Simone Adjei - iReadify

Welcome to SpeakUP! with Rita Burke and Elton Brown!

Simone. It's certainly is with pleasure and excitement that I welcome you to SpeakUP! Now, I've known you for a bit and I was really impressed with how short you were able to make your bio, how you were able to condense it, because I've seen some bios that, and I'm gonna leave it. I've seen some bios that dot. But let me tell. Our listeners, just a little bit about you before we begin to ask you some questions. First of all, Simone Adjei is the co-founder and current content director at iReadify. She has over 12 years of experience in education, but a focus on early childhood literacy. She's also an expert in education, technology, education, professional development and management. She holds a degree in sociology, education, and strategic management. Welcome on board Miss Simone Adjei.

Thank you so much. It's just great to be here in conversation with you all today. What an honor. Thank you!.

Well, I find this to be so exciting. You have this online library of sorts that allows individuals, children, their parents to grab hold of books and read them or have the books read to them.

I think it's wonderful. What idea triggered the creation of of iReadify

Sure. Absolutely. I'll take you back a few years and tell you how I got started. And looking back, let's say 20 years and how I've gotten to the place where I am today with iReadify I've always had an interest in teaching and learning specifically looking at effective teaching strategies. And how different children learn based on their learning styles. I started my career in education supporting educators with literacy initiatives. I remember many years ago going into several schools in New York City, and at the time these schools were designated as failing schools. So I would go into these schools and work with K2 students and teachers on literacy. activities. These schools were in predominantly black and brown neighborhoods. I also remember when the smart board was introduced to classrooms. A lot of teachers were really nervous about this technology coming into the classroom. And at the time I worked on a research project with the center of children and technology. And I would go into pre-K classrooms and I would show teachers how to integrate this technology into their teaching and how to do so effortlessly. I stayed in the ed tech space, but expanded my reach to k12 and I continue working with educators all around the country implementing different technology into the classroom. Starting, about 20 years ago in classrooms with literacy initiatives, right from the young ones, babies pre-K, K and just staying in that space. But for me, it was traveling all over the country. Looking at what teachers were doing in classrooms, in different communities, different neighborhoods. Looking at what was available to them, their access, their resources, and seeing a clear gap when it came to resources for children of color, when it came to the resources that they were using in the classroom that did not reflect these students that they had in front of them and really thinking along the lines of what if we had resources, more resources that our student of color can connect to, that they're able. To relate to. They're able to share their life experience based on what if, and that's how we got to iReadify.

It's wonderful story to tell. You need to write a book on that And so what I'm gleaning from what you're saying, what I'm getting from what you're saying, Simone, is that you have been able to successfully marry technology with your passion for education. Based on that, tell us what keeps you awake at night? Positively

sure. So let me tell you first a little bit about iReadify, if that's okay and then I'll answer your question. So iReadify we like to call it an experience. It's the only place that children of color can go to and feel at home online. It's the only place that they can go to and immerse themselves with hundreds of books where they're seeing their reflection looking back at them. So we've created this digital platform that provides children 14 and under with unlimited access to a collection of diverse books and printable resource. On the platform, kids are able to read, they can listen to read aloud eBooks, They can watch educational videos, they can write into books and just have a really great time. Notice I mentioned children of color, right? So although we created a space with children of color in mind and a focus on diverse literacy, It is for all children. We believe that diverse literacy is beneficial to all children. Like I had said before, I'd spent so much, so many years in education and for me what I love is really authentic stories. Storytelling was really a significant part of my upbringing, right? I have Caribbean roots and storytelling was such a special part of that. But growing up in New York, I really didn't have access, or even when I went to the library, I couldn't really find books that reflected my culture, my heritage the stories that I heard as a little girl. So we want children to immerse in these stories. We created it for them. So that's a little bit about, iReadify what we provide, and now what keeps me up at night is. Our readers, the readers on the platform. And the readers on our platform, they're going through these books so quickly for many years. And we've read many research and we've seen the data and we've been told that black and brown children don't read. They just don't like reading. They just don't read. That's not what we are seeing in our platform. On average kids in our platform, they're reading about three books daily. They're going through these books so quickly that I'm being kept up at night thinking about how can I get more books onto the platform, increase capacity and get these books quickly onto the platform so our kids stay on the platform, they keep reading and they don't get bored.

Sounds like a good thing to keep you awake at night.

Absolutely.

Absolutely amazing. I know that these digital books come from everywhere, all over the world. Can you name a few countries where these books come from, and how are the books reviewed.

Absolutely. So currently we have books from 20 countries on the platform. Some of the countries that these books are coming from right here in the United States, right? We have a lot of great diverse authors writing in the United States. So we wanna leverage that and we wanna share that with kids. We have books from Nigeria. We have books from Kenya. We have books from Jamaica, St. Lucia, Grenada. We have books from Southeast Asia, from India where else? There's so many countries. I mentioned 20 countries and I can't remember quite all of them, but we're collecting books from the Caribbean, right? Extremely important. We're collecting books from parts of Africa where there'd be East Africa West Africa, South Africa. We're collecting these books because our people, and I'm talking about people of color, diverse authors, they're all over the world. And they have so many stories to share and to tell, and we wanna bring those stories to kids. So whether you're a child, In Ghana, you can read stories written by, diverse authors from the United States and from the Caribbean you're able to do that without leaving where you are. So we're all over the world and we're so connected and we're so similar and I want to showcase that.

