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"Most app-addicted teens (and younger) have no concept of leaving home early on a Saturday morning to meet friends for bike riding, pick-up ball games or just hanging out. With a world that is hyper vigilant about their children's safety (and for good reason), reaching for an electronic device has taken over the former scenario. Most parents are perplexed by this addiction when in reality we are the ones that perpetuate it. Therefore, the statistics are being tallied as a template to determine just where our children stand within this growing digital world."

""Be sure to cite your sources." "Give credit where credit is due." "Don't plagiarize." It's possible all teachers have said these things to students. But what do those directives mean to students who, in all reality, haven't had to do much citing?  What does it even mean to cite your sources?  The first step in the process is for students to understand the purpose and importance of citations. We found this great resource outlining that information from The Write Direction. One of the co-authors of this piece, Jessica Steege, is a middle school writing teacher. In her first year of teaching she did her best to explain the importance of citing her work. But somewhere along the way, the message got lost. When a student turned in a research project citing just one source-www.google.com - she felt defeated and wondered where she'd gone wrong. She realized that teaching citations from a "handbook," especially one that would quickly become outdated, wasn't the best way to teach her tech savvy students. So she turned to electronic resources. The Internet offers an abundance of online citation tools, from the extremely easy to use, to ones that require more research on the part of the user. We'd suggest teaching students about a few tools and let them decide which one to use to help them successfully cite their research."

"GETTING STARTED WITH LITTLEBITS With just a little bit of prep and planning, it's easy to get your students learning and inventing with littleBits."

"ACCORDING TO AYAH Bdeir, technology is the language of our time. The 33-year-old founder and CEO of littleBits likes to compare the engineers of today to the clergy of the Middle Ages, who controlled access to knowledge and power via their monopoly over the use and understanding of the written word. Today's engineers have a special kind of social and technological influence, which derives from their understanding of the stuff that makes our everyday gadgets work. If our lives today depend on technology, then those who truly understand it have an outsized influence over the rest of us. In Bdeir's view, littleBits-a range of Lego-like electronic circuits that can be used by virtually anyone to innovate their own gadgets-isn't just a plaything, it's an aid to achieving widespread tech literacy. You might even think of littleBits as a democratizing project. "You see these kids growing up with laptops and smartphones, and by the time they're toddlers, they already seem so tech savvy," Bdeir notes. "But they don't actually understand how the technology works. They're great at navigating around a touchscreen, but if they only ever know that much, they'll wind up relying on other people-these specialists who studied engineering in school-to decide what kind of technology they have access to.""

"Course Description: Learn to build your own Lightsaber just like young Jedi do! Along the way, learn about electronics, basic machining, assembly, and the ways of the Jedi. By the end of the lab, you will have built a functioning, battle-ready Lightsaber that you can wield like a master Jedi. This class is highly engaging and will have you anxious to build! This course also makes for a great parent-child project to do over the weekend or as an enrichment activity for your son/daughter. The online delivery of the course makes it a perfect option for home schooled children as well. What will I learn? 1. How to build a Lightsaber from scratch 2. The basics of electricity 3. Basic electrical circuits 4. Mechanical assembly 5. How to use a Lightsaber 6. So much more!"

"I didn't think 2015 would be the year I created a teen maker space, but it was-and it turned out to be an exciting, challenging, and rewarding experience. After six months of planning, our maker space at the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County, Ohio, where I am the YA services coordinator, opened last month. How did it come together? Organically. It began during our teen summer reading program seven months ago, when I hosted a few extremely popular Maker Mondays. Our children's librarian, Debbie Baker, and I created a collection of circulating maker-related titles. We also assembled 20 small circulating maker kits with Snap Circuits (kits for creating objects with electronic circuitry), stop-motion animation materials, and LEGO. These were such a hit that a dedicated maker space seemed ideal for us. Ideal-until we considered our budget and space restraints. We started planning anyway. Our process began with a lot of research, online and in person, visiting libraries and maker faires. There was heavy-duty continuing ed: online workshops and webinars, many hosted by School Library Journal. We knew that a maker space would benefit our community, but we couldn't see how to make it happen. With time and goal adjustments, we reached the finish line and launched in January."

"A makerspace is a collaborative work space inside a school, library or separate public/private facility for making, learning, exploring and sharing that uses high tech to no tech tools.  These spaces are open to kids, adults, and entrepreneurs and have a variety of maker equipment including 3D printers, laser cutters, cnc machines, soldering irons and even sewing machines.  A makerspace however doesn't need to include all of these machines or even any of them to be considered a makerspace.  If you have cardboard, legos and art supplies you're in business.  It's more of the maker mindset of creating something out of nothing and exploring your own interests that's at the core of a makerspace.  These spaces are also helping to prepare those who need the critical 21st century skills in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).  They provide hands on learning, help with critical thinking skills and even boost self-confidence.  Some of the skills that are learned in a makerspace pertain to electronics, 3d printing, 3D modeling, coding, robotics and even woodworking,   Makerspaces are also fostering entrepreneurship and are being utilized as incubators and accelerators for business startups.  There have already been some amazing success stories that have come out of makerspaces to date. "

"Creator's Studio is a 7th/8th grade elective course taught by John Umekubo, Director of Technology for St. Matthew's Parish School. This video explores the essential elements of this course, from electronics, to mechanical motion, and robotics. Students work through these three modules before taking on their own personal project. Hear reflections from the instructor and students as you view a number of sample student project"

"It comes in a box - all the parts and a series of experiments teachers can use to help students learn how to build electronics. That's how Massimo Banzi simply describes the kit and instructional program his company has developed that will soon include the new Arduino 101 development board (called Genuino 101 outside the United States) he co-created with Intel. "We designed it in a way so that it's approachable for a beginner, but then it gives you a lot of things you can work on down the line," said Banzi. For teachers, this is a recipe and ingredients for blowing open new possibilities for today's youth who are facing a future fueled by digital innovation."

