International+Children's+Digital+Library

=[|International Children's Digital Library]= //** -- An online library showcasing children's stories from different countries and in different languages **//

====While the ICDL lacks the robust collaboration element associated with most Web 2.0 technologies, it should still be placed into this category because the website provides its users, who are most frequently children, an extremely interactive interface by which to obtain desired information from the web. The website’s creators took input from children to create a website tailored especially for children, particularly with regard to the searches they would run. It is designed for a child’s understanding, comfort, and ease of use. It is this site’s interactive, interoperable, user (i.e., child)-centered design that makes it a Web 2.0 technology.====

The most unique feature on the website is the "child-tailored" searching. Although already mentioned in the Strengths section, the fact that the website creators took input from children to create their search functions was insightful and innovative.
 * Special features**

Another special website feature is the Community Forum, where users can ask questions about topics, like how to use the site and collaborate with other users for teaching or resource ideas. The best part of this feature is that ICDL employees contribute often to the forum. For example, one employee made several contributions, including posting a "how-to" on using the advanced search to find a "book of the day" after it was no longer a book of the day.

The website also includes some audio books, as well as some book reviews by children.

The major strength of this website is its multiple, child-centric search functions. The website states that its designers have collaborated with children to design the interface. One of its goals is "to collaborate with children as design partners in the development of computer interface technologies that support children in searching, browsing, reading, and sharing books in electronic form" (ICDL). The website allows children to effectively search for specific books which they may know nothing more about than the color of the cover, and provides children with multiple options to enable browsing if they do not quite know what they are looking for. Creating a website for kids that allows them to search the way they think is a really great way to get students to seek out and enjoy reading books, and to gain self-confidence in doing so.
 * Strengths**

The benefit of activity suggestions offered to teachers is also a strength. Under the "Read Books" tab on the menu bar, a "Using the Library" link is provided which, in turn, opens a PDF document called the "Teacher Training Manual." The manual provides a short tutorial on how to use the site (i.e., how to search and how to read the books on the site), and also various educational activities that can be performed in the classroom.

For example, one activity has students read one of the books aloud while the teacher asks comprehension questions up until the climax of the plot. The students are then asked to stop reading and illustrate how they think the book will end. Other valuable features include activity suggestions on the "Using the Library Page," such as Digital Story Time (which involves projecting the digital stories) and Creative Writing (which consists of students perusing the illustrations of books written in a different language, and then writing their own story to go along with these pictures).

Although there are no major problems with the website, a couple features could be improved to enhance the site. The first feature that could use improvement is the ability for users to become library members. Being a library member and a regular user are essentially the same,with the exceptions that members can pick their preferred language, they can save page numbers for when they log back in, and they can save their books on a "bookshelf." If being a member had more "perks," it might make the site more interesting. Additional perks might include members receiving a monthly newsletter, or teacher/librarian members receiving teaching tips and ideas.
 * Weaknesses**

The fact that the site provides teachers and librarians with resources by which to teach reading and writing lessons is a really practical feature, and there are probably many such users that already take advantage of these resources. Perhaps creating a specific space for this user group would be beneficial to the website. For example, teaching aids such as reading and writing activities (see Strengths), exhibitions (users group books together with similar themes), and the White Ravens List (books that are internationally recognized for having noteworthy themes, content, or art) are currently under three different links (the activities are actually two links in). These sections may be more useful if placed under a teacher or teaching aid link on the main page for easier access.

Comparison to similar Web 2.0 tools
 * [|Tumble Books (Tumble Readables Collection)]
 * While TumbleBooks is a subscription only site, it is very similar to ICDL in that it provides book text and illustrations so children can read online. TumbleBooks does provide the user with all audio books; ICDL very rarely provides audio. As there is a subscription requirement, the TumbleBooks site is geared more toward teachers and librarians to use for lessons, rather than for children to use for leisure. As a result, the site provides lesson tools for students, such as read-alongs to concentrate on fluency and pronunciation, highlighted text as the site reads it aloud to enable students to follow along, and a "word-helper feature that allows students to click on specific words to have them sounded out or spoken" (Castek, Bevans-Mangelson, & Goldstone, 2006, pg. 719). TumbleBooks also has moving illustrations to engage their readers, while ICDL is a static, digital image of the book. It also seems that TumbleBooks only provides book in the English language, as opposed to ICDL's offering of books in a multitude of international languages.
 * [|Story Place]
 * Story Place is a free website for grade school children (K-8) who seek stories online. While ICDL provides actual, published books to its users, Story Place provides stories specifically for the web. These stories include audio and moving illustrations. The website is available in both English and Spanish. There is one story on the main page with a specific theme. The user can then search for suggested reading within that same theme (available for purchase only). The user can also click "Other Themes" to find different types of stories; there are six themes, each includes one online story, a print-out activity, and suggested reading (again, available for purchase only). While the stories on this site are a bit different than those on ICDL, the concept of creating an interactive and fun website to encourage children to independently search and read is apparent.

Learning Connections



**Description of Activity 1:** __Overview__**:** Student pairs will access a reservoir of global, multicultural stories on the ICDL website, peruse those stories of interest, and select one for use in this activity. The student pairs will work collaboratively to use the story’s illustrations as the foundation for creating a new story plot. Students will then work individually to creatively develop their half of the story, refine and correct it based on the teacher’s feedback, and ultimately read the story to the class. Through this activity, students will collaboratively and individually create and present a story using, as a springboard, the illustrations of a story from a different culture.

**Description of Activity 2:** __Overview__: Students will select a story from a different continent and country, which will then be read to them. They will consider and identify the differences between that story’s culture and their own, and then use pictures to represent, and compare and contrast the differences. Through the activity, students will be introduced to, identify, and gain an appreciation of multicultural differences at different geographical locations globally.

Tutorial

Please use the following URL web address to access the tutorial:

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References, Articles, etc.

American Association of School Librarians [AASL]. (2007). //Standards for the 21st century learner//. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_Learning_Standards_2007.pdf on July 24, 2010.

Castek, J, Bevans-Mangelson, J. & Goldstone, B. (April 2006). Reading adventures online: Five ways to introduce the new literacies of the internet through children's literature. //The Reading Teacher//. 59:7. 714-728.

//International children's digital library// [ICDL]. (n.d.). Retrieved on July 18, 2010 from [].

International Society for Technology in Education (2007). //NETS for students 2007//. Retrieved from http://www. iste.org/Content/ NavigationMenu/NETS/ ForStudents/ 2007Standards/NETS_for_Students_2007. htm on July 24, 2010.

New York State Education Department [NYSED1]. (May 2005). //English language arts core curriculum (Prekindergarten - grade 12)//. Retrieved from http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/ela/elacore.htm on July 24, 2010.

New York State Education Department [NYSED2]. (2009). //Social studies standards//. Retrieved from http://www. emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/socstand/home.html on July 24, 2010.

//Story place//. (n.d.). Retrieved on July 18, 2010 from [].

//TumbleReadables: Your online read-along collection//. (n.d.). Retrieved on July 18, 2010 from [].