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Robotics With Cubelets

2019-10-03T18:32:04-06:00

  Over the last year or so, I've done a number of programs using Cubelets.  For anyone unfamiliar with them, they are cube-shaped modules that connect to one another magnetically to create 'robots.'  Each module has a single function.  There's a power Cube, that contains the rechargeable battery, and the On/Off switch.  The rest are divided into ' Sense Cubes,' 'Think Cubes,' and 'Act Cubes.' The Sense Cubes in the kit I have access to are modules that have light sensors, and distance (proximity) sensors.  The Power Cube is also the processor for the robot.  The action cubes include cubes with [...]

Robotics With Cubelets2019-10-03T18:32:04-06:00

Thank you, NASA

2019-08-22T19:05:06-06:00

I want to begin today by apologizing for having disappeared for a while.  My disappearance wasn't by choice, but sharing my story does give me the opportunity to celebrate NASA, and everything it has accomplished over the last several decades. So, for any one who is curious, here's the story of my spring and summer... I was going about my day to day business, and enthusiastically planning my summer programs (which were going to be really great, by the way), when I woke up bright and early one day, sat up, put my feet on the floor to stand up, and [...]

Thank you, NASA2019-08-22T19:05:06-06:00

Community Video Gaming

2019-03-26T13:47:28-06:00

Video games continue to be a source of community based learning and entertainment for youth and teens at Skokie Public Library. We have embraced this and provide multiple channels for youth and teens to participate either individually or as a group. But we really value group gaming as it supports collaboration, communication, and community, which are key 21st century learning skills. Here are a few community based gaming opportunities our gamers enjoy.   Minecraft Mania Teens play coop video games in The Lab. 21 Mar 2019 Minecraft continues to be the most popular game at SPL. Kids use library [...]

Community Video Gaming2019-03-26T13:47:28-06:00

STEAM Kits

2019-01-16T17:17:42-07:00

One way we promote self-directed STEAM learning at Skokie Public Library is through our STEAM Kit collection. We have about 30 kits that cardholders can checkout for one week at a time. Here’s how we create, circulate, and promote this specialized collection.   Kit Topics and Contents Our STEAM kits are carefully curated by staff in the Learning Experiences department. Often, kits are inspired by previous BOOMbox rotation equipment. We strive to pair hands on resources with books and DVDs related to the topic or concept. For example, our Makey Makey kit comes with a Makey Makey, related wire connectors, and [...]

STEAM Kits2019-01-16T17:17:42-07:00

Tinker Kids

2019-01-10T18:13:36-07:00

This summer I had my first foray into the camp format of programming. Summer camps are a big thing in our community. Kids will talk about what they've learned from one camp before heading off to another. I wanted our library to get in on this, but I was a little apprehensive of diving into the deep end. So I compromised (with myself) and did a smaller scale program. One week, MWF, for one hour each, focusing on a different activity each day. *Law and Order DUN DUN music* Monday. Brush Bots. Brush bots can be a great (and cheap) way [...]

Tinker Kids2019-01-10T18:13:36-07:00

Merge Cubes!

2018-11-26T21:52:56-07:00

There's a lot of hubbub about AR and VR lately. Unfortunately, a lot of this technology is financially unreasonable for many educators. That is, until the Merge Cubes were invented. It was originally made from a discarded yoga mat - and kind of still seems like it. It looks like a cube of alien QR codes, and that is essentially what it is. These alien QRs can link to elaborate AR experiences themed to coordinate with its directed subject matter. Merge cubes can teach anything from human body parts, to math and geometry, to the solar system. It sometimes seems that [...]

Merge Cubes!2018-11-26T21:52:56-07:00

Making Coding Fun and Easy

2018-10-26T12:25:00-06:00

This year I started adding something new to some of my programs - coding.  It has been a whole new adventure for me.  When I was in school, computers in education were a new concept.  There was a room with several desktop computers with large towers connected to them.  Those computers required 6 inch floppy disks, were programmed with DOS, and sat there quietly in the dark most of the time.  I only had one teacher brave enough to try teaching with them.  Over the course of one semester, we learned some very basic programming, which I thought was fun, but [...]

Making Coding Fun and Easy2018-10-26T12:25:00-06:00

It’s the end of the iWorld as we know it

2018-08-24T23:18:41-06:00

If you own some older Apple tablets, you might have noticed a new trend when trying to download apps. At first, I thought it was really cool that I didn't have to update my iPads every other week (take that, Apple!), and I didn't realize what was to come. As I've started to explore my role as Technology Librarian, I finally have time to go through my library programming bucket list. The more I prepared for my programs, the more I encountered that newer apps were not compatible with my older iPads. I was kicking myself because our IT manager had [...]

It’s the end of the iWorld as we know it2018-08-24T23:18:41-06:00

Tips from Tassie

2018-07-14T11:13:18-06:00

Credit: NASA   South of mainland Australia lies its island state, Tasmania. (Australians shorten the name to Tassie, which rhymes with "snazzy.") Roughly half of this island is protected; its wilderness is listed -- alongside the Taj Mahal and the ancient pyramids of Egypt -- as  World Heritage property. Amidst this wild grandeur, 50 sites deliver library services to the island's 524,700 inhabitants.   View through eucalyptus trees toward Tasmania's main urban center, Hobart. Credit: Keliann LaConte   As a Fulbright Global Scholar, I had the incredible fortune to visit some Tassie libraries and their partners. Here [...]

Tips from Tassie2018-07-14T11:13:18-06:00

May the Fourth be With You: Star Wars Day at the Library

2018-05-04T05:51:06-06:00

It's Star Wars Day! I know that it's giving away my age, but I remember when the very first Star Wars movie came out.  I watched it from a swing-set in the small, fenced-in playground at the foot of the giant screen of the drive-in movie theater.  The playground was surrounded by the same heavy gray metal boxes that were hung on the car doors of theater-goers, and served as movie speakers.  That way I could enjoy the movie while my adults could enjoy it, as well, without my nervous energy distracting and annoying them.  Now there is another generation growing [...]

May the Fourth be With You: Star Wars Day at the Library2018-05-04T05:51:06-06:00
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