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Technology's Role in Helping School-age Children Develop Literacy Skills at Home
Source: RIF Exchange Show #505
By: Laura J. Colker, Ed.D.
Much of children's reading now takes place on the Internet. A study released by the National School Boards Foundation in March 2000 (with support from the Children’s Television Workshop and Microsoft) reported the results of a survey of 1,735 American households with children ages 2-17 that were randomly sampled. Among the key findings of this report, Safe & Smart, were the following:
· We are a cybernation. This is especially true of children. At least one child in half the households surveyed used the Internet; three out of four teenagers are online. Moreover, children who use the Internet are more likely to log on at home than at school. A study by Education Week, Market Data Retrieval, and Harris Interactive confirmed this finding: 56% of youngsters in that study said they learned more about computers at home than at school. (Reading Today, 2001). Indeed, 61% of students in the same study believe that their home computers are of better quality than their school computers
· 52% of school age children who use the Internet report using it for schoolwork at least once a week; 80% use it at least once a month or more for school work. Girls tend to use the Internet more for educational purposes than do boys.
· 33% of school age children who use the Internet use it at least once a week for general learning activities not connected with school.
· 53% of school age children who use the Internet say they watch less TV as a result.
· 73% of school age children who use the Internet say they spend more time reading books as a result of Internet use.
Parents, in fact, are even more positive about computers than their children; they believe the Internet is a powerful tool for learning and communicating within families, and they want their children to be on the Internet. (National School Boards Foundation, 2000) While 36 percent of families with home computers bought them for their children's education, 45 percent actually are using it for that purpose now. Clearly, both parents and students look to the home computer as an educational tool.
With a built-in motivational tool, it makes sense that families would make use of computers to support children’s literacy development. As far back as 1991 (when PC’s were still being referred to as microcomputers), experts weren’t going out on a limb when they predicted, “We believe that parents can make use of their personal microcomputers in their homes to foster even greater degrees of interest and growth in reading.” (Rickelman & Henk, 1991)
When the Internet first burst onto the scene, many feared that it would be the death knell for reading books. Yet, ironically, amazon.com, the mammoth book seller, quickly became one of the Internet’s most popular sites. Moreover, as noted above, teens self-report that time on the computer actually increases the time they spend reading. Counterintuitive as it may seem at first glance, the Internet is a major tool for parents in supporting their children’s reading and writing skills.
Where should parents begin in looking for Internet web sites that will promote literacy skills? Like most everything on the Internet, quality varies widely, but there are many, many recommended starting points. One place to begin is with Booktalks. Booktalks give children the "scoop” on books.
According to Nancy Keane, the Rundlett (NH) middle school librarian who founded and manages the Booktalks—Quick and Simple web site (http://nancykeane.com/booktalks) "Booktalks can be a quick sell of [a] book." Booktalks are not reviews; like movie trailers, they are intended to hook in an audience. As Kathryn Tietze, a middle school librarian in Minnetontaka, MN, notes in an Education World article on booktalks (2001), "Booktalks expose kids to a greater variety of authors, genres, and titles, than if they were just let loose to stare at library shelves. Kids are pretty conservative, so they tend to pick out the same genres or authors all the time, and they miss out on some good reads."
There are numerous other websites that can be used by children and parents to support literacy at home. Here are a sampling of some of the more popular ones:
· Between the Lions (http://pbskids.org/lions) The Between the Lions website is based on the popular PBS program, and offers stories, games, and songs designed to promote reading as a fun pastime. After reading each story, children can try out related adventure activities.
· Book-A-Minute (http://www.rinkworks.com/bookaminute/) This site provides “ultra-condensed” versions of classic books to entice children into reading the whole work.
· BookSpot (http://www.bookspot.com/youngadultfeature.htm) BookSpot.com is a free resource center that simplifies the search for the best book-related content on the Web. Featured sites are hand-selected by BookSpot.com editors and organized into intuitive categories, such as bestseller lists, genres, book reviews, electronic texts, book news and more.
· Candlelight Stories (http://www.candlelightstories.com/) This website offers a number of stories to read, as well as audio books to listen to, an opportunity for youngsters to connect with a pen pal from a different country, spelling and other language-based games, and links to other sites about reading.
· The Children’s Literature Web Guide (http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/) Run by the University of Calgary, this site offers Internet resources related to books for children and young adults.
· Favorite Teenage Angst Books (http://www.grouchy.com/angst/ This site reviews books that get to the heart of adolescent struggles: Journeys, Mixed-Up Families, Sex & Love, Challenges, Pressures and Healing.
· Female Coming of Age Stories (http://scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/YoungAdult/age.html) This site is for girls grappling with identity issues.
· HarperChildrens.com (http://www.harperchildrens.com/hch/) HarperCollins is home to many of the classics of children's literature including Where the Wild Things Are, Charlotte's Web, Ramona, Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, I Can Read beginning reader series and countless award-winning others.
· IBBY (http://www.ibby.org) The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) is a non-profit organization which represents an international network of people from all over the world who are committed to bringing books and children together. Check out the great artwork on their site!
