Target Audience - Who/What/How/Why?

 

Final Vision Project Inquiry Blog #2: Learner Considerations

On my previous blog, I discussed some of the ideas I have for my final vision project.   As you recall, I want to create something that will help our students complete the upcoming Reading Link Challenge.  My final product will be a combination of different apps and programs linked through a virtual library that all participants will have access to, whether it be at school or at home. 

Before I get to work though, I need to consider one of the most important factors: my target audience.  Who am I making this for?  What are their needs?  How can I help them navigate through the challenge not only at school but at home? 

There are so many things to consider, and all are equally important if I want this project to be useful not only for this challenge but for future ones.  

So let me begin by asking, what is a target audience and why is it so important?

Photo credit: Keyword Connects

According to marketing research expert Michael O’Neill, a target audience is “a specific group of people (or consumers) interested in a service or product you are providing.  This group of people may be dictated by age, gender, income, location, interests, or a myriad of other factors.”  Determining your target audience is crucial as it helps you make informed decisions when creating something.  

So, who am I creating my Final Vision Project for?  In other words, who is my target audience?

My plan is to create a virtual library that will help all students in grades 4 and 5 wishing to participate in this year’s Reading Link Challenge.  I would also like their parents and caregivers to have the opportunity to be part of this event. It sure sounds simple when you group them like this but that is not the case.  This group of students and their families can be further divided into other categories such as: ELL  students (English Language Learners), Students reading at below grade level, students with various learning disabilities, strong readers, etc.  

I know that a big deterrent in previous events has been the fact that participants must read an average of one book per week.  This can be easy for some of our students but for others not so much.  

Keeping that in mind, what are some of the tools I’m planning on using to help everyone?

1) Links to audiobooks/read alouds: having access to a read aloud will help my students whose first language is not English.  As a previous ELL student myself, I found reading to be less intimidating if I was listening to someone else read, rather than reading it myself.  This also helped me learn the correct pronunciation of many words and made reading comprehension easier.  Audiobooks/read alouds also allow students to go at their own pace making reading more enjoyable as they don’t feel rushed.

2) Access to the NNELS (National Network for Equitable Library Services) and CELA (Centre for Equitable Library Access):  these two services provide free accessible formats to anyone with a print disability (anything that prevents a person from reading conventional print).  Students will be able to access these services with their library card number.  If they do not have one, I will provide all the necessary information to get one.

3) Access to apps with features that will support all learners:  while researching user-friendly apps to use for my project, I came across a learning framework called UDL, Universal Design for Learning.  This framework uses guidelines which help make learning inclusive and transformative for everyone.  The video below explains what UDL is and how teachers can use it to maximize students’ learning.

I mentioned last week that one of the main programs I’m planning on using is Book Creator.  One of the main reasons is that it has many built-in features that will provide support to all learners.  Some of these features are voice-to-text, audio record, read-to-me, etc. 

Photo Credit: Brian Manning.

This Vision Project will certainly present many challenges as I navigate through all the digital tools available out there.  I know it will be frustrating and scary at times as I step out of my comfort zone to create something I have not done before.  No matter what comes my way, I will just keep telling myself WHY I’m doing this, why do I want to create this project?

Simple, I want my students to feel proud of themselves and to know that success is at their fingertips when surrounded by the right tools.  I want to instill in my students a love of reading and to not feel intimidated when they see a page full of words.  I want to give every student the chance to gain confidence and to take charge of their learning.  I know this may sound like an impossible task and that maybe I’m taking on too much at once, but my students are worth it.

Do you have any suggestions or ideas?  I would love to hear them!

