Literature Review #2: 10 Technology Enhanced Alternatives to Book Reports

I read an article on TheApple.com entitled 10 Technology Enhanced Alternatives to Book Reports. This title stood out to me as I was one of those students who enjoyed doing Book Reports, however, would often get bored with the "same old" type of project at the end of the Reports; the projects were usually create a poster capturing the concept of the book or make a diorama. There was a great phrase in the article that summed this up, "‘readicide’. “Read-i-cide n: The systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools.”  http://stenhouse.com/html/readicide.htm. This is so true. While the reading of the book can be fun, the report portion can sometimes be a brutal literacy killer. Since kids are digital natives and live and breathe by technology, why not bring technology into the world of the book report?

The Author, Kelly Tenkely, is a middle school technology teacher at a private school. She discussed 10 strategies/ideas that will allow students to be creative with the report of the book while still displaying the knowledge of the book for the teacher to assess. The 10 strategies are: Create a cartoon version of the book; Create a short video clip of the book; create a virtual poster to advertise the book; Create a virtual bookshelf; use an online reading motivational tool called Book Adventure; use bookcasting; create an online timeline describing the events of the book; create a class Wiki and allow students to share their thoughts on the book; read with Book Wink; and create a web 2.0 slide show using Voice Thread. In reading these strategies, the book report is a tool that will bring some fun back into the joy of reading.

Let's look further into the strategies themselves and how they can be applied.
* Creating a cartoon version of the book is just as it sounds. This allows students to interpret the book in their own words, which shows the teacher what they gained from the book.
* Creating a short video clip of the book allows students to create interviews between characters, and is a fun way to bring the book to life. Kelly Tenkely provided three great links that can be used for the video clips: Creaza, Kerpoof , and Xtra normal.
* Creating a virtual poster can be done using Glogster. Students can create virtual advertisements to entice other students to read their book.
* Creating a virtual bookshelf was really interesting because it has many different uses. A virtual bookshelf is a way students can share books and discuss what they are reading with other students and teachers. By using Shelfari, students are able to display the books they are reading, or just read, and begin virtual discussions. Shelfari can also be used in place of reading logs, or to start book clubs.
* Book Adventure is used to motivate students into reading. This is a great tool for the students that dislike reading or struggle with reading. The site is designed that books can be chosen based on age, reading level and interest. Once the student finishes the book, they log on to their Book Adventure, and take a short multiple choice quiz on the book. The results are sent to the teachers Book Adventure log, and the students accumulate points for correct answers. When they reach a certain amount of points, they become eligible to shop in the Book Adventure store, and redeem points for prizes such as a 6 month subscription to Highlights magazine or Chocolate.
* Bookcasting is a podcast about the book the student is reading. They create their own bookcast and can share their thoughts and critiques about the book in place of a written report. A few of the sites that provide bookcasting are Audacity, G Cast, and Pod Bean.
* Creating a timeline is pretty interesting as well. Using Capzels, students insert information on a timeline template to discuss the book. They can create the background, add text and pictures, and anything they think will enhance the telling of the book. This would be useful for kids who are very literal and need to explain things in a chronological format.
* Classroom Wiki's, as we have seen in our own class, are a great place to store information for everyone to share and explore. Using the Wiki for Book Report Assessments are no different; it is a central location that students can post their thoughts about a book, or a place the teacher can post questions to be answered about the reading. There are endless uses for Wiki's.
* Book Wink: using Vlidder or Fliggo to share, students can create book talks using webcasts or or videos to discuss their book. In using the above websites, students can post their talks and other students can leave comments about the talk.
* Students can do all sorts of things using Voice Thread. In using slideshows, pictures, audios, texts, etc, students can express their thoughts and feelings about books through various ways.

Incorporating these strategies, and any others a teacher may think of, can revive the book report. Giving students options and choices in how they want to discuss their book is also a teaching strategy that will allow a student to express themself in a way that best suits them. Using these strategies seperate or in combination can be a win for both the student and the teacher, as the teacher will have many different items to look at, versus report after report. Creativity is key, especially with literacy.