So I started a nonprofit organization to bring the work of the most talented children's nonfiction authors to the classroom. To that end, in 2014 we started publishing the Nonfiction Minute, a FREE daily posting of 400-word essays by top children's nonfiction authors. An audio file accompanies each Minute so that the more challenged readers have access to our content. Millions of page-views later, we caught the eye of Paul Langhorst, the executive of SchoolTube. And today, we have something new to celebrate: We are launching The Nonfiction Minute Channel on School Tube. Each post is the audio file of the author reading his/her Minute and is illustrated with art in a slide show. Paul Langhorst, told me that teachers have been asking for more on quality reading and writing, so here we are. There are links on the School Tube post to the Nonfiction Minute archives so students can read the text of the Nonfiction Minutes if they are so inclined.
In addition, Paul has also given me my own Vicki Cobb’s Science Channel, which is a featured channel under “STEM, Math, Chemistry,” the drop-down menu on the School Tube Home Page. It, too, is free. Here is some information about SchoolTube:
- It is just like YouTube, but safe for schools. - verified teachers and their students can join for free. Teachers act as moderators to approve student video uploads, keeping inappropriate videos off their system. Many schools do not give students access to YouTube but SchoolTube is viewable in more than 70,000 schools and gets 30+ million page views a year.
- It is supported by advertising that has also been approved for children.
- It will take some time for people to find us—School Tube is 13 years old and is HUGE. But Paul is thrilled with the quality of our work, which he says will make us a BIG FISH in his BIG POND.
Meantime, we retain our nonprofit status. If your organization gives through Benevity.com, iNK Think Tank, Inc. is listed.