This week the world celebrates Children’s Book Week and to celebrate we at Wizz-E.com are offering 25% off ebooks!

Go to Wizz-e and enter EBW09 at checkout!

We are celebrating Children’s Book Week by:

Hosting a read-a-thon at the library. Where kids can use the library computers to check out the great ebooks available.

Having a school read-a-thon where students can come in their PJ’s, bring a pillow and blanket and cuddle up to read for the last 2 hours of school.

Collecting used and new books to share with those less fortunate.

Friday there will be a book fair supplied by students stories written throughout the year.  Money raised will buy books for the year.

 

How are you celebrating the fantastic journey books have taken children over the last 75 years?

Now the greatest ebook site for kids is on Facebook. Keep up with news, new books and all the Wizards fun on the site you spend time on anyway. Check us out and become a fan of Wizz-E. 

Having trouble getting your kids off the couch, put down those video games and pick up those paper things with words? (books) You may want to pick up this book by Scott Langteau. Once a so called “gamer” and now he is telling kids that dangers of hanging out on the couch all day. You could even use the opportunity to introduce ebooks and online books. Show them ways to download books so they can listen to them on the way to school or while walking or riding their bikes.  The important thing is getting our kids to read, anyway we can. Kids are using iPods and phones anyway, why not put books on them and give them the chance to get excited by something that can be more beneficial than just the new top 10 on the charts. 

Read the article written by Sofa Boy author here: Scott Langteau

Children have been reading through Scholastic for over 87 years. They give opportnites for learning by working with schools, teachers and classrooms to bring books into the hands of children. In addition to their in classroom marketing they are now offering online e-books, that work along side of BookFlix. This new resource pairs a fictional video storybook with a non-fiction ebook, to teach and entertain at the same time. With options to read along and cross refrence the non-fiction e-book. 

This new media is booming, the e-book industry is a “35 billion dollar” (cbc.ca) machine. Until recently childrens e-books have not been the majority of the market, it was advertized to adults and college students for a less expensive text choice. However, marketing to children through electronic media is becoming a unsurprising use of resources. With the majority of toys, games and televison shows having a onine counterpart the option for online learning though classic and neo-classic books is not an unwelcome resource.

Suzanne Murphy with Scholastic says:

‘I’d be hard pressed to say there won’t be a time when bedtime reading is with an electronic device.’

Some might be turned away by this fact, and argue that reading to children is one of the most memorable and rewarding parent/child experiences. I agree. I am not trying to say that e-books should replace those moments all togeather, but give another way to experience learning. Just as one uses online resoreces to learn and educate. E-books are another fomat that can inhance reading, learning and bring something different to the way a child recieves the information. 

“We’re so lucky to live in an era when kids can have books in multiple formats. Each format offers something that the other doesn’t,” said Francie Alexander, Scholastic’s chief academic officer.

In a recent article written by John Biggs, a contributor to CrunchGear.com he says:

We won’t need any more “things” in the basest sense as long as the media we consume is compatible with the things we have. By buying digital, we will point to what formats we want to use. 

He has a point. We consume things, collect things, give things; all in the name of gaining more things. The same things to which we consume (gadgets, phones, game consoles, etc.) can be reloaded, so-to-speak with the things to which we bought them for. For instance, giving this holiday season can be maximized by gifting digital formats to be downloaded to the hardware we already own.

John Biggs goes on to say that:

How should you give digitally? Head over to the Amazon MP3 store and gift an album. Buy someone with an XBox a 1-year 1 DVD/streaming only subscription to Netflix (I know it’s cheating, but tell them not to get the DVD).Buy someone some cool ebooks and some software to read it on their phone.

I am facinated by the fact that when I buy a gift not only does the price of the gift factor in but the wrapping, postage, and card; they cost as well. One of the perks of digital giving, card comes with it no wrapping or shipping. Not only is this cool, it contributes to the “green” movement. 

