Where have all the Kindles come from?

Posted on by Mark Isero

favicon In my last post, I announced that the Kindle Classroom Project is now 226 Kindles strong. Pretty impressive!

Where have all these Kindles come from?

From everywhere, that’s where! Well, actually, the Kindles have arrived from 29 states and four international locations. Take a look at this U.S. map!

Screenshot 2014-12-26 12.17.44In no particular order, here are the states where generous Kindle donors live: California, New York, Illinois, Georgia, Minnesota, Virginia, Idaho, Massachusetts, Nevada, Iowa, Oregon, Maryland, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Utah, Florida, Connecticut, Washington, North Carolina, Kentucky, New Jersey, Missouri, Arkansas, and Colorado.

The most popular states? California, naturally (51 donors), but also New York (18 donors), Pennsylvania (7 donors), Texas (6 donors), Virginia (6 donors), Massachusetts (6 donors), Arizona (5 donors), and New Jersey (5 donors).

Please let me know if I missed you and your state! (This post does not include the many people who have contributed physical books, e-books, and cash donations. That will be for an upcoming post.)

I’m also looking for first donors from a number of states, so please get the word out. Let’s go, Montana! How about you, Ohio? (Though I must say, I would do well as a presidential candidate with this electoral map.) favicon

End of 2014: The KCP is 226 Kindles strong

Posted on by Mark Isero

Kindle Deckfavicon There has been a bit of Bush v. Gore in my house the past few days.

I’ve been getting 61 Kindles ready for a new Kindle classroom in San Francisco (more about that in an upcoming post). During this process, I’ve done a full accounting of the Kindles — and I’ve discovered that the flurry of December donations has put the total number of Kindles at higher than I believed.

The recount is finished. No more hanging chads.

The Kindle Classroom Project is ending 2014 at 226 Kindles.

Here are some quick numbers:
– Kindles donated, December 2014 — 26
– Kindles donated, November 2014 — 34

– Total Kindles donated, 2014 — 111
– Total Kindles donated, 2013 — 95

chart_1

This is all very impressive. Thank you, Generous Donors, for promoting reading and for believing in the project!

Here are a few more numbers for you. Which Kindle has been donated the most? Please take a look at the current Kindle fleet:

Kindle 2: 35
Kindle Keyboard: 58
Kindle 4-5: 64
Kindle Touch: 24
Kindle Paperwhite: 11
Kindle Fire: 18
Kindle Fire HD: 2
Kindle 7: 14

I’m extremely excited about the new year. When will the KCP hit 300 Kindles? Is 400 a possible goal for 2015? Please keep the Kindles coming! favicon

everything else

This just in…

Posted on by Mark Isero

Go ahead, follow me on Twitter! Or contribute to the Kindle Classroom Project! favicon

DSW (Saratoga, CA) donates $2,000 to the Kindle Classroom Project. There is joy!

Posted on by Mark Isero

joyfavicon I woke up this morning to find an extremely large Amazon gift card in my email inbox, thanks to DSW (Saratoga, CA). Thank you, DSW!

DSW — not the shoe store! — is the Kindle Classroom Project‘s most generous and dedicated supporter. They have been following the program since the beginning and have been instrumental in its growth.

Really, let’s be real here: If it weren’t for DSW, the KCP would not be as strong and as successful as it is today. I am extremely appreciative.

DSW’s donation will guarantee that students will be able to request new books they want to read. It’s one of my promises to the students: If you want to read a book, I’ll buy it. Students fill out an online form, I receive it, I buy the book, and then I deliver the book directly to the student’s Kindle. Students have told me it feels like magic. What’s even better is that the book automatically becomes available to all 200 students participating in the KCP.

As we move into 2015, Kindles are streaming in (sometimes more than one a day), and I’m working to build relationships with new teachers in order to expand the program. That’s why DSW’s donation is so crucial. After all, I have tons of Kindles (thanks, donors!), and I have tons of interested teachers. Now I am certain that I’ll continue to have the books.

Thank you again, DSW! favicon

The Kindle Classroom Project is in Edutopia!

Posted on by Mark Isero

favicon The Kindle Classroom Project has enjoyed great press this year. Back in April, Phi Delta Kappan published an article about the program.

And now, because of my kind and gracious colleagues, Bob Lenz and Monica Alatorre, the KCP is in Edutopia, a leading education website published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation.

edutopia logoBob, the co-founder and Chief of Innovation of Envision Education, interviewed me about a number of topics, including my background in education, my passion for reading, Iserotope, TEACHER VOICES, and the Kindle Classroom Project. (Bob also donated a Kindle a few months ago.)

Monica, the Communications Manager at Envision Education, was instrumental in the process and is a wonderful collaborator. She’s a committed advocate of the KCP and works hard to build our schools’ reading cultures.

I’m lucky to work with both of them!

Here’s the interview, “Why Reading Matters: An Interview with a School Leader.” (There’s even a small picture of me, trying to be all professional.)

My hope is that readers get a quick sense of how the KCP has grown over the past few years. It’s crazy to think that just 2+ years ago, there were just 8 Kindles. Now they’re streaming in every day, multiples at a time!

Please enjoy the piece and let me know what you think. favicon