I really liked this week’s article on digital readers. Although I have seen them, heard about them, and even played with one at the bookstore, it never even occurred to me that they could be used in a classroom setting. Allowing students to adjust the font size, accessing a built-in dictionary and having a text-to-speech feature are great and really beneficial for all readers. Another great tool is allowing students to make annotations as they read. This will not only allow students to jot down any ideas or questions they have but it also helps the teacher understand what the students are thinking and if there is any confusion.
I also like how they broke down the annotations into five categories: understanding the story, personal meaning, questioning, answering, and text features. The results of the study didn’t really surprise me. I think kids today are fascinated with technology and would love using digital readers in the classroom instead of traditional books. Although digital readers could never replace traditional books in the classroom it is a great way to get kids excited about reading.
I definitely think this can be applicable whether or not you have digital readers available to you in your classroom. Although it would be nice for all classrooms to have them I think it’s important to note how the use of technology can affect a child’s enthusiasm and reading behavior.
Yes, I am starting to also be fascinated by digital readers. It seems age appropriate for young students and older students, as well. Lately I have been thinking about middle schoolers as my daughter is in Grade 7. It seems that teachers and parents tend to generalize MS students as lazy, easily bored, happy, sad, way too emotional, etc. and it is very difficult for some teachers to think outside the box when it comes to traditional literacy and now, new literacies like the internet, digital readers, Facebook, blogs, etc. MS students are at an age that really seems to need and want something new in their reading curriculum to keep them engaged with reading. I think some MS students are really bored with reading a traditional book, but a digital reader is something new, different and very interactive as you mention above. The ability to make annotations when reading is wonderful. I wish some foundations like the Melinda & Bill Gates Foundation would focus on literacy in US Schools and provide some matching funds to every deserving school that dreams of having multiple digital readers in Elem., MS and HS curriculums.
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