We Are Living in the Future: Using Rourke Ebooks in the School Library to Improve Elementary Student Reading Fluency

This is a proposal for a session on using ebooks in school libraries to help elementary students who are struggling with reading. It ties in with my earlier work for AutoSkill, ELLIS (now a part of Pearson) and other ed tech companies. Rourke has always been an ink on paper company, so it is interesting to see them get the ed tech vision and bring out a whole series of ebooks (over 50) that combine ebook technology with solid print publishing understanding of kids' nonfiction interests. Click here for a free online demo of one of their ebooks.

Session Proposal for OASL/WLMA 2008 Combined Conference

By Peyton Stafford

Presentation Title: Using Rourke Ebooks in the School Library to Improve Elementary Student Reading Fluency

In-Depth Description of Presentation:

Repeated guided oral reading with an adult to model correct pronunciation is a research-proven method to improve fluency. Rourke has combined their Discovery Library primary nonfiction with computer technology to produce a series of ebooks that the computer can read aloud to a child, or the child can read with pronunciation and prosody assistance from the computer. Many of these ebooks are also bilingual in English and Spanish for use by ELLs and in dual language programs. Rourke Publishing is a respected name in elementary school library publishing with a long history of publishing for students who struggle. Many of their titles are geared to students who are reading below grade level. Rourke’s newest initiative is to use the talking ebook format to improve reading fluency in young children before they are left behind.

This presentation will give participants

1. Brief overview of guided oral reading in fluency development.

2. Demonstration of Rourke ebooks emphasizing ease of use by students and teachers.

3. Features such as highlighting, bilingual versions and variation of words read per minute according to reading level. Correlation to F&P and Lexiles.

4. Pricing options and licensing arrangements.

The session will conclude with a question/answer period and the opportunity for participants to use and explore Rourke’s ebooks.