In less than a week, DC will become populated with innovative librarians at the Computer In Libraries conference. If you are looking for the best place to meet and greet librarians, stop by the Gaming and Gadgets night Sunday, April 6th at 5:30PM local time in the Georgetown room in the Washington Hilton.
This year, the event is going to host over 20 different games and gadgets. Some of these games and gadgets aren’t even available for purchase yet. If having the opportunity to interact with something not yet on the market isn’t enough, there is also ton of awesome give-a-ways. This year, simply by playing and interacting with the gadgets in the room, you will be eligible to win a variety of prizes. From new technology that you can take home today to awesome swag prizes. Oh — did we also mention that there is some amazing refreshments there too?
What kind of technology do you expect to see? Here are a few highlighted items:
Robo 3D — Robo 3D is an amazing 3D printer with a prize tag well below $1,000. Take photos with the 3D printer for a chance to win your own 3D object printed.
Cubelets — CUBELETS are magnetic blocks that can be snapped together to make an endless variety of robots with no programming and no wires. You can build robots that drive around on a tabletop, respond to light, sound, and temperature, and have surprisingly lifelike behavior. Complete challenges for a chance to win some awesome Cubelet swag.
3Doodler — The first 3D Printing Pen. Don’t want a giant 3D Printer taking up space? Well, create your own creation simply by drawing with the 3Doodler.
Tiggly Shapes– Looking for something for your younger patrons? Tiggly is a great to any iPad collection to let children interact with physical shapes on the iPad. Tiggly helps develop spatial reasoning, motor skills, language, and creativity in fun exciting new ways. By simply playing with Tiggly and showing your excitement on twitter — you will be entered to win a FREE Tiggly Set.
Circuit Scribe — Circuits more your thing? Well draw some circuits and make new connections, all on paper! Light things up and take some photos. You may be randomly selected to keep a circuit scribe pen, before they are even released!
Empathy — Alright. That’s a lot of technology. We even have an amazing wooden block set for you to challenge yourself with. Challenging? Yes, because you have to work together with someone, blindfolded, and explain how you built your blocks so they may build the same creation as you.
Vex — Speaking of building, play with the programmable robot kit. A cross between all the best block creation sets with an easy to use programmable interface, Vex allows you build amazing robots.
Finally, but certainly not the last, if you love programming or interested in helping your patrons learn to code (which is a huge push across libraries and schools), be sure to experiment with Finch and the Hummingbird. Program an already created robot (finch), or build your own (hummingbird)!
This is only a small snippet of what to expect at the gaming and gadgets session. If you need a break while at the show, be sure to sit and listen in amazing sound proof chairs or play with a giant interactive table. If you can’t make it to this amazing event, be sure to find the MakerSpace exhibit in the Exhibit Hall on Monday. The reception for that starts 5:00PM local time on Monday, so be sure to stop by if you want to enter in one of the many give-a-way contests.
From the Final Program:
Games, Gadgets, & Makerspaces – Sunday, April 6, 2014 – 5:30 PM — 7:30 PM
Join our gamers and gadget lovers for an evening of fun, playing, learning, and networking. See how you can transform your thinking, your programs, and your spaces with the latest games, gadgets, and ideas! Share with a poster about what your library is doing with creative making and makerspaces in your library. Led by Brian Pichman, Meg Backus, and Stephen Abram, this event will start your conference experience with lots of learning and laughing! Refreshments included.