Stay tune,

The Duchess of Bookington

References:

About Universal Design for Learning. (n.d.). CAST. Retrieved March 22, 2022, from https://www.cast.org/impact/universal-design-for-learning-udl#.WvZstlMvwdV

BetterLesson. (n.d.). Meeting the Needs of All Learners: A New Learning Domain. Blog.betterlesson.com. https://blog.betterlesson.com/meeting-the-needs-of-all-learners-a-new-learning-domain

CELA. (n.d.). Celalibrary.ca. Retrieved March 22, 2022, from https://celalibrary.ca

Evolution, M. (n.d.). Steps to Find Your Target Audience | Marketing Evolution. Www.marketingevolution.com. https://www.marketingevolution.com/marketing-essentials/target-audience#:~:text=What%20Is%20a%20Target%20Audience

How to reach the 4 key types of audience member at every event. (2015, June 12). Cramer. https://www.cramer.com/insights/types-of-audiences/

My Classroom. (2017, January 16). Brian Manning E Portfolio. https://brianmanningblog.wordpress.com/technology-and-learning-statement/

National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS). (n.d.). Nnels.ca. Retrieved March 22, 2022, from https://nnels.ca

UDL At A Glance. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved March 22, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDvKnY0g6e4&t=88s

Let the Planning Begin!

 

Final Vision Project Blog #1: Design Considerations

It’s just amazing how much can change in 10 weeks.  As I look back I can’ help but smile (ok maybe laugh a bit too) at remembering my reaction when I read that I was to produce a final vision project based around the 21st Century Classroom.  I sure panicked for a few weeks as I learned more and more about what is available to us in this Digital Era.  I considered myself an ok person when it came to technology, I mean I got by just fine until I realized there was more out there than me turning on my computer and using my smart board at school.  

     

Image Credit: Bitmoji

My first thoughts were on wanting to create something that would "allow students to express their learning (of a particular subject or concept) in a variety of ways." (Chandler, 2017)   I wanted something engaging and at the same time give them the freedom to learn at their own pace.  I had decided to create a Choice Board and had already started to plan how to go about it.

Photo credit from TECH for ALL

All that planning went out the window when I discovered Book Creator.  I was hooked! I found the program when I was doing my research for my Reading Culture blog.  One of my ideas was to create an Online Book Tasting to give parents the opportunity to participate in some of our Library events.  I came across a case study written by Mira Campbell where a teacher-librarian and classroom teacher wanted to improve the reading experience for their students in the HS Program (Home School Program.)  The main idea was to use Chromebooks and the Book Creator App and have students write down their thoughts about the books they were exploring using the app.  They were using the “collaboration feature” in the virtual library, this enabled editing so more than one student could work on the same book at once. At the end of the event, they were to create a book trailer on their favourite book.  I simply fell in love with the idea! You can read more about the case study here.

I wanted to create something that we could use at the library this year to get students excited about our upcoming Reading Link Challenge.  This event is organized annually by our local public library and schools in our district can participate.  Participants can sign up to read the 5 books chosen and then create trivia questions for each book.  At the end of the challenge, all schools participate in a community wide trivia competition and the winner gets resources for their classroom library.  

Every year we do have a fair number of participants; however, it’s mostly our strong readers that get involved.  This year I want to make sure that every kid who wants to participate gets to do it no matter their reading level.  To do that, I have decided to use various programs that will cater to all participants.  

First things first, Promoting the event.  We usually make announcements on the PA, print out posters and put them up around the school, and send emails to staff.  This year I want to do something different!  I will still do the above because there is no need to reinvent the wheel.  However, I want to add a promotional video to show teachers during our staff meeting and show it to students when they come visit the library for book exchange.  I am hoping to use Doodly to create a short video explaining what the Reading Link Challenge is and how participants can sign up.

Image Credit: Doodly

Second step is to create a place where students can enter their trivia questions, access the participating books, and find other activities.  After careful research, I decided to use Book Creator to set up the virtual library.  Initially I wanted to use Google Slides, but I found that Book Creator is more interactive, I can also choose fun formats for every book trivia collection.  The program also allows me to insert videos, Audio files and pictures.  What I also like about it is that it’s very user friendly so our participants will be able to work independently after one lesson.  Book Creator also offers features which can support all learners.  Participants will have the choice of using Voice-to-text, audio record, or type their questions.  They can also use the Read-to-me feature to listen to their questions to check they make sense.

These past weeks have also taught me that I need to be mindful of the apps and programs I plan on using as not all devices are compatible with them.  I was happy to learn that Book Creator is compatible with Chromebooks, Macs, Ipads and Android devices.  

