Rotary Club of Fort Worth, Riverside Middle School Partner in E-Book Reader Literacy Program

FORT WORTH, TX, December 17, 2010 (Press-News.org) Do e-book readers have a positive impact on learning? Riverside Middle School is going to find out by using technology to help improve student achievement. The school today received 65 Kindle e-readers as part of a special reading program, "Putting E(xcitement)-Books in the Hands of Students."

The program is a collaboration between the Rotary Club of Fort Worth and Riverside Middle School, which will receive a total of 110 Kindles in the first year of the program, ultimately over the three-year project a total of 300 Kindles.

Working closely with school principal Daniel Scroggins, Rotary Club of Fort Worth is entering the third year of a five-year initiative with the school to promote literacy. Funding for this year's program is provided by the Rotary Endowment and Children's Funds of the Rotary Club of Fort Worth.

"We've had a wonderful experience in working on a continuing basis with the eighth grade through the Stars program," said Pat Evans, chair of Rotary's Riverside E-reader Committee, which is a sub-committee of the Club's Literacy Committee. "This year we wanted to expand the program to include all grades, 6-8, and give everyone an opportunity to experience this new technology. In turn, we hope the students will discover for themselves that reading is fun and fundamental to learning."

The reading program has three components:
• Distribution of 30 Kindles to two reading enhancement/improvement classes (15 each) to bring a different reading experience to those students having difficulty
• A reading/essay competition to award 15 students in each grade a personal e-reader
• Distribution of 25 Kindles to the school library for general availability

"Young people quickly grasp technology in its many forms," said Scroggins. "Bringing technology through e-readers can open up the reading experience through additional support such as increased comprehension and vocabulary, and other interactive features."

According to Evans, the Kindle was selected because of Amazon's capabilities and access to pre-1923 public domain books, which includes most of the classics and are free. Both English and Spanish books are readily available, as are audio books. The New Oxford Dictionary is already loaded on the Kindle allowing words to be defined while reading; and should other books be desired, the cost to the student is significantly reduced. Wikipedia and Google are also available on the Kindle. The Kindle uses 3G wireless access to Amazon.

About Rotary Club of Fort Worth
Rotary Club of Fort Worth, the fifth-largest Rotary Club in the world, was established on February 27, 1913, as Club No. 75. Its approximately 500 members include many of the city's prominent business, professional and civic leaders. Guided by Rotary's motto, "Service Above Self," members eagerly take active roles in the club as well as its community activities.