A Web 2.0 Service for Teen Fans of Graphic Novels

Using Social Media to Create Community and Encourage Reading among Teen Fans of Graphic Novels

Submitted to Professor Dean Giustini for LIBR559M on August 19, 2010 By Jack Chang, Mary Jane Kearns-Padgett, Nancy Little, Emily Singley, Maria Tan

• Aimto create community and encourage reading using social media

• ScenarioTeens in a high school are reading below grade levels. The school library proposes to set up a graphic novels reading club.

• AssumptionsStudents’ reading levels and habits are known; <50% read for pleasure, <10% read more than three books/month, 75% enjoy graphic novels; certain social media tools are more popular than others among teens.

   

Introduction

1. Graphic novels encourage reading among teens

• Appeal to visual learners

• Are less threatening, more pleasurable form of reading by students who feel overwhelmed by text (Downey, 2009, p. 183; Gorman, 2003)

• Assist with reading comprehension, increasing vocabulary, bridging to heavier reading materials and other genres (Gorman, 2003, p. 15)

• Provide a springboard for discussion

• Provide examples of “real-world” use of colloquial language for new-language learners (Downey, 2009)

Background - rationale

2. Social media engages teens and creates community  • More than four out of five teens use SNS• SNS use is high among teens, regardless of income level or gender

(PEW 2010). • Most online reading communities targeted at teens do not focus

on active participation by teens (Peowski, 2010) An online book club can: • provide opportunities to interact with peers• reduce transportation barriers • create a safe space for discussion and sharing• encourage teens to be part of the library community

Background –rationale cont’d

3. Social media and literacy (reading/writing) among teens • In 2005, >50% of teens were creating content using social media

(Lehart and Madden, 2005). • Incentives for teens to write: topics relevant to their interests;

opportunities to write creatively; interesting school material;  having an audience.

• Librarians can leverage SNS to to “revitalize readers’ advisory for teens” (Beaman, 2006, p.32). 

• Author blogs can help teen readers feel their favourite authors are a little closer to them, and spark their interest to read new books (Dessen, in Beaman, 2006, p. 31).

• Social media helps teens to improve their literacy levels while empowering them to create publishable content (Peowski,2010).        

Background - rationale cont’d

Goal:

To create and maintain social spaces where students can participate in activities related to reading graphic novels.

Objectives:

To achieve high participation levels in the graphic novel club, especially of underachieving readers.

To have increased reading engagement and enjoyment among students involved in the club.

To raise reading test scores to grade level or above for students involved in the club.

Goals and Objectives

• Posters would be placed around the school advertising the club.

• Librarian and teachers would introduce the idea to students.

• Link to the Graphic novel book club on the school library main web page.

• Student engagement in every stage of the project, from planning and formation to ongoing leadership of the graphic novel club.

• Students will be instrumental in final decision of the social media tools to be used.

 

Strategies

Suggested activities●     Social night at the school, with refreshments provided - use Facebook to invite..

●     Prizes to be awarded for most graphic novels read in a month.  The number of books read each month will be recorded by students using Goodreads.

●     Virtual graphic novel author talk and interview using Skype or Second Life.  

Social Media Tools:Suggested social media tools:

• Twitter linked with a Facebook account for announcing events as well as discussion using a hashtag.

• Facebook page where events such as a pizza party, live discussion/reading group and drawing contest will be announced and discussions about graphic novels can take place.

Choice of social media tools

•Twitter•Facebook•Blogger•Goodreads•Netvibes to aggregate all social media tools

•Wallwisher

Other ideasStudents will be encouraged to come to the library and use the

library computers working in pairs on either of the following programs with the aim of producing projects which could ultimately be published to the graphic novels’ reading club link on the school library’s web site.

Voicethreads -- this program allows the voices of the entire group’s commentary to be put on a single page by microphone, text, webcam, etc. An example of an activity might be having group members comment on why they would or would not recommend a specific graphic novel.

Comic Lab is a multilingual environment for creating interactive multimedia stories. Users can click and drag to create a graphic comic and add hyperlink and sounds. Teens could be encouraged to create their own characters and adventures for graphic novels.

