As many of you know, I have been a Literacy Specialist in New York City public schools for over seventeen years. Throughout my tenure, I have had a first-hand look at how reading affects children positively in every aspect of their life. As a result, I am always on the lookout for opportunities for kids to improve their comprehension through creativity. Netflix has recently announced their first interactive "branching" narrative episodes Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale and Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pile, where Netflix members have control over how the story develops and ultimately unfolds. Non-linear stories like these allow children to tap into their imagination and to really think about the story elements and events taking place involving the characters. My son and I recently had the opportunity to be among the first Netflix Stream Teamers to experience this interactive storytelling together. As an educator, it was so rewarding to see him so engaged … [Read more...]
Experience Interactive Storytelling On Netflix! #StreamTeam @Netflix #Ad
Build A Bear Goes High Tech! #Infusionbabw
This past Sunday, my family and I had the pleasure of being invited to check out Build A Bear's new interactive and technology enhanced store design. In an age where most children are extremely technologically savvy, this was an exciting and welcome upgrade to the already great Build A Bear experience. My boys were immediately attracted to their innovative and modern design and ran ahead of us to try out some of the activities. The first station that caught their eye was the "Love Me" touch screen which allows children to choose a heart for their stuffed animal. They both loved choosing some of the characteristics that they wanted their bears to have. Another station offered them the opportunity to create a customized sound chip containing some of their favorite tunes. Kids can choose from a variety of songs to upload to their sound chips and there are music options for children of all ages. My nine year old was pleasantly surprised to be able to upload a … [Read more...]
