recommends avoiding screens before the age of two years. The AAP made this suggestion based on the troubling results of research on passive television viewing and background television. While more research needs to be done on interactive screens, there’s no hard evidence that young children can learn much from a screen before the age of two.

I’ve heard parents say they would never let their baby look at TV or use an app. Some parents even baby-proof the house by getting rid of the TV. Avoiding screens completely is not very realistic in our screen-saturated world. If a baby is getting a rich diet of language and play with parents and caregivers, a little screen time distraction so mom can squeeze in a shower is not going to melt a baby’s brain.

Educational apps, videos, and flashcards, however well-meaning, do not take into account how babies learn. Babies learn through interaction, touching, feeling, grabbing, moving, and doing the same thing over and over again. A baby may drop a spoon out of the high chair repeatedly. However annoying this is to mom, he is learning how gravity works, what sound metal makes when it hits the floor, and may even be conducting a social science experiment (is mom going to pick it up again?). Babies learn through interactions with loving and trusted caregivers. When a baby points to a balloon and says “bah!” and dad gets excited because she has said a new word, she is going to repeat this trick again and again to please dad. Very young minds need a thoughtful, feeling person to help them make connections, encourage exploration, and adapt to their needs. These are all things apps and screens just can’t do.

So what is the librarian’s response when parents ask for “Baby Einstein” DVDs or app recommendations for babies?  Should we quote the APA guidelines and give parents the librarian evil eye for putting their little ones in front of screens? My first suggestion is don’t judge. Apps and videos have their place. I know one family that uses YouTube videos of trains to get their son through his nebulizer asthma treatments with fewer tears. Also, I would make sure parents are informed. Let them know that babies learn through play. Encourage them to come to library programs that model fun activities they can try at home. Show them where the board books are located. I think it is fine to recommend a few quality apps or videos, maybe even ones based on picture books, and encourage parents to play with apps and view videos with their babies and talk together about what is on the screen.

It looks like the “American Question” will always be with us, but librarians can be part of the answer. Our programs help parents connect the dots between learning and play. We model simple and free activities that stimulate early literacy development. Learning is a process and it happens for everyone at its own pace. Babies, with the help of parents, caregivers, educators, and librarians, are building learning one block, one book, one word, and one song at a time.
Highly interactive board books that are more fun than apps

• Bizzy Bear: Fire Rescue! illustrated by Benji Davies. Candlewick/Nosy Crow. 2013.
• The Finger Circus Game by Hervé Tullet. illustrated by author. Phaidon Pr. 2013.
• Peekaboo! by Taro Gomi. Chronicle. 2013. 
• Who’s Hiding? by Sebastien Braun. Candlewick. 2013.
• You Are My Baby: Safari by Lorena Siminovich. Chronicle. 2013. 

What child can resist a book or app about animals? Incorporating vocabulary-rich texts and gentle environmental lessons, these apps will also find favor with teachers and parents. In a reverse publishing trend, A Troop Is a Group of Monkeys is scheduled for print publication in the fall of 2013.

Pastel watercolor art invites viewers into Julie Hedlund’s A Shiver of Sharks and its companion, A Troop is a Group of Monkeys (Little Bahalia Publishing; PreS-Gr 3). From descriptions of a flamboyance of flamingos to a caravan of camels, the apps are designed to teach collective nouns. In both productions illustrations by Pamela Baron, jaunty music by Tim McCanna, and a variety of background sounds enliven the rhyming texts.

“Read to me” and “Read by myself” options are available with the music on or off. McCanna’s clear narration and enuciation of what may be unfamiliar terms for children will have them conversing with ease about about an ostentation (of peacocks) and an escargatoire (of snails). Each animal is animated and responds with text-based actions when touched. For example, in Shiver,  “A screech of gulls snatches” picnic foods and “A bale of sea turtles lays eggs on the shore.” In Troop, the surfeit of skunks is sure to please the app’s audience with their “stinky, foul fumes” and accompanying sounds. Story progression and some sound effects require a swipe of the screen. Navigation and page selection is available from a tab accessible on each page.

Children are encouraged to “help keep the ocean clean” in Shiver by dragging detritus into a garbage pail on the final page. In both apps, reading strategies and discussion questions can be found behind the “Parents & Teachers” tabs on the title screens. Strategies and questions are included for each animal group, and a lists of the Common Core standards and Bloom’s Taxonomy  objectives addressed are provided.

Both apps feature delightful, interactive pages and Baron’s frame-worthy illustrations are a delight. Children will enjoy finding a fish in a pelican’s mouth and helping a sleuth of bears scatter bees near a hive. Vocabulary-rich texts (“scuttles,” “pandemonium,” “plucks,” “vibrant,” “ambushes,” “scours,” “retracts”); quality illustrations; lively tunes; and an environmental message, should make these popular choices inside and outside the classroom. A trailer for Troop is available.—Morgan Doane, Kent District Library, East Grand Rapids, MI

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Touch Press/Deutsche Grammophon. 2013. iOS, requires 6.0 for the Free (Lite) or iPad $13.99 versions 1.0.1. Compatible with the iPhone 4 or above, optimized for iPhone 5. $7.99.
Gr 7 Up−When considering Beethoven’s 9th Symphony you’ll be tempted to go for the free app, but don’t do it; it’s the best kind of worst tease. Instead, purchase the full version, but you’ll need to decide: iPhone or iPad app? Don’t skimp. The phone app has all the music of the iPad app, but lacks the commentaries of the experts. Your last consideration will be the listening options; the app states, “BEST WITH HEADPHONES.” Trust me, it is.

The production’s home page streams the “Ode to Joy,” and although you sense you will be humming it all night, don’t resist. Once you begin to explore the symphony, you won’t be able to stop. There are four performances each with a different conductor: Ferenc Fricsay, Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein, and Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Each concert piece can be listened to while reading either the full synchronized score or a replica of Beethoven’s handwritten score (amazing), or watching an electric pin-light version that lights up the corresponding parts of the orchestral seating chart as various instruments come in and out. Bernstein’s performance also includes a video of the maestro conducting the symphony with the Wiener Philharmoniker in 1979.

During all the pieces, a phrase-by-phrase analysis by David Owen Norris explains the music in an endearing, informal manner. For example, midway through the first movement he writes, “Those opening sparks of rhythm have caught fire, and in their light we can see we’re back at the beginning….” Norris also contributed the historical analysis that offers background on Beethoven’s life, including his descent into deafness and the genesis of the Ninth Symphony.

