Gerry Wyatt

Ten years ago, when I was first introduced to PebbleGo, I was immediately impressed with its organization and accessibility for students.  I appreciated the many nonfiction text features and that the layout was intuitive and consistent with each database. I liked its many kid-friendly features like text-to-speech, the dictionary, and videos.  The reading levels seemed just right, and the topics interested my students.  Because of the thoughtful design, accuracy, and student appeal, PebbleGo became my tool of choice to introduce research skills to our younger students.

Ten years later, there are so many more topics offered; and PebbleGo Next has arrived for our students who have outgrown the original PebbleGo databases!  Additionally, there is more support for teachers through Capstone Community.  I’ve successfully used the lesson plans and accompanying tools and recently discovered the content maps that are so easy to share with teachers. What is promised for next fall - like links to nonfiction e-books and even better accessibility features - sound wonderful. 

As a media specialist, I find that supporting all students and staff in personalized learning is an expensive proposition in an era of stagnant or shrinking library budgets. Capstone’s subscription databases are a wise investment in valuable assets that serve our entire K-5 and Special Ed population in ways that both students and teachers appreciate.