With funding from Future Forward Ohio, INFOhio has purchased thousands of eBooks and videos to supplement curriculum. Grade level eBook and video collections have been created to make it easier for students to find the purchased content. Find the collection best for your students:
These searchable platforms enable students to find purchased eBooks and videos from all resources in one place. Purchased content comes from vendors like Capstone, EBSCO, Gale, Highlights Library, ProQuest, and World Book.
The student eBooks and videos homepage for each grade band is easy to browse. Students can see all available eBooks and videos by default and scroll through the results. Students can also do keyword searches for things of interest.
Students have to be able to read text in many formats. To create critical thinkers who are able to comprehend, analyze, and evaluate digital content, educators must be intentional in preparing students for 21st century learning. That includes reading content on the screen from various sources—blogs, social media posts, databases, articles, and forums. "Electronic books are not meant to replace traditional books, but it is crucial for students to become proficient readers of many different forms of text" (The Learning Potential of e-Books, 2015). It is important to promote a balanced use of print and digital text in the classroom.
Students are reading on the screen for entertainment purposes, including video games and apps. Reading eBooks can help reinforce digital reading for knowledge and information and further develop good reading habits.
To learn more about the difference between reading on a screen and reading in print, take the Reading on the Screen class. This class will introduce participants to research on how reading on a screen affects student learning and the strategies and approaches to help students read complex text online for comprehension and synthesis.
Another reason reading eBooks is important for students is that eBooks have additional support features that print books don’t have. These include features such as read aloud and highlighting. Some can also take digital notes. The eBooks from INFOhio are also simultaneous, unlimited access meaning an unlimited number of students can be reading the same ebook at the same time.
The example below from World Book, Ants and Other Social Insects, includes the option to have the text read aloud. The features at the bottom are available to anyone and they include zooming in and out and single page view. The thumbnail view can be used to easily skip to different pages of the text. Some features such as the highlight and sticky note, are only available when readers create a separate World Book account.
To learn more about the eBooks from INFOhio and their learning and accessibility features in the various reading platforms, consider taking the Quality eBooks from INFOhio to Supplement Curriculum Learning Pathway class. This class explores finding and using eBooks to personalize student reading experiences and maximize learning.
School Libraries have limited funds for their print materials. They can only buy so much on a topic and only so many copies. INFOhio eBooks expand the library to meet the needs of students.
Since introducing the new student eBook collections, INFOhio has received feedback from ICoaches across the state about how they are using the eBooks and how they impact student learning.
An ICoach from Gahanna Jefferson Schools said, "I was limited with the number of up-to-date nonfiction books I had available; therefore, I shared Capstone Interactive eBooks and the teacher was thrilled! We both commented how the eBooks are so visually appealing."
An ICoach from Pickerington Local Schools shared her excitement about the fact that the eBooks from INFOhio are unlimited, simultaneous access. "When I do my lesson on Titanic, I may only have 15 books in my library so not all kids can use the books to do their research for our project. The fact that students can all read the same book through Capstone Interactive eBooks makes it a wonderful tool for the classroom."
A Youngstown City Schools ICoach was impressed with the amount of animal books and shared, "I wanted animal books so 2nd graders could do a report. I was very happy to learn about BookFlix and Capstone Connect and see the animal books available."
If you haven't already, INFOhio encourages educators to share eBooks and other forms of digital text with students exposing them to a variety of texts.
We are here to help! If you have questions visit support.infohio.org.
Sarah Mowery is a Professional Instructional Specialist with INFOhio. She has worked in education for 16 years as a school librarian and technology coach in elementary and middle school settings. While in these roles, she's been an integral part of the building leadership teams working as a curriculum connector and integrating web-based tools. She earned a BA in Sociology from Bowling Green State University and an MLS with a specialization in PK-12 schools from East Carolina University. Sarah was one of the original INFOhio ICoaches when the program first began in 2013 and has a passion for sharing how INFOhio resources can transform teaching and impact learning for students and educators across the state of Ohio.
Fetch is avaiable to INFOhio automated schools. If you are an INFOhio school, please log in with your school username/password using the button at the top-left corner of this page.
For more information about Fetch, please visit the Fetch information page or contact INFOhio support at https://support.infohio.org.