Now that I have narrowed down the main program I will be using, I needed to find a way to get participants easy access to the virtual library.  After careful consideration, I decided to create bookmarks with a QR code and hand them out to students.  I will also print signs to put up around the school and on windows so parents can scan the code and see what the challenge is all about.

I looked through a few QR code generator programs and found the one below to be very user-friendly.

            

Click on the image above to access QR Generator program

The next step in my plan is to add content to the virtual library.  I plan on having a link to the participating books, each will have a book trailer to get participants excited about reading them and a direct link to the editable trivia pages.  I will also add links to read alouds of the books in case anyone would like to listen to the story and follow along with their own book.  

I was very intimidated by creating book trailers until I attended a live workshop for the iMovie app.  I really liked how user-friendly the program was and how by using photos, I can create great book trailers! I was ready to look no further until I remembered that the trailers need to be accessible to those without Apple devices! 

Image Credit: Bitmoji

Back to the drawing board I went…I researched programs that would be compatible with other devices, including Apple.  Below is a comparison chart of the 4 programs I think would be best suited for my project.

Table 1: FlexClip Vs. Moovly vs. Wave.video vs. iMovie Comparison Chart 

Table Information retrieved from here.

What I really like about the programs above is that they are SaaS compatible.  This means that the programs use a software as a service provider or SaaS.  This type of software is centrally hosted so you can use it in most devices.  Programs like Dropbox, Netflix, and Google Apps fall under this category.  I could also use YouTube to share videos, however, I found the process a bit more confusing than the programs above.  I think that for my final project, I will be using 2 programs to create sample book trailers, I have yet to decide which two so stay tune! 

There is so much to think about for sure….and to think that a few weeks ago I would have already panicked and hid under my bed to wait until after the project's due date to freak out some more!

       

Well, panic no more!  I’m so excited to put everything I have learned to the test…I can’t wait to get started!

Do you have any other suggestions?  I would love to hear them! 

Stay tune…

The Duchess of Bookington

References:

Campbell, M. (2018, June 4). Hosting a modern “book tasting” with Book Creator for Chrome. Book Creator App. https://bookcreator.com/2018/06/hosting-a-modern-book-tasting-with-book-creator-for-chrome/

Chandler, A. (2017). The flexible ELA classroom : practical tools for differentiated instruction in grades 4-8. Routledge.

Choice Boards: Benefits, Design Tips & Differentiation – Dr. Catlin Tucker. (n.d.). https://catlintucker.com/2021/08/choice-boards101/

FlexClip vs. Moovly vs. Wave.video vs. iMovie Comparison. (n.d.). Sourceforge.net. Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://sourceforge.net/software/compare/FlexClip-vs-Moovly-vs-Wave.video-vs-iMovie/#claim_wave-video.s

Free QR maker | Create QR code online - ME-QR. (n.d.). Me-Qr.com. Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://me-qr.com/qr-code-generator/qr

RLC - How It Works. (n.d.). Www.readinglinkchallenge.ca. Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://www.readinglinkchallenge.ca/how_it_works.html

Wikipedia Contributors. (2019, April 8). Software as a service. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_as_a_service

Looking Back...Moving Forward

 

Inquiry Blog #5: Summarizing and Discussing Phase 2 Topics and Interests

Sitting back to reflect is not something I do lightly.  You see, I am the type of person who is always on the go; I pride myself in the fact that I can multitask in my sleep!  I guess two jobs, two kids and a husband, extra-curricular activities, and going to school all at the same time does that to you. I mean, I do reflect on a daily basis, but it’s usually in between activities or at the very end of the day when I proudly tick off things I have accomplished from my never ending list of things to do.

Image Credit 

For our blog this week, we must look back and ask ourselves, “what new things have we learned from all this exploring we have been doing in the past 4 weeks.” Just thinking about it brings a tsunami of new-found knowledge my way! Phew…now I understand what my students mean when they say “Mrs. Vernon, learning is exhausting!”  

