Audiobooks And Literacy

Engagement with audiobooks can benefit children and young people’s reading skills and enjoyment, as well as their mental wellbeing and emotional intelligence, according to this review by the National Literacy Trust.

The review identified how audiobooks can widen children’s access to literature. Not only are audiobooks easy and convenient to access via digital devices, but children are able to access a broader range of texts. They are also able to access more of a book than reading alone as the listening experience deepens their understanding of tone and pronunciation and exposes them to different accents and dialects.

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      string(3311) "Start a New ChapterWhether you are blind, partially sighted, dyslexic or have another disability that makes you unable to read standard print, Calibre Audio Library brings the joy of audio books to everyone.  Calibre was set up over 40 years ago by a mother whose partially sighted son struggled to read the printed word. To solve the problem, she set up an audio library so he could enjoy books just like his friends. Since then, Calibre Audio Library has grown into a national charity that has over 14,000 members across the UK.Why are audio books so important?‘Audio books enable children with dyslexia and other print disabilities to develop literacy skills. They enhance their learning and they can reap the same rewards from reading as others. Audio books can be used as a replacement to reading print or as a supplement. Regular reading alongside listening allows the reader to make relationships between the sounds and print, improves word recognition and increases reading speed’ says Michael Lewington, Director of Calibre Audio Library. Struggling readers often have a comprehension age higher than their reading age. This means that audio books can be an equaliser. By bridging the gap between comprehension and reading levels, audio books can be an important tool in a child’s growth. ‘I cannot tell you how valuable Calibre is to my son. He is dyslexic and can get very demoralised at the reading material given to him at school. Calibre has enabled him to read books by a wide range of authors that are appropriate to his age and interest level. It has opened a world for him which he didn’t think he would be able to access’Michael Lewington, Director of Calibre Audio LibraryCalibre Audio LibraryCalibre has nearly 11,000 unabridged titles available to anyone over 16 and nearly 3,000 titles especially for students under 16, grouped by key stage or study level for guidance. Books can be borrowed on MP3 CD, USB memory stick, streamed or downloaded via the Calibre Audio Library app, so they really can be taken anywhere.We offer a Group Membership for schools and organisations for an annual subscription fee of £18 (inc. VAT).Alternatively, parents can buy individual lifetime memberships for their child for a single one-off payment of £20 per child (£35 for over 16s).Each membership includes a personalised service, 24 hour access to our library via the internet, unlimited numbers of books to stream or download, newsletters and updates on new books added to our library. We post the MP3 CD’s and USB memory sticks direct to your home. To join or for more information contact our membership services team:01296 432339 membershipservices@calibre.org.uk www.calibre.org.uk‘Thank you from myself and my daughter for giving her access to your library. Meg is 9 and very dyslexic. Audio books have been great for her and she loves the worlds of Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl amongst others. Who doesn’t? For a child who loves stories but has great difficulty reading, it would be a shame if she couldn’t get to experience these books at her age!’Audio books mean children won’t miss out.Calibre Audio Library registered charity no. 286614, VAT no. 138840202"
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Assistive Technology

Education for Everyone

4 Dec 2018

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      string(5608) "experience the terrifying in a safe environment and fantasy is by far the most popular genre amongst young people. Reading is cool again and it is the headliners of the last decade that have made it so:  Harry Potter, 50 Shades of Grey, Pride and Prejudice, The Da Vinci Code and Paddington Bear.  Not necessarily all great literature, but they have encouraged complete strangers to talk to each other about books and their reading experience. There are lots of ways you can get your reading too: most library services now offer e books, e audiobooks, talking books and Large Print as well as picture books, paperbacks and hardbacks.  In addition, let’s not forget that reading is a crucial skill: without it, you cannot function in the 21st century, so why not make it as accessible as possible.Personally, I hate the slogan: Libraries are not just about books.  Why would you promote a negative?  Why not say:  Libraries have the most fantastic selection of books to suit all ages and tastes and they are free, but libraries also offer so much more. The six Universal Offers that all Libraries work to in England as devised by the Society of Chief Librarians are Learning, Information, Digital, Reading, Health and Culture.  Everything we do in terms of activity in our Libraries supports those offers and will also, I guarantee, support the main aims and objectives of the local council. 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That is so true today.  In my borough, 13% of people are digitally illiterate in an age where digital competence is becoming an essential skill.  It’s not just about owning the computer or the tablet or the Smartphone; there are the costs of the broadband to enable you to use it, so all our libraries in my borough and most across the country now have wi-fi.  There is also the issue of learning the skills to go beyond Facebook or messaging.  To my mind, in this field, libraries are more important than ever.We also offer space and opportunity to our Adult Learning programme to deliver formal learning in a non-threatening environment in our library spaces, to encourage many who felt that learning had not been a great experience to give it another go.  Just to add, in the Liverpool City region alone, 143,000 people do not have basic qualifications. Through our public libraries, we can support them to get, either the skills that they need to move forward and get into employment or volunteering.Libraries also hold the keys to the world of Local History, helping people to nurture a sense of civic pride in achievement and also, through learning from the past, to look to the future and the possibilities inherent in innovation and enterprise.  The rise in interest in family history and tracing one’s family tree has opened a whole new seam for libraries, many of whom have some amazing treasures to share.In the health arena, libraries have a huge role to play.  Seventy-four per cent of health information that people access through Google is simply wrong and a librarian can help people access the information they need through pointing them to verified and verifiable schemes, the librarian’s mantra.  The three Books on Prescription schemes operated by most public libraries, do much to help people learn about common mental health issues, cope with dementia, either as a sufferer or a carer, and help a parent or a young person manage the increasingly worrying number of issues that our young people are reporting in terms of their mental health and well-being.  All my staff are trained as Dementia Friends.In my borough, we have seen the benefits of delivering an Arts on Prescription programme through our libraries, a return on investment of a staggering £11.55 for each £1 spent.  But so much of what we do is not measurable: who can say what the elderly gentleman who comes in to read the paper and do the jigsaw puzzle in our library is gaining? 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Family

