By Kim Asche
University of Minnesota Extension
Regional Office, Hutchinson
To promote young children’s delight in talking, listening, reading and writing adults need to provide a variety of interesting language experiences. Children who have reading difficulties in the primary grades often had limited early literacy learning experiences.

Children with reading difficulties have:
less letter knowledge
less sensitivity to the notion that the sounds of speech are distinct from their meaning
less familiarity with the basic purpose and mechanisms of reading
poorer general language ability

Children who are skilled readers:
understand the alphabet and letters
use background knowledge and strategies to obtain meaning from print
can easily identify words and read fluently

Activities that prepare young children for learning to read, emphasize counting, number concepts, letter names, shapes, sounds, phonological and phonemic awareness, models of adult interest in literacy, and independent and cooperative literacy activities.

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Promoting young children\’s early literacy.

For me, literacy is a concept that is not easy to define in the 21st Century. At a basic level, it could be defined as the ability to read and write. Reading and writing used to be a relatively privileged activity not that long ago. Yet we expect, and indeed should expect, that today every child should be able to read and write. But is that enough in the 21st Century to be really literate?

Massive advancements in technology have led to the need for new and different type of literacy skills. How are we helping children to keep up with this? Is it by chance or design?

At the click of a mouse, it is possible to retrieve information on the World-wide web, connect with people across the globe, research, investigate, comment and contribute on an extraordinary range of sources from all over the world. Are our children in danger of growing up in a world of information overload?

They will need the ability to access, process, filter, evaluate, combine and use the information to their advantage which depends on a different set of skills. These include using different technology mediums, keeping up-to-date with ever increasing new technologies, exploring new ways of working, assessing vast amounts of information and screening it quickly to assess its relevance, interacting with new communication technologies and styles, or networking in a virtual world. How are we preparing our children with these skills?

The UNESCO definition of literacy is: “Literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts.”

Does this definition go far enough to ensure our children are literate for the future? E-literacy starts with the basics of being able to read and write. Without this the information available is inaccessible. However are there other skills we should be teaching alongside the basics? And when does this become a standard part of the curriculum?

To develop literacy skills all children need to be exposed to books and reading. For today’s techno-savvy youngest generation there is now an option to practice their reading skills online. Digital books are not meant as a replacement to paper books but another exciting medium to get kids reading more.

I love that the story can read aloud to kids whilst highlighting the words.

Children learn by repetition and we all know how kids can want the same story over and over again! So they can listen to the story a number of times and learn the associations between the sounds and the words.

I love that children can click on a word they are unfamiliar with and hear it spoken.

Without having to wait for adult intervention children can try and sound out a word whilst they are reading but if they get stuck they can hear it spoken by clicking on the word.

I love that ebooks look like a paper book with page turning.

Ebooks are not meant as a replacement to paper books but having digital books that look like their paper counterpart can instil a love of all books.

I love that the illustrations are animated.

Picture books that really come to life with animated illustrations – just magical.

I love the comprehension/memory quiz incorporated into the technology.

Children can listen to a story yet not pay attention. Having a comprehension/memory quiz can make sure they listen carefully and take more of the story in.

I love that children are using computer time as a learning experience.

As a parent myself I know how much the kids love to spend time on the computer. Now they can use screen time in an enjoyable and educational way.

I love that reluctant readers can be exposed to books in another medium.

Reluctant readers can hold strong negative associations with books so exposing them to digital formats can provide an alternative medium for them to be exposed to books which is not as threatening.

Digital books are not meant as a replacement for paper books. They are another medium that can harness a child’s passion for learning to read. They are a method for exposing children to more books whilst they are having fun. But don’t tell the children!

Reading is not just about the story being told. Reading incorporates imagination, focusing skills, interpretation, and reasoning. Literacy starts at birth, and with a head start of vocabulary and language skills the transition into pre-school and kindergarten is easier with a strong foundation for learning. 

Some Thoughts:

1.  eBooks are interactive. They capture the attention of children, by means of sight and sound. They are able to participate in the flow of the story. Turning the pages by clicking the mouse. Hearing the words and sounds of the chimes, clicks and knowing that they made those things happen. They are in control of the story and where it goes.

2. Access is easier. I know that when my 5 year old wants to read a story and it has been returned to the library, it is war until we get it back. The ability to ask your child what they want to read about, then be able to log on and get it, fantastic. 

3.  Maintaining motivation to read. There is a big difference between being able to read and enjoying reading. The idea that reading is enjoyable is set at an early age. If it is a pleasurable experience, such as time alone with mom or dad, or a time in which the child has all the attention it is remembered as a happy time. Later when reading is required, those memories are instilled that reading is enjoyable. Even though the child is grown, it still is a happy memory and therefore an activity they are more apt to engage in.  

4.  eBooks are updated more often, and they come with more features than a print book. Such as, an online version may have bonus material, as well as different endings possible. You may pay a different price for the two but you get more than the traditional print. 

5. Portability. The ability to download a book to a laptop and carry that file with you, gives you the possibility to use it while traveling, or long bouts of downtime where the use of toys or other means of distraction are not available. If you have ever had to entertain a young child while experiencing a layover, you know what value a eBook would bring. Even if you are trying to get some work done, it is a easy way to keep track of book for easy access when you take a work break and spend some time with your child. 

6.  Going Green.  We are facing a more conscious environmental state. The use of green products are becoming more and more accessible and user friendly. The cost to print and maintain paper resources is coming at a higher price as the economy is changing. It’s becoming fashionable to be “green.” The nation is taking notice that we have options to stop doing the kind of damage on the environment we have been. 

7.  The technology will get better. Advances in technology will bring more options as well as more information to be utilized. Children now are preparing for the jobs of tomorrow. Technology will be such a big part of their world, it will be their first instinct to Google before Encarta. I mean, my 8 year old has friends with iPhones and Blackberry’s. Amazing. 

8. Device. With Wizz-E there is not a need for another device. You just use your PC/Mac. You don’t have to buy another device to use the eBooks. You can browse using your iPhone then download to your PC, and there they remain. 

9.  eBooks are not a replacement for reading to your children. They are a way to enhance the learning and attention of children to get them involved in not only books, but computer use and technology. 

10.  The possibilities are, as they say, endless. You can browse so many interesting topics, search international books, and use hyperlinks to read about something and then go see the pictures, or watch a video. The use of college textbooks online would be great. The ability to read the text online, discuss with others, get insights from other professors using the same text. The learning that would come from a community of readers would be priceless. It opens up a whole world of learning, and seeing the world from outside the bindings of a book. You can teach a child to read, but teach a child to learn and they will always have the confidence to teach others.

 

Check out some great books online at Wizz-E and be watching for updates here.

Great things are being written and available to discover.