As a teacher, I have many times introduced my students to Inquiry-based learning.  I love seeing how they get involved in their learning and help each other out.  I was so excited to be able to experience it first-hand during my LIBE 477 course this semester.  Fast forward to now, and I can say that it has been an exhausting yet very rewarding experience!   It sure puts a lot of things into perspective when the roles are reversed and the teacher becomes the student.

Photo Credit 

Let me give you a quick run-down of what this learning approach entails: Inquiry Based Learning, or IBL for short, “emphasizes the student’s role in the learning process.  Rather than the teacher telling students what they need to know, students are encouraged to explore the material, ask questions, and share ideas.”  (Wah Chu, 2011.)   Recent studies have shown that IBL is very effective in “promoting learning outcomes such as deep thinking, the ability to apply knowledge, and reasoning skills when compared to the traditional didactic approach. (Wah Chu, 2011.). 

The video above gives you a quick explanation on how IBL works as well as it shows you an example using the Harry Potter movies, which I had never would have thought to use until I watched this video.

So, what are some of the key takeaways I have acquired these past 4 weeks?  Oh…there are plenty for sure but some of them stood out way more than others.  I learned how important it is to stay on top of my own ICT learning if I want to be able to help my colleagues expand their own ICT skills.  Second, I learned that I need to be more mindful in all the new digital resources I find because not everything is compatible with the devices our school and our students have.  Third, I learned that small ripples lead to bigger waves when it comes to promoting a reading culture in our schools.   And lastly, I learned how lucky we are to be in a country where I can easily promote a love of reading, not only in my own children, but also in all my students.  This was a tough pill to swallow for me, because my heart hurts for all those children in developing countries who do not have the opportunity to explore the fantastic world of the written word.  On the plus side, I have learned of ways I can be involved in helping bring books and resources to places where is most needed.  

So what has this IBL experience left me with?  Aside from a renewed passion to continue to help others embrace the magic of the “written word,” I close this blog post with the “Coles Notes” version of my key takeaways:

1) ICT learning: I’m still nervous about teaching/ helping my colleagues use new digital resources.  However, I have learned that it takes a village and that I can enlist the help of others if I need to.  I am now a member of various online groups, Facebook pages, Instagram, Twitter, and follow blogs that offer online workshops so I can improve my tech skills and in turn teach others.  I have also learned the importance of “keeping an ear to the ground,” to find out what is most needed amongst my staff so I can provide meaningful workshops on Pro-D days. 

                                         

Image credit 

2) Digital Resources: Some of my classmates brought up a very important point that I had not considered before and that is to be mindful of the type of resources I use as they are not compatible with some IT networks or devices.  This really made me question if everyone in our school had equal opportunities as far as technology use is concerned.  The simple answer to my question is no.  In his book “Digital Citizenship in Schools,” Mike Bittle explains that “Not everyone (can) use all the tools that this new digital society provides.  Because of socioeconomic status, disabilities, and physical location, these opportunities are not equally available to all students or teachers.” (Bittle, 2015). I now know that I need to be able to try to accommodate, as much as possible, students and families who do not have access to technology.

Image credit

3) Reading Culture:  it was so interesting to learn about what it means to have a reading culture at school.  I learned so much from my classmates that week and have started to plan ways I can implement some of the ideas shared.  This topic also made me realize that I need to come up with more ideas to help, not only my struggling readers, but ALL my readers.  I am excited to say that I have now started to work on creating QR codes to access online read alouds of some of the books we are using at school to give parents and caregivers the opportunity to participate with their kids, even if they do not have the book at home.   Here is a sample of a QR code I generated this past week; it links you to a read aloud of “Green Eggs and Ham,” by Dr Seuss. (We celebrated Dr Seuss Day on March 2, 2022) 

4) World Libraries:  I have to say that this is the topic that really hit home for me.  It really opened my eyes when I realized how lucky we are to live in a community where my family and I have access to so many resources, whether it be printed or digital, and that I am able to provide so many resources to my students and have the opportunity to instill a love of reading in every one of them.  I was shocked to learn that my beloved country of El Salvador lacks a reading culture, and that reading is seen as only a mean to learn academics and not as a possible leisurely activity.  I think that realizing how lucky I am has inspired me to create resources that can be accessed by many, whether they are here in my community or in another country.  I sure hope that my vision comes to life by the end of this course, or at least plant the seed that will keep on growing! ( I don’t want to ruin the surprise so I will leave it at that!) 

