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Welcome to the Annick LIVEbrary, an exciting, free online classroom for middle and junior high students.

The LIVEbrary is an innovative program that brings together well-known authors, experts, students, and teachers as they discuss curriulum-related books in a secure online environment. Designed not only to provide young teens with relevant educational content, the LIVEbrary is also an excellent platform from which to train students in the responsible use of new technology. The first season begins on October 15 with a 5-week program on Media Awareness, featuring media literacy pioneer Shari Graydon.

The LIVEbrary is free, but teachers and librarians must register their classrooms in advance to participate in the live chats. Parents and homeschoolers are also welcome. To register click on the sign up image at the bottom of the page.

The LIVEbrary makes exciting content available to schools and libraries in well-designed units that offer unprecedented interaction with authors and experts. Each week a lesson plan based on an issue or theme of immediate interest to students and educators is distributed to participants. The plan contains a reading, an assignment, a quiz, and discussion questions. Students can participate using a variety of technologies, including blogging, email, and Skype chat. For one hour each week, a noted author/expert will serve as instructor and meet with students for a live one-hour chat using the popular Skype software. Annick Press is providing tech support for schools and libraries to ensure smooth connections.

“Our goal is to teach young people how to use collaborative technology while giving their teachers a well-structured program they can rely on,” O’Keefe said of The LIVEbrary. “It’s not easy to produce quality online programs capable of reaching into middle schools and junior high schools. We refine our methods based on teacher feedback to deliver the best educational programming available online.”