Here are some resources for teachers who are interested in supporting the reading of digital books in their classrooms
Evaluation tools and Quality criteria
Researchers in Norway and England developed frameworks and criteria for guiding teachers in evaluating children’s digital books.
The VEBB Tool (available in English and in Norwegian) helps teachers reflect on the value of a digital book for classroom dialogue. It can be used by simply entering the book’s title.
The All Children Reading consortium has identified and brought to scale the most promising digital reading tools, initiatives and solutions. ACR’s solution hub provides information and inspiration with a focus on children with reading difficulties and minority languages.
The UKLA Criteria (in English) help teachers establish children’s reading for pleasure with digital books. As part of the judging process, teachers receive free codes to shortlisted digital books and use the research-based criteria to judge which book best engages the children in their classrooms. The Award is run in partnership with the Open University.
This project is run by the faculty and students in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at McGill University, Canada and is focused on interactive and participative reading on the iPad, including interactive story books and tools that help children tell their own stories. The group maintains an excellent blog site with tips and reflections for parents, teachers, designers and scholars.
The iRead criteria help teachers establish quality markers of digital games and adaptive reading
Inspirational projects
OU’s TESSA ‘Teaching Early Reading in Africa’ Badged Open Course
This course helps early childhood education (ECD) teachers and practitioners to develop effective and active teaching approaches to teaching early reading in a structured and supported way. ‘Teaching early reading in Africa’ is a free, self-paced, online, Badged Open Course (BOC) developed by The Open University UK’s TESSA programme in partnership with Saide South Africa’s African Story Book.
Courses
University College London and the National Literacy Trust created a course for kindergarten and primary school teachers interested in using digital books in their classrooms. The course consists of one day face-to-face training and one day online self-paced study. You can check details and sign up here.
Guides
“Mesh Guides”
International guides based on research in classrooms. These guides are available in many languages and feature step-by-step recommendations on how to introduce digital books to your classroom.
Digital libraries we like
“International Children’s Digital Library”
A Library for the World’s Children
Free original digital stories in 202 languages
Unite for Literacy offer narration in no fewer than 43 different languages
A growing collection of stories from around the world.
Open access to picture storybooks in the languages of Africa.
Multilingual stories from the African Storybook
More than 10,000 books in many languages
Reviews and recommendations
Literacy Apps by the National Literacy Trust
Expert reviewed apps for young children’s literacy development
Carefully reviewed apps with tips for parents and educators
Children’s Technology Review- Library Apps
Expert-reviewed apps for reading and literacy
Open University Research Rich Pedagogies
Reading for Pleasure Recommendations
Awards
Teachers know best which digital books work in their classrooms. The UKLA Children’s Digital Book Award is judged entirely by UK teachers and focuses on digital books for children in primary schools. Teachers use shortlisted digital books in their classrooms for a term and select the winner based on the UKLA evaluation criteria.
The Award is growing into an international award, please contact the Award Chair if you are a teacher interested in taking part in 2020.
The American Association for library service to children administers several awards, including The Notable Children’s Digital Media, which rewards ‘real-time, dynamic, and interactive media content for children 14 years of age and younger that enables and encourages active engagement and social interaction while informing, educating, and entertaining in exemplary ways’.
The BolognaRagazzi Digital Award is run in partnership with the Children’s Technology Review and it focuses on ‘the latest trends and developments in children’s digital content. Interactive publishing and Augmented Reality + books are key points of the BolognaRagazzi Award: titles where the two components come together to deliver an enhanced reading experience.’