Finally (and really, this shouldn’t come last), there are the “Insights” by some of the world’s finest musicians and scholars. Don’t skip this section. Start with Suzy Klein, who makes the Ninth Symphony accessible and drops in some humor along the way. Conductor Gustavo Dudamel helps explain Beethoven’s status as a universal symbol of music, and pianist Alice Sara Ott shares why the “Ode to Joy” is the basis of hope, optimism, and human rights, and discusses why music is a unique language that can unite people with idealism. Without hesitation, an app for all collections.−Pamela Schembri, Newburgh Enlarged City Schools, NY

Over in the Jungle. Marianne Berkes. Dawn Publications. 2013/2012. illus. by Jeanette Canyon. iOS, requires 4.2 or later; $4.99. iBooks, 1.3 or later. $6.99.
PreS-K−Sung to the tune of the classic children’s counting song, this app, based on Berkes’s picture book of the same title (2007), is sure to become a favorite of the preschool crowd. In addition to the rainforest setting, this version features outstanding design, vibrant art, realistic sound effects, a supplemental nonfiction text, and a challenging game.

Each page of the rhyming text introduces a jungle animal and a number of offspring from one to ten. Ocelots, honey bears, howler monkeys, leaf cutter ants, and other rainforest animals make an appearance, offering children an opportunity to learn about creatures they may not have encountered before. Taps, swipes, and jiggles to the screen trigger movements and/or additional sound effects.Users can choose to read the story themselves, have it read to them, or listen to it sung. As the words are voiced, the text is highlighted. Those choosing to listen to the song will be treated to the catchy tune that retains the narration’s expressiveness. A touch to the arrow that appears on every page will allow children to hear the text (or song) repeated.

At the end of the story, viewers are invited to find the 55 offspring depicted populating one final, colorful jungle scene. An icon in the shape of a leaf brings users to a menu page from which they can access animal facts and photos; author, illustrator, and publisher information; and other apps by the developer.Over in the Jungle is a feast for the senses. From the authentic background sounds to the deftly crafted polymer clay animals of the images, each page is a delight. This app is perfect for sharing one-on-one or in a storyhour.−Cindy Wall, Southington Library, CT

Interior screen from ‘National Geographic Birds: Field Guide to North America’

No longer must fledgling birders juggle a field guide, a journal, and a pen—all they need to do is download the National Geographic Birds: Field Guide to North America (National Geographic/IXONOS $9.99; Gr 4 Up) onto an iPad or iPhone, and voilà, they’re ready to go. The app, like the print version of the guide (2006; Jon L. Dunn and Jonathan Alderfer, eds.), offers an overview of species on our continent (995 here), their appearance and behavior, as well as labeled color images and habitat and range maps. Giving each animal a voice is one of the features listeners are sure to sing about. They’ll be able to hear the caterwauling of a pair of Barred Owls, the warble of a Hermit Thrush, and the laugh of a Marbled Godwit, among hundreds of other sounds and songs.

When opening the app for the first time, a quick tutorial appears, offering readers everything they need to know to get started. On the trail, users can sort the creatures by name, family, taxonomy, color, size, habitat, month, region, and abundance. Once a bird is spotted and identified, the journal feature allows users to document the sighting, automatically identifying the location, time, date, and weather. Users have the option to add notes and/or a photo and share the event. They can also create their own lists of feathered animals to remember or can follow one of National Geographic’s lists, such as the “Birder’s Wish List” or “Favorite Backyard Birds.”

There are quizzes of various levels to take, more than two dozen up-to-date news articles about various species to read, and a toolkit that includes a glossary, information on gear and “birding ethics,” and 16 short videos. Whether visiting a park, forest, meadow, the shore, or just sitting in their backyard watching winged wildlife, viewers are sure to appreciate this extraordinary guide.—Elizabeth Kahn, Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy, Jefferson, LA

As of next week I have exactly one month before I have to return to school. Once I get past the beginning of the year things, one of my major tasks is organizing a meaningful library orientation for my almost 300 incoming 9th grade students.

No matter what level of the school library you work in, developing or improving how to introduce your library and the resources you provide to incoming students is an important task.

I’m sorry to admit that I don’t think we have ever done this very well at my school. We don’t have a set schedule of visits for incoming students to visit the library for face-to-face training, and we are only a brief stop on the guided tour on opening day. So, we have been looking for tools that would change this.

Enter the Aurasma app, an augmented reality tool which allows you to overlay images and videos as your student’s tablet or smart phone scans an area. Aurasma allows you to select a “trigger” image like your circulation desk, library stacks, or even a photo, and then magic happens! As students scan an area you have set up your library with a device, an “aura” will appear.  An overlay is revealed on top of what the phone/tablet is scanning. The cool part is that the layer can be an animation, a video, or even a URL. It can be a very Harry Potterlike experience—scanning a poster or bulletin board can give the impression that the images themselves are coming to life!

In my “bring-your-own-device” school district, I can see tremendous use for this. We have an iPad that we can loan to students for special projects like this one. I’ll set up overlays and videos throughout the library to showcase its resources, and to instruct the use of library devices. For example, if a student scans a smart phone over the circulation computer, a brief “how-to” video appears, giving instructions on how to search for materials. Kids’ work can be displayed on back-to-school night, and parents will be able to view videos that show the students explaining their thought process. Biology teachers can use the app as an instruction tool for science labs. Students in math classes can create videos showing clues to solve difficult problems. History teachers can bring photos to life. It’s a bit like a QR code on steroids!

There may be lots of augmented reality apps, but if you decide to download Aurasma, make an account, create and name an image/video that you want to be your overlay, and then select and use that as you photograph your “trigger” area. Finally, add it to a channel that you have created, make it public, and finish. In order for your students to see it, they will need to “like/follow” your channel. That way all the videos you make public and post on that channel will be visible.

You’ve really got to see this in action to grasp the myriad of possibilities. Give it a try now and be patient—as with many mobile apps, a steady hand is required! After downloading the free Aurasma app, open it, click on the “A” at the bottom, and use the magnifying glass to search for and “follow” the SLJ channel.  Click on the frame icon at the bottom, and then scan the image below. If it works (you’ll see a purple whirling swirl while it loads), you’ll see a brief book promo video. There are several online tutorials too, but for some amazing ideas take a look at this video: Teaching with Aurasma  by Charles Cooper. Then for a quick start guide, check out this blog post: Making it Legit: Aurasma  on the Thrasymakos blog, also by Charles Cooper.

These examples will start your own creative juices flowing and you’ll begin to see how you can use it in your library to aid your patrons in discovering all you have to offer!  Happy orientation!

Sasha, a three-year-old girl with light brown hair, is trying to get Elmo back to Grover. It’s 12:35 p.m. on a Friday in early April, and she’s dragging one-inch pieces of virtual railroad track across an iPad screen in an effort to link the two characters. But Sasha is having trouble understanding how to make the pieces connect. Courtney Wong, a research specialist with Sesame Workshop and designated “child whisperer,” encourages her to try again.

“Okay,” says Sasha, now attempting to make the digital Elmo move across the screen—to no avail. Frustrated, she stabs at the image. “C’mon, c’mon, Elmo.”

