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Resources and Tools for the Classroom aPPS anD WeBSIteS along with providing visually interesting demonstrations and ex- amples. The app is available for purchase through the iTunes store Resources and at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/atoms-by-kids-discover/ id907120915. A teacher guide and vocabulary sheet are available for free at Tools for the the Kids Discover website at http://www.kidsdiscover.com/shop/ issues/atoms-for-kids/. Classroom HOPSCOTCH is one of a growing number of apps built annette Lamb to teach program- ming to children. The app is a vi- ATOMS by sual programming Kids Discover is a language designed content-rich science to help children de- app useful for upper velop a sense of elementary through computational thinking. Youth apply skills in logic and critical middle school. thinking to design simple games, animations, and stories. This easy-to-use Inspired by MIT’s Scratch, HOPSCOTCH is the fi rst program de- app is divided into signed for mobile devices such as the iPad. Students drag and drop 11 sections. The colorful blocks of code to build simple programs. Recommended fi rst eight sections for children 8 and up, it’s particularly useful for young children use text, photographs, diagrams, line drawings, videos, 3D models, who lack advanced reading and typing skills needed for traditional and animation to present information about the parts of an atom, programming. major discoveries, elements, the periodic table, fi ssion, nuclear en- The free version has limited characters and options. A School ergy, and lasers. While some of the pages are static, others con- Edition of the program is available with these features unlocked. tain interactive elements such as pop-up windows and interactive To learn more about the program, check out the FAQs at http:// diagrams. gethopscotch.com/faq. Youth will be most interested in the activities section. The most To download the free app, go to https://itunes.apple.com/au/ interesting interactive involves building molecules by dragging app/hopscotch-coding-for-kids/id617098629. oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon atoms around the screen. To download the school version, go to https://itunes.apple.com/ The quiz provides a nice review of the key concepts informing au/app/hopscotch-school-edition/id901455276 students of the correct and incorrect answers. Additional resources are also provided. 24/7 SCIENCE is an engaging online resource from The The variety of visual elements will keep readers interested. Lawrence Hall of However it’s likely that some students will simply fl ip through the Science that com- pages rather than read them. Requiring users to interact with the bines hands-on sci- screen to move from page to page would increase student involve- ence activities with ment. online tools and in- Although some sound effects are included in the app, the learn- teractives. Apps are ing experience could be enhanced with a more effective use of also available. sound. For instance, a read-aloud option would make this app From building more appealing to reluctant readers. bridges to pick- While the app does a nice job providing an overview to the key ing the best beak, concepts, additional depth would be useful on some pages. For learners are encouraged to design, experiment, and test out ideas instance, clicking the element Fe on the Periodic Table provides through engaging hands-on science experiments. detailed information about iron. However, a pop-up for each ele- The games and activities section of the website contains web- ment would increase the value of the app. based interactives related to earth and space science, nano tech- Overall, ATOMS would be an excellent addition to your library nology, and other areas of science. science app collection. It contains explanations of key concepts Some activities are now available as free apps. The DO IT 44 TEACHER LIBRARIAN 42:3 YOURSELF Sun Science app focuses on in- MADE W/CODE is a Google Proj- vestigations related to the sun, while the ect focusing on inspiring girls to pursue DO IT YOURSELF Nano explores nanoscale careers related to computer science. Their science, engineering, and technology. Holiday Lights project is a fun and easy To learn more about the activities, go to way to introduce the concept of coding. the 24/7 website at http://www.lawrence- #Madewithcode hallofscience.org/kidsite/. To download the apps, go to https:// itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-lawrence- hall-of-science/id462994550 deception and confusion in U.S. politics.” At the same time, it models important in- ARTSEDGE is an educational pro- formation inquiry skills by discussing al- gram providing lessons, activities, how- ternative perspectives and identifying the to’s, and resources related to the arts in- factual accuracy of advertisements, de- cluding dance, theatre, music, and visual bates, speeches, interviews, and news. arts. The HOME page provides access to top- The PROJECTS section provides be- ics