Public Libraries More Important Than You Might Imagine

17 Apr 2018

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      string(5604) "gigabytes than others andbecause we use the iPads for taking photos and producing videos they quickly become‘clogged’ up, so in order to keep them in good working order they do need someoneto manage and maintain them. If finances were unlimited I’d love to be able to allocate“ On-goingfrustrations include theblocking of functionssuch as Face Timeand Skype and theblocking of automaticupdates that thencreate a synchingback log but we’reworking on it ”e-learning–Technology44Volume3.3nCreativeTeaching&Learninga class a set of iPads with a designated Mac and Apple account, in a secondary schoola departmental approach would perhaps be pertinent?The decision to allocate staff iPads also required a degree of risk management. Myrationale was clear, we are avid bloggers as a school and allocating staff iPads meantthey could use the WordPress app making blogging effortless and so a key element ofalmost every lesson. It also meant that staff could source apps, which were purposefuland enhanced learning. The School Leadership Team have iPads with 3G capabilitywhich means that we can blog ‘live’ on school trips, as well as using the iPads increasinglyas a management tool. Clearly having devices that have images of children on and thatcan be taken off site needs to be securely managed. We are absolutely vociferous in ourpursuit of Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) and photographic consent at the beginning of theschool year and secure 100 per cent return. Staff also sign AUPs that include protocolsaround not synching their iPad with the iCloud so that school images and personalphotos aren’t merged, photos are cleared regularly, iPads are all password protectedand have the Find My iPhone app installed so they can be located and/or wiped in theevent of loss or theft. Getting staff on board hasn’t been an issue and training has beenminimal as they are such an innate tool with such obvious potential.Appealing to the next generationFrom the outset our iPad ‘relationship’ has required commitment and work but therewards have been immense!We use iPads across our whole setting from our very youngest children in the ChildrenCentre (aged 6 weeks to 3 years). They and the Foundation Stage have access to iPadsas part of continuous provision. Again they are so user friendly that the children quicklybecome adept at using and navigating between apps. We have slightly more robustcovers in the Children’s Centre but ‘normal’ covers in the Foundation Stage as I have apersonal hatred of the ‘plastic’ covers that make them ten times bigger and look like atoy. We just teach them to be careful and respectful, which has paid off as in two yearswe have only had three broken screens and one of those was mine! The children wereinitially in awe of the devices but their use is now so common place that they don’tgive them a second thought – they are awe struck by the learning opportunities theirteachers offer but it is worth remembering that the iPads are sometimes a part of thatand sometimes not.Volume3.3nCreativeTeaching&Learning45e-learning–TechnologyUnlike a laptop or a tablet the iPad really encourages collaboration, on a desk theycreate no physical barrier and in the very best lessons children will slip seamlesslyfrom using the iPad for research to writing in their books or on pupil white boards,they are as likely to complete an ‘actual’ post it snow storm as they are a ‘virtual’ one,using apps such as Corkboardme, and are equally as competent at engaging in both.QR code scanners such as QR HD or QR Code Scan offer a seamless link to the Internet.QR code ‘treasure hunts’ offer learning that is active and engaging and can be highlypersonalised. Children scan the codes which are linked to problems/tasks that aredifferentiated or that offer a visual and auditory prompt – this was highly effective in arecent Year 2 maths lesson focusing on word problems where learners were supported,as the problems could be read and heard. QR codes were also a powerful addition toour ‘Art Week’ displays, they linked parents to videos of the children completing theart and offered a narrative of what they had done.Key apps for allDeveloping the communication, language and literacy skills of our learners is a particularpriority for us as a school. In addition to a raft of phonics apps including MontessoriWords, Word Wizard, and Pocket Phonics, apps such as Puppet Pals, I Can Animateand Sock Puppets have supported story telling skills – our Foundation Stage childrenindependently and competently retold the The Gruffalo supported by animationusing Puppet Pals. 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Creative Teaching & Learning

