Curating School Library Apps through Crowdsourcing
Article
APP OVERLOAD!
Last year I bought iPads to use in my school library program. I was excited and ready to begin purchasing apps, so I thought I would explore what other school librarians had recommended. I found a lot of information for classroom teachers, but not so much for school librarians. Undeterred, I began my own research by reading reviews in Appolicious, Appitic, Appstar, Teacherswithapps, and Appolearning. I even created a Google alert so that Google could search for apps according to my search criteria and send me a weekly notice. From these sources, I created lists of recommendations. Eventually, my lists got so large, I had to organize them into categories: reading, research, productivity/creativity, news/ weather, reference, general information, and library program tools. Once I had divided my app lists into these categories, I found that even these categories were more than I could budget for or handle initially. I needed to focus on apps that were truly necessary for supporting the goals of the library program. For this task, I needed input from my teachers and students and my media committee. I found that it was much easier to share and edit an online list. Sites such as Padlet, Scoop.it, Scribbless, Pinterest, and Gubb, were well suited, making the job easier for all of us. I finally narrowed my categories to my must-have apps in each and got busy installing them. Now I needed to see which apps required training and which ones were more intuitive so users could easily learn them on the spot. I also needed to know which ones required peripherals such as headphones or speakers. I called on a team to evaluate the apps and report back to me.
SELECTING APPS FOR SCHOOL LIBRARY PROGRAMS—THE WISDOM OF THE CROWD
You might be in the same boat. If you have purchased tablets or e-book readers, you must have had a goal of going mobile with your library services. Hooray! Now that you have these devices, how do you find the best apps to install on them? Selecting apps for school library programs can be a daunting task, but crowdsourcing makes it easier. Here are some ideas to help you get in the game so you come out a winner. [See an infographic of the recommended steps here.]
- Begin with a “dream board.” Ask your teachers and students to post the apps they dream of having or their goals for the mobile devices onto a Padlet (formerly Wallwisher) board. See my Padlet:
http://padlet.com/wall/rnenspz9gn . - Post reviews for commenting. Gather reviews from Appolicious, Appitic, Appolearning, or other sources and post them to a Scoop.it page. Ask your teachers and students to comment on the reviews. Visit my Scoop.it page for ideas:
www.scoop.it/t/school-library-apps . - Create an editable list of the top responses, such as my apps list:
http://scribbless.com/lists/list/159081 . Ask teachers and students to edit the list, covering predefined categories, such as reading, writing, searching, reference, general information, news, productivity, communication, social media, program tools, and so on. Include multiple apps in each category. - Review the edited list and make a Pinterest page of the finalists. See my Pinterest reading apps board:
http://pinterest.com/peggycreighton/reading-apps . Have patrons “like” their top choices. - Email or text patrons’ top choices to your library media committee in Gubb so they can comment. (Lists are only available/editable for those you email or text.) With your committee, create a budget in Google Drive for your apps, considering the current and future purchases, the necessary peripherals (speakers, headphones, keyboards, etc.), the number of users, training, and the maintenance required.
- Purchase and install your apps, and have a core group such as your student aides or your tech committee test them. Perhaps you could ask a team of techie teachers. Ask the test group to comment on the new apps and spread their comments in your preferred social media, such as on your blog or Facebook page, or by revisiting one of the crowdsourced pages you have created.
- Evaluate the purchases. Are user comments positive? Are the patrons engaged? Do the apps meet the goals you established? Are they easy to maintain? Do you have any problems? Try using the rubric here for your own evaluation:
http://learninginhand.com/static/50eca855e4b0939ae8bb12d9/50ecb58ee4b0b16f176a9e7d/
50ecb593e4b0b16f176aa974/1330908312793/Vincent-App-Rubric.pdf - Would you recommend these apps to others or not? What did you learn from this process? Share your results on a social network so others can benefit from your experience. The apps listed in this chart all work well for crowdsourcing your app selection process.
| App Name | Platform | Cost | Rating |
| Padlet | IOS, Android | Free | 4.5 stars |
| Scoop.it | IOS, Android | Free | 3.5-4 stars |
| List.ly | IOS, Android | Free | 5 stars |
| IOS, Android | Free | 4.5 stars | |
| Learnist | IOS, Android | Free | 3.5 stars |
| Edmodo | IOS, Android | Free | 4 stars |
| Tumblr | IOS, Android | Free | 4 stars |
| iRubric | Android | Free | 4 stars |
| Edublogs | IOS | Free | 3 stars |
| Google Sites | Android | Free | 5 stars |
Peggy's Picks: Top School Library Apps in Multiple Categories
E-books
- ibooks
- Kindle
- Stanza
- Nook
- Nook for Kids
- Good Reader
- Aesop for Children
- ICDL
- Reeder
- Bob Books
- Book Buddy Lite
- Overdrive
- Storia
- MeeGenius
- Professor Garfield Fact or Opinion
- Question Builder
- Booksy
- Story Patch
- Super Why
- Reading Raven
- Free Books
- Magzinio
Media/Social Media
- Netflix
- Pandora
- Howcast
- Brain Pop
- Brain Pop Jr.
