Click Here to Learn to Read
Computers and smart toys can help children develop basic literacy skills, but can they foster a love of books?
On a recent evening, my 5-year-old son, Finian, called out, "Daddy, I need your help!" Responding to the urgency in his voice, I ran over. I then grinned when I saw that he had drawn some pictures of flying saucers, and was poised with a marker in his right hand. He explained, "I have to write letters to my friends. Otherwise, they won't know what kind of spaceships to build. And we need a whole bunch of spaceships to fight the aliens! Can you help me spell the words?"
I wasn't about to let this fun, spontaneous teaching moment pass. So, over the next 15 minutes, I helped Finian spell out his friends' names, and this message, below each drawing: "Make this spaceship." Looking at his finished work, I was a proud father. Although this was a small step on the path to my son becoming literate, it was still significant. Later that night, as Finian played a vocabulary game on his Leapster handheld toy, I wondered about the role that software, multimedia, and "smart toys" play in teaching children to read and write.
Like many parents, my wife and I want to do every possible to help our children develop a love of reading, and acquire the literacy skills necessary to succeed in school, and beyond. We read to our children every day, visit the local library, and look for "teachable moments" in our daily lives. We also buy educational software that helps develop reading and writing. We sometimes purchase CD-ROMs or DVDs that make popular children's books interactive by adding music, animation, video clips and fun quizzes. These e-books help children explore a book on several different levels. At home, we visit Web sites that enable our son to get practice with letter and word recognition, play phonics games, and so on. Our son is especially fond of Web sites that let him draw, write stories, and color.
"Multimedia can be very beneficial for young children. For example, research shows that children who see a story's action animated are more likely to remember it," says early reading expert Susan B. Neuman, a professor of education at the University of Michigan. Plus, computer programs enable children to hear a story repeated many times until they master its language. But there's no substitute for a parent reading to a child. Parents can mediate the process, and help a child connect their book to their own lives. This is critical to the learning process."
How to Shop Smart
To help make sense of the many "learn to read" CDs, Web sites, and toys available, ask yourself these questions:
- Is the program age appropriate? (Is the font size suitable for your child? Is there too much text on each screen? Is the vocabulary level suitable?)
- Does the program encourage a sense of discovery? Does it allow your child to solve problems and make his own decisions?
- Does the program offer "intelligent" feedback? (When a child makes a mistake, how does the program respond?)
- Is the educational content presented systematically? (Does it build sequentially? Are there opportunities for children to demonstrate what they know days and even weeks after the initial "lesson"?)
- Does the program keep track of your child's progress?
- How does the program encourage independent learning? What choices can your child make as she plays along?
- Might the program inspire your child to read in other contexts? (What opportunities are there for connecting with physical books at home, and in school?)
- How easily can your child control the features by himself? Are the audio instructions and feedback clear?
- Does the program include information for parents that clearly outlines the educational goals?
- What is the balance between the entertainment and instruction? The more the multimedia aspects of a program support the educational goals, the stronger the product. Too many distractions make it difficult for your child to focus.
Every Child Is Different
Whether you are purchasing software, borrowing DVDs from the library, or visiting online learning sites, remember some basic notions about literacy education. First, every child learns to read at her own pace. No two children become "literate" quite the same way. So multiple approaches, including technology, are useful. Scholastic's ClickSmart Reading, for example, uses animated adventures to motivate your child as she reads online storybooks and practices phonics, word recognition, and other early literacy skills. One of the strengths of this program is that its activities adapt depending on your child's abilities, so she can learn at her own pace.
Second, learning to read is a very gradual process. There is no panacea that will turn your child into a reader overnight. As long as he is presented with a variety of approaches, and receives support from you, he will most likely develop into a skilled reader.
Finally, while the latest technology might seem essential, keep in mind that children learned to read thousands of years before there were computers or DVD players. There is nothing as powerful as having your child sit on your lap as you take him through one of your favorite stories. If he can't wait to turn the page, then he is headed in the right direction.
