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G2S Project Code: 2020-PR-86967
State: Puerto Rico
Fiscal Year: 2020
Grantee
Puerto Rico Department of Education - Library and Information Services Program

Project Director
Director Name: Héctor M. Reillo
Director Phone: 787-773-3531
Director Email: reilloch@de.pr.gov
General Information
Title: LSTA Statewide Project - Bringing the library to your home
State Project Code: SWP-001
Start Date: 10/01/2020
End Date: 12/30/2021
Abstract: This project arose as a result of a study carried out by the Library and Information Services Program which pointed out the need to provide online and print information resources. Two-hundred forty-one (241)school libraries and one (1) public library participated in the project for the benefit of approximately 7,260 users. The project was aimed at reinforcing students' reading and critical thinking skills and promoting access of students and teachers to databases that provide reliable, uniform and information from authoritative sources in the various areas of knowledge related to the fulfillment of the standards of each academic subject.  In this digitized reading adventure, students had the opportunity to read stories that motivated them to investigate the cases presented in each of the readings and in turn look for clues to solve them. Each student had their own account on the platform and created their own profile in an interactive, creative and personalized way. The project contributed to the students' academic success.
The students worked on research, reading verification through verbal questions and arts and craft projects with the integration of the Fine Arts teacher.




State Goal: GOAL 2: Provide, support, improve and expand library programs and services to the people of Puerto Rico
Budget Information
LSTA
MATCH-State
MATCH-Other
Total
$470,425.56
$0.00
$0.00
$470,425.56
Intent(s)
Improve users' general knowledge and skills.
Curriculum support
Reading Program (Not Summer Reading)
Activities
Activity Details
Title: Project announcement and license distribution
Narrative:

The Library and Information Services Program issued an official communication announcing the project to the school community and the distribution of licenses to participating libraries.  For their part, the librarians carried out various outreach activities in their respective school libraries, such as:presentation to students of the TATUM platform and orientation on the steps to follow to access the e-books; promotion through the display of signs, handing out flyers, library blogs and social networks. Teachers, parents and students were oriented about the platform, as well as about the new poetry books acquired.  Some librarians and teachers dressed up as detectives to introduce the project to the students who received a special card as “literary detectives”.



Intent: Improve users' general knowledge and skills.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Presentation/performance
Format: Combined in-person & virtual


Quantity
Presentation/performance length (minutes): 60
Number of presentations/performances administered: 242
Average number in attendance per session: 20


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: Targeted
Geographic community of the targeted group: Urban
Suburban
Rural
For what age groups: 0-5 years
6-12 years
13-17 years
18-25 years
26-49 years
For what economic types: Economic Not Applicable
For what ethnicity types: Ethnicity Not Applicable
Is the activity directed at families: No
Is the activity directed at intergenerational groups: No
Is the activity directed at immigrants/refugees: No
Is the activity directed at those with disabilities: No
Limited functional literacy or informational skills: No
Is the activity category not already captured: Yes: Students


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: Yes
Specific Locations: No
Library Types
Public Libraries: 0
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 242
Other: 0
Activity Details
Title: Training for librarians
Narrative:

Fifteen workshops were held for project participants in which librarians learned to develop the necessary skills for the effective management of the gamified reading platform for primary and secondary levels;two on-site workshops were held in each of the seven educational regions an done virtual workshop for librarians from the islands of Vieques and Culebra.



Intent: Improve users' general knowledge and skills.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Presentation/performance
Format: Combined in-person & virtual


Quantity
Presentation/performance length (minutes): 180
Number of presentations/performances administered: 15
Average number in attendance per session: 20


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: Yes
For a targeted group or for the general population: General


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: Yes
Specific Locations: No
Library Types
Public Libraries: 0
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 242
Other: 0
Activity Details
Title: Integration activities
Narrative:

Presentation of the database to the participating students and fellow teachers. The page was displayed to explain the content and how to navigate and make use of it.  The librarians taught the students how to access, locate resources and make use of the platform. The selection of the stories was directly related to the students' interests and to the topics developed in the academic areas.   Reading comprehension activities and crafts related to the theme of the stories were done. The activities were very dynamic and helped in the comprehension and analysis of the stories, in developing the skill of reading aloud and in the integration of technology. The project encouraged recreational reading and helped to reinforce skills related to the various academic subjects.



