As educators and parents, we advocate for the importance of reading to children and ensuring that there are plenty of appropriate books in a child’s life. Providing variety in genre can inspire and lead to a deeper understanding of concepts presented through books.
Books with a technology theme covering concepts of using technology responsibly, online safety, finding reliable sources, cyberbullying, digital footprints, screen time, technology addiction, being unplugged, coding and robotics, email etiquette and specific technologies like 3D printing can be fabulous for discussing, comparing, learning, considering, analysing, debating, examining and simply enjoying with children. There are more and more becoming available with the push for STEM and the new technologies curriculum. Here are some to whet your appetite….
Goodnight iPad by Ann Droid
Goodnight iPad is a parody of the popular book Goodnight Moon. It is hilarious for anyone that finds modern life funny and absurd. It is a story that reminds children about the importance of powering down each day. Modern life is abuzz. There are huge LCD Wi Fi HD TVs and Facebook requests and thumbs tapping texts and new viral clips of cats doing flips. Wouldn’t it be nice to say goodnight to all that? Like the rest of us who cannot resist just a few more scrolls and clicks, you may find yourself ready for bed while still clinging to your electronics long after dark. This book, which is made of paper, is a reminder for the child in all of us to power down at the end of the day. This hilarious parody not only pokes loving fun at the bygone quiet of the original classic, but also at our modern plugged-in lives. It will make you laugh, and it will also help you put yourself and your machines to sleep. Don’t worry, though. Your gadgets will be waiting for you, fully charged, in the morning.
If You Give a Mouse an iPhone: A Cautionary Tail by Ann Droid
If You Give a Mouse an iPhone is like all of the other If You Give a Mouse a Cookie/Muffin/Brownie stories that are great to use when studying sequences in stories. This book was published in 2014. If you give in to temptation and give a bored little mouse your iPhone, even for ten minutes, he’s probably going to beam to some faraway place beyond time, space, and the sound of your pleading voice. And if he’s that far gone, he won’t have any idea what’s going on around him, and he might end up missing out on all the real fun. This story sends a great message to students about how you can easily miss out on all that life has to offer when you are constantly on your devices. Great conversations can be had about the importance of putting technology away at the appropriate times.
What Does it Mean to be Safe? By Rana DiOrio
As a young boy and his friends go on an outing to the local river, they look out for one another, resist peer pressure, and listen to their inner voices to know the right things to do. Along the way, the boy discovers that each of us is the single best person to protect our self, and that there are so many things we can all do to be safe. This story touches on everything from physical safety to cyber-safety and presents ways children can protect themselves. This is a great read for teaching internet safety as well as protecting personal information and passwords.
Hello? Hello! By Matthew Cordell
Outside the world is bright and colourful, but Lydia’s family is too busy with their gadgets to notice. She says Hello to everyone. Hello? Hello! Her father says hello while texting, her mother says hello while working on her laptop and her brother doesn’t say hello at all. The T.V shouts Hello! But she doesn’t want to watch any shows. Lydia, now restless, ventures outside. There are so many things to say hello to! Hello rocks! Hello leaves! Hello flowers! When Lydia comes back home she decides to show her family what she has found, and it’s hello world and goodbye gadgets!
Peter and Pablo the Printer by Jeffrey Ito
This is an awesome story about 3D printing, creating and innovating. This would be a great book to have in your Makerspace! Peter is about to turn seven years old. For his upcoming Birthday he is gifted a 3D Printer by his father – one that is capable of printing anything! Enter Pablo The Printer. Pablo The Printer is powered by invention, fun and courage. While most 3D Printers can only print in plastic, Pablo can literally print things to life! Pablo not only prints Peter the toys he wants, including a new best friend (a blue dog named Rocky will always be a man’s best friend), but he also shares timeless wisdom with him. Peter soon learns a valuable lesson. Even though Pablo is capable of printing anything, it doesn’t mean that Peter should print everything. Along the way, Peter meets a few new friends and learns first-hand the power of why imagination is so important for the next industrial revolution.
