Our school made the switch to the Destiny online catalog this year, and I am starting to work with classes to teach the students and teachers how to do online book reviews and ratings. It's one of the best features of the new system, and I am finding that it is also one of the easiest and most successful ways to teach some 21st century literacy skills. A one-hour commitment from start to finish, it's doable with a teacher's busy schedule and a very authentic way to have students communicate with each other. 
I loved to see how the kids were so jazzed to get their reviews posted and approved by me. A 3rd grader put it best: "It was great to not have to work two or three days to finish something, but instead I got to finish it quickly and see it on the computer."
A little instant gratification does us all good every now and then.
Next stop, 4th and 5th grade classes. Ultimate goal: kids finishing a great book, grabbing a laptop and writing reviews. And I'm promising myself I won't get obsessive about correct spelling.
4 comments:
This is the whole idea I have for an international group. I'd love to see them somehow commenting on books across the seas. Wouldn't that be cool! I just don't know what format we should go with. We switched over to Destiny this year too; I need to investigate this feature. Thanks for the tip.
Annie
This is very cool! A couple of years ago, we were considering Destiny, but ultimately went with Alexandria because we had an older version. We're happy with it, but the book review feature sounds very cool. It's great to see your students are enjoying it.
I am just exploring using the book review portion of Destiny. Would appreciate any tips you might have. NESA is hosting a conference here in Bahrain in October. The regions librarians are hoping to have some great sessions. Ideas? Join us!-Gwen
Anybody use TLC ?
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