· Great Web Sites for Kids (http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/ALSC/Great_Web_Sites_for_
Kids/Great_Web_Sites_for_Kids.htm) Run by ALA’s Association for Library Service to Children, this web site contains links to content area sites, plus authors and illustrators, children’s book awards, and writing by children
· One Hundred Favorite Children’s Books (http://www.rif.org/readingplanet/) RIF’s web site for children involves children in discussing books, writing stories, meeting children’s authors, and doing book-related activities.
· Reading Rainbow (http://gpn.unl.edu/rainbow/) The reading rainbow website has information and trivia questions about the kids books featured on the Reading Rainbow program on TV. Also included are some book-based games and activities, and an opportunity to enter a book writing/illustrating contest for young authors.
· Reading Rants (http://tln.lib.mi.us/~amutch/jen/) This out of the ordinary teen book list is targeted at “those of you teens out there who need a good read, but are wondering if there's life after Judy Blume and Gary Paulsen.”
· The Spaghetti Book Club (http://www.spaghettibookclub.org/index.shtml) The Spaghetti Book Club was created as a way to support and encourage children’s love for reading by giving them an opportunity to connect, on a personal level, with the books they are reading and then share their reactions, thoughts, and opinions with family members, friends, and kids around the world.
· Storybooks Online (http://www.storybookonline.net/) This fun site offers a host of stories to read and listen to. Children can also write their own stories and play book-related games.
· SurfNetKids’ Book Club (http://www.surfnetkids.com/bookclubs.htm) This online club sends teens weekly chapters of a book and encourages e-mail correspondence
· Teen Ink (http://www.teenink.com/) This national teen magazine, book series, and website is devoted entirely to teenage writing and art. There are no staff writers or artists; the site depends completely on submissions from teenagers nationwide for its content.
· World of Reading (http://www.worldreading.org/) This site operated by the Ann Arbor District Library is designed to get children excited about reading, writing, and publishing while increasing their knowledge of the Internet. It offers children of all ages interesting materials to explore, and encourages active participation in reading and writing through the use of electronic communications. The site has book recommendations and book reviews, as well as books available to read right over the Internet.
In addition to these reading-related web sites, most children’s authors, such as Eric Carle (http://www.eric-carle.com) and J.K. Rowling (http://www.jkrowling.com) for example, maintain their own websites.
Additional great resources on the Internet include the many online magazines available to children and teens. Here is a partial listing:
American Girl
Dragonfly
Kids' Castle
Kidsnewsroom.com
Kidsworld Online
Little Planet Times
National Geographic Kids Magazine
New Moon
OWLkids Online
Ranger Rick
Scholastic News Zone
Sports Illustrated for Kids
Time for Kids
Vocal Point
WayBack: U.S. History for Kids
Yahooligans! News
Yak's Corner
YES Mag: Canada's Science Magazine for Kids
Zookbooks Kids
While older school-age children can certainly use the home computer on their own to access these literacy-oriented sites, all children seem to benefit from parental support for these activities. For younger school-age children such support is vital. For one thing, children may need technical assistance in maneuvering the cyber superhighway. But more than that, they need parents to guide their surfing, to ask probing questions, to suggest connections—and just to enjoy the experience with them. Reading with a child, be it a book or at a computer screen, can be an intimate, bonding experience for both parent and child.
With older children, parents don’t need to (and probably aren’t welcome to) sit together with their child at the computer. What they can do, however, is be a physical presence nearby. Parents can still ask questions, suggest activities, and admire their child’s efforts.
The PBS Parents website (http://www.pbs.org/parents/ ) offers these tips to parents who want to “click” with their children on the computer:
- Be present. Sit down together often to play a game and observe the way your child is using the computer.
- Place the computer in a common space shared by the family, such as the kitchen or the family room. That way, if the phone rings or the pot boils, you'll still be within reach when your child needs help.
- Find a balance in providing assistance. Encourage your child to make independent choices and decisions, but be nearby with a suggestion if he is stuck.
- Decide on a firm time limit for computer use, and stick to it.
- Establish household rules for computer use--such as no eating at the computer or putting away software after use--just as you would around television or other shared items.
Technology offers parents a powerful tool for motivating children to read and write. If parents don’t have access to a computer at home, they can encourage their child to make use of the school’s computers or ones in the public library. For parents of children in the primary grades, using a computer together with their child at the library is an effective option. Parents of older children are likely aware that their child would probably rather die than use a computer with their parent in public, so encourage adolescents to use computers independently and then discuss what transpired with the child at a later time. School and children’s librarians can be very helpful in assisting students in this effort.
References
Education World (2001). Talking books creates a hook. http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr214.shtml
National School Boards Foundation. (March 2000). Safe& smart: Research and guidelines for children’s use of the Internet.
Reading Today. (August/September 2001). Computers and kids.
Rickelman, R.J. & Henk, W.A. (1991). Parents and computers: Partners in helping children learning to read. The Reading Teacher, 44, 7.
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