Monday, June 23, 2014

Reflection #9: E-Readers


The article I chose on e-readers was published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) in 2012. The central point of the article was a study done in an urban middle school. Two reading improvement classes were examined before and after the integration of Kindle e-readers into the classroom. Students were given the choice to use these e-readers or read traditional books during their silent reading period, and most students chose to use the e-readers. They had over 25 texts loaded on to them, including classics as well as ghost stories. After two months, most students reported that they had read 1-4 books on their e-reader.

 The authors elaborated on five benefits of using e-readers in the classroom:

      1. Motivation
        - Students engagement in reading improved
        - Students attitudes about reading improved
     2. Ability to respond to text
        - Students used highlighting feature to analyze text
        - Students can add notes to a specific section of the text
     3. Support for ELA
        - Students can read lower leveled texts without their peers realizing it
        - Voice-to-text options allow texts to be read out loud (however, it sounds robotic)
     4. Increased confidence in technology
        - Provides all students with access to technology
        - Gives students an opportunity to practice using and evaluating technology
     5. Economic advantages
        - Could reduce amount of school funds spent on printed textbooks

 Overall, I like the idea of giving every student their own tablet or "e-reader." They are cheaper than laptops and would provide students with access to practically all computer functions. However, I do realize that we have to consider the initial costs, maintenance, and monitoring of such devices. 
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2 comments:

  1. UnknownJune 24, 2014 at 12:57 AM

    I agree it would be nice for students to have these in hand. I feel they would read more books because they would have access to many more books than they may be able to check out of the library. Initial cost may be expensive but it would cut down on cost of printed text. I liked the ability to respond to text (highlight and add notes) you referenced in this article. I like to do that in articles or books I have for class but it would be useful to have in a tablet to save paper or purchasing cost of buying the actually book.

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  2. Crystal LawrenceJune 24, 2014 at 1:03 AM

    This sounds like a wonderful article. I agree with the 5 benefits presented, especially the support for ELA. Having students reading levels kept private would prevent some of the embarrassment that struggling readers sometimes face. The voice to text option would help those students as well. Very helpful ideas! I enjoyed reading your post!

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