Exploratorium 2012: Fenster-Sparber, Jessica

Table #12   Touching Literacy: iPads in the School Library Serving Incarcerated and Detained Youth

Audience:       Middle & High School

Presenters:    Anja Kennedy, Claudio Leon, Regan Schwartz, Jessica Fenster-Sparber

                       Passages Academy [Multi-sited]

                       Horizon: 560 Brook Avenue, Bronx, NY 10455

                       Summit: 941 Rev. James A. Polite Avenue, Bronx, NY 10459

                       Crossroads: 17 Bristol St., Brooklyn, 11212

Library Website: http://web.me.com/palibraries

E-mail:  literacyforteens@aol.com

Description, Goals, Intended Outcomes:

Passages Academy is a District 79 program serving youth up to the age of 17 who are in detention or placement settings in 9 sites across NYC in collaboration with the NYC Administration of Children's Services Division of Youth and Family Justice. We piloted the use of iPads for independent  reading in three of our largest sites, including one non-secure and two secure  juvenile detention facilities.

Our central and primary goal was to increase literacy among some of New York City’s neediest students. Our supporting goals were to increase access and exposure to cutting-edge instructional technology and to motivate struggling and reluctant readers to read.  We hoped that access to cutting edge technology that has built-in supports for struggling and reluctant readers, combined with purposeful collection development, would lead to an increased interest in reading.  This, in turn, should translate into an increase in successful and pleasurable reading experiences for our students.

Process to Develop and Implement this Project:

We first submitted a proposal to both our school’s principal and our non-profit partner, Literacy for Incarcerated Teens (LIT).  Our proposal included our thoughts on budget, purchasing, security and management. Knowing that we would need to spend time with the actual devices before being able to fully understand how they could best be used by our students, we asked the school to supply iPads to library team members with which we could do our research.  We designed a prospective timeline and committed to transparency and reporting back. We set up a wiki for our app reviews. Our school’s principal purchased three iPads for us, and LIT contributed iTunes gift cards for app purchases. After familiarizing ourselves with the devices, we surveyed our students to solicit their attitudes toward using iPads in school, as well as their attitudes toward utilizing iPads for reading. With all of our research data in mind, we designed a second stage of our research pilot to put iPads in students’ hands for reading and listening to books, and reading comic books and manga. We split up the responsibility of developing collection lists for 1) fiction, 2) nonfiction, and 3) comics and manga. In the month of January, 2012, every class at our three largest sites came to the library to use  five iPads. In order to assess the impact of the pilot we asked every student participant to respond to the same survey about using iPads and reading on iPads. We collected and tabulated this data, and co-wrote a report which we then furnished to the funders.

Budget: Approximately $27,000 total which covered 18 iPads, cases, AppleCare, iTunes gift cards, and library content purchased from iTunes, iBooks, ViZ Media and Comixology.

Timeline:

2007--Amazon releases the Kindle e-reader at $400 a device

January 2010--Apple introduces its iPad

November 2010--Library team regains Instructional Technology Specialist, Claudio Leon

Winter 2011--Claudio drafts iPad pilot proposal

Winter 2011--LIT agrees to fund a portion of the pilot

Winter 2011--Passages’ principal agrees to fund a portion of the pilot

March 30th 2011-- The first iPads arrive at Passages

Spring 2011-- Anja, Claudio and Jess complete phase 1 of research pilot

April 2011--Kindle announces that later in the year, readers will be able to read library books on their devices http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/technology/21amazon.html

May 2011-- PAL team meets to discuss the results of the first phase of the research pilot and passes conclusions on to funders

September 2011--Library team gains School Librarian Regan Schwartz

Fall 2011--Research pilot phase 2 is designed by team

Fall 2011-- First content is added to 15 iPads

Winter 2012--Phase 2 is executed and completed

Winter 2012-- Team completes phase 2 report and sends to funders.

Spring 2012-- Additional allocations are made for requested additional content.

Spring 2012-- Second content is added to 15 iPads.

