Online Distance Education Book Club - 'Books -R-US'

Annotations:

• Online Distance Education Book Club is designed for 1,000 students connected to a Day school. The Club is called 'Books-R-Us' students chat and connect daily to each other and to the Librarian who offers topics and forum discussions such as 'What is your favourite book?' Who is your favourite author? what are you reading now?

1. Distance education students

   Annotations:

   • Everyone can participate: Ito. et al (2013 pg 8) Distance education students can connect via the school website and the schools intranet schoology site. They collaborate and connect with day students and other distance education students.
2. Day School community connected through schoology

   Annotations:

   • Everyone can participate Ito. et al (2013 pg 8) The Day school community including parents and teachers are welcome to connect online with the distance education students and share in the activities and forum discussions. 
3. Library Weebly connected to school website

   Annotations:

   • Interest Driven: Ito.et.al.(2013) A common love of reading draws distance education and day students together. No age limit -all students connect through the library website-weebly and via the Schoology intranet site
4. Other Libraries

   Annotations:

   • Expanding diversity and building capacity: Ito. et al. (2013 pg 12)The school library connects with local libraries in the community and as events are happen locally such as summer reading programs. The librarian shares these events via the schoology site with direct links.
5. Schoology-School Intranet site

   Annotations:

   • Peer Supported: Ito. et al. (2013 pg 12) Students collaborate daily with their reading and common interests in literature, and create their own network through forums , discussions and surveys created by the students for the students.
6. School Website

   Annotations:

   •  Increasing access to knowledge and learning experiences: Ito. et al (2013 pg 12) The school website has links to the Library Weebly allowing for easy access to the online book club via Schoology. The school Intranet site supports the self-directed and interest-driven learning of students Ito. et al (2013 pg 12)
7. Day Students

   Annotations:

   • Learning happens by doing. Ito. et al. (2013 pg 12) Day students connect via the school website - library website weebly and to the schoology site. They connect with the distance education students and join in the discussions and forums and activities.
8. Other School Communities

   Annotations:

   •   Connected learning through 'Finding peers with common interests Ito. et al. (2013 pg 8) through the five other schools connected to this particular school via the online book club and school website. The school with the online book club is the only school with a librarian and a library. Other schools access ebooks and online programs as well as the book club and join in the events such as National synchronised story telling. The Librarian uploads and shares a link via the schools intranet site -schoology of herself reading the story, and lets the book club members know when to join in.  
9. Distance education community -parents

   Annotations:

   • Expanding the social support of interests. The Distance Education parents as caring adults can form relationships with students with common interests and future development opportunity of these interests. Ito. et al. (2013 pg 8) Parents are welcome to view the sites where their children are involved in the book club with their peers. Ito.et.al.(2013 pg 12)
   1. Distance Education Teachers

      Annotations:

      • Academically Driven: The Distance education teachers connect with students online via the 'Books R us' online Book club and also communicate and interact with day students and Day Teachers at the school. allowing for the the learners to flourish and realise potential avenues for further connecting their interests through the social engagement to academic studies. Ito. et al. (2013 pg 12)
10. Teachers Day school

    Annotations:

    • Expanding the social interests of the group: Ito. et al. (2013 pg 12) Teachers are welcome to join the Online distance Education Book Club and contribute to activities or add to the discussions in the forums.