It’s just a regular day of app testing at Sesame Workshop. Located in two rooms on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, these offices might seem a world removed from the TV show street featuring Oscar’s trash can, Gordon’s stoop, and the ever-cheerful presence of Big Bird. Those enchanted icons are about 20 miles away, on a sound stage at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Long Island City, in Queens, NY, where Sesame Street—now in its 44th year—is filmed.

In this office building, a new kind of magic is being crafted: Sesame Workshop’s digital content. Here, and at other locations, the Workshop has run more than 76 tests over two and a half years to understand how children, ages three to five, adopt and adapt to touch devices in their learning. The brand wants to ensure Sesame Street’s continued success—in a new media world.

A young tester puts an app through its paces at the offices of Sesame Workshop.

Capturing the digital audience

Competition for the pre–K digital audience is stiff, with networks from Disney Junior to Nick Jr.—both nonexistent when Sesame Street launched—vying for the opportunity to educate young children with apps. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Dora the Explorer are deep in the game.

So are Ernie and Bert, since Sesame Workshop considers its digital incarnation to be crucial to its original mission. “The goal has never changed from back in 1969, which is to reach children where they are to get them ready for school, and also to reach underserved children,” says Jennifer Perry, Sesame Workshop’s vice president of worldwide publishing. “Anything that becomes a destination for parents, we have to be there.”

In 1969, that destination was TV. Most families had televisions in their homes when Sesame Street first went on the air. Cocreator Joan Ganz Cooney’s idea of using TV for early learning was revolutionary at the time. For decades, Sesame Workshop and its groundbreaking show owned the block on educational television.

Given that history, the Workshop’s entry into digital involves seismic changes for the organization. While TV and books aren’t disappearing, tablets, smartphones, apps, and ebooks are increasingly drawing preschoolers’ attention. Sometimes it’s Dad handing off his Android during a long wait at the doctor’s office. Other times it’s a school media specialist launching a series of iPad literacy apps for kindergarteners.

Surveys confirm that devices are pulling people away from TV, and devices also tend to be cheaper. Americans spent about 127 minutes a day using mobile apps in 2012—up from 94 minutes a day in 2011—compared to the 168 minutes a day they spend watching television, according to Flurry Analytics, an organization that follows mobile app trends. Today, smartphones are practically given away with many mobile plans. Revenue from app sales generated about $15 billion globally in 2012, and is projected to rise to $25 billion by the end of 2013, according to Gartner Inc., a tech research firm.

Sesame Workshop’s digital earnings are up, too. The organization has seen its digital revenue grow from 5 percent of its total in fiscal year 2011 to 13 percent in fiscal year 2012. According to Sesame Workshop, digital is projected to comprise 15 percent of its overall revenue by year-end June 30.

Making the Workshop’s digital content stand out is crucial, given the direct competition and the vast number of apps for sale—more than 300,000 iPad apps in the Apple store alone. On a recent day in April, Nickelodeon held the third and fifth spots among the top paid iPad apps in Apple’s iTunes education section. Disney had eighth place, with Sesame Workshop’s Potty Time with Elmo at number 41. Among paid iPad books, Disney held three of the top 10 slots, Nickelodeon had two, and Sesame Workshop’s The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone (originally published by Golden Books in 1971) appeared at number 11.

Designing for limited attention spans

Those charged with building the next generation of Sesame Workshop educational tools are doing so with as much thought and research as Cooney invested in the show. But now, more than ever, a three-year-old’s attention waits for no one.

“We have to be nimble,” says Betsy Loredo, editorial director of Sesame Workshop, who is part of the team charged with re-inventing the Sesame Street brand for the digital domain. “Incredibly nimble. That, in some ways, is the antithesis of how we’ve been doing business for a very long time.” Traditionally, that process has been about “testing, testing, testing, and don’t put it out there until it’s perfect,” Loredo says.

“What we are now grappling with is how to balance this thoughtful approach with the incredible speed with which innovation and technology shifts are changing the landscape for kids,” she explains. “I think that’s a struggle every creator of print books currently faces. It’s just compounded for us by this heightened commitment we have to testing and to being a standard bearer for a fun and educational ‘safe space’ for preschoolers.”

An ongoing challenge is figuring out how to make learning fun so that a child doesn’t lose interest and tune out along the way. With that in mind, Sesame Workshop is constantly thinking about how app instructions are delivered to kids. A particular consideration is how long a child must wait before she can launch a story, a game, or any of the 75 live apps the Workshop has available in the marketplace.

“We used to have longer instructs and longer types of prompts,” says Mindy Brooks, Sesame Workshop’s director of education and research. “But now, we’re in this age of immediate responses.” She hits her finger repeatedly on the table, mimicking how a child might interact with a touch device.

Brooks and her colleagues are well aware that if children are comfortable with other apps, they expect to be able to navigate Workshop apps easily, too. They come to the apps thinking, “I can do this,” says Loredo.

“And it’s not responding,” adds Brooks.

“Then it’s broken,” concludes Loredo.

That isn’t the experience Sesame Workshop wants to deliver to the 16.5 million kids and parents it reaches on digital platforms every quarter. As of April, 35 Sesame Workshop book apps live on platform devices including iOS, Chrome, Windows 7, HP, Symbian, and Kindle Fire. And nearly 155,000 book apps have been downloaded so far in 2013, with 1.8 million downloaded since Sesame Workshop launched its first book app in December 2009.

Partnerships with big tech

Sesame Workshop’s dive into digital is aided by partnerships with third-party technology firms, including a $1 million pledge from the software company CA Technologies. That company is working with Sesame Workshop to develop a package featuring videos, lesson plans, and games, including the one three-year-old Sasha was testing, for a future STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) hub on SesameStreet.org.

Another recent partnership, with mobile outfit Qualcomm, focuses on augmented reality tools. For today’s children, this kind of cutting-edge technology is taken for granted, allowing them to play with and explore their surroundings.

At Sesame Workshop’s Upper West Side location, Loredo and Brooks launched a recent smartphone prototype that resulted from the Qualcomm relationship. On a smartphone screen, a grocery list appears for Big Bird. Eggs, carrots, and cereal are items on the list, and the child is charged with finding those same printed words in her environment. Holding the smartphone, the child selects a word and then aims the device at words he or she sees displayed in a grocery store, a restaurant, or wherever she is at that moment. When the phone’s camera sees the right word, such as “milk,” Big Bird exclaims, “Milk, mmm milk.” The screen then pulls up a word tree, providing the child with more context and definition.

Previewed at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the app is expected to launch this fall. It’s already gone through two formative rounds of testing and recently completed a month-long study with about 200 children in a few Head Start Centers in rural Idaho. Sesame Workshop wants to ensure that three- to five-year-olds can enjoy the app without frustration.

