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Yay it’s National Gaming Day!

Nov 13th, 2009
by pollyalida.
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Woo hoo! It’s National Gaming Day this Saturday!

On November 14, 2009, libraries across the country will participate in the largest, simultaneous national video game tournament ever held! Kids will be able to compete against players at other libraries and track their scores while playing at their local library. In addition, libraries will be offering a variety of board games for all ages to play together. (ILoveLibraries.org)

Is your local library participating? Check out the map of participating libraries and get your game on!


View 2009 National Gaming Day participating libraries in a larger map

Librarians’s Guide to Gaming Toolkit

Mar 7th, 2009
by pollyalida.
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Check out this new resource from ALA’:  The Librarian’s Guide to Gaming: An Online Toolkit for Building Gaming @ Your Library

Libraries of all types promote the development of these literacy skills in numerous ways: information literacy classes in colleges and universities, gaming programs to promote problem solving and the development of higher order thinking skills, and services that improve technical and literary fluency. Regardless of the type of service libraries may provide, they are all important in strengthening these multiple literacies. Gaming in its various forms presents an additional service that supports and strengthens these literacies.

Includes talking points, resources, tools, tips, best practices and more.

Scratch: Imagine, Program, Share

Feb 20th, 2009
by pollyalida.
1 comment

Scratch, from the MIT Media Lab, is a programming tool “designed to help young people (ages 8 and up) develop 21st century learning skills. As they create Scratch projects, young people learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also gaining a deeper understanding of the process of design.”

This demo video is all kinds of wonderful. It not only shows the process of designing and creating a game with Scratch, but also illustrates the thinking and learning going on while creating the game. And the narration and flow of the demo video are terrific too. Great job. I yelled hooray at the end!

An Introduction to Scratch Programming with Theo & Kyle -  Feb 19, 2009

There are more than 300,000 projects on the Scratch site! I had fun playing with this one – Mi’s Puzzle Demo

Wii Bowling for Seniors – Holiday Classic Tournament

Dec 9th, 2008
by pollyalida.
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Do you have a Wii Bowling program for Seniors? Check out this tournment!

Any library with a Wii Bowling for Seniors program is invited to participate in the Kent Public Library Holiday Classic Wii Bowling Tournament.  Your library can enter as many four member teams as you have.  Each four member team will record their best combined scores of their two best games bowled from December 15 through January 16.

To enter teams please email Frank Rees, Kent Public Library at frankrees@gmail.com.

via: Wii Bowling for Seniors in the Mid-Hudson Library System

Games @ Lunch Break

Nov 1st, 2008
by pollyalida.
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Lunch break Our lunch break today was too short to get any game playing going – school librarians know how to eat quick and network at the same time! But I did get a few games out for people to look at.  In honor of ALA’s National Gaming Day coming up on Nov 15, we had Pictureka and Top Trumps. And Quiddler too. All these are new to me, so I was happy to have an excuse to buy them.

But what I really loved about this, was the reaction of a couple of the librarians who started thinking about how they could use the ideas behind these games and have kids create their own games! Kids could make their own Top Trumps cards by using a big huge labs Trading Card making tool.  Use a photo from flickr, add some facts, print them out and play! Cool!  Pictureka-ish game boards could be created with clip art collections.  All themed around topics being covered in classes. Creative and fun.

ALSC – Great Technology Programs for Children

Oct 9th, 2008
by pollyalida.
1 comment

If you’re looking for some great children’s programming incorporating technology, visit the Great Technology Programs for Children wiki page.

There are currently about a dozen listings including programs related to reading, storytime, gaming and more. Detailed notes will help you implement similar programs.

Have your own great program? Contribute! This is part of the ALSC (Association for Library Services to Children) Children and Technology Committee’s ChildTech Wiki.

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