The fact is we, people, kids, grandmas, teachers; are all telling the industry what to keep, toss and recreate. Conservation does not have to mean skimp on giving, it’s mearly giving the right thing. We can still give music, books, DVD’s; just in a more conscious way. We need to tell the market that digital downloads are user friendly, more convenient, and better for the wants and needs of the public. 

Top 5 Digital Gifts:

1. Credit to Wizz-e, allowing your child/family member/friend to enjoy the great selection we provide online.
2. iTunes gift card, can be sent via. email.
3. Wii, Xbox, PS3 gift card to download games 
4. Amazon allows you to download a great deal of various gifts. Video on Demand can be gifted through emailed gift cards. Video on Demand can be played on your PC/MAC or Portable device like TiVo.
5. eGifts has 100+ stores you can purchase egift cards. 

In 2008 many things became historic, new ideas and new ways communicating have connected not only the world, but the world of technology. No longer is about which company can out-design, but which company can be more social; supplying instant gratification though the use of smart-phones, email, downloads and compact quality products.

Social networking/marketing genius Twitter, gives instant updates from those experiencing something first hand, allowing links to pictures and video. During the Mumbai attacks, Twitter users brought updates from inside and around the chaos. Turning on CNN is great but, if I can get instant updates from various locations from different points of view, that is priceless.

The use of eBooks is growing and more in demand. The fact that I can download my favorite book, or better yet my children’s favorite book to my iPhone is fantastic. Long drives, flights or waiting rooms become less stressful and gives them more exposure to reading.

Don’t get me wrong, sitting with a warm blanket and a great cup of coffee on a Sunday afternoon curled up reading is wonderful; however, you can’t do that waiting for the dentist.

In the Technology review published by the Telegraph, UK eBooks are among one of the fastest growing gadgets of 2008:

Much as the music industry is slowly getting to grips with digital, so too is the publishing industry. This year saw ebook readers move from geek to mainstream. Amazon launched the Kindle in the US, while in the UK, Waterstones started to sell Sony’s Reader. Other mobile devices, too, embraced the medium, with several apps available for the iPhone that turn the handset into an ebook reader, and even Nintendo announcing that DS users would soon be able to read classics published by HarperCollins on its device. In truth, though, sales of ebooks and ebook readers remain dwarfed by those of old-fashioned “proper” books, but 2008 has arguably seen some much-needed momentum build behind the ebook format.

The industry is booming with opportunity. It is the storefront for many ideas to transpire in the near future. The idea of a magazine being updated online with the latest information, being able to update version of a book without having to buy and new one (all university students will appreciate this one), knowing you are getting the most recent knowledge in what you are reading. Newspapers have the opportunity to do less print more electronic, saves money builds more followers.

Education is defined as: The process of giving or receiving systematic information. 
Now, I don’t know about you but that tells me nothing about learning. Learning is more than being able to babble off useless facts or being able to regurgitate them for testing. When your learn something it becomes a behavior, a part of your understanding.

A baby, for instance does not become educated on how to sit up, or crawl; they learn to do these things. The same with a 3rd grader who is forced to write multiplication tables repeatedly, in which case he only learns how to get them done.

The new age of education is by far the most interesting and available to all children and adults. We have more colleges online than ever before, high school is online, even the academic side of getting an RN can be done online. Professors and universities are using online black boards to get student updates and post information.

Smart-phones, like the iPhone have applications for all ages to help you learn; areas of vocabulary to medical academics. The use of technology is growing, changing and infiltrating the classroom. My third grader uses my iPhone to work on his math skills, and my 5 year old can play the games and draw.

Major differences are in place from 10 years ago, grandparents are raising their grandchildren, 95% of all american children from the age of 5-17 have a computer in their room (this replaced their tv). Education is becoming electronic, and some of the coolest things are becoming more and more available to those who would not have the resources to learn about them before.

Learning is transforming, and it is bringing with it some really clever tools!