From book to app

Sesame Workshop’s ebookstore carries more than 160 titles, with approximately 100,000 ebooks downloaded to date. But print books still sell far more—to the tune of 27 million copies in 2011 alone.

Classics like The Monster at the End of This Book have been refashioned for today’s burgeoning reader, who may encounter his first title in electronic form—still, likely, while sitting on a parent’s lap. Almost prescient in its interactivity, the original version of The Monster at the End of This Book features Grover warning the reader not to turn the next page because of the monster at the end. Of course, the curious child turns the pages anyway, tearing down brick walls and infuriating Grover, who, at the book’s closing, reveals himself to be the anticipated monster, albeit a “lovable, furry old” one that the child adores.

In app form, the reader still pages through the story, sliding fingers along the corners where digital pages flap audibly. The on-screen Grover reads each word, but now we see him tying and nailing the pages, building a brick wall and complaining as the child breaks knots and smashes bricks, animated for today’s young digital users.

Molding future tech

Looking ahead, Sesame Workshop is planning to innovate far beyond book- and TV-derived experiences. A team of employees is analyzing cutting-edge technologies to see what learning experiences they might best support—and they’re even pushing developers to tune their new tech to children’s needs. Miles Ludwig, managing director of Sesame Workshop’s Content Innovation Lab, leads a five-person research and development team in pursuing technologies they expect will become available globally to children of all economic levels. Recently, Ludwig shopped a prototype application to firms working on voice recognition. His hope is to partner on a tool that children play with in which they give Cookie Monster clues to guess what animal they’re thinking about. Since voice recognition software is currently optimized for adult men, says Ludwig, it’s not ideal for the high-pitched musical tones and particular pronunciation that can come from a child’s mouth. Sesame Workshop hopes to change that.

As new technology develops, Ludwig and his team are also considering other places around the home where they could potentially interact with children—for instance, on screens that may be in an oven door or on a refrigerator.

“One of the things we’re thinking about now is embedded devices connected to the home, these sorts of concepts of the future, and what does that mean to us,” says Ludwig. An example might be when “Abby just shows up on this refrigerator screen and communicates something about healthy eating.” Another scenario could involve the Count helping a child count the eggs in a refrigerator, an activity based on the “Number of the Day” from that morning’s Sesame Street TV episode.

Delight in learning

As Sesame Workshop focuses on its longevity, its educational stronghold—the pre–K years—remains its primary focus. Back in the testing room, Sasha is on the iPad, tickling a swimming trunk-clad Grover; she sees him holding lightweight objects like flip-flops instead of heavy ones like metal keys. Sasha’s goal is to get him to let go of objects at the right time so the light ones float into the center of an inner tube. Sasha can’t quite time it right—and the objects end up floating outside the target, missing the goal. Wong offers encouragement.

“Let’s try to aim for that tube,” says Wong.
“I will try,” says Sasha. “I missed!”
“Uh oh, did that float?” says Wong, as Sasha selects a heavy object instead.
“Oooooh,” Sasha exclaims.

From another room, the researcher and show producer laugh, watching as Sasha navigates the game with a toddler’s intensity. She slides her finger once again over Grover and—success. She squeals.

“Look Mom!” says Sasha, immersed in the game. A child’s delight, delivered. Sesame Workshop hopes it’s a learning moment, too.

Powerpoint is second nature to my students, as they probably started using it in second grade! They recently graduated to Prezi, but its overuse, and rollercoaster transitions, is making my teachers sick! They are asking for the next best thing.

There are so many resourceful ways to do multimedia presentations now, folks need to pay attention. In my research and trials, there are many tools that educators should explore.

9Slides.com is a great resource initially designed for the business market, but it can work remarkably well for the education field. Available for handheld devices and online, this tool allows you to upload video on one side of the screen and PowerPoint, PDF’s or even SlideShare on the other side. At a recent in-service I taught, one elementary teacher thought it would be the perfect match for her beginning-of-the-year student writing samples. Students already read their work aloud but now it can be displayed while they narrate. What a great artifact to show parents at back-to-school night! I can see teary-eyed parents basking in pride as their child performs their personal narrative.

Thinglink.com has just published an application and upgrade that strengthens its utility. Thinglink has been a nice tool that adds text and hyperlinks on to images, à la Jennifer LeGarde in her April Librarian Month page. But now you can also place video pop-ups on the image, and a new app has been released for handheld devices. This is going to be a great tool for my library orientation. I’ll take a picture of my library and insert tags and videos explaining the resources available, such as the location of fiction, the short story collection, the computer lab, etc., along with the rules of engagement. Thinglink also tracks the number of user “hovers” and clicks so you can measure how effective it is.

Perhaps the coolest tool of the season is Mozilla’s Popcorn Maker.  You can download videos and edit and manipulate them using this online application to layer text pop-ups, Google maps, Wikipedia pages and other very interactive additions. Users may find it a more complex, but the end product is really worth it.

Teachers and students need to take advantage of new multimedia tools that make it easy to create presentations that are both strong and show the depth of our students’ learning. Summer is the perfect time to get acquainted with a few of these resources and enhance our teacher toolboxes.

Phil Goerner is teacher librarian at Silver Creek High School, Longmont, CO.

See also The Best Powerpoint Alternatives for Creating Great Presentations.

Does Burn Note encourage sexting? Burn Note’s creator, Jacob Robbins, told TechCrunch, “The story that was most frequently written was that teens were primarily using Snapchat for sexting, but that was pretty transparently not true unless sexting was a daily activity primarily done during school hours in which case school administrators could be expected to weigh in loudly.” It actually may be more useful for teens who want to share snarky comments about their classmates, or answers on a test. Download it and give it a try yourself—you and your administrators will definitely want to know about this application.

Brian Cox’s Wonders of the Universe.

Gr 9 Up –Based on two popular BBC science series hosted by physicist Brian Cox, this app immerses viewers in the science behind our solar system and the universe. It contains content from both television series with video clips, animated images, and infographics, alongside an incredibly rich and deep text.

Opening instructions guide users on how to navigate the app’s text and image gallery. The content is organized under the two broad areas (space and the universe), and both of these sections contains a number of subheadings or chapters. Chapters begin with a video clip introduction by Cox. Discussions start small–for example, sub-atomic and atomic particles expands to conversations about galaxies and the universe. A search box linked to a detailed index will help viewers locate specific information.

Cox is a great guide and the two-and-a-half hours of film clips of him discussing a variety of topics bring viewers to new levels of understanding. For instance, in considering the more than 2000 objects that circle the Earth, the author demonstrates what this “congestion” looks like with a clip of the identified asteroids in motion, and later, onsite at the Barrington Crater in Arizona.

Also included are more than 50 high-resolution 3D images that illuminate phenomena such as black holes and nebulae. These, along with authors’ renderings, can be saved, tweeted, emailed, or posted to Facebook.

