Tech BFF: Goodreads
BFF is an acronym for “Best Friend Forever.” These websites and tips are so good that they will become your technology BFFs!
How are you doing on your resolution to read more this year? The Goodreads website will help.
Goodreads‘ mission is to improve the process of reading and learning throughout the world. Toward that goal,
Goodreads is the largest free social network for readers in the world. There are more than 2,900,000 members who have added more than 78,000,000 books to their shelves. A place for casual readers and bona-fide bookworms alike, Goodreads members recommend books, compare what they are reading, keep track of what they’ve read and would like to read, form book clubs and much more.
With a desire to make reading fun again, Goodreads wants to tap into the excitement when you run into a friend who tells you about this “great new book I’m reading.” And suddenly you’re excited to read it too. It’s that kind of excitement that Goodreads is all about. I learned about Goodreads from my daughter who has a page with hundreds of books. She has joined book clubs, made friends with librarians, avid readers, and a couple of internet newbies.
Most book recommendation websites work by listing random people’s reviews. On Goodreads, when a person adds a book to the site, all their friends can see what they thought of it. Members (membership is free) also create trivia about books, lists of the best books, post their own writing and form groups and book clubs. Goodreads was launched in December 2006. It is not usually blocked or filtered by school filters.
It is fun to communicate with my daughter on another level, as reader-to-reader. As fellow learners.
Possible Classroom Integration Ideas:
1. Create a Goodreads page with your book list, books you like, books for students to read over the holidays, summer, or for extra credit. Thre is a password feature where only users who you have given your password may be added to your Friends list or access your page.
2. Invite parents to become Goodreads members and add them as friends for whole family involvement.
3. Goodreads has an option to note the page you are on with a book you are currently reading. Use this feature for students to chart their progress to you on books they are reading, or assigned to read. (Graph results for an Across-the-Curriculum Math adaption)
4. Assign students to compose reviews of books and leave on their Goodreads page.
5. ?
Check back here and let me know of other ways you integrate this resource in your classroom!
Happy Reading!