Timeline• Posters will announce the formation of the club at

the start of the school year.• First face-to-face meeting will be the second week

of school.• Election of officers will take place at the 2nd

meeting.• Monthly special events.• At the end of the school year the club will decide if

they want to continue over the summer.• A survey will be conducted at the beginning of the

2nd school year.• The club will follow the same schedule of meetings

the 2nd year.• A survey will be conducted at the end of the 2nd

year.

An annual report prepared for the school’s administration.  This report would provide the opportunity for reflection, feedback, and re-assessment of the project’s goals, social media tools used and activities. Survey results and statistics on the number of students participating in the club, number of books read, and reading scores will be included in the annual report.

Deliverables

Desired outcomes:

• High participation levels in the graphic novel club by underachieving readers.

• Increased reading engagement and enjoyment among students involved in the club.

• Higher reading scores among students involved in the club.

Evaluation

Outcomes will be evaluated by:

• Tracking club participation of underachieving students.

• Providing a space for feedback and comments from students -- This will informally measure engagement and enjoyment.

• Administration of a formal survey one year into the project. The survey will formally measure engagement and enjoyment.

• Comparison of standardized test scores, before and after project implementation. -- This comparison will measure if the club has caused reading scores to rise.

      

Evaluation tools:

• Wallwisher for informal evaluation:http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/LIBR559Test

• SurveyMonkey to create a survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/52WZYVW

Budget implications Re-allocation of collection development funds:       $500                                                                 Costs incurred:                Survey participation drawing prize:              $100 Comic Labs & Voice Threads:                       $100 Prizes:                                                       $150                                                             _______                                                   Total:     $350/year

The aim of this paper was to present a Library 2.O  Web Service using social media tools as part of a graphic novel reading club in a high school library. 

The proposed program was  designed with the primary purpose of  improving reading levels and fostering a reading community within the school.

Overall, this project is intended to stimulate reluctant teens with lower reading levels to successfully become avid pleasure readers by using graphic novels and social media.

Ultimately the program's goal is ensure our school's students acquire literacy competencies required in the digital age.

Conclusion

ACT. 2006. Reading Between the Lines: What the ACT Reveals about College Readiness in Reading. Research and Policy Issues. Available at: http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/reading_report.pdf Beaman, Anita. (September/October 2006). YA Lit 2.0: How Technology Is Enhancing the Pleasure Reading Experience for Teens. Knowledge Quest, 35(1): 30-33.

Bolan, K., M. Canada, and R. Cullin. (2007). Web, Library, and Teen Services 2.0. Young Adult Library Services, 5(2): 40-43.

Downey, Elizabeth M. (2009). Graphic novels in curriculum and instruction collections. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 49 (2):181-188. Available at http://www.rusq.org/2010/01/03/graphic-novels-in-curriculum-and-instruction-collections/4/

Gorman, Michele. (2003). Getting graphic!: using graphic novels to promote literacy with preteens and teens. Worthington, Ohio: Linworth Pub.

References

Lenhart,  Amanda,  Kristen Purcell, Aaron Smith, and Kathryn Zuickuhr. (2010). Social Media and Internet Use among Young Adults and Teens. Pew Internet Reports. Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Social-Media-and-Young-Adults.aspx?r=1 Lenhart, Amanda, and Mary Madde. (2005). Teen Content Creators and Consumers. Pew Internet Reports. Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2005/Teen-Content-Creators-and-Consumers.aspx?r=1 Lenhart, Amanda, Sousan Arafeh, Aarond Smith, and Alexandra Macgill. (2008). Writing, Technology and Teens. Pew Internet Reports. Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2008/Writing-Technology-and-Teens.aspx Mori, Maryann. (2007). Graphic Novels: Leading the Way to Teen Literacy and Leadership. Indiana Libraries, 26(3):29-32. Peowski, Laura (2010). Where Are All the Teens? Engaging and Empowering Them Online. Young Adult Library Services, Winter:26-28. 

References cont...