New Tech Tool Review: TeachingBooks

 

What is it?

TeachingBooks is a website that aims to enrich the reading experience for educators and kids alike. On the educator side of the teachingbooks website, educators can search for specific books or browse the website's collection depending on what the educator is looking for. Once you find the book, the webpage for that book contains a lot of resources specifically for that book. Resources includes information on the book such as awards won, book resume, book description, book talk, author interviews, lesson plans, activities, and more! On the student side of the teachingbooks website, students can play book related games, find books that they may like, create a reading list, browse diverse books, and more! 

Pros: 

• It's easy to use for educators and students
• Encourages reading and literacy
• Many free resources and information
• A large selection of books on the website
• promotes diverse books
• QR codes are available for the book webpages

Cons:

• Some premium features and resources require a membership
• May not have the book you're looking for

Overall:

I love using the teachingbooks website. All of the book information and resources are things that I can count on to be accurate and appropriate. Teachingbooks can easily be used in the library by using the lesson plans and activities, playing the author interviews and book talks to the library class, and putting the QR codes for the book inside of the physical book to encourage the reader to learn more about the book and books that are related to that one. 

I highly recommend using the TeachingBooks website!

New Tech Tool Review: Novel Effect

 

What is it?

Novel Effect is an app where read-aloud books come to life. Within the app, I select the book I'm reading to my library class and while I'm reading the app makes sounds and effects according to what I'm reading and the page I'm on. It's easy to connect to a Bluetooth speaker since it's an app on my phone or tablet. Students love the unexpected sounds and effects that it makes throughout the book!

Pros:

• Makes lots of different sounds and effects while reading
• Easy to connect to a speaker
• A lot of books to choose from
• App has categories of books that it recommends
• Fun and interactive way to read a book out-loud

Cons:

• Costs money (my school gets it free through our BOCES)
• May not have a book on there that you want

Overall: 

The Novel Effect app is a great way to make reading books out-loud fun and exciting. As a librarian that is a bit shy, it takes some pressure off of me to have to make different voices or sounds while reading. I love that it recommends books based off of popular categories and how it follows the pages I read so that the sounds and effects are relevant to that page. If I stop reading for some reason, it stops until I resume my reading. I love that it does this automatically and doesn't continue on without me. Students have loved this being incorporated into our story time. 

I highly recommend the Novel Effect App!

New Tech Tool Review: Weebly

 

What is it?

Weebly is a free website builder that is simple to use and customizable. It has many templates that you can choose to build your website from and easy-to-use tools. Weebly appeals to educators, bloggers, and business owners. 

 Pros:

• Has free version that works for educators
• easy to use
• templates to choose from
• Can keep track of multiple weebly sites through one dashboard/log-in
• can put links into images easily

Cons:

• Upgraded version isn't free (mostly for business owners though)
• time consuming to set up
• Must use template to build website

Overall:

For educators, Weebly is a great resource to build webpages for your students in order to have things in one place. For example, as a librarian, I can create a webpage for each unit I teach in library classes. By doing that, all of the links and information is in one place and students can access it at any time even once we've moved on from that particular unit. Even though it can be time consuming to set up, editing information within weebly is easy and fast.

I highly recommend weebly! 

New Tech Tool Review: Bookflix

 What is it? 

Bookflix is a website that students, librarians, and teachers can use to view videos based off of books and book read alongs. This website pairs two activities together that are based on the same topic. Typically, it's a read along book video paired with a e-book. There is also the option of Spanish and lesson plans to go along with the book pairings.

Pros: 

• Free to use!
• Spanish Option
• Visually appealing and sound effects
• Free lesson plans to use
• Keeps students engaged with books

Cons:

• Must have Internet 
• It's unclear how often new pairings/books are added

Overall:

Bookflix is a great tech tool to use in the library! Students can use it individually on their tablets or computers or the librarian can put it up on a large screen for the whole class to view. This tech tool is especially useful for when library class gets cut a bit short due to other school wide activities happening that day so that you don't have to start a new lesson when there clearly isn't time to do so. Bookflix is also nice to have written done for a substitute teacher plan. 

I highly recommend Bookflix!