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Goodreads
Pros: Goodreads is a wealth of literary information and enthusiasm that teens can really sink their teeth into.
Cons: Teens and adults mixing in the forums could be problematic.
Bottom Line: Using Goodreads can enhance teens' reading experience and help them become thoughtful, enthusiastic readers.
Teachers need to know that Goodreads is an excellent place for older kids and teens to discuss their favorite books with fellow readers online. However, the site is geared primarily toward adult users with no special "kid section," so teens may be connecting with readers of all ages. With that in mind, Goodreads is generally very focused on literature and the bulk of communication occurs within reviews, not private discussions or email.
While Goodreads isn't set up for classroom use, there are a few ways teachers can integrate it into curriculum. Recommended for high school-age students, Goodreads offers another way for kids to communicate about books, which is always a good thing. It's easy to set up a classroom group within the site where students can talk about the current class reading selection. Teachers can post questions and assignments. They can also create quizzes based on classroom material or even come up with contests: Having students review extracurricular reads sounds much more fun than an old-fashioned book report.
Goodreads is a website for book lovers to review books, share recommendations, and track reading history and goals. It's also a social network where teens can see what their friends are reading and can join discussion groups for their favorite books. Users of Goodreads create an account and then use the search function to create an online library, book by book. Users can also add books that they want to read in the future, marking them "to-read," or note a book as "currently reading." It's then possible to share the library with friends invited to Goodreads through email or Facebook. The bulk of the site is review-based, but there are also quizzes, quotes, and biographical author information to delve into.
Teens learn by reading books, then forming and sharing opinions in an online setting. By engaging in friendly discourse about books, they'll learn communication skills. They'll be proud to add newly ready books to their own online library and talk about their favorites with peers. To review a book, teens will have to think critically about their opinions and find the best way to share their feelings in writing.
Goodreads is the largest and most popular site of this type online, and it shows. It's a great outlet for book lovers to share their likes and dislikes, and the recommendation system is spot-on, spurring kids to read even more books. Young bookworms will love the related activities, including quizzes like "The Ultimate Percy Jackson Quiz" and "Awesome Harry Potter Quotes." Every book imaginable is reviewed here, and kids can explore their favorite genres with ease.
Learning Rating
Community Rating
More than a tool, a community
I am personally, a HUGE advocate of Goodreads. I use it almost daily, looking up recommendations and opinions about books on all sorts of topics. I love that Goodreads will recommend books based off of things that you've read, and I've found a tremendous number of new materials based off of those recommendations. I would say that perhaps the one negative is that it is a community where people are free to post whatever they wish, so there are occasions where you see some language or personal opinions that can get a bit jarring. However, I believe that its benefits GREATLY outweigh any negatives. And as a classroom tool, the students seem to enjoy it as well, as they can read real life reviews of potential books and resources. We are living in the Amazon age, where people base much of their shopping off of the reviews of others. Goodreads is no different in now that we can base our reading resources off of the review of a community of like minded readers. And what's also great about it, is once you set up an account, there are means of keeping track of what you've read and what you've reviewed. It's really just a great resource. I love Goodreads and it gets my highest recommendation!!!