Mary Harper App Reviews

APP reviews

Sora from Overdrive

AASL Standards Framework for Learners

Learner V.A.1 Reading widely and deeply in multiple formats and write and create for a variety of purposes.

• https://soraapp.com/welcome

• This APP is for school libraries to help provide e-books and audiobooks for students, faculty, and staff outside of school, as well as public libraries. Many school had access to Sora prior to the pandemic, but many schools subscribed to Overdrive and this app during the shutdown in an attempt to keep students reading at home. This app is easy to use, but accounts and settings must be first set up via a desktop or laptop computer. Patrons of this app can also connect their public library cards to this app and access e-books and audiobooks from their public library as well. The app is free for users and schools and can connect to public libraries, there is no subscription fee. E-Books and/or audiobooks. Some books may be offered for free, but school libraries and public libraries pay for specific e-books and audiobooks, they can use Marketplace to select books and even transfer books to Sora that were purchased elsewhere (like on Marketplace). My school library uses Sora for students and I have been using it all summer to read for one of my classes. Students/ staff members use their school provided email address to sign in to login, and can easily login from their phone or tablet as well. This app is available on Apple and Google Devices. When adding a public library students/ staff members just type in their library card (our library card is the telephone number connected to the account). Sora is easy to use for all people and free. Any school aged student can use this app if taught how to use it properly. You can even connect your phone to Bluetooth and listen to audiobooks in your car or on a speaker. Patrons of this app can also access the app online if they do not have access to their phone or tablet. You can change the color settings, change the font in the app to dyslexic font, use high contrast mode, change the language settings, etc.. 

Libby from Overdrive

AASL Standards Framework for Learners

Learner V.A.1 Reading widely and deeply in multiple formats and write and create for a variety of purposes.

• https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby

• Libby is another ebook and audiobook provider that is focused on public libraries. Some public libraries prefer to use Libby over Sora. Prior to the creation of Sora, Libby is what many school libraries used for their online catalogue including e-books and audiobooks. This app requires a library card to sign in, and prior to Sora, students could search their school library and sign in using their school email address. However, now that Sora exists and connects with public libraries, Libby is not used for school libraries, just public libraries. Libby, much like Sora is free to download and free for libraries to use. Public Librarians can select the e-books and audiobooks they prefer and pay for those specific e- books and audiobooks. With Libby users can read across devices, have offline access, listen for your car, or even transfer to Kindle. This device is available for Apple, Google, and Kindle devices. Any age group can use this app if taught how to properly. Another school system I was in previously used Libby and I did like it. One downside to the system I taught at before all the schools used the same collection of books from the Overdrive selection. Schools in that system did not allow school librarians to select their own boos for their own school library. Since it is intended also for Public Libraries only now, it is less useful for school libraries. Overall, it is a useful app for library patrons that love e-books and audiobooks.

Good Reads

AASL Standards Framework for Learners

Learner V.A.1 Reading widely and deeply in multiple formats and write and create for a variety of purposes

https://www.goodreads.com/ 

This app is a book recommendation app that can connect to social media and friends. You can sign in using Facebook, Amazon, Apple, or email. You can search for books using the search bar by title, author, or ISBN. You can get book recommendations off what you read (or want to read) through the app or Amazon. You can join challenges and rate books. I would recommend this for older students, like high school students who are able to join social media and may be more responsible with this app. This app also only allows patrons to join that are 13+, so it could work for eighth graders. This not an educational app, so there could be issues using this app in classrooms or school libraries for privacy reasons. Teachers can use this app beautifully with colleagues. In the app one can look for books or scan your library, Discover new titles, Search for books, etc. This app is 100% free with no in app purchases, but if you connect to the app using your Amazon or Apple account, you can purchase books from there. I chose this app because sometimes students (and teachers) need encouragement to read and recommendations for new books to read. You can also just use this website to research books prior to reading. This app can be downloaded from Apple or Google for cellphones and tablets and can be also be accessed from a desktop or laptop. 

Of these three apps I think the best one for schools and students to use is the Sora App. I think it is great because it is easy and safe to use, it can be used to access school libraries as well as public libraries. Sora also has great settings that can be helpful for students that have trouble seeing and/ or reading the text with the different color options and the dyslexia font. This app is free for students and reasonable for school libraries as well as public libraries to use. I have found that many local libraries in the area are also connected to Sora, which is very helpful when I am looking for a specific book. It is safe for students of all ages to use without privacy concerns. I also think that students can broaden their reading choices using this app.