Apps

The annual Scholastic Art and Writing Awards is accepting original works in 28 categories. Terri Soutor, former vice president at Lerner Publishing Group, a sister company to Brain Hive and a key player in the formation of the company, has been named Brain Hive’s president. Storybots founders Gregg and Evan Spiridellis launch Educade, a portal of free, ready to use lesson plans paired with learning tools. The International Reading Association has announced some of the renowned authors speaking at its 59th Annual Conference in May. Krup has announced a teacher's lounge makeover contest.

This month's featured apps include some familiar characters, a story that has seen a number of awe-inspiring incarnations, and a nonfiction title that illuminates science concepts.

If you have been following the Touch Press output along with us, you won't be surprised to learn they have recently released another exploration of a musical masterpiece. While in-depth, their apps aren't only for serious students of music; anyone interested in learning more about the art is sure to gain a meaningful appreciation.

There must be a collective noun for an assortment of apps. If not, we need to coin one. How else to describe this week's selections, which include a beloved comic strip character, a mischievous critter with questionable intentions, and a story marked with music and message?

Along with the Common Core, many state standards ask that educators incorporate multimodal resources into their lesson plans. As time goes on, more and more quality apps are available to meet that requirement. Here are a few digital resources to consider for your nonfiction science collection.

Poetry and nature feature strongly in our selections this month, perhaps because we've been spending more time outdoors of late?

I am on a serious mission to push our library out onto the platforms my kiddos love most–their phones, and to a lesser extent, their tablets.  I so want our library to be in the pockets. As I finished preparing our QR code handout, it occurred to me that most of the codes, in fact [...]

For those of you who have been sitting under a shady tree or on a beach these past two months—and we hope that’s most of you—we’re offering a summary of the app reviews published over the summer. The list includes picture books, poetry, music, a reference guide or two, and some beloved characters and timeless stories. These are titles you want to load onto your school devices ASAP.

Michael Morpurgo's poignant 'War Horse,' first published as a novel for children, has seen many incarnations. It's now an interactive, enhanced book for IOS devices. Watercolor illustrations, archival photos, and videos make this a production for both fiction lovers and history buffs.