- Flickr
- Flixster
- Photos
- Skype
- Edmodo
- Google+
- YouTube
- Tweetings
- Tweetdeck
- Sonic Pics
News
- USA Today
- News 360
- Weather Channel
- NPR
- NYTimes
- PBS
- National Geographic Today
- Google Currents
Productivity
- Evernote
- Quick Office
- Keynote
- Mighty Meeting
- Prezi
- Screen Chomp
- Pages
- Italk Lite
- My Listy
- Book Creator
- Little Story Maker
- Reading Rainbow App Trailer
- Little Writer for Kids
- Popplet
- Toontastic
- Doodle Buddy
- Story Kit
Reference
- Barefoot Atlas
- Thesaurus
- World Factbook
- Google Earth
- TEdEd
- Merriam Webster Dictionary
- Knowitnow
- American Civil War Timeline
- Constitution
- Science 360
- 3D Brain
- arXiv
- Ebscohost
- Mobile Abstracts
- World Book This Day in History
- Discover
- Anatomy Lite
- Reference USA
- Dictionary Free
- Access my Library (Gale)
- JSTOR Mobile
- Springer Link
- K12 Periodic Table
- Stack the States Lite
- 3D globe 2x
- Science Glossary
- Science Facts
- Presidents
- History Maps
- Westward Expansion
- Khan Academy
- Earth 101
- Star Walk
Cataloging/LMS Tools
- ibookshelf
- Library Thing
- Worldcat Mobile
- Titlewave
- Destiny Quest
- Destiny
- Follett Shelf
- Newbery
- Library Website Link
- Best Books
- Kids Book Review
- Lanschool Teacher's Assistant
Research
- Easy Bib
- Delicious
- Diigo
- Mendeley
- Endnote
- Evernote
- Dropbox
- Iannotate
- Google Chrome
- Google Drive
- Google Earth
- Discovr
- Wolfram Alpha
- Safari
As you gather information on potential apps to purchase and install, use the following checklist to help you narrow down your list:
| Checklist for School Library Apps | Yes | No |
| Is training required to use the app? | ||
| Does the app relate to a specific curriculum standard? | ||
| Can the app be used to differentiate instruction? | ||
| Can the app be used for productivity/creativity? | ||
| Can the app be used for collaboration? | ||
| Does the app meet a user need or interest? | ||
| Does the cost of the app fit the budget? | ||
| Will this app be used on a circulating device? | ||
| Are user passwords required? | ||
| Are peripheral devices required to use the app (i.e., speakers, headphones, printers)? | ||
| Is the app difficult to maintain? | ||
| Use of the app can be easily assessed. | ||
| The app is engaging to users. | ||
| The app is a good value for the cost. | ||
| The app has positive reviews. | ||
| The app does not contain inappropriate advertising. |
| Poor 1pt | Fair 2 pts | Good 3 pts | Outstanding 4pts | |
| Scope Meets curriculum standard-1 Allows for differentiation-1 Allows for collaboration-1 Meets need for creativity/productivity-1 | Poor | Fair | Good | Outstanding |
| Policies Fits budget-1 Can be circulated to multiple users-1 Password protected-1 Can be installed on all devices-1 | Poor | Fair | Good | Outstanding |
| Maintenance Requires no peripherals-1 Provides tech support-1 Can be installed or reinstalled on multiple units-1 Does not drain memory or battery-1 | Poor | Fair | Good | Outstanding |
| Evaluation Engaging to users-1 Easy to learn/use-1 Has strong reviews-1 Meets needs of program-1 | Poor | Fair | Good | Outstanding |
Additional Resources
About the Author
Peggy Milam Creighton is a school library consultant, author, book reviewer, and speaker, and a former elementary school librarian with the Cobb County School District in Marietta, Georgia. She served on the advisory board for Library Media Connection and is currently chair of the AASL Common Core Integration Task Force. Peggy is the recipient of the 2011 GA DOE Exemplary Media Program. She can be reached at peggymilamcreighton@gmail.com.
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MLA Citation
Creighton, Peggy Milam. "Curating School Library Apps through Crowdsourcing." Library Media Connection, 32, no. 5, March 2014. School Library Connection, schoollibraryconnection.com/content/article/1949137.
Chicago Citation
Creighton, Peggy Milam. "Curating School Library Apps through Crowdsourcing." Library Media Connection, March 2014. https://schoollibraryconnection.com/content/article/1949137.
APA Citation
Creighton, P. M. (2014, March). Curating school library apps through crowdsourcing. Library Media Connection, 32(5). https://schoollibraryconnection.com/content/article/1949137
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/content/article/1949137?learningModuleId=1949137&topicCenterId=0
Entry ID: 1949137