Evidence of Outcomes, Possible Adaptations, Lessons Learned:

Students were overwhelmingly excited about using the iPads in our libraries. They did try to access the Internet (which is not permitted by the Division for Youth and Family Justice), but after failing to get online, most were happy to explore what was available. In our first round of purchases, we thought that students would be more interested in reading short pieces -- and we avoided purchasing longer fiction titles and narrative nonfiction for this reason.  To the contrary, our data collection after the phase 2 implementation revealed that students did not mind that they might only have 40 minutes to spend with the iPad; they wanted to read their favorites anyway. We also learned that students sometimes became extremely frustrated by having access to the book only, or the audio only. For this reason, we tried to move forward by only purchasing texts available in both formats.

Common Core State Standard(s) addressed:

RL10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Information Fluency Continuum (IFC) Skill(s) addressed:

Standard 2: Pursuing personal and aesthetic growth

Grade 6-8:

   Reads a variety of genres in print and electronic format.

   Uses text features in various media and genres to locate specific information and increase comprehension.

Grade 9-12:

    Reads a variety of fiction and nonfiction materials in a various formats.

    Applies understanding of text features to navigate new media.

Skill(s) taught:

Students learned how to turn an iPad on and off and how to access the content through iBooks, iTunes, Comixology, and VIZMedia. Once inside the content, they learned how to magnify the screen (especially popular while reading the comics) and how to get word definitions in iBooks. While listening to the audiobooks, they learned how to skip chapters, fast forward and rewind.

Assessments:

After a lesson on how the iPads function, and how to access the content they house, students were given a brief assessment, designed  by two members  of our team, aimed at demonstrating that students understood the basics of using the iPad and the expectations for appropriate use.  No iPads were handled by students who had not passed the assessment.

Resources Used:

iBooks, Kirkus Reviews, wikispaces.org, iPads, Comixology, Apple staff, VizMedia, NYC ComicCon

Digital Comics and Manga by Claudio Leon /  clodious@gmail.com

 

Title	Publisher	# of issues	App
Wolverine:  Weapon X	Marvel	10	Comixology
Wolverine vs The Hulk	Marvel	6	Comixology
Batman: Arkham City	DC	5	Comixology
Cpt. America: Reborn	Marvel	6	Comixology
Iron Man: The inevitable	Marvel	6	Comixology
Ultimate Iron Man	Marvel	5	Comixology
World War Hulk	Marvel	5	Comixology
Fantastic Four 1234	Marvel	4	Comixology
Venom Dark Origin	Marvel	5	Comixology
Venom vs. Carnage	Marvel	4	Comixology
Runaways Vol. 1	Marvel	18	Comixology
Runaways Vol. 2	Marvel	24	Comixology
Unknown Soldier	Vertigo	6	Comixology
Black Panther: Bride of the Black Panther	Marvel	5	Comixology
Superman Adventures	DC	12	Comixology
Adventures of Superman	DC	6	Comixology
Astonishing X-Men	Marvel	37	Comixology
The Mighty Avengers	Marvel	36	Comixology
Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?	BOOM! Studios	24	Comixology
Bayou	DC	15	Comixology
Black Lightning	DC	6	Comixology
Blade	Marvel	12	Comixology
Bone	Cartoon Books	55	Comixology
Dark Avengers	Marvel	16	Comixology
Static Shock	DC	5	Comixology
Teen Titans GO!	DC	6	Comixology
War Machine	Marvel	12	Comixology
Siege	Marvel	4	Comixology
Secret Invasion	Marvel	8	Comixology
Civil War	Marvel	7	Comixology
Infinite Crisis	DC	7	Comixology
52	DC	52	Comixology
Hellspawn	Image Comics	16	Comixology
Spiderman	Marvel	158	Comixology
Batman	DC	189	Comixology
Superman	DC	44	Comixology
Dragon Ball Z	VIZ	26	VIZ
Naruto	VIZ	57	VIZ
Bleach	VIZ	53	VIZ
Death Note	VIZ	12	VIZ

 

