For my analytical publishing project, I chose to analyze an educational tool I briefly used as a teacher during lockdown, when we returned to the classroom, and then in my private lessons online. This educational tool was called Epic! and I felt it would be an interesting to explore as it is available on mobile devices and desktop computers, but it is one of the applications I mostly used on mobile devices. You can access my A1 on Canvas at this link (it keeps telling me it cannot be embedded). You can access it on a desktop, but the template was chosen with the use of a mobile device in mind. Swipe left and right to navigate on a tablet or mobile phone, or click on the buttons on the screen.
A1 – A World of Reading on Epic!
5 responses to “A1 – A World of Reading on Epic!”
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I was also first exposed to EPIC during the pandemic. They kindly offered the whole program at no cost for educators at the time, and the website was beneficial. My favourite part of Epic was how inclusive it was. It had various levelled books and a read-aloud feature highlighting the reading words so students could follow along. It’s too bad that now educators must pay to use the premium plan, yet I still see the benefit of using it occasionally, such as during buddy class!
Hi Danya, Epic sounds fantastic! I’ve never used it myself but I would imagine the younger me being absolutely thrilled at such an idea. I was super into reading books when I was a kid and usually had to resort to either the library (to discover interesting books) or buying them based on recommendations from classmates (I was a big Goosebumps, Boxcar Children and Berenstain Bears fan, those books practically shaped my childhood). Having the option to motivate learners to read is a great way to train their comprehension skills and develop a lifetime interest in reading. Personally I think the Gamification additions are neat (especially the quizzes/tests) though it shouldn’t distract the readers from what’s ultimately important: enjoying to read because of personal interest and not accomplishments.
Hi John, I agree, I would have loved Epic! when I was younger. They don’t offer all of the popular book series, but they do have a lot of options on a variety of subjects.
Hi Danya:
I love Epic! I use this for my students (as a teacher) but I also use this for my son (I paid for the year). With the paid version, you unlock more books not otherwise available. Students can also unlock badges or gain avatars/pets when they read a certain amount of books or if they read a certain number of mins/hrs. This, I feel, is trying to gamify the experience.
For my son, I love the quiz to assure students aren’t just reading the words, but comprehending what is being read. I do love that with the earlier books, there is an audio version. More diverse books is also a recommendation. I find that epic lacks diversity.
Spark Reading is another reading application that is more for levelled reading but does not offer the gamification piece or the interactive and engaging site design.
Hi Rika, that’s great! I haven’t used Epic! as a parent, but it sounds like a great at-home resource. I’ll check out Spark Reading as I’m always looking for new platforms and a wider selection of reading materials.