Digital Libraries: Teach Students to Be Savvy Digitial Media Consumers

How do we help our students become savvy consumers of digital media? Many students can already access a huge range of content via social media and the Net, still often their online lives are non rich in administrative sources or high-quality reading materials. Digital libraries are a powerful way for educators to help teach students how to find, evaluate, and use digital content—an essential skill as online materials and sources continue to abound at an astonishing charge per unit.

As a former teacher and technology coordinator and every bit a electric current EdTech entrepreneur and leader, I've helped thousands of schools beyond the country utilize digital libraries to alter the dynamic of learning. Used well, digital libraries tin can help educators teach and students learn in heady new ways. In other cases, engineering tin detract from, rather than heighten, instruction and exercise.

With this in mind, here are my top tips, insights, and recommendations to help you build the perfect digital library.

1. Think student libraries, not school libraries.

Kids shouldn't have to race to the book bin to grab the but copy of a favored championship—and they shouldn't take to race to the estimator to check out the but digital re-create, either. With digital, every student tin can have their own library. Expect for digital library options that allow all students to read the aforementioned book simultaneously to maximize student pick and appointment.

2. Aggrandize reading beyond language arts.

In many schools, reading and language arts teachers have their own classroom libraries, while content-area teachers accept only shelves of textbooks and the occasional class trip to the school library.

With digital, every classroom in the edifice can have its own giant library—often without any added toll. Ameliorate however, since digital books can "travel" between classrooms, students can have a seamless reading experience across social studies, science, and language arts, helping them to build strong cross-curricular connections.

iii. Recall 1:1 digital devices are non required.

Digital libraries tin can be highly effective even without a 1:1 model. With just a few computers or tablets, teachers tin can set reading stations that students can rotate through during pocket-size-group instruction.

In improver, if your digital library solution is browser based (instead of requiring installed software or specific hardware), students can read on any device, including cell phones, video game consoles, or even smart TVs.

four. Extend reading beyond the school day.

Digital libraries present a unique opportunity for schools to partner with customs organizations. Students can read digital texts before and afterwards school at the public library, YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, community center, or whatever other location where they have Net access.

Since research has shown that access to books is often more important to student reading than socio-economic status, these community partnerships tin can aid heave pupil achievement—which, in turn, strengthens the local community.

5. Don't eliminate print materials.

This may seem like an odd piece of advice in an commodity about digital libraries, only about standards crave students to piece of work confidently with both print and digital materials. Aim for your impress and digital libraries to work together and ultimately enhance each other.

6. Avoid animations and other distractions in digital texts.

While it may be tempting to seek out digital texts that use popular-ups, games, animations, and other "fun" features to appoint students, in that location is some testify that these distractions result in shallow reading. Digital texts should be designed to help students focus on reading.

vii. Find constructive ways for students to appoint with the text.

Although animations can be distracting, in that location are a lot of interactive features that can enhance the reading experience. Seek out digital options that have helpful tools that let readers highlight, draw, annotate, write journals, and cite sources.

8. Apply digital materials for read alouds.

Showtime, forget investing in expensive big books: With a digital library, whatever book can be projected to serve equally a big book. Fifty-fifty older students report that having their instructor read aloud is 1 of their favorite reading activities, and digital texts allow even young adult books—which are nigh never available in large-volume format—to exist used for classroom read alouds.

2nd, digital options with built-in sound hateful students can enjoy read alouds anytime, fifty-fifty when a teacher or family unit member isn't available. For students whose families take low literacy levels, recorded sound may exist the simply way for parents/guardians to read books with their children and actively support their educational activity.

ix. Support English Learners and their families with multiple linguistic communication options.

A digital library can exist a powerful resources for English Learners, especially if it includes titles in other languages or dual-linguistic communication texts. A congenital-in dictionary will permit English Learners to quickly look upwards unfamiliar words and build vocabulary, while recorded audio tin can provide auditory models of correct syntax and grammer within the English language language. (For this reason, look for digital texts that use recorded audio of existent people, not stilted computerized voices.)

Digital texts in other languages, such every bit Spanish, as well make it possible for family unit members with limited English proficiency to read with their children. In many cases, digital dual-language texts can also give parents/guardians the opportunity to build their own English language skills!

x. Become across books.

A digital library doesn't have to exist limited to affiliate books. It can include graphic novels, illustrated and picture books, photos and advisory texts, and even news articles. In particular, news articles can assist spark children'due south curiosity about the world, build groundwork noesis about a broad variety of topics, and strengthen social-emotional skills like empathy and appreciating variety.

11. Empower students.

With digital libraries, students tin ofttimes get real-time insights almost their reading—how long they're reading, at what level, and how well they're understanding the material—that they simply tin't get with print materials. Encourage students to use this information to take ownership of their learning and make informed decisions near their reading.

12. Empower teachers.

Teachers as well do good from having more detailed data almost their students' reading, merely that'south not the only way that digital libraries can help educators. When every book in a digital library is essentially available as a "class prepare," teachers can unleash their creativity. No longer limited to the few titles with thirty or so copies bachelor, teachers can create projects and activities based on educatee interests, electric current events, or local news. Make certain all teachers are properly trained on all the features and collections available with the digital library, and then they tin can accept full advantage of all it offers.

13. Empower librarians.

As champions of reading, librarians piece of work to foster a dearest of reading in every educatee. Because digital libraries expand students' choices—and more books mean more opportunities for each student to discover the right book to motivate them to read more than—librarians become more than essential for helping to guide students (and educators!) to their side by side great read.

Plus, freed from the need to spend so many hours shelving books and straightening up reading areas, librarians can act as apportionment leaders for their schools or districts, reporting trends in student reading to principals, curriculum and instruction directors, and superintendents. Give librarians total access to all the information available via the digital library to assist ensure they tin use their expertise to monitor, clarify, and make recommendations about reading at the school level or beyond the commune.

14. Eliminate storage costs, inventory headaches, and lost book fees.

When considering the cost of a digital library, remember to also consider the savings. With a digital library, in that location are no storage costs, no need to take inventory, no paperwork or  filing systems, and no disposal costs. For students and families, digital libraries eliminate any worry about incurring fees for belatedly, lost, or damaged books.

Get more than insights for supporting educatee reading

For even more than helpful insights and action steps for supporting your students' reading, download this free guide to reading growth.

Covering essential topics such every bit the factors that contribute to reading growth and the activities that motivate students to read, the Educational activity Leader's Guide to Reading Growth transforms inquiry near reading into helpful strategies you tin implement today to grow reading achievement for all students, including English Learners. Don't miss the special report about struggling readers who became successful ones in simply one school year!

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Source: https://www.weareteachers.com/perfect-digital-libraries/

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