Digital Fiction and Poetry

by Anja Kennedy / anja.r.kennedy@gmail.com

*(a) denotes the title is available as an audiobook via iTunes

1.    Bum Rush the Page: a def poetry jam edited by Tony Medina and Louis Reyes Rivera

2.    Love Poems by Nikki Giovanni

3.    Selected Poems of Langston Hughes by Langston Hughes

4.    And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou (a)

5.    Foolish/Unfoolish: Reflections on Love by Ashanti

6.    145th Street: Short Stories by Walter Dean Myers

7.    What They Found: Love on 145th Street by Walter Dean Myers

8.    Monster by Walter Dean Myers (a)

9.    Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper (a)

10.  Darkness Before Dawn by Sharon Draper (a)

11.  Forged by Fire by Sharon Draper (a)

12.  You Don't Even Know Me by Sharon Flake (a)

13.  Crank  by Ellen Hopkins (a)

14.  Glass   by Ellen Hopkins (a)

15.  Fallout by Ellen Hopkins

16.  What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones (a)

17.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

18.  A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz (a)

19.  Classic Collection of Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen  Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen

20.  A Haunted October: 31 Seriously Scary Ghost Stories by the editors at Adams Media

21.  Ask the Bones: Scary Stories from Around the World edited by Howard Schwartz & Arielle Olson

22.  More Bones: Scary Stories from Around the World  edited by Howard Schwartz & Arielle Olson

23.  Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror edited by R.L. Stine (a)

24.  Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon (a)

25.  Go Ask Alice by Anonymous (a)

26.  Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi (a)

27.  The First Part Last by Angela Johnson (a)

28.  I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan (a)

29.  Miracle's Boys by Jacqueline Woodson (a)

30.  Ten Mile River by Paul Griffin (a)

31.  The Orange Houses by Paul Griffin (a)

32.  The Skin I'm In by Sharon Flake (a)

33.  Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers (a)

34.  Dope Sick by Walter Dean Myers (a)

35.  Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers (a)

36.  Shooter by Walter Dean Myers (a)

37.  Twilight by Stephenie Meyers (a)

38.  New Moon by Stephenie Meyers (a)

39.  Eclipse by Stephenie Meyers (a)

40.  Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyers (a)

41.  Battle of Jericho by Sharon Draper (a)

42.  November Blues by Sharon Draper (a)

43.  Just Another Hero by Sharon Draper (a)

 

 

Digital Non-fiction by Regan Schwartz / RSchwartz22@schools.nyc.gov

*(a) denotes the title is available as an audiobook via iTunes

1.    Banksy Location and Tours vol. 2 by Martin Bull

2.    Eat This Not That by David Zinczenko

3.    Sad Monsters by Frank Lesser

4.    Awkward Family Photos by Mike Bender

5.    127 hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston (a)

6.    The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon (a)

7.    Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk Tough Times by Jack Canfield (a)

8.    K2: Life and Death on the World’s Most Dangerous Mountain by Ed Viesturs (a)

9.    Chasing Ghosts, Texas Style by Barry Klinge, Brad Klinge (a)

10.  Too Good to be True: the Colossal Book of Urban Legends by Jan Harold Brunvand

11.  Street Knowledge by King Adz

12.  Van Gogh by Amy Lille

13.  The Killer Book of True Crime byTom Philbin

14.  The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey (a)

15.  YOU: The Owner's Manual for Teens by Michael Roizen

16.  Decoded by Jay-Z

17.  Bad Boy by W.D.Myers (a)

18.  The Everything Astrology Book by Jenni Kosarin

19.  Changing Bodies, Changing Lives by Ruth Bell

20.  DK Natural History: Insects   

21.  Snapshot Picture Library: Baby Animals       

22.  DK Natural History: Mammals-Carnivores   

23.  Snapshot Picture Library: Underwater Animals        

24.  Curly Girl: The Handbook by Lorraine Massey

25.  Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times by Thomas Hauser                  

26.  From Pieces to Weight by 50 Cent (a)

27.  Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies by Arthur Goldwag (a)

