With modern technology, students have the ability to communicate with each other and their teachers all year long. This has lead Kresson Elementary School to create a summer reading program that takes advantage of the internet and social media.
The program is called One School, One Theme: Friendship and was developed by Barbara Andrews, a reading specialist at the school.
“With social media being so important to how our young people communicate, I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to engage our students in continued reading activities while creating a safe 21st century learning environment,” she said. “In this environment, students are given choices regarding the friendship books they read and the groups they interact with, while teachers have the ability to converse privately or to the entire school community.”
The environment Andrews is referring to is Nimbus, an internal social media site. The Nimbus portal allows students to connect with other students, parents and teachers throughout the summer in a safe environment, as only those involved with the school have access to it.
“We want to engage students in the benefits of social media, while at the same time teach digital citizenship so that students become responsible in their electronic communication,” Andrews said.
The program will also help fifth graders make a smooth transition to the middle school. Fifth-grade Kresson teachers will be available all summer to help the students with their reading assignments.
“We hope this will help prepare them for more enriched discussions with their middle school peers in the fall,” Andrews said.
The program was introduced to the students at an assembly during the school year and with a trip to the Voorhees Branch Library, where students got their own library cards. Since then, more than 250 students have registered for the program, and five student teams have been formed that will read the same book over the summer.
“The students are very excited,” Andrews said. “They are energized for summer reading and look forward to interacting with teachers and friends even if they are miles apart.”
Kresson Elementary has always hosted a reading incentive program to get students to read more. But, with the new technology available, Andrews hopes to progress even further.
“Now, with electronic media, we hope to engage students in book discussions throughout the year,” she said. “We no longer have to limit ourselves to the six-week program we usually run. The students have the opportunity to not only read over the summer, but to get constant feedback from their peers and teachers.”
The program will also allow students to interact across grade levels, giving students in lower grades the chance to hear from older students. This will help the students learn and it will create a sense of unity in the school, Andrews said.
