Reading gamification meets Biblionasium!

Some students get confused and think that they can link right to reading the books off the site so I have to be clear as to what the goal is for the site. Book sharing NOT book reading. Sometimes I teach this lesson over a couple of days showing so that the site can 'sink in.' Usually I demonstrate: 1. Adding books to bookshelf 2. Making and receiving recommendations 3. Reading Logs The fun stuff like 'Avatars' generally gets answered along the way. My second graders were not shown the reading log option as that grade would prefer the students to practice the written version. There are videos on youtube but they are longer then I preferred to show the students. I'm thinking about making my own for next year. What I liked was that although I thought it would be an incentive for our lower readers it was also very popular to make recommendations to our readers that like a challenge because they can track popular books. Our librarian also loved being able to track the popular books for future purposes. Note: If your library uses Destiny/Destiny Quest there are some similar items however I preferred the visuals and extra options on this site.

My kids loved that their opinions were being put online and they felt very important. This is a great reviewing tool, making students stop and think about what they just finished reading. I think helps serve kids better because it creates a digital and social connection to their reading, which is what students from this generation are craving.

I like this tool as a visual for my students to see what they have read this year. Because I have created a class, my students can go into each other's book shelves to see what others have read so far. This can lead to book discussions, more familiarity with a book and as a place to find new books to read. Not to mention... my students also love taking ownership of their account and choosing their avatar. :) I am excited to create "book challenges" for my students, in which I can challenge them to read a specific book, one from a series, or a book in a specific genre. One of my frustrations with Biblionasium is that there have been a number of times already during this school year when the website has been offline or inaccessible, causing my students (and their parents) some stress.