But I read on the Internet by Toni Buzzeo
Hunter and Carmen disagree whether George Washington really had wooden teeth, and Mrs. Skorupski encourages them to research the story on the internet and use her “Website Evaluation Gizmo” to evaluate websites and come up with the correct answer. This book every librarian needs to have in their library! It is about 4th graders learning how to evaluate Internet resources for accuracy, ease of use and informativeness.
If I Were a Wizard by Paul Hamilton
Paul has done an amazing job with this book and his activities, app and website ….. a must to check out!
While his fellow classmates are dreaming of becoming football players, architects, and doctors, Ralph dreams of becoming a wizard and helping his family and friends. ‘If I Were A Wizard’ introduces coding concepts to its readers through the enchanting imagination of a young boy. From ‘Repeats and Loops” to ‘Algorithms’, If I was a Wizard prompts discussion and helps build conceptual understanding. Currently, there is a global push for coding in education. Coding is the new creation tool. It has the ability to create new products, bring people together and solve important problems in the world.
Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding by Linda Liukas
I know I have raved about this book on many occasions throughout my blog but it’s such a wonderful book to introduce young children to computational thinking and coding. Ruby is a small girl with a huge imagination, and the determination to solve any puzzle. As Ruby stomps around her world making new friends, including the Wise Snow Leopard, the Friendly Foxes, and the Messy Robots, kids will be introduced to the fundamentals of computational thinking, like how to break big problems into small ones, create step-by-step plans, look for patterns and think outside the box through storytelling. Then, these basic concepts at the core of coding and programming will be reinforced through fun playful exercises and activities that encourage exploration and creativity. In Ruby’s world anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
Good Night Selfie by Scott Menchin
After the star of this story gets her brother’s hand-me-down camera-phone and a quick lesson in the “selfie,” there is no stopping her! Anything can be turned into a selfie, and a host of adventures and misadventures caught on camera prove her point. Turning the camera-phone on herself becomes a part of her every day, all day long. Until, that is, it’s time to call it a day. Turns out, camera-phones and kids alike need to recharge their batteries!
Webster’s Email by Hannah Whaley
One click, and Webster’s email is on its way… but where will it stop? Webster’s Email is a wonderfully witty rhyming story that gathers pace as the little spider begins to regret emailing a funny picture of his sister. Count with Webster in this number book as his email reaches more and more people, while gently introducing young readers to the vocabulary and etiquette of email technology. One of a collection of picture books about technology for children which introduce topics about online safety, over sharing, email, meeting strangers online and using computers responsibly. Appropriate for a young audience (ages 3-8) they are a perfect tool for parents, teachers and librarians to teach children about digital issues or for new readers to explore themselves.
The Technology Tail: A Digital Footprint Story by Julia Cook
A cute, creative story about children and their texts, tweets, posts and pics. Don t be mean and irresponsible! That s the straight-to-the-point advice Screen has for young readers who are active on social media. Whether tapping out messages on their computers, tablets or phones, Screen wants kids to know their words will follow them for life, creating a digital trail that can’t be erased. A timeless message to a new generation just learning how to navigate the fast-changing digital age. Written for children in grades 1-6, this storybook uses rhymes and colourful illustrations to grab their attention. There are also tips for parents and teachers who want to reinforce kindness and respect in a high-tech world
Chicken Clicking by Jeanne Willis
One night, Chick hops onto the farmer’s house and has a browse on his computer – CLICK – soon she’s shopping online for the whole farm! But when she arranges to meet up with a friend she’s made online, she discovers all is not as it seems… Little Red Riding Hood for the iPad generation, this is the perfect book for teaching children how to stay safe online.
Unplugged by Steve Antony
Meet Blip. Blip loves being plugged into her computer. When a blackout occurs, Blip trips over her wire and tumbles outside. Suddenly, Blip’s grey world is filled with colour and excitement. She plays with her new friends and has adventures all day long. When Blip finally returns home, she realizes that the world can be even brighter once you unplug.
Plenty more….to share and enjoy!
