Embracing technology as an educational tool and improving digital literacy is becoming more important for education professionals and students everywhere. With the increasing integration of digital learning in the classroom, Story Box Library helps educators and librarians engage students to connect with storytelling and digital literacy in exciting and innovative ways. As students discover stories in a safe, online space, their reading and literacy skills improve, along with their understanding of how stories connect us to the rest of the world. With time-saving resources and a diverse collection of stories, Story Box Library is helping teachers and teacher librarians use technology with ease and confidence.
Quick and easy access to diverse stories
Story Box Library has more than 400 stories in its digital collection, read by some of Australia’s most dynamic storytellers. Stories are searchable by theme, making it easy for teachers to find engaging resources to tap into a student’s particular interest, such as STEM or the environment. Playlists can also be curated for classroom quiet story time or for setting suitable homework tasks. The digital platform’s diverse and accessible collection supports students’ language learning and social development, helping to achieve critical curriculum outcomes as well as connecting to real-life experiences. Students can explore stories from the Auslan series, bedtime stories, and the thoughtfully curated Indigenous Story Time series, created and read by First Nations storytellers, and many more.
Professional development and training online events and webinars
Since 2020, Story Box Library has been hosting online events and webinars on various topics for educators, librarians and parents. These events are designed to help audiences gain confidence in the digital basics, better facilitate student engagement in innovative and creative ways, understand more about the importance of diversity in children’s literature, and the importance of digital literacy in a child’s development and learning.
Engaging students with classroom resources
To support subscribing educators and teachers, the Story Box Library platform features updated educational resources, available to download for digital or printed use. After watching story reads, students can use Reflect and Respond student sheets for deep thinking and reflection via discussion questions, while Story Response Templates allow students to think creatively and make personal connections to the literature. Story Box Library has recently released a new section titled Units of Work, which includes engaging hands-on lesson ideas and comprehensive thematic units of work linked to the Australian Curriculum. Designed by Story Box Library’s Education Resource Development team, Units of Work focuses on a range of learning areas from Foundation to Year 6 students, such as STEM, Mental Health and Wellbeing.
‘These units allow teachers to pick up and deliver a unit that has been planned to be engaging, [and] activate creative thinking and collaboration,’ Education Resource Developer Amelia Otto says. ‘They don’t need to create worksheets, look for curriculum links, think about success criteria – it’s all been done for them. As a teacher librarian I loved being able to help teachers connect wonderful picture books to classroom learning.’
Putting Story Box Library at your fingertips
An extension of the existing digital platform, the brand-new StoryBox app will be available for Apple and Android devices, and is designed to help more educators, librarians, families and children access a world of stories. It’s due for release in all app stores in February 2022.
About Story Box Library
Story Box Library is a creative, educational and fun platform developed for educators and families, playing a key role in improving literacy and language skills in children. The subscription-based service works to engage and excite the next generation about reading and storytelling, and features a growing digital library of favourite kids books read aloud by diverse storytellers, plus curriculum-based ideas and tools for educators. Visit the website to explore a world of stories.
http://storyboxlibrary.com.au/