To describe the content as multi-layered hardly does justice to this production. It’s a course in itself, taught by an engaging instructor, who while imparting his vast knowledge instills his students with awe and wonder appropriate to these otherworldly topics and scenes.—Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal

Kids Discover Galaxies. 2013. Version 1.1. Free.
Kids Discover Space. 2012. Version 2.0. $3.99.
ea: Kids Discover. iOS, requires 4.3 or later.

Gr 5-8 –Kids Discover has produced a number of apps based on their magazine series. Two of the recent offerings include the exemplary Galaxies and Space. The first focuses on the Milky Way and beyond, whilethe secondcovers our solar system.

In both productions, the writing is clear and engaging and the apps do an excellent job of presenting information via text and interactive features. In addition to navigation guides and visual indices, and a combination of pop-up text and/or captions, notes on important figures, Q & A’s, and definitions, these productions include a range of easily accessed elements such as film clips, animations, narrated segments, and background sounds that beautifully illustrate and enhance the accompanying text. For example, the more interactive Galaxies includes a projection of the Milky Way that allows viewers to zero in on Earth’s location and view it from a variety of angles.

Along with some spectacular photography, the apps contain reproductions, artists’ renderings, and colorful cartoon drawings. The activities included at the end of the texts–a jigsaw puzzle, a connect-the-stars drawing feature, etc.–are more appropriate for a younger audience, but these represent only a small portion of the otherwise stellar content. Overall, these are visually stunning, informative introductions to their subjects.—Lindsay Cesari, Baldwinsville School District, NY

You Are Stardust. Elin Kelsey. illus. by Soyeon Kim. Think Thirty-Three/Owlkids Books. 2012. iOS, requires 5.0 or later. Version 1.2. $4.99.

PreS-Gr 3–How often do we take the time to stop and observe the world around us with the children in our lives? You Are Stardust, based on the picture book of the same title, encourages us do just that. Written by environmentalist Elin Kelsey, the text is rooted in science, yet surprisingly poetic.

A comforting female voice narrates the text, accompanied by melodic tones, chimes, and sounds from nature. The book provides a springboard from which to see the interconnectedness of things, to imagine, and to ask questions. It reminds readers to “Be still. Listen,” and suggests that, “We are all connected. We are all nature. We are all stardust.”

Soyeon Kim’s diorama artwork was created using linen fabric; Japanese paper; dried flowers; and color-washed, 2D line drawings suspended inside wooden boxes. It’s extraordinary. The whimsy and 3D feeling of the original art successfully transfers to the digital version and subtle animations of wings flapping, falling stardust, and floating whales further help to enliven the text.

The app opens with two viewing and listening options and opportunity for children to make their own diorama. “More about Stardust” can be accessed to discover how Kim created her art, to read a note from the author, and more.

If it’s been a while since you’ve marveled with your kids about how the electricity in our brains is similar to lightning or the way baby birds learn to sing, You Are Stardust is a great place to start.—Kathleen S. Wilson, NYU/Tisch School of the Arts, New York, NY

Lists of discussion questions on topics ranging from “the American Dream” to “Fate” are included and paired with brief video responses by students. The questions and the videos emerged from a collaboration between two schools separated by four miles, but, as one of the educators commented, “might as well be 4,000 miles apart—there’s not much interaction” between these kids. Kalafat and Nelson also describe other aspects of the project from heated wiki conversations to meetings to discuss the classic in person.

Derrick Nelson, one of educators highlighted in ‘Of Mice and Men: Deluxe Teacher’s Edition’

Why this collaboration?  At an age when students are just beginning to question “the world around them…to look beyond themselves,” Kalafat felt that studying and discussing literature with people who were “different from themselves” offered students fresh perspectives on the novel. He added that while the themes addressed weren’t especially difficult, they “fire[d]up” the participants’ imaginations and gave rise to spirited debate. In a final assignment, students discuss their dreams as young children, and today, and how and why they have changed.

The project is likely to get teachers thinking about collaborations of their own, and how to enhance discussions around this and other novels. Used in the classroom, the embedded videos can introduce other voices and opinions. There’s also a 29-minute audio interview with James Earl Jones about the roles he has assumed in productions, a conversation he had with Steinbeck about an African-American playing Lennie, and a psychology experiment he participated in while in that role. While Jones introduces an actor’s approach to the story, he struggles (and freely admits to it) with the correct terminology to use when describing a person of Lennie’s intellectual ability. Today’s students are as likely to react to the actor’s use of the word “retarded” as they are to his comments about his roles.

The embedded videos as well as the ability to search the text, mark passages, take notes, and share information via social media make this modern edition useful in the classroom. Teachers will also appreciate the step-by-step instructions for projecting the iBook’s content from their computer or iPad to a SMARTboard or screen.

Back in the classroom, there will be much to discuss, including why the amendment was necessary on the heels of the Emancipation Proclamation (1863), the political maneuvering necessary to secure the amendment’s passage, and the medium’s depiction of the event and the historical figures. To further explore the relationships depicted in Lincoln and learn about the film’s production, download the free app Lincoln: Discover the Story (David Rubel and Disney Editions, iBooks, Free, Gr 6 Up). Your students will be intrigued.

Six chapters delve into topics such as the “Players on the Stage of History,” “The Conflict,” and “The President” discussing the Civil War, those who fought for and against the amendment, Lincoln’s presidency, and more. Incorporated into the text are quotes by Lincoln and his contemporaries, archival images, and other primary source material.Throughout the text are black-and-white period photos, sometimes juxtaposed against shots of similar scenes re-created for the film (in color), and embedded videos offering commentary by Spielberg, the actors, and others who worked on the film.

In the videos, Spielberg speaks to Lincoln’s relevancy today as a “most vivid model of a leader, of leadership,” who advocated for “things that we hold dear today.” Daniel Day-Lewis, who plays the president in the movie, comments on Lincoln’s accessibility—the “ever-open door of the White House.” Other actors discuss their research in preparation for their roles—and their challenges—including  Sally Field who plays Mary Todd Lincoln, Gloria Reuben as Elizabeth Keckley, the “personal modiste” of the First Lady, and  David Strathairn as William H. Seward, Lincoln’s the Secretary of State.

Much notice has been paid to the film’s authenticity. In the chapter, “Bringing History to Life” viewers hear from Rick Carter, the production designer, on scouting sets and props, and Joanna Johnston, the costume designer, who dressed the 140-member cast. Johnston mentions Mary Todd Lincoln’s outfits, many of which were “exact replicas” of those she wore in life….”  (“For the president, clothing was purely a way of keeping out the weather.”) Ben Burtt’s narrative addresses his quest to “research and record historic sounds” and to re-create those he could from the ticking of the portico clock to the off-screen bombardment of a cannonade. Museum officials allowed Burtt to record the sound of Lincoln’s actual watch, heard in the film.