currently in the news, while the ARTI- ginner, intermediate, and advanced cod- CLES section links to recent topics. ing projects that involve youth in coding The ASK FACTCHECK section allows snowflakes, avatars, and other fun activi- users to ask a question. Questions and an- ties. swers are provided along with a place to The MAKERS section highlights girls read more about the topic. who are making a difference in the world Around elections, go to the ELECTIONS through coding. Watch short videos featur- section for up-to-date information about ing these young women. the facts and falsehoods surrounding par- The MENTORS section includes short ticular players. Sponsored by The Kennedy Center and videos from women of all ages and back- The VIRAL SPIRAL section features “a the U.S. Department of Education, the web- grounds who have used coding to reach list of false and misleading viral rumors” site contains sections for educators, fami- their dreams. From musicians and film- along with a summary of facts. lies, and students. makers to activists and storytellers, the The ARCHIVES provides a list of popu- The Collections area allows users to testimonials illustrate the power of tech- lar people and topics such as immigration, search by art genre, time period, place, and nology. guns, and health care. Use the SEARCH for big idea such as STEM or global cultures. Use the COMMUNITY, EVENTS, and RE- specific topic searches. Or, enter a topic of interest. SOURCES sections to jumpstart your own Teachers will find the QUIZ ARCHIVE The Multimedia Finder provides ac- MADE W/CODE program in your library. particularly useful. cess to images, audio stories, music, video Connect the website with computer soft- A companion website called FLACK- clips, and interactives. In addition to a text ware, apps, and library books young people CHECK.ORG focuses on political literacy search, users can search by art genre or can use in coding projects. You can even and provides lots of resources to help media type. download a kit for a library code party! learners identify flaws in arguments. The Educators section allows users to Go to https://www.madewithcode.com/ To access FACTCHECK.ORG go to http:// search for lessons and how-to guides. It’s for the general website. Go to https://holi- www.factcheck.org. also possible to search based on the Na- days.madewithcode.com/project/lights for Use Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter to tional Core Arts Standards. By registering at the Code the Holidays Project. keep up-to-date on current topics from the website, teachers can store and organize FACTCHECK. their favorite resources for easy access. FACTCHECK.ORG is an award- The Arts Days app provides a full year winning website providing consumer in- CLIMATE.GOV is an outstanding of events connecting the arts to inventions, formation that can be woven across the U.S. government website from the National artists, and milestones. curriculum. Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration To learn more, go to http://artsedge. This nonpartisan, nonprofit website for (NOAA) focusing on high-quality scientific kennedy-center.org. the Annenberg Public Policy Center shares data and information related to the climate. To download the free app, go to useful information to help youth make re- When students are doing research on https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/arts-days/ sponsible decisions related to issues of pub- climate change, global warming or other id622294390. lic policy. It attempts to “reduce the level of climate-related topics, they often run into FEBRUARY 2015 45 TIVE is a 2014 Webcam Award Nominee. The app involves students in exploring three different cases of accidental poison- ing in animals. Through a series of anima- tions, participants must determine which of the 18 suspects is to blame. PTEROSAURS: FLIGHT IN THE AGE OF DINOSAURS is an app that provides an in- depth look at flying reptiles and the latest biased sites that are “pro” or “con” rather first predator?” and “How does a breeze fossil discoveries. Animations, interactives, than informational sites that contain use- turn into a terrifying tornado?”. Each ques- video interviews, and exciting activities ful facts to support arguments and make tion links to an interesting article featuring immerse youth in the world of dinosaurs. decisions. The NOAA Climate website pro- text, images, and sometimes animation and PTEROSAURS: THE CARD GAME and DI- vides quality news and information stu- video. The article concludes with links to NOSAURS are two other apps based on the dents can use in STEM projects. related stories. AMNH special exhibit. The HOME page links to recent topics Although not designed specifically for The CREATURES OF LIGHT app provides of interest. It also provides a Global Cli- students, these short, illustrated articles animations, photo galleries, and videos re- mate Dashboard containing a quick-look would be useful for informational text ac- lated to bioluminescence.
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