This Winter Break has been a busy time for the Kindle Classroom Project.
I’m happy to announce that the Kindle Library is now entirely updated and accurate. The books you see in the library are exactly the same books students find on their Kindles. (You can get a sneak preview below or on Iserotope’s Kindle Library page.)
I’m finding out a lot about what librarians call “book discovery.” How do students choose their next book? While most students listen to recommendations from their teachers and students, others like looking at physical book covers and reading the backs of books.
On e-Ink Kindles, this isn’t ideal. The archives list titles of books in alphabetical order. This isn’t enough information for a student to make a decision.
The online Kindle Library over at Goodreads is much more pleasing. There are books and book covers. If you hover over a book, you get a synopsis and even a chance to read a sample.
My hope is that the online Kindle Library will help students branch out and try new genres, support teachers in encouraging students to read widely, and offer donors a sense of what students are reading.
It’s also becoming clear — now that the online Kindle Library is accurate and updated — that 2015 is going to be the year to expand the catalog. I did some aggressive “weeding” (curating) of the library, and it’s time to make the collection more robust. As students make book requests, I’ll purchase those titles, thanks to generous donors.
Take a look below for a randomized sample of the books in the library, and please leave comments and questions below!
One last thing: I’d like to thank Telvin (Fremont, CA), a student at Irvington High School in Fremont, where I worked for three years, for doing the bulk of this project. It took a lot of attention to detail. Now I have to make sure to keep things updated and organized!
And one last thing: Now that you know exactly which books are in the Kindle Library, you may be inspired to donate $10 to add a title to the collection. The quickest way to donate is here.
