I have good news (and charts and graphs) to share with you, so let’s get started!
1. The number of Kindles continues to grow.
Last month, we stood at 42 Kindles. Now we are at 46 Kindles. Not bad, considering that there were two Kindle casualties in April. At this pace, it’s possible to reach my goal of 60 Kindles, or three classrooms, by September 1. But it will be a push.
That’s why I’m thankful for Christine (Louisville, KY), Lynna (Mtn. View, CA), Lesley (Menlo Park, CA), Preeti (San Jose, CA), Brian (San Diego, CA), and Walter (San Francisco, CA), all of whom donated Kindles in April. (It was a California-heavy month.)
(Pretty fancy chart, don’t you think? 🙂 Don’t worry, there’s another one.)
2. The number of ebooks continues to grow.
I’ve said many times that books drive this project. Sure, I need Kindles, but without good books, the students are left with a pretty boring device.
The Kindle e-book library grew by 15 titles in April, from 232 to 247. As usual, all new books were student requests. The Pretty Little Liars series has staged a comeback after declining in popularity last year. Other popular titles include Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, and Feed, by M.T. Anderson, which predicts a future world where we have Google search implanted in our brains (um, yes, sort of like Google Glass).
I’d like to thank LeAnne (Fremont, CA), Michele (San Francisco, CA), Angela (Concord, CA), Denise (Alpharetta, GA), Tony (San Francisco, CA), and Nicole (Quincy, MA) for donating books. My appreciation also goes to Sarah from Logan, UT, who donated money to purchase books.
3. More people are following Iserotope.
There are nearly 80 people following Iserotope on Facebook, 120+ on Twitter, and nearly 150 on Google+. Even the Iserotope Instagram account (pictures of books and reading!) is getting some love. The bigger the network grows, the deeper and more widespread the impact!
4. There are more sustaining donors.
I’m still trying to find a term for people who donate more than once. Do you have ideas? Right now, I’m calling them “Sustaining Donors,” but there must be something more catchy.
I define these donors as people who have made more than one donation and/or have encouraged their friends (who might be strangers to me) to contribute.
So far I count 13 sustaining donors: Margie (Peachtree City, GA), Lesley (Menlo Park), Brian (San Diego, CA), Donna (Las Vegas), LeAnne (Fremont, CA), Angela (Concord, CA), Denise (Alpharetta, GA), Nicole (Quincy, MA), Iris (San Diego, CA), Laura (San Francisco, CA), and Michele (San Francisco, CA), Jenni (Berkeley, CA), and DSW (Saratoga, CA).
I have to say, this “sustaining donor” classification might need some work. After all, there are also people who donated more than one Kindle all at once. Shouldn’t they be considered sustaining, too? If so, then add Preeti (San Jose, CA) and Toni (Cary, NC) to the list!
5. It’s easy to find the Project on Google.
Want to get the word out about the Kindle Classroom Project? Sure, you can direct them to iserotope.com, or to the Project page (or the Contribute page). But if you’d like to impress your friends, tell them to search for “donate Kindle.” On the first page they’ll find two (or maybe three, depending) links to the Project. See how famous we are?
(On a side note, it’s interesting that potential Kindle donors essentially have three choices if they search in this way. They can donate their Kindle to American troops overseas, to schoolchildren in Africa, or to ninth graders in Oakland and San Francisco. I like being one of the choices!)
6. You can now donate new Kindles.
Thanks to my friend Preeti, who came up with the idea, and Lesley, who affirmed it, you can now donate new Kindles. Check out this post or the Contribute page for more details. It’s pretty easy, and for $69, you give one student access to 247 high-interest books.
OK, loyal Iserotope readers, I hope you have a great May, and I’m hopeful that this is a month of strong growth for the Kindle Classroom Project. As always, let me know your thoughts and ideas to make this project a stronger one.