eBooks @ BVSD

Have you ever read an eBook? If you have, you’re in the rapidly growing minority. In 2013, 28% of adults read an eBook, up from 22% in 2012 [eReading Rises as Device Ownership Jumps]. An even greater percentage of kids, 46% in 2012, have read an eBook [Kids & Family Reading Report]. So while print books remain the preferred format at the moment, eBooks are making a significant impact on readership. Increasingly, library patrons of all ages expect their libraries to carry eBooks.

What is an eBook?

On the surface, it seems like a simple question. An eBook is simply a digital book. But dig a little deeper and you’ll find that because they are digital, eBooks are more complex. The digital licensing restrictions added by publishers can affect:

• how many people can read or download the eBook
• what types of devices are compatible with the eBook
• whether the eBook can be shared or circulated
• whether a library can own a copy or just lease it

Keeping track of digital licenses from several publishers can quickly become complicated. As the eBook market evolves, the complexity should eventually settle down. But for now it feels a bit like the Wild West out there!

BVSD eBook Pilot

When the Ed Tech team began exploring eBooks in our district, they wanted to make sure that we were not just implementing technology for its own sake, but rather as a tool that will positively impact student reading. They decided to use a pilot to gather data that would help guide future decisions.

The pilot will run from March 3 through May 31 at 4 schools: Casey Middle, Centennial Middle, Summit Middle, and Bear Creek Elementary. Using the data collected from this pilot, the Ed Tech team will make recommendations about eBook adoption strategies. Of course, any kind of district-level eBook program would require additional, ongoing resources.

Several BVSD school libraries are already exploring various eBook models outside of the pilot. Platt Middle and Monarch High are circulating pre-loaded Nook eReaders to students. Many other schools have purchased subscriptions to web-based eBooks that students can read online. These teacher librarians are sharing their experiences and data to help us make better district-wide decisions about implementing eBooks.

What about technology?

Access to technology is always the elephant in the room when we talk about digital content. Without technology in our students’ hands, that content might as well not exist. But the great thing about e-reading is that it’s a very flexible activity: it can be done on a wide variety of devices, not just Nooks and Kindles. Survey results indicate that kids are reading equally across all kinds of devices, including iPads and tablets, smartphones, laptops, and desktops [Kids & Family Reading Report]. BVSD students will have increasingly more ways to access digital content like eBooks as we continue to add Chromebooks into the district and as more schools support BYOD initiatives.

Please chime in with your thoughts about eBooks in BVSD.

Andrew

Insurance for your Google Data

It’s a terrible feeling to lose important emails or documents. We’ve all done it at some point, and the results can range from mildly inconvenient to truly devastating. I want to make sure that you are armed with the necessary information to keep your Google data safe. Here are some tips that you can start using immediately.

Protect your account

• Never share your password with anyone. Ever.
• Always log out or lock your computer if you need to step away. By keeping your account safe you help protect your data.

Delete + Empty Trash = Gone forever

In Google, it takes two steps to permanently delete a document or an email.

• First, you must click the Delete button or the trashcan icon. Your data is now in the trashcan, but you can still recover it for 30 days.
• The second step is to empty the trash. This action is permanent and cannot be reversed, even by IT.

It’s your choice whether to permanently delete emails and documents.

• Some users choose not to permanently delete because our Google Accounts have an incredible amount of storage—30 GB shared between Gmail and Drive. Most of us will only ever use a tiny fraction of that space.
• Other users like to keep things tidy by periodically clearing out the clutter. Remember that any documents or emails that go out with the trash are gone forever. IT cannot recover them.

Backup your Google data using the Takeout tool

Google Takeout lets you create a custom archive of of your Google data. The Takeout tool is very intuitive and easy to use, but if you need more information please visit Google’s support page.

Google Takeout is optional, but I encourage you to try it. The time it takes now may save you lots of anguish later on.

Do you have any thoughts on preventing data loss? Please chime in below.

Andrew

Extending the Learning Day

Kids have been doing homework around the kitchen table for generations without the internet, but times are changing. Now they can work on a Google doc from their laptop in the basement or watch a video lecture from their tablet in the car. Internet access makes it possible for students to extend their learning day—they can access online educational tools anytime, anywhere.

But students without internet access at home can’t take advantage of these opportunities; this situation creates what is known as the digital divide and contributes to a general opportunity gap. As more teaching and learning is done online, this gap grows.

To mitigate the digital divide within its student population, BVSD has formed a partnership with Boulder Housing Partners (BHP), Impact on Education, and the City of Boulder to pilot a program that provides free wireless internet service to students in one of BHP’s housing developments.

"Extending learning time and opportunity through home BVSD internet access is a key way to increase student success. BVSD appreciates community partnerships like this, which are needed to expand capacity and enhance educational opportunities for all students.”  Dr. Bruce Messinger, Superintendent, BVSD.

Here’s how the program will work: BVSD will provide access to the fiber network and internet that it already pays for; BHP will install wireless infrastructure in the buildings. Since students will be accessing BVSD’s network, the connection will be filtered and authenticated (meaning that students must use a password to get online).

The pilot will run from Feb - May. Based on our learnings from this pilot, we hope to extend the program to other housing developments both in Boulder and east county.

I’d like to hear your comments about this partnership with BHP to bring wireless internet to BVSD students extending their school day. Please chime in below. (remember to login first)

Andrew