Page turns and video runs are fluid and readers will be guided through this production by a table of contents and discreetly placed icons. The app ends with a film clip and link to the iTunes page to purchase tracks from the motion picture. In all, a production for fans of the president and the film, and, to be sure, something for visual learners.-Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal.

For some recently published books for students on Lincoln, see Vicki Reutter’s Whiskers, Dreams, and Grave-Robbing Schemes.

Fans of Captain Underpants—and of rude, over-the-top humor—are in for a field day: The Adventures of Captain Underpants: The First Epic App (Scholastic; $4.99; Gr 2-6) offers awesome animation and engaging activities. First is the complete Book-O-Rama, here in high resolution and full color. Viewers can read the story or listen to Mike West’s spirited narration with added sound effects and musical accompaniment. Pages aren’t turned per se; a swipe of the screen slides the characters to the next page, or morphs the background into the next setting.

Games, manipulable message boards, and even those flip-o-rama pages found in the books are embedded in appropriate spots. (Readers can choose to engage in these activities or not.) A jump from one page to any other in the text is via a collapsible bar at the bottom of the screen, while a bar at the top allows children to return to the main menu, to select chapters, or to exit to a game. Avatars to help track game progress are easy to create, but with a tap of a button one will be created (and named) for viewers.

Screen shot from The Adventures of Captain Underpants (Pilkey)
©2013 by Dav Pilkey

Activities include hypnotizing Mr. Krupp with the 3-D Hypno-Ring, catching Captain Underpants in the Skate-o-Rama, or slinging underwear at robots and the diabolical Dr. Diaper in an attempt to annihilate them in the Stretch-O-Rama. Beat Box 2000 is a music-making machine; as Captain Underpants flies across the sky, he triggers ka-booms and other, (often uncouth), noises to one of three catchy beats. Users can record their own sounds if they prefer. The games take full advantage of the iPad’s capabilities, requiring the players to tilt and tap their way through various levels using different strategies; plenty of options keep the play fresh.

The app contains “no ads, no social media sharing, no in-app purchasing, no links to outside websites, [and] no location-tracking features.” With access to a full-length story, terrific animation, challenging activities, and loads of irreverent fun, this app will have fans cheering for the 16-year-old “Captain Underpants.”— MaryAnn Karre, West Middle School, Binghamton, New York 

BiblioBoard is a free iPad app providing access to more than 100 curated collections of “licensed, open source and public domain materials” on topics ranging from Punk Rock to The Brothers Grimm. Anthologies on English writers are the most numerous. With the app, readers can dip into any collection, most of which include more than 50 “books, images, and articles written by or about” the subject and sample up to the first seven pages of any title.

The price for each collection ranges from $9.99 to $15.99. Our reviewer, Danielle Farinacci, took a look at three of the newer collections.

As first glance, the BiblioBoard app (BiblioLabs LLC; Free; $9.99 to $15.99 for individual collections; Gr 9 Up) is equal parts inspiring and overwhelming. It offers more than 30 literary anthologies alone, with access to free content within each curation.

The 60-plus volumes in Brontë Sisters: A Historical Collection includes offerings under “Novels,” “Poetry,” “Biographical Works,” “Critical Essays,” and “Images.” It affords a rare glimpse into the sisters’ lives through traditional biographies as well as a series of well-organized letters to and from Charlotte, Anne, and Emily, their fathers, and friends. Readers can also examine portraits of the women, their home, and a reproduction of each sister’s handwritten pen name signature, which are likely to ignite a discussion of a woman’s place in the literary world of the 19th century. It would be difficult to find a more complete anthology of the Brontës’s work in one place with such a small footprint.

John Keats: A Historical Collection presents such telling works as, ”The Life, Letters, and Literary Remains of John Keats,” edited by Richard Monckton Milnes, and ”A Day with Keats,” by his contemporary May Clarissa Gillington Byron, plus romantic gems like Keats’s Letters to Fanny Brawne, written to his fiancée from Rome before the English poet succumbed to tuberculosis at age 25.

Keats’s poems are represented, as is his correspondence. Completing the anthology, which totals more than 70 volumes, are  “Memoirs,” “Critical Essays,” “Souvenirs,” and “Images.” Viewing pages of the original editions of the poet’s work evokes the romanticism these poems warrant, while the color illustrations add a dimension and context not often found in other resources.

“Fragment of a Third Century Copy of Plato’s ‘Republic’” from BiblioBoard’s “Socrates.” (BiblioLabs LLC)

On the topic of Socrates: Father of Western Philosophy, there are a number of biographical and contextual essays, such as “Talks with Athenian Youths,” that offer a glimpse into the philosopher’s daily interactions and the era in which he lived. Scholarly revelations about Socrates’s influence on the writings of Plato, Xenophon, and Aristophanes are also presented. The depth and language of these works makes them most suited for advanced placement or college students, but items such as the Fragment of a Third Century Copy of Plato’s “Republic” provides relevance for any reader.

While some may value these collections as primary source material or as historical artifacts, there is much here for students of literature and philosophy to peruse. They’re sure to find something that speaks to them.—Danielle Farinacci, Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep, San Francisco, CA


For additional app reviews visit Touch and Go under blogs and columns at slj.com, and be sure to add us to your RSS feed.

With snow blanketing the country there’s not much else to do but pour yourself a cup of hot cocoa, grab your iPad, and get ready for a wintery adventure featuring two boys, a whale, and a polar bear or two.

Valentine Parguey and Charly Playe’s Scott’s Polar Trip (Square Igloo, 2012; iOS $2.99; Android $2.99; PreS-Gr 2) finds a young boy traveling in the Arctic Circle via submarine. Through his periscope, the youth glimpses an Inuit child staring over the edge of an ice floe into the water below. Inook has discovered a baby whale trapped in a net and Scott offers to help him rescue it. After this successful mission, the two have several other adventures involving polar bears, wolves, and other creatures of the North.

This entertaining app is easy to navigate. A magnifying glass indicates when there are more images to be discovered, such as a photo of an igloo, a whale, snow goggles, etc., each accompanied by informative nonfiction text. Story illustrations by Matt Roussel are colorful, featuring icy blues, unusual perspectives, and slight animations. Four games related to Inuit culture are embedded into the story; viewers can work on an puzzle of an igloo, play blanket toss, search for murre eggs, and build an Inukshuk.

Screen shot from ‘Scott’s Polar Adventure’ (Square Igloo) Roussel

Two age-level options are available: 3-4 or 5-7, which determine the amount and level of nonfiction text that accompanies the photos. Children can choose to read the story on their own or have it read to them, in one of three languages (English, Spanish, and French). A sprinkling of (defined) Inuit words also appears. Ambient sounds, such as the cry of the whale when the boys are trying to rescue it, add a nice layer to the story, but can be switched off if desired. This is one trip that children are sure to enjoy.-Omar Ramiriz, Northlake Public Library District. Northlake, IL

Eds. note: Scott’s Polar Adventure has a trailer.

