Many of you attended the workshop last week about using technology in programs for kids and teens and got to try using Scratch and some other fun technology projects. If you didn’t go and want to see the handouts, take a peek!

Ashley Bieber, the youth services manager at Rice Lake, sent information about an even easier-to-replicate program she is doing called “Laptops on the Loose.” This program “incorporates a lot of the activities and tools that we talked about with Scratch, but much more simplified. I found this great article in School Library Journal with a big list of free,web-based animation, comic and story creators…Last month we used a comic creator program and about 13 kids showed up to create their own comics. Since we can’t connect the laptops to our printer, I had the kids email me their comic and I then printed them out so they could take it home. “

Ashley is using the laptop kits purchased through a broadband grant. Kits are housed in Rice Lake, River Falls, Eau Claire and St. Croix Falls. IFLS libraries: if you want to borrow a kit, your library director should know about how to reserve them. If not, contact Gus Falkenberg–falkenberg @ iflsweb.org (except without the space).

Let us know what you come up with!