myON, by Renaissance, has expanded its literacy ecosystem to include Renaissance myON News, powered by News-O-Matic
Formats: Web-based, Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, and Chrome OS.
Website: https://www.renaissance.com/products/myon-news/
myON®, by Renaissance®, has expanded its literacy ecosystem to include Renaissance myON® News, powered by News-O-Matic, which publishes five original articles designed for students every weekday, 52 weeks a year. All articles are available at three personalized reading levels, in English and Spanish, and are approved by education experts and child psychologists.
What does it help with?
Reading, comprehension, literacy, writing, and project-based learning. It engages K–8 students to help them become informed global citizens and further connect them to digital fiction and nonfiction books—a first-of-its-kind feature for classrooms.
Is this core/supplemental/special needs/extra-curricular/professional development or what?
myON News, powered by News-O-Matic, can be implemented as an independent reading solution or for ELL, special education, before- and after-school programs, and summer reading programs. It provides daily articles that address global features, sports, arts and more. Students get the opportunity to read current events from all subject matters and learn about their world.
What lesson time does it use?
Teachers can use myON News, powered by News-O-Matic, for whole-class instruction during lessons, during independent reading time, in a flipped classroom, or as part of a blended learning model. Teachers are able to create unique literacy experiences by putting digital articles in the hands of children to read whenever and wherever they want and provide an opportunity to dive deeper into any subject area.
What is the pricing model?
It is sold as an annual license. myON News, powered by News-O-Matic, can be purchased separately or can be bundled with other Renaissance products.
There are additional costs for professional development that is customized for implementation, and for additional third-party publishers.
Are there services around it?
Yes. Support for teachers is available through Renaissance. Based on implementation and the number of schools and educators, the services group develops a program based on the needs of the school to ensure that the districts’ goals are met.
What makes it unique?
myON News, powered by News-O-Matic, is unique for students, teachers, administrators, and families as it personalizes the reading experience for students at three levels, in English and Spanish, and transforms the student into a global learner. The voices of students are included in stories, with a perspective on what’s happening in the world around them, making daily news just for kids. Stories are validated to ensure readability through reviews from child psychologists. The program is about empowerment, engagement, and citizenship—not making news a vehicle to spread fear and anxiety.
The data behind it can illustrate an immediate picture of the district’s usage by building, class, grade, and student. Meanwhile, families are able to experience reading in a new way—together and online—that helps all students and families engage in reading and connect with schools to support individual student goals.
How is it designed for user interface, user experience? What instructional design principles are at work here?
myON News, powered by News-O-Matic, creates articles about world news specifically for kids. A team of experts manually levels the texts using the Lexile Framework for Reading. Additional supports include audio narration (by real people!), high-quality photos and videos, facts and calls to action, and interactive maps showing where the stories take place.
