While looking online for textbooks, scholastic journals, and free-time reads, its not hard to spot all the e-versions available for the books. E-Books and e-Readers make it easy to keep many books in one small accessible device. The textbook states "The growth of e-books and e-reader technology shows how the Internet is dramatically affecting the reading activities of many youngsters." (Edwards, Maloy, Verock-O’Loughlin, Woolf, 2014, p. 102). E-Readers allow readers to read a large range of material from textbooks to magazines and newspapers. Some people however have different opinions on the effect e-readers have on younger students. Tripp (2013) states that often time the discussion of a book between a child and an adult is focused on how to properly use the device rather than discussions or relating the illustrations to the text. The e-Readers also do not provide the social and motor refinery that reading physical books offer.
However, for older students, e-readers can offer supplementary learning tools for students to use. “ A recent study suggests that the use of an e-reader device that has decreased the number of words and enlarged the font on the screen can improve both speed and comprehension of reading in dyslexic high school students when compared to reading from print books.” (Tripp, 2013, para. 6). The textbook also shows that first year reading and writing students with e-books at California Lutheran University had an increase in academic performance and higher levels of engagement. Im my personal opinion, I think the use of e-books and e-readers are a new great option to get people more interested in reading. Some people may be more intrigued to use an e-reader over a regular book purely for the technology reason. Others may be more inclined to use based on built in glossaries and additional reading resources that can be accessed on the e-readers. I think e-readers are a great option if it means getting students more interested in using textbooks and reading for fun.
References
Ask The Expert: Are E-Readers Bad For Kids? - Boston Magazine. (n.d.). Boston Magazine. Retrieved July 27, 2014, from http://www.bostonmagazine.com/health/blog/2013/12/18/ereaders-bad-kids-books-tufts/
Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2014). Becoming a 21st Century Teacher. Transforming Learning With New Technologies ( 2nd ed., ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
There are definitely some great advantages to ebooks, but some swear by the 'paper' that can't be duplicated in the digital version. They have been around for awhile now and certainly are a part of both in-school and out-of-school reading! :) Addition of the video not only enhances the interest in the post but also demonstrates new skills!
ReplyDeleteNow you need to stretch into some new tools to embed on your blog - please review the details on the Digital Badge assignment and challenge yourself!