Encouraging teachers to use OverDrive

You may have seen our recent marketing post about simple and easy ideas for marketing your school's digital collection. Another idea is to get your teachers on board. This, without a doubt, will be one of the most beneficial things you can do to promote your digital collection. Our own Sarah Halko, Collection Development Specialist, used to be a high school teacher and gives the following advice for encouraging teachers to incorporate the digital collection into their curriculum: "Using the digital collection in the classroom is simple; better yet, it does not require all students in a classroom to have a device. Remind teachers that they can display a title on their interactive white boards, play an audiobook aloud while students follow along in their print texts, and encourage students to download a title for independent reading." With that in mind, here's a sample three step process for introducing your digital collection to teachers and their busy schedules: What is it? Explain that your school library has a digital collection of eBooks (and audiobooks, if applicable) that are available for students and staff 24/7 and can be used at school or at home. You may want to note some collection highlights, or any simultaneous use titles you have in your collection. How does it work? This is where you can give a brief explanation, emphasizing how easy it is, especially when using OverDrive Read. You may also want to hand out getting started guides and show them how to get to the help videos. Here's the thing you'll want to emphasize: kids get it. They just do. Almost one-third of students in grades 4-12 already own a tablet and over 40% own a smartphone. Most students (69%) would like to use mobile devices more often in class (courtesy of thejournal.com). Why should I care? Show teachers how using eBooks in the classroom can make their lives easier and their curriculum more engaging for students – they can project titles on an Interactive White Board,  flip the classroom with the help of eBooks, listen to an audiobook in a group setting, assign independent reading from the digital collection, and more! With technology becoming a part of everyday life, it only makes sense to incorporate technology into daily lessons. It's a tool that should be used to enhance and add value to a child's education. By just introducing your teachers to these help resources and giving them ideas for how to use in the classroom, you will see your circulation rise!   Cassie is a Marketing Specialist with OverDrive.

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