I can’t wait to start working on my Final Vision Project.  Although my mind is full of “what ifs” and “oh boys,” I am sure ready to embark on this new adventure...I can’t wait to take you with me on this journey!  Stay tuned…

The Duchess of Bookington 

References:

Chu, S. K. W., Tse, S. K., & Chow, K. (2011). Using collaborative teaching and inquiry project-based learning to help primary school students develop information literacy and information skills. Library & Information Science Research, 33(2), 132–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2010.07.017

Free QR maker | Create QR code online - ME-QR. (n.d.). Me-Qr.com. Retrieved March 9, 2022, from https://me-qr.com/qr-code-generator

Grade power learning. (2019, May 28). What is Inquiry-Based Learning (And How Is It Effective)? | GradePower Learning. GradePower Learning. https://gradepowerlearning.com/what-is-inquiry-based-learning/

Living Books - Green Eggs And Ham (Read To Me). (2018). [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItPdeUnu5UI

Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools : nine elements all students should know. Eugene, Oregon International Society For Technology In Education.

Spencer, J. (2017). What is Inquiry-Based Learning? In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlwkerwaV2E

The Digital Library Resources in Various Media Types and Format... (n.d.). ResearchGate. Retrieved March 9, 2022, from https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-Digital-Library-Resources-in-Various-Media-Types-and-Format-Planners-View-of-Data_fig6_221911581

Top 100: The most popular social media platforms and what they can teach us. (n.d.). Knightcolumbia.org. Retrieved March 9, 2022, from https://knightcolumbia.org/blog/top-100-the-most-popular-social-media-platforms-and-what-they-can-teach-us

The Library of Dreams/La Biblioteca de los Sueños

 

Inquiry Blog #4: Developing World Libraries/ Mobile Devices

Photo credit Ubuntu Publishers

As far as I remember, my childhood had always been surrounded by books.  Some of the best memories I have are of my late mother reading me a story before bed or reading from the comic section in the newspaper.  I can still recite some paragraphs from “Le Petit Prince” (her favourite story) and remember laughing every time she would read about the Boa Constrictor that looked like a hat.  I would always beg her to read that book to me and even after she passed, I would ask my dad to read it to us before bed.  He always did, even if it brought him painful memories and for that I am forever grateful. 

Extract from “Le Petit Prince” (2001)

This week’s topic about World Libraries was an eye opener for me.  Having been born in South America, I was excited to find out how our libraries compared to theirs and the type of opportunities kids have there to learn new skills in this digital era.  I decided to focus my research on Central America since I was born in El Salvador and lived there for the first 15 years of my life.  I have very fond memories from that time: school, friends, family outings, and Christmases were at the top of my list.  As I walked down memory lane I was suddenly brought back to reality when I realized that no matter how hard I tried I could not remember ever visiting the Public Library or even the library at school.  All my reading memories are of my parents, aunt, and grandparents reading to us and buying us books.

How could this be?! Had I simply forgotten all the times I visited?  After all, my mother was a librarian working at the National Library in San Salvador surely enough I would have visited right? I decided to contact my childhood friends and ask them questions about the libraries and the different programs they have to offer.  I was astounded when they told me that the National Library had been demolished and that what I have come to know as “the hub of a community” was simply not the case in El Salvador.

Sadly enough, this seems to be a trend with developing countries.  Liah Shonhe discusses this in her article  “A Consolidation of Challenges Faced by School Libraries in Developing Countries.”   She argues that “one of the problems (when trying to achieve quality education in developing countries) is the inability of governments to invest in the development and management of effective school libraries.” (2019) It seems that most school libraries are being neglected even though they play an important role in students’ learning progress.  Shonhe also mentions some of the challenges developing countries face when trying to create successful library services and programs.  These challenges include poor staffing, little to no funding, lack of a library policy, poor ICT infrastructure, poor library facilities, and lack of awareness of the importance of school libraries (2019.). In her article, she shares a literature analyses she did of 13 developing countries...wow talk about an eye opener! It really broke my heart to learn that in some countries, El Salvador included, education and literacy take a back seat and in some cases is not even brought up for discussion!  To access a copy of her Literature Analyses, click here.

