By Jan

flickr imagy by Moyan_Brenn

If your school is exploring the use of eBooks in learning and teaching, and looking for an alternative platform thenkeep a close eye on ReadCloud.com.

ReadCloud, set up by Jeremy LeBard and Lars Lindstrom in 2009, is based in Melbourne,.  It provides software solutions for schools interested in providing digital books for students, offering a digital distribution mechanism for eBooks in a ring-fenced school-wide social community.  

Using this platform, teachers can set up clouds for their classrooms and add eBooks which can be automatically synced to student devices.  The platform is interactive - both teachers and students can annotate these eBooks and the annotations can be shared live as text, picture or video, offering students opportunities for both independent and participatory learning, and allowing them to build context around what they read. 

Students are able to filter the annotations so that they see teacher notes, their study group notes or just their private notes.  They can also access dictionary, encyclopaedia or reference databases from a learning toolbar simply by highlighting a text inside the eBook.  ReadCloud also offers students the ability to post about their reading on Twitter and other social net-working sites as they move through the story.

Students can read either on or offline on computers, tablets or mobile devices (PC/Mac/Android/iPad/iPhone).  EBooks currently owned by the school can be uploaded to the platform, and new titles can be purchased from the ReadCloud bookstore as PDF/ePubs and are yours to keep forever.

There is a yearly licence fee, which is roll-based but also dependent on your cloud storage requirements

Explore the site – I think it will offer real opportunities for schools moving into the third millennium and wanting to capitalise on their ultra-fast broadband connection.

If you have used ReadCloud share your experiences with us here.