Very interesting study from the 'Joan Ganz Cooney Center' at Sesame Workshop. Its purpose was to discover the differences in the way parents and young children interact when reading print, basic e-books, or enhanced e-books together.
Definitions: E-book: digital version of a print book
Enhanced e-books: offers interactive media that may include videos & games.
Kids in different reading scenarios were then tested on their story comprehension and parents were interviewed about their reading practices.
Guess what? My blog description will not reveal the results of the study. Take a guess and then read. Were you correct? How do you feel about the results? Please comment.
Print or E-Books: Which Are Better for Early Learners? Julie Rasicot. 6/6/12. Education Week - Early Years
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/early_years/2012/06/with_the_growing_popularity_of.html?cmp=ENL-CM-NEWS2
My first instinct was to think that printed books were going to be the better option for early learners; mainly because that is what children are going to be used to. Initially, E-books might be exciting, but distracting from the contact if students aren't used to them. I did like how the artice stated that E-books are good for the relcutant reader. E-books definitely have there place and the main thing is to get students reading regardless if it is with printed books or E-books.
ReplyDeleteI can see the benefits of e-books/enhanced e-books, but do believe that print books are better for young children. There is something about being able to hold the object in your hands, study the illustrations on paper, and turn the pages (both forward and back to take a second look at something) that provides a feeling of intimacy with the characters and story, and a sense of accomplishment for early readers. True, one can do similar things with an e-book, but the experience is not the same when dealing with electronic pages that sort of do all the work for you, in a sense. E-books I think lack that intimacy with the feel of a book itself, and enhanced e-books can distract from the story and characters and become more of a gaming experience than a reflective experience. I think there is a place for both, however, as a bridge for reluctant readers and as a form of educational entertainment.
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