iPad innovation

5 Dec 2012

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      string(5851) "Leadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.LITERACY AND LIFE EXPECTANCYKeywordsLiteracy, lifeexpectancy,socioeconomicfactors, physical,mental health,economicwellbeing,family life, civicengagement,crime,vulnerabilitySummaryThis report by the National Literacy Trust provides the first overview of the evidence linkingliteracy and life expectancy in England through the conduits of health and socioeconomicfactors.It builds on the evidence outlined a decade ago in our Literacy Changes Lives report, where weestablished a relationship between literacy and life chances through the lenses of physical and mentalhealth, economic wellbeing, family life, civic engagement and crime.This report explores existing research from a wide range of sources, including longitudinal data andanalysis, academic journals, and domestic and international surveys, to establish the depth of therelationship between literacy and life expectancy.The report found that children born into communities with the most serious literacy challenges havesome of the lowest life expectancies in England.Key Findings: ■ Literacy is linked to life expectancy through a range of socioeconomic factors. People with poorliteracy skills are more likely to be unemployed, have low incomes and poor health behaviours,which in turn can be linked to lower life expectancy. ■ People with poor literacy skills earn 12% less than those with good literacy skills. Lowincomes are associated with higher mortality; the World Health Organization found thatchildren born into low income families live 17 years shorter than children born into highincome families (62 years vs 79 years). ■ Literacy is linked to life expectancy through health. Those with low levels of literacy are more likelyto have poor health, low health literacy and engage in harmful health behaviours, which in turnputs them at a higher risk of living a shorter life. ■ 43% of working-age adults in England don’t have the literacy skills they need to understandand make use of everyday health information (known as ‘health literacy’). Low health literacyis associated with a 75% increased risk of dying earlier than people who have high literacylevels. ■ Inequalities in literacy and life expectancy in England are intensely localised. People living inareas of England with the most serious literacy challenges are more likely to have shorter lifeexpectancies than people living in communities with the fewest literacy challenges.Week Commencing 12th March 2018https://literacytrust.org.uk/documents/1504/National_Literacy_Trust_-_Literacy_and_life_expectancy_report.pdfLeadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents. ■ The link between literacy and life expectancy is stronger at the bottom end of the scale. Oncepeople have acquired a basic level of literacy, they pass the autonomy threshold where theirchoices and actions are the overriding factors in determining their life chances, rather than thecircumstances that low levels of literacy dictate for them. ■ The national gap in life expectancy between children from communities with the highest andlowest vulnerability to literacy problems in the country is staggering: ■ A boy growing up in a ward with one of the highest vulnerabilities to literacy problems in thecountry has a life expectancy 26.1 years shorter than a boy growing up in a ward with one ofthe lowest vulnerabilities to literacy problems. ■ A girl growing up in a ward with one of the highest vulnerabilities to literacy problems in thecountry has a life expectancy 20.9 years shorter than a girl growing up in a ward with one ofthe lowest vulnerabilities to literacy problems. ■ A localised approach is needed to improve literacy and life expectancy in England. Improving localliteracy levels could raise life expectancy in the most deprived wards in England by reducinginequalities in health and socioeconomic circumstances: ■ Compared to people with poor literacy skills, those with good literacy skills are less likely toexhibit poor health behaviours, have lower incomes or live in more deprived communities –all of which are risk factors to longevity. ■ Inequalities in literacy and life expectancy are related to geographic community and solutionstherefore need to be tailored to meet local need and built on local assets. ■ Lacking vital literacy skills holds a person back at every stage of their life: as a child they won’t beable to succeed at school, as a young adult they will be locked out of the job market, and as aparent they won’t be able to support their children’s learning. This intergenerational cycle makessocial mobility more difficult.In England: ■ 28% of 11-year-olds were unable to read well by the time they left primary school in 2017, rising to44% of disadvantaged children ■ 36% of 16-year-olds failed to achieve good GCSE grades in English and maths in 2017, rising to60% of disadvantaged young people ■ 5.1 million adults don’t have the literacy skills expected of an 11-year-old.WEB LINKLiteracy And Life Expectancyhttps://literacytrust.org.uk/documents/1504/National_Literacy_Trust_-_Literacy_and_life_expectancy_report.pdf"
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Leadership

Literacy And Life Expectancy

8 Mar 2018