Evan Frost

Image from ‘Atlas by Collins’

A number of apps address the state of our planet. One of the first produced for students was Al Gore’s award-winning Our Choice (Melcher Media/Push Pop Press; $4.99), featuring stunning photography, informative video clips, and a compelling message about global warming. In 7 Billion: How Your World Will Change (National Geographic; $4.99) thought-provoking photos, videos, charts, and articles examine the impact of population growth on the earth, including commentary on food sources, family size, and the most challenged regions of the world. Fragile Earth, one of SLJ’s Top 10 Apps of 2012, offers a gallery of photos detailing the impact of human endeavors and natural phenomena on the environment. Satellite and land photographs, taken from minutes to years apart, depict the alarming before-and-after effects of mining, deforestation, tsunamis, earthquakes, and other events on our landscape.

The recently released Atlas by Collins takes a look at our planet from a number of perspectives. Cathy Potter reviews it below.

Chart, “Energy Consumption,” from ‘Atlas by Collins’

Gr 6 Up-The expansive Atlas by Collins contains seven globes: satellite, physical, political, population, environment, communications, and energy. For each thematic section text and illustrations combine to provide an overview of the subject.

“Living Earth” explores the natural world and a variety of landscapes, as well as changes in and threats to the planet, among other topics. “People and Power” considers where energy reserves are located, where energy is produced and consumed, how technology connects the world, and more. These and other subjects are addressed through questions (“What are the major environmental threats to our planet and the areas most affected? “What energy reserves does each country contain?” “Where in the world can you get mobile phone coverage?) and detailed answers are provided along with captioned photos, charts, and graphs (sources cited).

Viewers swipe to spin the 3-D globes; pinch and pull to zoom in and out. While zooming in the globe will switch to Google Maps, but an Internet connection is required to take advantage of this feature. A location bar at the top of each screen marks the city and country or region displayed. A tap on the information symbol opens a window that reveals country statistics and information on the nation’s land, climate, economy, demographics, and transportation, and a few images–information that will be useful to student researchers. Each entry also includes links to the country’s web site.

Menus below each globe provide readers with a plethora of information about our planet including birth rates, pollution hotspots, and Internet usage. Color-coded keys and symbols help readers interpret the information presented. (The app contains no narration or sound effects.)

The satellite globe is the only one that downloads when users purchase the app. The others must be installed individually, and the amount of time required to do so is considerable. While the breadth of information in Atlas by Collins is impressive, the download time, tendency to shut down, and substantial amount of storage space required (1.3 GB) may prove problematic for some users.—Cathy Potter, Falmouth Elementary School, Falmouth, ME

Eds. note: For a look inside Atlas by Collins take a peek at the trailer.

There’s no doubt about it: app production has skyrocketed. But curiously, a number of children’s book publishers and app developers are now thinking twice about the format. After dipping the proverbial toe in the water, some companies have put app development on hold, while others are exploring their options, trying to determine how to create these costly innovative items and still make a buck. Some organizations, including Random House and Sesame Workshop, have extended their partnerships to include apps, and many more bookshelf apps, such as MeeGenius! and Wanderful, are hosting collections of titles that are grouped by theme, specialization, or publisher. In a word, the world of apps is in flux.

But that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been a slew of exceptional products this year, and you’ll find a number of them on our list. As with most year-end lists, this one is subjective, and it includes only apps that have been reviewed in SLJ’s column Touch and Go. You’ll note a front-runner, but those items that follow can stand proudly side-by-side.

 1. Moonbot Studios deserves high praise. Its Oscar-winning team, led by kids’ book creator William Joyce and film director Brandon Oldenburg, was one of the first to create an app, IMAG.N.O.TRON, that features augmented reality—a technology that layers digital images and information onto the real world. How does this cutting-edge app work? Clutching an iPad, simply hold the app over a page of Joyce’s bestseller The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (S & S/Atheneum, 2012), an ode to the joys of reading. As soon as the app recognizes an image, the magic begins: books suddenly start to flutter, fly, and softly recite their lines; characters begin to wink; images are seamlessly transformed from 2-D into 3-D, and a bicyclist appears to glide off the printed page. Moonbot’s signature wit and originality are in evidence here, but with this app, seeing is truly believing.

2. Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral’s young adult novel, CHOPSTICKS (Penguin/Citrus Suite), is a format-bending mystery that’s told through photos, news clippings, and artwork—and the kicky digital version packs some added punch. Will the embedded songs, YouTube videos, animated IMs, sound effects, and a “shuffle” feature that lets viewers choose alternate readings help solve this sophisticated puzzle? The verdict’s still out.

3. With just a touch of the screen, kids can zoom in from outer space and land anywhere on Earth thanks to Nick Crane’s BAREFOOT WORLD ATLAS (Barefoot Books/Touch Press). Then it’s a quick jump to another region, country, landmark, or activity of their choice. Narrated bits, delightful animations, background music, and real-time data inform viewers about the amazing range of traditions, cultures, geographical features, and animals found on our globe. This is one trip kids won’t want to end.

4. Looking for a healthy dose of interactivity? Try Jamie Lee Curtis’s whimsical picture book Where Do Balloons Go? (HarperCollins/Auryn, Inc.), with vibrant illustrations by Laura Cornell. Among the splendid features that await those who tap, tilt, pinch, and swipe their way through this rhyming story are musical interludes, animated vignettes, theater-to-showcase user-created videos, and, oh yes, an opportunity to record your own squeaky, helium-induced voice. With its unique features, this app offers hours of fun.

5. Artists who are grappling with the best way to bring comic books to the tablet can take some tips from Ryan Woodward’s BOTTOM OF THE NINTH (Ryan Woodward Art & Animation). Sepia panels incorporating baseball memorabilia and splashes of color are enhanced with the sights and sounds of America’s favorite pastime as Candy Cunningham takes to the pitcher’s mound to play “New Baseball,” 200 years in the future. With touch-triggered dialogue balloons, piped-in radio commentary, and dazzling animation, this one hits it out of the park.

6. If you’re not yet convinced that Moonbot Studios’ creative team is pure genius, take a look at THE NUMBERLYS, an app inspired by Fritz Lang’s 1927 film Metropolis. In The Numberlys’s grey futuristic world, letters don’t exist—until five roly-poly factory workers sporting puffball hairdos hammer, bend, and forge their way through the alphabet with the help of viewers. As the narrator says, at first the laborers’ efforts were “awful. Then at last… artful.” Indeed.

7. Somewhere beyond this double, double toil and trouble, Shakespeare must be smiling. With extensive notes and commentary, videos of famed actors performing each of the Bard’s 154 sonnets, a facsimile of the 1609 Quarto, and other noteworthy highlights, THE SONNETS BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (Touch Press) offers a stunning look at the playwright’s work. Really, who needs a classroom when you can watch and listen to actress Fiona Shaw recite Shakespeare at home?

