Integrating e-books into the classroom or a school library can be a game changer. Digital books expand the range of options that students have and the ways they can access them, as well as offer solutions to educators.
Why digital books?
Multiple formats
When students come to the library – no matter the grade level – they can read print books, e-books or audiobooks on a variety of devices. These options expand the number of choices that students have. We have students who love print and are less interested in e-books or audiobooks. Then we have the reverse – students who really love or need e-books or audiobooks.
Wider book selection
Digital books expand the range of choices. We utilize e-books on apps like Sora that we don’t have in our print collection, and vice versa. It extends what we can provide and is a complement instead of a replacement.
Instant access
Many students have faced book emergencies: When it’s midnight, and you finish a book … but it’s part of a series. You need the second in the series right now! Or when the school bus takes longer than expected and you don’t have anything to read.
Having e-books available for whatever screen you have available can rescue you during these kinds of book emergencies.
Solutions in unique circumstances
Book emergencies also come in less leisurely forms.
Sometimes, teachers need extra copies of a book right away. With digital books, teachers don’t need to fill out forms or wait for shipments. For example, a science or social studies teacher might be doing an activity, and a bundle of e-books is available that meets their needs.
Learning can extend beyond the traditional classroom to online students and hospitalized students, for example. Learning also can better cross language barriers, thanks to titles in foreign languages that let English language learners students have the same reading opportunities as their English-speaking peers.
Similarly, foreign language classes can use e-editions in the language they are studying — such as Dav Pilkey’s “Dog Man” series in Spanish. This is a great way to integrate e-books into everyday classwork.
E-books are available equally and equitably to all our students across the district.
One powerful thing about reading a digital book versus a physical book is privacy: People are less likely to see what you’re reading. This is a welcome bonus for students who don’t want others to know what topic they’re reading about, and it helps students like an 11th-grader who has differentiated reading material at a third-grade level.
Introducing e-books at your school
The initial e-book introduction and ongoing marketing efforts are critical to a library program’s success. Here are a few methods that work:
Attention to timing
Promote the service at the beginning of the year, the middle of the year, when students are going out on a break and before summer break. Timing offers its own legs and year-round reading solutions.
Encourage curiosity
Word of mouth leads to a series of additional interactions. When kids and teachers start using e-books, people start talking. Kids see other kids use digital reading apps and become curious. “Hey, what’s that? I want to use it!”
Tailor the experience based on the student and grade level
Depending on grade level, teaching students how to use digital book apps is different.
Our district has a webpage where students can access the app and are automatically set up to explore content. Initially, we sent an email to the school email list. Families interested in trying e-books with their kids were encouraged to reach out. A follow-up email went to responding families, instructing them to sign in to the platform using the child’s ID. With only that little guidance, interested families could log onto the platform without any confusion.
We jump in headfirst when introducing digital books to high-school and middle-school students. We ask them to play with the filters to search for an author or a concept. Filters are beneficial for this age group because they have more internet experience.
Younger students are often more challenging. But if you have the time and ability to teach the process, those younger students will pick up on it – just as they learn how to navigate YouTube or play video games. If you give them that experience, they can learn the process.
The power of digital and print
Digital books are an addition to, not a replacement for, physical books. They don’t replace or take away any of the work that librarians do. They are a great complement to a physical library or a classroom library.
We want to give students better access to more books in our libraries. Using digital books can help us do that for kids, knowing that everybody has different preferences or needs.
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