I hope that your children have told you about the many options that Austin ISD provides for online reading. I agree that there is nothing like holding a book and flipping through the pages, but I also know that the newly available and highly robust selection of electronic books that AISD has made available is an incredible resource for students. There are many options and I hope that you will go through this list with your child and find the ones that meet their needs. All access/password information will be posted to Living Tree as I cannot list them here on the blog except for those sites that have a formula rather than a generic log in. I will also be sending home a password bookmark with e-book access as well as all of the district provided databases in the very near future.
We've had access to TumbleBooks for quite some time now. It tends to be used with our littlest readers because of the very interactive style and easy access. However, there are many options on TumbleBooks for older students as well, including early readers, chapter books, advanced readers, and classics.
My Capstone Library is similar to TumbleBooks. Going to mycapstonelibrary.com will take you to a bookshelf of over 500 books that I have chosen for the Doss Owls. These books include both fiction and non-fiction and have reading and interest levels ranging from kindergarten through fifth grade. Kids will find favorites such as:
DC Super-Pets, Kylie Jean, Katie Woo, and Jake Maddox Sports as well as some graphic novels.
Our newest addition is MackinVIA which I am going to refer to as VIA. This is our virtual library and provides users with access to over 3300 books. It's a game changer. AISD made a decision to purchase a platform that is accessible to students and has great variety as well as the option for me to order additional titles specifically for the Owls. I love that I was able to add high-demand books including many of the 2017-18 Bluebonnet nominees and Andy Griffith's Treehouse series. Student login--- username: student ID # (ex. S1234567) & password: first letter of last name, 6-digit birthday, and lowercase s (ex. L090608s where 09= Sept, 06= day, 08 = year/2008). Students can checkout two books, but it's better than that! Just like going to the library, they can open any book that is on the virtual shelf and read it! They can also fill their virtual backpack with books that they want to read. It's amazing!
myON is part of our district language arts program and at first log in, students complete an interest survey and a quiz that helps determine "just right" books. Students are free to browse and read from the complete myON library of over 6000 e-books, but they will also find a list of "recommended" titles that are within their reading and interest level. Students can also mark books that they want to read and save these in their favorites. The books in myON will be read aloud, in an interactive format, but this feature can be turned off. The quizzes that students take when a book has been completed require them to independently read the questions and choose the correct answer. This is the only database that includes an assessment. Teachers are able to see how many books a student has opened, how many books have been completed, quiz scores, and more. Teachers can also create lessons within myON and turn off features based on their knowledge of the students as readers. Username: student ID#, password: aisd.
I love free choice, voluntary reading! It is extremely important to me that children are choosing books based on interest and hopefully all of these sites provide opportunities for learners to explore and follow their passions. If you have any questions or concerns about online reading, please reach out. I'd love to talk to you. Also, let me know if you have any problems with access. I am happy to troubleshoot and to contact my vendors for assistance. You can reach me at bonnie.lang@austinisd.org. I understand the struggles that you face with managing busy schedules, controlling screen time, and creating life-long readers. I am here to support you and your reader! I will be doing a brief introduction to VIA and myON during the November Parent/Principal Coffee. Both VIA and myON have apps that can be downloaded, making home access easier. Happy Reading!
We've had access to TumbleBooks for quite some time now. It tends to be used with our littlest readers because of the very interactive style and easy access. However, there are many options on TumbleBooks for older students as well, including early readers, chapter books, advanced readers, and classics.
My Capstone Library is similar to TumbleBooks. Going to mycapstonelibrary.com will take you to a bookshelf of over 500 books that I have chosen for the Doss Owls. These books include both fiction and non-fiction and have reading and interest levels ranging from kindergarten through fifth grade. Kids will find favorites such as:DC Super-Pets, Kylie Jean, Katie Woo, and Jake Maddox Sports as well as some graphic novels.
Our newest addition is MackinVIA which I am going to refer to as VIA. This is our virtual library and provides users with access to over 3300 books. It's a game changer. AISD made a decision to purchase a platform that is accessible to students and has great variety as well as the option for me to order additional titles specifically for the Owls. I love that I was able to add high-demand books including many of the 2017-18 Bluebonnet nominees and Andy Griffith's Treehouse series. Student login--- username: student ID # (ex. S1234567) & password: first letter of last name, 6-digit birthday, and lowercase s (ex. L090608s where 09= Sept, 06= day, 08 = year/2008). Students can checkout two books, but it's better than that! Just like going to the library, they can open any book that is on the virtual shelf and read it! They can also fill their virtual backpack with books that they want to read. It's amazing!
myON is part of our district language arts program and at first log in, students complete an interest survey and a quiz that helps determine "just right" books. Students are free to browse and read from the complete myON library of over 6000 e-books, but they will also find a list of "recommended" titles that are within their reading and interest level. Students can also mark books that they want to read and save these in their favorites. The books in myON will be read aloud, in an interactive format, but this feature can be turned off. The quizzes that students take when a book has been completed require them to independently read the questions and choose the correct answer. This is the only database that includes an assessment. Teachers are able to see how many books a student has opened, how many books have been completed, quiz scores, and more. Teachers can also create lessons within myON and turn off features based on their knowledge of the students as readers. Username: student ID#, password: aisd.I love free choice, voluntary reading! It is extremely important to me that children are choosing books based on interest and hopefully all of these sites provide opportunities for learners to explore and follow their passions. If you have any questions or concerns about online reading, please reach out. I'd love to talk to you. Also, let me know if you have any problems with access. I am happy to troubleshoot and to contact my vendors for assistance. You can reach me at bonnie.lang@austinisd.org. I understand the struggles that you face with managing busy schedules, controlling screen time, and creating life-long readers. I am here to support you and your reader! I will be doing a brief introduction to VIA and myON during the November Parent/Principal Coffee. Both VIA and myON have apps that can be downloaded, making home access easier. Happy Reading!
