NOOK CLUB! -Gilbert school article response

The second article I chose to read for my EXPAND work is the article written by Hayley Ringle of the Arizona Republic. In her article, she explores how an elementary school librarian and principal are trying to expand their library and promote higher student motivation to read. Sonoma Ranch Elementary School recently formed what they call a "Nook Club." The school bought Nook electronic reader to use for multiple groups of sixth graders to check out and read on it for two weeks.

The librarian sites that the goal is to give all sixth-graders the opportunity to read at least one book on the e-reader by the end of the school year. She sees the e-readers as a tool to help encourage student literacy without placing any limitations on the students. Her view is as follows: "...school librarians should be early adapters of new technology to take leadership roles and to train teachers in how to use them as well." The article presents the facts that she is not the first to hold such a view in fact Ringle states that in Clearwater, FL a school issued 1200 Kindle e-readers for students to use instead of hard copy textbooks.

The principal too joins his librarian in the vision for the use of mLearning tablets, such as the Nooks, in his school system. He states, "Our hope is to transform our library into a 21st century library." Principal Terry Maurer, as well as the librarian Georgvich, do not want to shun the traditional hard copy book, but want to expand their students ability to access books and be motivated to read. Also, the mLearning tablets offer significant savings and instant access to books that are included in series. For instance, the writer cites the significant price differences for The Hunger Games series to be "$17.99 per hard copy book and $5.00 for the e-book copy."

Overall, I think that the use of the Nook tablets to further student literacy is great! I love the idea of forming a  "Nook Club." In fact, I could see the usefulness of something like this in a high school language arts classroom as well as the elementary school. Literature circles are a widely used teaching and grouping tool and the use of mLearning tablets would enhance this type of learning. The tablets would provide students with the ability to access the internet and perhaps have an ongoing google doc literature circle discussion about a particular series.

For instance if the group of sixth graders were all reading the popular series of The Hunger Games, which might be a little more mature than sixth grade reading level, but nonetheless they could be given a group of questions to consider as they read the first book of the series during the two week check out time to be discussing together on a google doc. All of this could be done at the touch of their finger tips because of the accessibility of the Nook tablet given to them.

While I myself love traditional hard copy books that I can write in and underline and collect on a bookshelf  I absolutely see the benefits to providing students and libraries with the mLearning tablets such as the Nooks. They do have a much more instantaneous aspect to them than a traditional paperback or hardcover book and also the technology provided by the mLearning devices provides much more than just a book. This trend is incredibly encouraging in what it could accomplish in respect to promoting student literacy.