8. Breathtaking visuals, a concise text, and a narrated tour of some of our nation’s most spectacular natural sites make Michael Collier’s WONDERS OF GEOLOGY (Mikaya Press/Tasa Graphic Arts) a contender for the Eighth Wonder of the World. Close-up views, animated diagrams, and arrows that point to the geographic features under discussion transform basic science concepts into fascinating brain food. Throw in flawless navigation, and this app is a secondary student’s go-to text.

9.Based on a folk song by Gilles Vigneault, SUNDAY IN KYOTO (Les Productions Folle Avoine/The Secret Mountain) tells the story of an ensemble of musicians (who play koto, guitar, piano, shamisen, bouzouki, banjo, and harp) that was organized by one Cajun Joe. Amusing details, subtle animations, a toe-tapping tune, and a few Zen-like moments (including a bronze Buddha that claps and a discreet mouse that emerges for a bow at the performance’s finale) make this performance absolutely irresistible.

10. In FRAGILE EARTH (HarperCollins/Aimer Media), 170 pairs of captioned, before-and-after photos, taken on the ground or by satellite, reveal the often-devastating effects of hurricanes, tsunamis, and other natural phenomena on our vulnerable planet—as well as the harmful consequences of urbanization, mining, and global warming. In one horrifying sequence, 15 minutes separate two black-and-white photos taken before and after a violent dust storm engulfed a Kansas town. These and other images are enlightening, and often, alarming.

Photo by Pixland

The Global Education Conference, held around the clock November 12–16, offered a wide range of sessions by and for educators worldwide. A highlight: “Apps Galore: Top Tools for Global Collaboration (iPad),” in which teachers Ruth Metka, Fran Siracusa, and Jennifer Williams at Country Day School in Largo, FL, recommended apps for school use. The educators incorporated these apps as a part of a Flat Classroom Project—a student-centered, multimodal learning environment—during which their school connected with schools in China, Turkey, and Minnesota.

The trio emphasized that the best way to successfully use apps with young children is to pair a virtual activity with a concrete one. For example, their students mailed painted handprints to other schools, but also used apps to create a videos, maps and presentations to send electronically.

The Tripline app lets kids share animated maps to show and narrate their (virtual) travels by pinning pictures, and adding background music or recordings to the map. Combine with any basic weather app to really let kids feel their destination.

For a really fun video-making experience, they suggested the Puppet Pals app. Kids cut out a picture of themselves using a finger on the iPad, then digitally manipulate the puppet on a background of their choice to create scenes. Try taking pictures of your school, then letting puppet-students give a tour.

The Country Day School teachers recommend two educationally-focused social networking apps with Web 2.0 components, which they felt encouraged participation, offered good teacher control, and were generally safe for classroom use. Neither tool requires kids to have an email address to register. The Edmodo app allows teachers to create groups (for example, for same-age classes at schools in different locations). Schoology is a lot like Edmodo, and kids like it because the interface is  similar to Facebook.

Nearpod gives teachers control over the pacing of presentations viewed on the iPad. Slides appear on students’ devices simultaneously, and multimedia and interactive elements keep kids from getting bored with their synchronized viewing experience.

Don’t forget that sometimes the most familiar apps are the most effective, they advised. Skype is a wonderfully versatile tool for connecting live. Just be sure you make clear rules about who gets to talk when — maybe pass around a special “talking stick.” And if you do carry out a global project in your school, be sure to blog about it.

Globaledcon sessions are archived online and can be viewed at anytime—check out presentations on themes ranging from “Expand online professional development for educators with mobile learning” to “The Connected Middle School Student: Fostering Global Collaborations through International Projects.” Presentations on language learning and environmental issues are especially well-represented.

Interior of ‘Ladybug at Orchard Avenue’ (Oceanhouse) Buchs

With a clear, informative text and colorful illustrations, Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld’s Ladybug at Orchard Avenue (Oceanhouse Media/Soundprints; $2.99; PreS-Gr 2) explores the dangers a beetle encounters foraging for food as winter approaches: “The bristly jaws of an ant gape over Ladybug’s head like a giant pair of pliers.” The descriptive text notes the protective body parts and defensive mechanisms that the creature has at its disposal, from rigid forewings to malodorous secretions that ooze from its leg-joints. A final section provides information about ladybug development and hibernation.

Throughout, sounds of crickets, birds, and flapping wings can be heard. There’s no animation, but the story progresses smoothly as panning and zooming effectively focus viewers’ attention on the action.

The clear illustrations by Thomas Buchs offer great text support for new readers. In addition, in the “Read to Me” and “Autoplay” modes, words are highlighted along with the narration. In the “Read it Myself” option, children can tap a word to hear it read aloud. When a particular image is touched, a label zooms to the forefront of the screen and the word is spoken. In some cases, the specific animal parts named in the story, such as the ant’s jaws, are identified as such, but too often it’s generic term— and a missed opportunity to deliver the information that kids deserve in an informational text.—Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books

Hibernation is also on the mind of one Franklin Frog  (Nosy Crow, PreS-Gr 2; $4.99) in Barry and Emma Tranter’s interactive, animated introduction to the habits and life cycle of this amphibian. Users meet the mature fellow resting on a lily pad. From there they direct him through his habitat and day as he hops to land, snares a tasty snail and worm, and swims in a pond, carefully avoiding predators. As time passes and seasons change, the frog hibernates (viewers help locate a likely spot), awakens in the spring, and eventually finds a mate. From one of the eggs laid by the female, a frogspawn hatches and the story begins anew—now focused on the tadpole. With its simple activities and circular format, this colorful app is bound to keep young children engaged through several frog generations.

Children can read the story independently or listen to a winning child narrator. There are occasional verbal and visual (glowing dots, blinking arrows) prompts. The background music is soothing and the sounds of pond life, realistic. Franklin Frog strikes a delightful balance between educational and entertaining.—Amy Shepherd, St. Anne’s Episcopal School, Middletown, DE

After discovering a bone in the sand a young girl ponders what life might have been life for a pterosaur in Claire Ewart’s Fossil (Auracle, $2.99; PreS-Gr 2) Rich, watercolor illustrations add to the informative rhyming text that traces the creature’s millennium-long path from flight to fossilization.

Along with the clear narration, children can tap scenery and animals to listen to labels and learn a few words not found in the text. Readers have the added option of personalizing the book by scripting their own story or recording their own audio. The original text can be reset at any time.

An added feature is a bibliography that can be accessed from the home screen. To note: the most recent date on any listing is 2002, while most hover around 1989. Appended to the poem is an article on fossil evidence and theories about prehistoric life. Young dino fans and those looking for an introduction to fossils won’t be disappointed.—Wayne R. Cherry, Jr., First Baptist Academy, Houston, TX