Intent: Improve users' general knowledge and skills.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Presentation/performance
Format: Combined in-person & virtual


Quantity
Presentation/performance length (minutes): 60
Number of presentations/performances administered: 484
Average number in attendance per session: 20


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: Targeted
Geographic community of the targeted group: Urban
Suburban
Rural
For what age groups: 0-5 years
6-12 years
13-17 years
18-25 years
26-49 years
For what economic types: Economic Not Applicable
For what ethnicity types: Ethnicity Not Applicable
Is the activity directed at families: No
Is the activity directed at intergenerational groups: No
Is the activity directed at immigrants/refugees: No
Is the activity directed at those with disabilities: No
Limited functional literacy or informational skills: No
Is the activity category not already captured: No


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: Yes
Specific Locations: No
Library Types
Public Libraries: 0
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 242
Other: 0
Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important outcomes or findings not previously reported:
1) The students had fun and were enthusiastic and more interested in reading; the new platform attracts students' attention and it encourages them to think and analyze; their interest in research and information seeking skills were awakened. 2) Development of reading comprehension skills. 3) Reading helped students acquire new vocabulary. 4) Students developed and demonstrated progress in the area of intonation and reading fluency. 5) The integration of technology motivated students to read and develop critical thinking skills. 6) Strengthening of the imagination. 7) Integration of technology and recreational reading as an educational resource. 8) Reinforcement of reading skills, critical thinking and reading comprehension. 9) Development of verbal fluency and improvement of writing skills. 10) Participating students and their families can have access to reading materials at all times. 11) Classroom teachers are motivated in participating in the project because of the success of the integration of the stories with their particular subjects. 12) 13) Greater integration between the classroom teachers and the librarian.
Please briefly describe the importance of these outcomes and findings for future program planning:
With the integration of the project, the students were able to use technology in a fun way where they enjoyed reading, thus developing better reading comprehension skills. They were motivated and wanted to visit the library more frequently to read stories. In addition, they developed search and access skills, which are very necessary for users to be more independent when using the computer. Outcomes and findings serve to improve weaknesses and reinforce the strengths of the activities carried out taking into account the needs of the students. This project reflects the need for updated resources to support reading, such as the use of databases and technology to achieve the integration of library services with the different academic subjects. The database has benefits for all subjects and supports reading in different educational facets. It also raises awareness of the importance of reading among students. This type of project allows us to adjust the tasks that are being planned for the future and diversify the way we promote reading among children. The platform provides alternatives for the different needs of the participants, since reading in digital media allows us to adjust the font size and implement other tools that address the variety of supports that may be required by people with special needs who participate in the project - works with inclusion. This project contributed to help students become readers who analyze, evaluate and apply new knowledge acquired through the interactive stories. It also helped them cultivate a love of reading and developed in them the skills of observing, listening and communicating what interests them, stimulated them to be creative and develop the need to become skilled readers, who use their free time to read for pleasure and personal growth.
Explain one or two of the most significant lessons learned for others wanting to adopt any facets of this project:
Students who had barely handled the computer during this school year and despite the challenge to get them all hooked up, once they did they wanted Ta-Tum every day. The reward system through medals and points for the activities completed served as motivation and joy for the students. Students can access the database from home, thus improving their reading habits. This also reaffirms that our children are capable of learning to use the computer responsibly and for educational purposes. Students who were reading 20 words or less per minute at the beginning of the year improved their reading fluency and speed by the end of the year. The use of technological resources supports and help students create links in educational aspects. The students were amazed by the visual supports at the time of reading the stories. The use of videos in the lessons provokes the interaction of the students in an extraordinary way. Students felt free to use the platform to access the stories and sought to read them for their enjoyment at school and at home. High interest of the students in wanting to work with the platform. It is a project that kept them active, reading, interested, alert and pending to every detail in order to achieve and obtain the maximum score in each case/book. It helped teachers diversify their lessons and the teaching environment for their students.
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort in managing this project:
No
Explain:

Do you anticipate changing the types of activities and objectives addressed by the project:
No
Explain:

Was an evaluation conducted for this project:
No
Was a final written evaluation report produced:
No
Can the final written evaluation report be shared publicly on the IMLS website:
No
Was the evaluation conducted by project staff (either SLAA or local library) or by a third-party evaluator:
Third-Party
What data collection tools were used for any report outcomes and outputs:
Did you collect any media for the data:
What types of methods were used to analyze collected data:
Other:
How were participants (or items) selected:
What type of research design did you use to compare the value for any reported output or outcome:
Exemplary: No
Exemplary Narrative
Project Tags: E-books; reading; critical thinking