At this point I was hooked.  I started calling childhood friends and researched the web to try to find out more about the challenges Libraries face in other countries.  I concentrated on El Salvador as I wanted to know more about my place of birth and what I could do to help out.

I was surprised to find out that El Salvador had only one Public Library called “BINAES (Biblioteca National de El Salvador.)”. This place was opened over one hundred years ago and it mainly housed classical and academic books.  Not only is the library located in one of the most dangerous places in San Salvador (due to gang wars) making it hard for patrons to visit, but the place had also endured earthquakes and flooding making the structure weak and dangerous to use.  After a lot of talking back and forth, the new President (Nayib Bukele) managed to get his cabinet to agree on demolishing the building and, with the help of The People’s Republic of China, start building a brand new Public Library.  I was happy to learn that other countries have stepped in to help build the new structure; however, all that excitement vanished when I realized that the building was demolished in 2019 and it has taken 2 years to approve the project! I was floored to find out that the country does not have a public library at all!   Sure you have private libraries in universities or private schools (I will discussed this shortly), but access to those is only allowed if you are a student at the aforementioned places. 

The pictures above show the state of the library prior to being demolished.  

Being a Teacher Librarian in training, I was intrigued to find out what the children’s section looked like and was surprised to find out that it was a very small room with no windows and a few shelves with a number of books in Spanish and English where parents could come and read to their kids.  Below is a picture of this “reading room.”  There were no computers due to lack of funding and theft. 

Photo Credit: La Prensa Grafica

At this point I was very discouraged.  My heart hurt for all those children with no access to all these amazing worlds the written word creates.  I felt even more discouraged when I discovered that reading does not play a big part in the culture.  I was one of the lucky ones whose parents loved reading, so they were able to instill that love of literature in all of us kids.  The reason being that access to books is not as easy as going to the library to borrow books, as you have already seen.  The only other alternative is purchasing books but in a country where the average daily working rate is about $7 USD, buying a book is a luxury not many have.  So how else can they access books?  I found out that the majority of people have devices and access to cheap internet so I thought, there it is! A solution…wrong! Children do have access to devices; however, they have not been taught where they could access free books, apps like Youtube or Reddit are only used to watch videos or play games and not too many people are willing to purchase monthly subscriptions to the “Online Bookstores” available to them through private companies.  

School Libraries suffer the same faith as the Public Library.  Public schools often lack the presence of a library and if they are some of the lucky few with a collection of books, these are often very outdated, uncatalogued and poorly organize making it difficult for students to borrow resources.  Other books have been locked in cabinets to prevent wear and tear and only teachers are able to access them.  Private schools have more funding for their libraries but again, due to the lack of trained library staff or a library committee, the books purchased are mainly textbooks or dictionaries.  The magazine called “The Citizen” (El Ciudadano) published an article in 2018 where a study showed that about 80% of schools lack a library…80%! I couldn’t believe this…after all “a school library is vital to the learning and teaching activities of any school as it acts as an information hub and an innovation Centre.” (Shone 2019)

Student looks through the shelves of books at his school library.  Photo credit El Ciudadano.

So what is the government doing to help the Ministry of Education address all these issues?  I was happy to find out that President Bukele has been working side by side with the Ministry of Education to come up with a plan to bring education back to the negotiation table and start working on getting more funding.  The People’s Republic of China has also donated $54 million USD to build the new National Library and to purchase new books and furniture.  

