Digital Media Resources
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- Children and Technology General Websites
- Topics of Interest
- Screen Time
- Media Mentorship
- Early Literacy
- eBooks
- eBook Advisory
- Free collections of eBooks
- Apps
- Articles
- App Advisory
- Podcast Advisory
Websites
Users can navigate to resources for K-12 digital citizenship, educational technology ratings & reviews, and technology professional development resources.
Topics of Interest
Screen Time
(New York Times | April 2020)
A timely look at child, content, and context in regards to screen time and current events.
(Brooklyn Public Library | March 2020)
An example of a screen time webpage put together by the Brooklyn Public Library for families. It provides families with guidelines, tips, and resources.
(American Academy of Pediatrics | March 2020)
An updated news release from the American Academy of Pediatrics about family media use. It was posted during the pandemic to assist parents with coming up with strategies to integrate healthy habits around screens.
(University of Michigan Medicine | June 2020)
Nearly three-fourths of parents misreported preschoolers’ mobile technology use; some children ages 3-5 engaged with apps intended for teens and adults.
(American Psychological Association | April 2020)
The American Psychological Association provides a useful overview of screen time research from various scientific sources.
Media Mentorship
Based on a presentation from the 2018 Annual Conference, this article explores research into children and technology, practical applications, and effective practices.
(Erikson Institute | 2020)
A report created by Erikson Institute, ALSC, and additional partners and funded by Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS). It includes materials that help develop the understanding and teaching of media literacy in early childhood.
(Scarborough Public Library | June 2021)
An example of media mentorship in action by the Scarborough Public Library in Maine. This article in the local paper provides families with an introduction to the librarian's role as media mentor, along with specific tips and resources for meaningful media engagement.
Early Literacy
Agenda for community and city leaders to help empower parents in the digital age.
Provides indirect evidence that children’s interaction with technology and digital media can support whole child development.
Quick info for parents through bullet points, charts to reinforce info, quick tips for parents, additional links (family media use plan)
Examines how media use is related to and affects children’s language and literacy skills.
Geared for parents. Discussion on how colorblind parenting can be more harmful than good for children. Also discusses ways to talk about racial events of our day.
Children’s use of digital media has increased during the pandemic, this article discusses how this affects children and how parents and caregivers can support learning and development.
eBooks
eBooks Advisory
A report that details the unfair practices of dominant actors in the digital marketplace which harms the library’s role as a digital provider.
A clear explanation of the legal differences between libraries lending print books and eBooks.
A list of features to look for when considering juvenile eBooks, along with descriptions of freely available, and available only to BCL patrons, juvenile eBook apps.
An introductory article of identified pros and cons when considering digital reading for ages 3-5.
A 2019 study published in Pediatrics: Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics which recommends sharing print books with toddlers.
February 3, 2020
An explanation of fanfiction and free or cheap subscription reading services platforms and an introduction of how libraries can be a part of this growing trend.
Free Collections of eBooks
Technical Notes: Books in this collection can be viewed directly on the site, or downloaded in various formats (including ePub, PDF, Kindle, and more).
This collection of free, digitized children's books consists of materials published around the world. The collection is curated, and collected by the University of California Libraries (various), the University of Florida's "Literature for Children" Collection, the National Yiddish Book Center, the New York Public Library, the International Children's Digital Library, and other libraries. Books can be filtered by publication date, subject/topic, collection, creator, and language.
Because some of these titles in this collection are historical books, they may be more interesting for research purposes, rather than entertainment. Careful reading should be applied to historically published content that may be racially, or culturally problematic for today's readers.
Technical Notes: Books in this collection can be viewed directly on the site, or downloaded by page in various formats, such as jpegs.
This page is specifically for the Children's Bookshelf, which contains hundreds of titles for young readers. Books are by default sorted by popularity, but can also be sorted by title, or release date. The number of downloads for each book is easily available and may be interesting for those browsing. Within each title's page, one can browse "Similar Titles."
Because all of the titles on Project Gutenberg are historical books that are now in the public domain, some of the titles may be more interesting for research purposes, rather than entertainment. Careful reading should be applied to historically published content that may be racially, or culturally problematic for today's readers.
Technical Notes: Books in this collection can be viewed directly on the site, or downloaded in various formats (including ePub, PDF, Kindle, and more).
The books in this collection can be sorted by language, but also by such categories as format, size, color, shape, and genre.
Technical Notes: Books in this collection can only be viewed on the ICDL website, and cannot be downloaded.
This advice is more useful for personal eBook access, rather than for school or public libraries, but it is a great resource for building a free ebook library on a single device.
Apps
This research review looks at the emerging evidence to determine that interactive apps are useful and accessible tools to support early academic learning.
(National Association for the Education of Young Children)
Selection guidelines and hallmarks of quality apps for young children.
Selections made by the American Association of School Librarians of the best educational apps, websites, and other digital tools.
Recommended apps for ages 2 through teen from Common Sense Media's editors. Apps are organized into thematic lists (such as "20 Apps for Kids Who Think Reading Is Boring" and "Educational Apps That Don't Need Wi-Fi or Data"). Recommended apps can also be filtered by age.
Search tool with reviews of high-quality apps for kids, recommended by the Madison Public Library.
Learning apps and games for kids as recommended by educators, experts, and parents.
Recommended literacy apps to provide practice with essential skills in print awareness, phonics, spelling, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing.
Podcast shows for family listening. Many of their shows are serial audio dramas. Shows are all free, but come from multiple media partners.
High-quality shows from multiple podcasters. The members of this grassroots audio nonprofit include a variety of podcasters and podcast supporters all working to elevate the medium and promote high-caliber media for kids. The shows are free.
Information about NPR's Student Podcast Challenge for middle school students and beyond. Includes great resources for teachers and students getting started with podcasting. Provides exemplary examples of audio created by and for students.
A series of podcast advisory articles on various subject areas specifically for librarians.
Curated podcasts for youth (ages 9 to 13) from Public Radio Exchange PRX. TRAX values diversity in voice and sound and brings a high standard of curation when onboarding new shows. All media is free.
