Lolita
S. Torres
ED
638-40 Fall Intersession
Dr.
M. Rivera
IRA
Newsletter Project: Effective Literacy Websites #2
December 31, 2018
Epic! (https://www.getepic.com/)
offers access to unlimited award winning fiction and nonfiction books, videos,
STEM, language arts, social science, history, music, arts, science fiction, and
DIY for young children. This mobile technology sync across the devices so young
children can read on the go. The website
carries more than 14,000 e-book titles from more than 100 publishers—including
HarperCollins, Macmillan, Candlewick, Disney, Bellwether Media, and
Eerdmans—and describes itself as “the world’s largest digital library for
kids.” The focus is on providing unlimited access to high-quality content for
children 12 and younger via a platform available on the Web, iOS, and Android
devices, as well as Apple TV, for $4.99 per month.
The Epic! (https://www.getepic.com/) content is curated by an in-house editorial team that
receives input from Epic’s advisory board, which is composed of publishing and
digital industry experts, including Joanna Cotler, former publisher of
HarperCollins Children's Books; award-winning author Jenni Holm; and Tim
Ditlow, former Vice President and publisher of Listening Library/Random House,
who is also Epic’sVice President of content. Read-to-Me titles, audiobooks, and
Spanish-language and Spanish/English bilingual books are part of the content
mix. Other notable features include an algorithm that makes personalized
recommendations for kids based on their reading level and content preferences,
and the ability to create personalized profiles (up to four per family) to keep
track of reading materials individually within an account.
Additionally, Epic! (https://www.getepic.com/) has received many
awards including, 2014 Top App of the Year from Creative Child Magazine, Dr.
Toy 100 Best Toys of 2016, Mom’s Choice Award, 2016 Parents’ Choice Gold Award,
2016 Best App for Teaching and Learning, 2017 TabbyAwards, 2017 Teacher’s
Choice Award Winner, and The Best Website for Teaching and Learning (The
American Association of School Librarians). Since
Epic’s debut, more than 40 million books have been read on the service. Epic
currently ranks as the #2 highest-grossing app on iOS in the Kids category and
the #3 highest-grossing app on iOS in the Education category.
Overall, Epic! (https://www.getepic.com/)
is an eBook subscription service with over 20,000 books for children 12 and
under. This tool could be an interesting
tool to organize library reading challenge or track individual student reading
progress. Though the large list of titles may be overwhelming for young
children selecting books, the platform curates books for users based on their reading
levels and interests. While the subscription service is a cost burden that not
all families can bear, the cost ($4.99/month) still provides a lot of values in
terms of features and functionality. Studies on screen time have not yet
concluded how long or what types of activities are best for children to engage
with on mobile devices. However, reading is much more positive screen based
experience than the other game options that don’t have an easily recognizable
educational advantage.
Finally, here’s the good news! The monthly fee is waived
for teachers and librarians who have access to devices in the classroom and
library media center. In addition, the layers of gamification in this app add
an element of fun that could encourage children to engage in a more productive
screen time. As Epic! (https://www.getepic.com/) describes on its
site, students are already excited about using tablets and any Android devices, capitalizing on their interest
in technology to help them develop literacy skills coupled with their existing learning interest. ,
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