Page 39 - 2021-Mag-88-2

DKG Practice/Program

Online Reading

The pandemic brought online teaching and learning to the forefront. The
proliferation of online tools, programs, and services has been unprecedented.
Students and teachers can download entire books. Most online books in the United
States are in English, but a sizable amount of foreign language material, both in
print and audio form, is also available.
A library card from the Fort Vancouver Regional library system allows access
to the entire Libby collection (https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby/) of online
materials. During the library’s physical closure early in the pandemic, Libby was
a lifeline for readers, personally and
professionally.
Libby has a substantial collection of
titles in Spanish. A downloaded title of
personal interest was Largo Pétalo de
Mar (A Long Petal of the Sea; Allende,
2019). Downloads in Spanish to inform
one’s teaching included young adult
titles and children’s picture books. The
latter were used as read-alouds during
distance learning thanks to a document
camera and screen-sharing on Zoom.
Several advantages to online reading
over use of physical books are evident:
font size and light/dark contrast can
be adapted; pages are shorter than
in a printed book (so one appears to be reading faster!); the system has a built-
in bookmark and highlighter; and a reference link takes one directly to online
resources for background information. For new or difficult vocabulary in a foreign
language, another link in Libby takes one to an online bilingual dictionary. The
reader can export highlighted words and comments, generating an automatic study
sheet.
In Sum

The discussion of how the pandemic has affected reading habits showed first
and foremost that many have read more—and more widely. The pandemic has also
brought a wealth of new ways to select reading material for ourselves, our students,
and our families. The availability of online reading resources has been a boon for
teachers and readers. Members plan to continue utilizing such electronic resources
both for personal reading and for classroom instructional use.

Dr. Claire Smith, originally from London, England, teaches world languages at Skyview High School in the Vancouver
district in Washington. Smith is an active member of Mu Chapter and serves as Trustee on Washington State
Organization’s Rachel Royston Permanent Scholarship Foundation. Claire.Smith@vansd.org

Collegial Exchange · 37