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NOTE: Post your overall (holistic) reflection of the ED638 activities you've engaged in. Remember, this reflection goes beyond the specified activities in Moodle. View the links above to get an idea of the holistic reflections (Re: A Glimpse of ED638 - Fall I, II).

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In order to post your entries for previous dates/postings not listed on the current web page, scroll to the bottom of the page until you see the wording Older Posts, and click on that link. You may also visit the ED638 Archive located on the right hand side of our homepage to access previous posts. Good luck, and we look forward to reading your entries! :)

Friday, January 17, 2014

Effective Literacy Website: Storyline Online


Storyline Online (http://www.storylineonline.net/) was appealing to me for several reasons.  First, the layout of the website is very eye-catching.  It made me want to explore the website a little more.  The visuals and audio are wonderful.  Secondly, each book is read aloud.  I love how simple the website is.  Information does not overwhelm the website.
The home page of Storyline Online is full of vibrant, inviting colors.  Each book is large enough to see the details of the covers and there are sound effects if you scroll over each book.  When you click on the book, it leads you to a video of the read-a-loud.  The video is a good size for the website.  It is not too large or too small.
Each video is read aloud by a celebrity.  The length of the read-a-loud is given as well as a short synopsis of the book.  Each book is beautifully read.  Images from the book are shown in the video.
I think the simplicity of the website is wonderful.  It is very easy to navigate and there are not many words to overwhelm the website.  There are no advertisements on the corners to distract from it and all the links work well.
One weakness I find in the website is that it is limited to the amount of books they offer.  They have popular titles such as The Rainbow Fish, Stellaluna, Harry the Dirty Dog, and Knots on a Counting Rope, but there are only twenty-four total books available on the website.  I would like to see a larger variety of books on the website.

I would recommend Storyline Online to parents, students, or other teachers.  I think that experiencing read-a-louds is very important when developing literacy skills in children.  Some children may not be exposed to this when they begin to read.  This website affords children this experience.  It is very colorful and may attract the attention of young children simply because of its aesthetic appeal.  Videos are attached to each book so that the children may have a better read-a-loud experience.

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