I attended a brunch filled with book-loving bloggers during the recent BlogHer conference in New York City. We were all there to see how Scholastic is making it easier for parents to help their kids learn and succeed in school. Combining its expertise in childhood learning materials with widely used technology, Scholastic introduces Storia, a free eReading App that customizes learning to your child’s ability level–and beyond. (Storia can be downloaded for free, along with five eBooks, for iPad and PC.)
Scholastic, the company we all love for educational and fun books, invited a group of experts in technology and education to show us–eager parents and reading enthusiasts–how eLearning tools will make our job a piece of cake. That was news I could enjoy alongside my bagel and latte.
With my oldest entering kindergarten, I am starting to hear–and freak out–about homework. Yes, already. Of course I am going to the Internet for help! Thank goodness, Maggie McGuire (the vice president of eScholastic, Kids and Parents Channels) reassured us that many moms go online for homework help and for tips to encourage lifetime reading. I am so excited that the new Scholastic Parents site launches this fall; parents can find tools to inspire and support their kids in school, such as the ability to filter content by age; a home library builder; tips from experts and other parents; and an original video series.
As a mom of three very different children–and very different learners–I was thrilled to hear from Christy Crawford (a mom and technology teacher at The Bronx New School in New York City) that Storia can help:
- assist a multilingual or late reader with a read-aloud function that helps kids connect the words with sounds.
- motivate reluctant readers through one-on-one interaction. Readers who may be embarrassed to participate in class gain confidence as they read aloud on their own with Storia.
- quiz with comprehension games and questions throughout the text. Parents can keep track of how long their child has spent reading, the words they looked up, and which books they read the most.
- create a love of non-fiction in children. Storia recently partnered with National Geographic to offer non-fiction titles and videos that bring to life exciting places and stories from around the world.
The best part of the discussion at brunch Suzanne McCabe (editor of Scholastic Classroom Magazines) introducing our group to Grace McManus. Twelve years old and fabulous, Grace is a Scholastic News Kid Reporter. She is part of a prestigious group that has interviewed influential and fascinating newsmakers such as filmmaker Steven Spielberg, authors Brian Selznick and Jeff Kinney–and even President Barack Obama. (Applications are open for the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps.Kids must be between 10 to 14 years old.)
I have an almost-five-year-old daughter who proclaims regularly and steadfastly–to anyone who will listen–that she is “already a writer.” She is right about this. She loves crafting and telling her own stories–and it makes me proud and joyful to an extreme degree. Imagining my own little girl with such poise and direction, I so enjoyed hearing Grace interview Ms. McCabe. I had the opportunity to speak with Grace about her future goals–she wants to be a special education teacher. She will be a great one.
And because we writers in the audience were much less informed than our junior counterpart, we had a lot to learn about kids and politics:
- Kids who go to the polls with their parents are more likely to vote when they are old enough.
- Kids are very aware of the issues. The economy is on the mind of many children–especially those who see theirs or other families suffering.
- Kids can vote in the Scholastic Student Vote. The vote has been held since the 1940 Presidential Election. In all but two elections, the Student Vote has gotten it right. (Starting August 15, kids can vote online or through paper ballots in the Scholastic Classroom Magazines.)
My second favorite part of my morning at Scholastic’s SoHo headquarters was meeting one of my childhood idols. And he was as nice as I’d imagined.
If you’d like to learn and talk about eReading and eLearning, the knowledgable Leticia Barr of Tech Savvy Mama will be continuing the conversation on the Scholastic Facebook page on Wednesday, August 15th from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET.
* I was given several books and a gift certificate from Scholastic for attending the brunch. All opinions are my own.
Wendy Bradford is a mama of three, wife, writer, spin instructor, ardent New Yorker and blogger at mamaonetothree.com.