Other politicians have also stepped in and have started funding projects that will help children have access to literature.  One of the projects I read about is called “Reading Oasis.”  This is the first Digital Library to be opened in San Salvador.  It is located in one of the major parks in the city.  According to Ernesto Muyshondt, the Mayor of San Salvador, the new library “offers free WIFI, 30-plus personal computers and thousands of analog and digital books, the library fosters a culture of learning among the city’s youth. Its specific resources on science, technology, arts and math will be available for local schools.” (Creative Magazine, 2021.)   There is also another project underway to create more Digital Libraries around the country.  

Another great project that has been underway for a few years now is called “The Library of Dreams.” I have to say that this is by far my favourite and I’m already trying to get in touch with the founder to see how I can help.  Author Jorge Argueta is at the heart of this project.  Born in El Salvador, Jorge left for the United States as a kid fleeing the Civil War of the 80s.  He has been traveling back and forth bringing suitcases full of bilingual books to share with the children in his old neighbourhood.  In 2017, he decided to open a safe haven for children in the neighbourhood.  The library was created “for children in the neighborhood of San Jacinto to help them feel safe and have the opportunity to become excited about literature in a way that they might not be able to at home.”  (Argueta, 2017) Located in a brick cabin at the heart of the neighbourhood, this place will help children learn to dream, strengthen their spirit and to learn about their culture through books.  Every day, Argueta hires a bus to collect the children and bring them safely to the library.  It is his dream that through books, children will learn to be strong and choose life and education over a life of violence.  

This video is a walk through of the Library of Dreams.

This journey back to my roots has taught me so much.  I am itching to learn ways I can help not only my community back home, but also my school community here.  I have learned how important having access to resources and technology is.  I feel lucky to be in a place where I can easily take my children to the public library for an afternoon or curl up with a Kobo and read one of the digital copies we have borrowed for the week. I can see how having access and knowledge about the various digital resources available to us is important to support the learning process in children.   

So what can we do to help children in developing countries?

Here is a list of projects or foundations you can reach out to if you would like to take part in these amazing projects:

1) Room to Read: an organization with the purpose of “creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality. We are achieving this goal by helping children in historically low-income communities develop literacy skills and a habit of reading, and by supporting girls as they build skills to succeed in school and negotiate key life decisions. We collaborate with governments and other partner organizations to deliver positive outcomes for children at scale.” (Room to Read, 2022) For more information click below.

2) Jorge Argueta: if you would like more information on ways to help him create more Libraries of Dreams send him an email.  His personal webpage has all the information you need to reach out.  Click the picture below to learn more.

3) MNC Build Foundation: an organization with the purpose of creating opportunities for children and adults with scarce resources.  To learn more about their mission click on the picture below. 

I hope you have learned as much as I have about world libraries, especially El Salvador.  Do you have any other projects or foundations we could look into to raise awareness?  I would love to hear from you...until next time,

The Duchess of Bookington 

References:

"10 recuerdos sobre la Biblioteca Nacional de El Salvador" (algunos que tal vez no conocías). (n.d.). Noticias de El Salvador - La Prensa Gráfica | Informate Con La Verdad. Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://www.laprensagrafica.com/10-recuerdos-sobre-la-Biblioteca-Nacional-de-El-Salvador-algunos-que-tal-vez-no-conocias-t202201040001.html

(Website is in Spanish)

"80% de los colegios en El Salvador no cuentan con bibliotecas." (2018, July 23). El Ciudadano.  Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://www.elciudadano.com/latinoamerica/80-de-los-colegios-en-el-salvador-no-cuentan-con-bibliotecas/07/23/

Biblioteca de los Sueños. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLIstCULA0s&t=52s

“Library of Dreams: brings books, safe space to kids in El Salvador." (n.d.). NBC News. Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/children-gang-ravaged-el-salvador-explore-library-dreams-n683506

Reading oasis: Digital library opens in San Salvador. (2021, February 10). Creative. Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://www.creativeassociatesinternational.com/stories/reading-oasis-digital-library-opens-in-san-salvador/

Room to Read: Building Libraries, Schools, and Computer Labs in Developing Countries. (n.d.). Edutopia. Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://www.edutopia.org/global-education-libraries-developing-countries

Shonhe, L. (n.d.). "A Consolidation of Challenges Faced by School Libraries in Developing Countries." Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5867&context=libphilprac