Presented by Travis Nelson, Library Media Consultant, Richland County School District One (SC); and Dr. Kendra Lynn, K-12 Literacy Coordinator, Richland County School District One (SC)
Sponsored by Beanstack
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Research and data point to a decline in literacy rates across the nation. Despite this, school leaders too often rely only on assessment-driven approaches, which result in fewer opportunities for independent reading. While assessments are vital to measuring student growth, progress starts by motivating students to read more with a holistic reading culture.
During this edWebinar, you gain insights into the comprehensive approach taken by leaders at South Carolina’s Richland County School District One to nurture a thriving reading culture. Presenters discuss the initiatives and partnerships implemented by individual schools to create unique reading environments and districtwide efforts, including funding for books and book distributions. Additionally, their Superintendent’s Book Club Challenge and collaboration between library and curriculum teams underscore their essential role in molding their reading community.
Viewers acquire practical strategies to shape a strong reading culture, support literacy at the school librarian and classroom levels, and engage in community partnerships with local libraries and institutions. This recorded edWebinar is of interest to K-12 building and district librarians, teachers, school leaders, and district leaders.
About the Presenters
Born in Kentucky and raised in South Carolina, Travis Nelson is a former high school dropout who would go on to receive a BA in sociology and a master’s in library and information science from the University of South Carolina. Travis currently serves as the Library Media Consultant in the Department of Learning Environments and Instructional Resources in Richland County School District One. He has a passion for working with students, teachers, librarians, administrators, and district personnel to create learning environments and opportunities that foster persistence, resilience, risk taking, and innovation. Additionally, he has passed numerous N.E.W.T. Examinations with a score of “exceeds expectations” or better, has made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, and has spent numerous hours navigating the fields, caverns, and mountains of Hyrule.
Dr. Kendra Lynn has worked in education in South Carolina for over a decade, with experience in K-12 as a classroom teacher, interventionist, district instructional coach, curriculum consultant, and literacy coordinator across various districts in the areas of English language arts, math, and technology integration. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina, her master’s degree from Columbia College, and her doctorate degree from Gardner-Webb University.
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Instead of a quiz-based approach, Beanstack uses competition, recognition, and proven gamification principles to motivate students to read and grow a school district’s reading culture. The flagship product of Zoobean Inc., Beanstack, is licensed by over 15,000 customers worldwide. Its investors include Mark Cuban from ABC’s Shark Tank, and its founding members were previously Washington, DC’s teacher of the year and Google’s first head of K-12 education outreach.