Sunday, October 6, 2013

Do You Know About BiblioNasium?

I heard about this site, but when one of my former students, a middle school special education teacher, ready to go off to Argentina, to teach there, recommended it, I decided to look into it. After I did, I was convinced it was an excellent site to engage students in reading and sharing what they are reading.

I even set up a site myself to explore how the tool works. Here is a glimpse into what I have so far, but I invite you to check out BiblioNasium for yourself, and set up a site for your class regardless of the age of the students you teach.





If you work with young students who are not yet reading, you can post on your site picture books you recommend for parents to read aloud at home or share with parents the ones you are already reading aloud in the classroom. If you work with older students, set up a class account, where students can post what they are reading, write reviews, make recommendations, and add books to a wish list. This truly is an interactive site that engages students in the reading, writing, and information literacy processes.

I love this site, and it makes me wish I were teaching students grades PreK through 8th grade, although I did start to set up a site for EDUC 584 just to experiment with the tools. I found the site user-friendly and liked its search box feature and links to "Resources," which includes a full list of Newberry Award winners.

I have also seen rave reviews about the site from teachers. Here are just a few Twitter tweets to give you an idea of teacher reactions.



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And here is a video I found in the School Library Journal's review of the site, which you can also read: "BibliorNassium, Social Reading for Kids."




Have you heard of the site? Would you consider checking it out and using it with students?



3 comments:

  1. This looks like a great site to use! I will definitely be looking into setting one up. Several of my students struggle with selecting "just right" books to read in school as well as at home. In school, either myself or my co-teacher can help with this process. It would be great to set up a recommended list for parents to help them when selecting books with their children. Thank you for sharing!

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  2. Thanks so much for all the wonderful feedback. We are so encouraged to hear you love the platform and all the positive words said! If you or any of the future teachers you work with ever need help with anything do let us know-- you can also check out our youtube account for the various how-tos that make the site easier to explore (http://www.youtube.com/user/BiblioNasium) for students, teachers, and parents. Thanks again for partnering with us to promote literacy for children! - Emily (Community Development, Biblionasium).

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  3. Thank you Ms. Judy for your post and detailed account of BiblioNasium. We are honored to be your partner in promoting reading and ready to support you and your colleagues.
    Warm Regards
    The Team at BiblioNasium

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