Say Yes to No - Is the Internet hurting or helping reading skills?

Monday, July 28, 2008

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Is the Internet hurting or helping reading skills?

Reading specialists are in the middle of a hot debate on whether Internet screen time is helping or hurting kids’ reading skills. Articles in The Atlantic: “Is Google Making Us Stoopid?” and the latest New York Times Article: “Online, R U Really Reading?” have added fuel to the discussion.

Since the Institute has always had literacy and reading at the core of our concerns about electronic screens in general, I thought I’d add a few thoughts to the debate. First, we should remember that we are talking about children and not adults. Kids’ brains are wiring for language from the moment they are born. Their language skills evolve from listening, then speaking, and in our culture, then reading. Language and how we think are intertwined. A rich language base enables a child to use a host of words to describe their thoughts, their feelings, the pictures they see in their brains and the experiences they have in their world. And further, a rich language base helps a child to understand and take part in the ideas, thoughts and feelings of another person.

So what we should be concerned about is the language skills of children, of which reading is an important part. Now remembering that childhood is the time when children acquire the skill sets that will enable them to function to their fullest potential, the debate about on-line reading versus book reading is important. It’s my belief that to live in the 21st century, a child will need both. A child needs the mental agility that digital literacy brings. If one is looking for information – the Internet wins, hands down. And children need to develop the digital literacy skills to find, evaluate, view, respond, and yes, read that information, on-line. But the child who brings the ability to focus and sustain attention and the ability to delve into a rich language environment, which books can provide, for both emotional enjoyment and more importantly, the wiring of their brains to be able to grasp more complex thoughts, will have greater success in our 21st century world.

The visual stimulation of the on-line world captivates kids. We need to enhance their language environment through the equally captivating world of their imagination to build a richer language environment. In addition to books, that might mean more storytelling, more reading out loud, and more shared reading with our kids.

How do you help your kids read?

Dr. Dave

Monday, July 28, 2008 10:52:49 AM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)

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Monday, July 28, 2008 5:58:13 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)

1. Encourage them to start a book club with their friends

A book club is a great way to get your kids interested in reading. All across the country these groups of book lovers are becoming very popular. The easiest way to begin is to have your child choose a group of 3-10 friends that would like to join. You might contact their parents and let them know what you are trying to do. Once your child has found a group, they can all decide on a book to read and discuss as they go. Help your child make the club a fun, interactive activity by planning weekly meetings with treats. They can also make posters advertising their club to put up around school to enlist more members.

The benefits of a book club are that it takes the solitary aspect of reading and brings it into a child’s social sphere (which is very important to them). It also allows them to discuss what they’ve read, which helps them with reading comprehension.

2. Incorporate technology

Today’s kids are certainly better at using technology than we were. Raised with computers, video games, and iPods, these kids are both accustomed to and craving technology. While some might think that this puts them in direct conflict with old-fashioned book reading, there are some great ways to incorporate reading into technology.

The Cupcakes Club is a perfect example. The Cupcakes Club (www.thecupcakesclub.com) is an online book club/kiddy social media site started by a grade school teacher intent on encouraging her students to read. The site is aimed at girls aged 6-12 and uses fun, value-driven books sent in the mail and a safe online club where members can read up on their favorite character’s blogs, get updates, participate in moderated discussions, as well as play games and get advice from mentors. Sites like these are a really simple way of ensuring that your kids are getting regular reading material and encouragement while interacting in a safe place online. "I wanted to write books that make for great "what would you do?" conversations between friends or mothers and daughters. The Cupcakes Club introduces young girls to pre-teens in situations that they can relate to and enjoy and maybe learn some life lessons at the same time,” says Donna Benson, author and founder of The Cupcakes Club.

3. Help them find books with characters or topics they identify with

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that your kids are more apt to read books containing characters that they identify with or topics they are interested in. However, these may not always be easy for them to find and they may not realize (especially younger ones) the full variety of books available. Take your kids to the library and let them page through some books, or browse amazon.com with them to let them see what’s out there.

It’s also important to note that gender representation is very important to kids. Many researchers and authors argue that readers identify with characters of their own gender in books. Whether you have girls or boys, you should know that finding appropriate female and male characters in books helps kids to identify with their gender and to validate their place in society. Make sure that the books they are reading present them with appropriate role models, and are not overly stereotypical.

4. Discuss ideas in books that your child reads (Yes, this means you will be reading the books your children read).

Reading the books your children are reading gives you a unique opportunity to bond with them and share their reading experience. In addition, it demonstrates that reading is important to you as well. When reading your childrens’ books, look for important themes and topics that can lead into age-appropriate discussions. Remember, this is a great opportunity to communicate important messages to your child and to listen to their own viewpoints, ideas and opinions.

5. When a topic of interest develops that involves the whole family, bring home some books on the topic to share. Give everyone a “mission” to find a specific piece of information and report on it.

Why not make reading and researching a full family affair? Especially with kids of varying ages, it can often be difficult to bring everyone together with common goals. Reading is a great way to do it. If your family is planning an upcoming vacation, consider bringing home some books, magazines or even internet materials for everyone to look at and read. You might even let everyone research a few choices and give reasons why they prefer a specific place according to what they’ve read.

Another idea is to choose a hobby that the kids are interested in trying and letting them look at books on the subject. This is a great way to help your kids read with a purpose and recall details and report them. It allows everyone to participate in the project, and sets the stage for years of research papers.

Donna Benson

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