28.  A Child Called it by David Pelzer (a)

29.  The Recordsetter Book of World Records by Corey Henderson

30.  Dogs by Seymour Simon

31.  Cake Wrecks  Jen Yates

32.  This is Why You're Fat by Jessica Amason

33.  Blue Rage, Black Redemption by Stanley Tookie Williams

34.  Unlikely Friendships by Jennifer Holland

35.  The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons

36.  King James: Believe the hype by Ryan Jones

Passages Academy iPad Pilot FAQs

Anja Kennedy  / anja.r.kennedy@gmail.com

Claudio Leon  / clodious@gmail.com

Regan Schwartz  / rschwartz22@schools.nyc.gov

Jessica Fenster-Sparber /  literacyforteens@aol.com

Why did you select Apple’s iPads over other ereaders?

At the start of the pilot proposal writing phase, Amazon did not permit library books to be borrowed on Kindles, and Nooks were not available with touch screens.  We were curious about the combination of a touch screen and library use, and iPads were, at the time, the only devices that offered this.

Why have you limited your pilot to digital reading on devices that can do so much more?

After the first phase of our pilot, which involved the acquisition and review of a wide variety of apps, we made the strategic decision to limit our pilot to digital reading.  No one, to our knowledge, had introduced digital reading to incarcerated youth, and we sought to gather more data on this technology in conjunction with incaracerated readers under the age of 16 before proceeding further.  We realized at the end of the first pilot phase that this technology would best be introduced in a moderated, well-planned way and managed, for the time being, by the librarians.  We concluded that the best way to build a successful model of use and maintenance would begin and end with our own staff.  We considered our current daily job responsibilities and designed a student-use pilot that would allow us to create the opportunity for positive outcomes.  Because the ipads would be housed in the library, we thought it would be best to start with content we already offer in the library, and, in the case of comic books, material we would like to offer but were not able to offer due to publishing format and institutional restrictions.

Why did you select the applications you did (ViZ, Comixology, iBooks, iTunes)?

We love the fact that iBooks texts access the built-in dictionary which allows students to instantly look up any word in the book by simply tapping on the word.  Comixology has the greatest variety of comics available for purchase and we were very intrigued by the guided reading feature which supports struggling readers.  VIZ offers the manga titles most popular with our students. 

How did you develop the comic book collection?

Our resident comic book expert searched for storylines that were only a few issues long.   We also selected series that required little to no knowledge of the comic book universe in order to read them.  Most of our comic book series are complete or contain the first few character and story introductory issues. After a successful start, our second round of collection development allowed us to add the entire collections of some of the most popular comic book characters : Superman (44 issues), Batman (186 issues), Spiderman (158).  We also added titles like Bone and Bayou.

How did you develop the ebook / audiobook collection?

We established our priorities:  high-interest, short, accessible texts, preferably with audio companions at the start.  During the second round of collection development, we considered the observations we made and the feedback we received during the pilot and allowed that to inform our new selections.  We had learned, for example, that students were interested in reading longer texts on the iPad in the library and then checking out the same titles in print so that they could continue reading them in their rooms.  This, in turn, led us to purchase longer texts like the Twilight series.

Will you use the iPads for other purposes aside from ereading?

We are excited to see the iPads put to use in our school in a variety of ways that respect the security restrictions in place.  We are better positioned to be part of those conversations and to play a role in the expansion of iPad as a result of the groundwork we laid with our pilot.

Do we circulate the iPads?

No, our iPads are for in-library use only.  They may only be used in other classes if the librarian decides to take them to a class and monitor their use, usually by “pushing in” to a class or sitting with a specialist.

How do you deal with students’ desire to play with settings? 

We number our iPads and sign them out one at a time to students.  We follow a list of protocols when a student returns a device which ensure that any information a student may have altered or any messages left will be restored or wiped by the librarian.  Additionally, we utilize the setting restrictions to minimize the opportunities for users to alter the iPad content and pass messages to one another via the devices.

Which setting restrictions do you use?

All of them.