Canadian Magazine Industry News
10 October 2013,     TORONTO
Brainspace expands to newsstands with second issue
The inaugural August issue of Brainspace went out to subscribing schools, libraries and consumers. Now, with the upcoming second issue, the magazine debuts on newsstands.

The independent quarterly publication offers educational content for kids 8-13 and is the brainchild of publisher/editor/art director Nicky Middleton, who offers an appropriate mix of expertise as a former elementary school teacher, a magazine art director whose experience includes a tenure at Today's Parent, and a mother of two.

The first issue of Brainspace focused on the theme of evolution
The first issue of Brainspace focused on the theme of evolution

Brainspace combines a traditional printed product with augmented reality to enhance the educational experience. "It's not print vs. digital, it's the two worlds coming together to make learning optimal for kids," said Middleton.

Readers with access to a tablet can use the Verus app, available for free at the iTunes and Google Play stores, to activate images and dig deeper into typical classroom subjects like language, science and math, with extra digital content. Middleton points to her experiences as a teacher to illustrate how Brainspace's extracurricular content can complement the classroom.

"There are things that you touch on when you're delivering curriculum that you don't have the time as a teacher to really go in depth with--things like history, evolution or volcanoes around world, things that really fascinate and intrigue kids," Middleton said.

Articles expand on typical school subject matter
Articles expand on typical school subject matter

Tablets are gaining popularity as teaching tools, particularly for middle school students, said Middleton. "By and large, most of the schools in the Toronto District School Board have iPads in the classroom. If not for all the students, they do have a good number of them," she said, adding that the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board in Ontario will be providing hundreds of iPads to classrooms this year.

The first issue of Brainspace distributed 14,300 copies with a presence in 39 schools and 16 libraries. The second issue will see 2,500 copies on newsstands. A full page ad costs $4,385 and augmented reality options are also available.
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Wow, Torstar really seems to be on a mission to bankrupt one magazine after another....
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Full of terrific information, Thanks!...
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