AuthorConnect App Lets You Do Virtual Readings in Schools

By Dianna Dilworth 

Young readers are excited about books and if you connect to kids at an impressionable age, they will become readers for life.
Scheduling readings in schools could get easier thanks to a new app coming out this fall called Author Connect. The tool, which comes out of a new partnership between tech startups Bublish and Edmodo, is designed to help authors and publishers connect with teachers and schools to schedule virtual readings in the classroom. The app works with classes from K-12 in hopes of instilling a love of literature among kids.
In addition to virtual readings, authors and students can continue the conversation via Edmodo’s social platform where discussions about texts can carry on beyond the initial virtual visit.

Several teachers and authors have been testing this app and the results have been positive. “The author program engages students in reading and writing at a richer and deeper level,” stated children’s author Chris Francis. “I am able to get feedback and ideas for my stories straight from the target audience. There is a natural ‘connection’ that forms between the author and the reader as the platform facilitates open discussions and file sharing.”