"At the International Consumer Electronics Show, LEGO Education launched LEGO Education WeDo 2.0, a hands-on science solution designed for elementary classrooms using a robot-based learning system. The solution combines the LEGO brick, classroom-friendly software and engaging, standards-based projects to teach elementary students essential science practices and skills. With WeDo 2.0, students explore, create and share their scientific discoveries as they build, program and modify projects. Through a series of collaborative challenges, they deeply engage with science, engineering, technology, and coding, sparking a love for experimentation and investigation."

"Over the last couple of years, the Maker Movement has ushered in a new wave of low-cost hardware that enables anyone of any age and skill level to begin tinkering. Easy-to-use boards like the Arduino continue to lower the barriers to entry, while simplifying the prototyping process. Ultimately, this allows kids to explore basic electronics, learn coding, pursue STEM-related disciplines, and in some cases, even start their own business. Here are a few young Makers from 2015 that prove age is just a number when it comes to innovation…"

"Remote controlled cars are fun, sure, but self-driving robotic cars are even more fun. In this tutorial, we'll build a four-wheeled robot that can drive around and avoid obstacles. I purchased this complete 4WD kit from AliExpress, but you could easily buy most of these components from an electronics store and put it together yourself. I recommend reading through all of the instructions before you start, as that will make some things clear that might be confusing on the first time through. Also, this may look like a very long, advanced project due to the length of the instructions, but it's actually pretty simple. No need to be intimidated - this is a beginner level project that you can get some satisfying results with, then build upon as you learn more. Don't like this style of robot? Here's some more Arduino robots you could easily build instead."

"The "maker movement" can play an important role in getting kids interested in innovation and design, and littleBits-which makes easy-to-use electronic building blocks-is finding itself at the center of this movement. Until now, the company has focused mostly on the consumer market, but during a March 8 keynote session, littleBits founder and CEO Ayah Bdeir announced a new kit made specifically for schools. "We want to unleash the inventor in everyone," Bdeir said. In a conversation with Education Week, Bdeir said schools need to find ways to make science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) education more fun, engaging, and accessible for students. "I studied engineering, and almost on a weekly basis I wanted to quit," she said. "We need to find ways of approaching STEAM education differently." Bdeir said her experience in learning engineering as an undergraduate was "completely hands-off; as a result, many other students and I were turned off to it." But when she arrived at the MIT Media Lab for her master's of science degree, "it was the exact opposite. Every week was a new project, a new learning challenge. It was very scary, but also exhilarating and engaging." That's the experience her company is trying to replicate for students at all levels with the new STEAM Student Set."

"Some makerspace components are so commonly known that I can even use them to explain my job to non-educators: "I'm our makerspace coordinator. You know, the person who supports the kids with 3D printing and basic electronics and stuff like that." Then they know exactly what I mean. (I can tell because they respond with "Wow! That sounds like the best job ever!" They're right!) Educators planning makerspaces know they can start small with simple circuitry materials, cardboard and hot glue guns. Or they can go bigger with soldering capabilities and power drills. Or they can go to the biggest with 3D printers and laser cutters."

"Libraries are essential in a process of giving citizens access to knowledge. In digital times they are needed more than ever before. Get your library card, and you'll be able to borrow a print or electronic book, use free internet, or attend a course improving your digital skills. See also: 12 most talked-about ebook bestsellers of fall 2017 11 exciting ways you can celebrate Read an Ebook Day 2017 Most importantly, however, libraries are the places where you can expect smart and clear answers to even most difficult questions. Neil Gaiman perfectly describes what's happening in digital times: "Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring you back the right one." In times of the internet, everyone can visit a library without leaving home. It's just a matter of opening a library website, and you can not only borrow an ebook but also ask the librarian an online question."

"If you've ever felt stuck in a job and are considering a new career, figuring out exactly what you want to do - and how you'll get there - can be overwhelming. What if you could identify and test out different career possibilities, and even game out and compare how they would unfold over the next five years? You can using a solution-focused method called "Design Thinking," which helped product designers create Apple's built-in mouse and other consumer electronics. Sound far-fetched? It's not."

"Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Bill Finger, Bob Kane, Joe Simon, Steve Ditko, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and dozens of other Golden and Silver Age visionaries produced superhero, romance, western, horror, and crime comics using the craftsman's tools of their day: paper, typewriters, pencils, brushes, inks, and dyes. From the 1930s until roughly the mid-1990s, comic books were produced almost entirely in this fashion, with a few digital blips along the way. But as electronic tools became increasingly affordable and powerful, the comic book creation process shifted from an analog process to a digital one. In contemporary times, there's a good chance that no aspect of your favorite title is physical until finished pages start rolling off a printing press."

"The Ancient Greeks loved algorithms, and devised lots of useful ones. One of the most famous is the Sieve of Eratosthenes. It is a way to find prime numbers, special numbers that are also known as the atoms of numbers. Prime numbers now form the basis of our most powerful encryption systems upon which digital money is based. Our electronic banking systems (and lots more) would collapse without prime numbers. You can use the Sieve of Eratosthenes as a way to practice times tables, spot patterns and explore how to improve algorithms, whilst also uncovering these mysterious, magical numbers with no obvious pattern of their own. Here you can follow in the footsteps of Eratosthenes and develop your algorithmic thinking skills."

One of the great joys and best strategies for expanding your understanding is to engage with a great book. Fortunately the options available today are immense and electronic options and audio books make access easy and possible wherever you may be. Here is a short list of what I have been reading lately with some brief reflections.