These books are coming from all over the globe? How are these books reviewed? Do you personally Sit down and read, the books and say, Okay, this one is great, this other book I've just finished reading, not so much. How is that handled? Because I'm sure that the parents are very concerned about these online books that the kids can actually just log on and grab hold of their own books to read. They don't need the parents' supervision. So how is that handled? Absolutely, and that's really great question. And it's twofold and I'll tell you why.

So we have two reviewers that read all of the books before we accept any of these books. So far and since we've launched we've rejected about five to 10% of the books that came into us. Right. And I'll tell you why that is. We're very intentional with the books on the platform. Our goal, our mission is to show a positive representation of people of color. And in reviewing some of the books that we've received we've come, we've came across biases in some of the books, even books written by author of color. Even books written by diverse authors. We've came across biases as well. And those books, unfortunately, we're not going to include those books in our collection. I think. specifically talking about people of color we have been through so much trauma for centuries. And for some of us there needs to be the shifting of a mindset even when we're writing and we have to be very intentional and very aware of the words. That we're writing on these pages of these books. And we take, a responsibility in that because if a child is coming onto our platform and they're reading these books, we are also responsible for that. So we are very intentional with the books that we say yes to, and we put on our platform. For us, the quality of the books on our platform is much more important than the quantity for us, rather have a few hundreds right now than to have thousands and to really be in conflict with ourselves based on what kids and children are being exposed to in our platform.

Thank you so much, Simone. You have addressed. A number of issues, concerns that I may have. And you're so correct in saying that we have to be intentional in not only the content, but also the illustrations that we put in books for children of color. But I'm a little upset, and I'll tell you my truth, I'm upset because you're saying it's for children only. And guess what? I love children's books! So do you bar adults from participating?

Absolutely not! One of the things that we do is encourage families to read with your children. It is critically important that you read with your children. I have two daughters and my daughters are much older, but there are times when we go onto the platform, especially those books from the Caribbean, it just reminds me, it takes me back to a time and a place when I was running. In the rain or when I was just having such a great time outside in the sun, and enjoying life as a little girl. And there's so many stories that we read as a family, with my girls, and they're older and we just have a good giggle. Because it just brings, it brings back so many great memories. So it's very important that ch that parents are reading with their children and having some conversations after reading the books. So I'm hearing then that you wouldn't leave me out because I'm an adult and there's a child inside of me that always like to read children's book. I appreciate that. Yeah. There's a child in all of us, right? Children books are not only for children, it's for adults as well. Yes, Everybody can read those books.

So listen to this question that I have for you. If you had an opportunity to have a huge billboard to say anything you want to say either about Simone or about iReadify, what would you put in that billboard?

So for me, I would actually use a quote on my billboard, and that quote is, Every great dream begins with a dreamer and that's a quote by Harriet Tubman. And I would use that quote because I'm very optimistic and I'm very hopeful. I do believe that it takes one dream, one person, one step to help, to change the world.

That answer. I think it's an excellent way. to, go right into my question, which is, can you tell us two current challenges running an online bookstore?

A really great question. I think I touched on one one challenge with the capacity keeping up with our customers and making sure that you have more than enough. Asset to keep your customers engaged. I think the other challenge with running an online bookstore is really buy in from parents, right? Because on one hand you do want your children to have access to these books, but you're also monitoring the amount of time they're spending on technology. So that's a challenge. There are lots of families who are very cautious with technology, right? And what that might mean when you put your child in front of this thing, the vice and you walk away. So that's a challenge. And what we've done to really help families is when children are on our platform there are no advertisements. There are no popups. It's a very secure site. So security on the platform is very crucial as well.

Simone, this podcast is meant to inform, it's meant to educate and it's meant to inspire, and I believe. Today we've been able to meet our goal. We've been able to meet our objectives with the way you've managed our questions. You've told us about Simone. I think we've just started to peel a little layer off of the onion and we've been able to hear much about iReadify. Perhaps when you have more time, we'll invite you. But in the meanwhile, I want to say thank you so much for helping us to meet our goal for this podcast. Really appreciate what you've done for us. Thank you!

Absolutely. Thank you. I really enjoyed our conversation and thank you for inviting me. It's such an honor to be here having this conversation with both of you.

I want to thank you for all that your organization, your company, do for children around the world.

Thank you

Thank you for listening to speak up. To request more information about our guests, Simone Adjei or her company. I ratify. Please send your inquiries to the attention of Simone Adjei. At info@speakuppodcast.ca. Rita and her husband Sam Burke have written an eloquent children's book titled I Like Being Me. This children's book can be found on Simone's website. www.iReadify.com. I like being me, will continue to build your child's or someone, you know, confidence. If you have questions about the book or you would like to request a copy, please send your request to info@speakuppodcast.ca. To listen to more of our podcasts on SpeakUP! wherever you are. You can go to www.speakuppodcast.ca or wherever you listen to your podcasts and look up, SpeakUP! Our logo has the woman with her hand pointing up mouth open. Speaking UP! Thank you!