How many of you learned to read by reading printed books? How many of you struggled with that journey to learn to read? Many of today's students have more exposure to technology than they do to printed materials. Think about how this might impact their reading development.
My school has approximately 420 students.
While several of our students are considered to be middle class, we also serve two of the most impoverished areas of our school district. Students from these two areas live among violence and lack access to quality resources for learning. Many of the students from these areas face challenges in reading. As the librarian, it is my goal to offer all students, including students of poverty, the chance to experience the joy of reading in whatever format it may take.
My Project
Librarians across the world are beginning to investigate the impact of technology on reading. Some schools have implemented e-reader programs in their libraries to allow students to read books in a different type of format. Other schools have invested money in audio books and playaway devices.
Currently, my school library only circulates printed books to students. However, to stay on track with how students learn and allowing students to read in a variety of formats, I must start investing in ways for students to experience reading in a variety of ways.
I am requesting 5 mp3 players to begin circulating audiobooks to students. We would focus on books that we currently have in print so that students could follow along as they listen to the story, but we would also offer books that we do not currently have in print. The books would be downloaded onto the devices for students to listen to in the classroom and eventually at home.
Library budgets are being cut each year and the demand to offer a variety of formats of books to our patrons is increasing.
In order to keep pace with patron demands, we need to start thinking about ebooks, ereaders, and audio formats of books. I hope you will consider donating to this project to help our library begin the process of developing a variety of formats of text for our students.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Plemmons and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.