Chatham School Competes in Library Challenge

Students and teachers from Lafayette Avenue School submitted a video to the Follett Library Challenge explaining the school’s use of technology with the hope fo winning "Best Video."

The Follett Corporation will pick the top five user-submitted videos in September. The first place school will receive $35,000 worth of Follett library and technology materials, and the remaining four schools will win products to advance their libraries as well. The sixth place award, for best video, is determined by public voting.

With up to six chances to win, Lafayette Avenue School needs help from the residents of Chatham to win “Best Video.”

According to Jennifer Cifrodella, Library Media Specialist for Lafayette Avenue School and organizer of school's entry into the contest, she hopes to add more digital product to the library if the school wins.

Lafayette Avenue School has introduced many digital elements to the school since the beginning of the school year. In addition to broadcasting the morning announcements on the library’s television, the students’ summer reading lists are available online.

Students and parents can now go online to the school’s summer reading blog, named Reading Road Trip, to see book recommendations from other kids and teachers. 

“Lafayette School wanted to use technology instead of a book list, we wanted to make it more interactive,” Cifrodella said.

A new blog post will appear on the Reading Road Trip site each week, and the students are encouraged to comment and post about what they have read.

“The blogging part is supposed to be teachers and kids sharing their reading experiences throughout the summer,” Cifrodella said.

To Cifrodella, combining digital media and reading is meant to expose students to different kinds of books and inspire them to read.  She wanted Lafayette Avenue School’s digital media program to be “a safe and educational place where they can still have games and videos but tied into literature, where they are still learning,” she said.

Voting for the Best Video takes place on the Follett Media Challenge’s website until September 1, and the Follett Corporation will award this video $10,000 worth of library and technology products.

To learn more about the Follett Media Challenge, and to vote for Lafayette Avenue School, click here.