Competency 2: Blog: One Way To Engage Readers

While searching on http://blogsearch.google.com/, I found the blog entitled Cool Kids Read - Recruiting Young Readers with Book Trailers/Book Vid Lit. I felt this blog spoke directly to my topic because the excerpt below discusses how a new technology called book trailers can engage young readers and also includes a link to an article which discusses how education professionals can use book trailers to engage young readers and encourage them to read.

Blog Title: Cool Kids Read - Recruiting Young Readers with Book Trailers/Book Vid Lit
Posted by: orionwell / Written by: Sheila Clover-English
URL: http://futureperfectpublishing.com/?s=book+trailers

Book Vid Lit

According to the Pew/Internet Project findings, 3 of 4 young adults (73%) on the internet watch or download video. Half of young internet users say they watch YouTube. Many post videos to blogs and even more will forward on a link in email. They’re online socializing, researching (school and education), playing games or getting news.Publishers know that teens are online and most have outstanding website offerings that are fun, interesting and interactive. A great outreach to young people was a Blogfest that Simon & Schuster did and of course other publishers have similar offerings for young people of varied ages.

Lately, schools and libraries have looked to engage younger readers as well by using book trailers. Sara Kajder wrote in the Educational Leadership magazine for ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) an article entitled “The Book Trailer: Engaging Teens Through Technology.” This article is amazing and outlines how using book trailers help students who are struggling readers and helps them to be more engaged in the stories they are reading. The points the author brings up, viewed strictly from an educator’s perspective, was very enlightening.