Lately there is a lot of buzz about all the eBook Readers for children use. Many companies have been creating new eReaders that have animation, full color, 1,000 of book choices, sound and built in dictionaries. These eReaders are seen as a great way to help children move into a more technology based society, where hard books and newspapers have gone to strictly online formats.
Many of my friends have kindles and even as an adult I hate the idea of them. You lose so much of what a book is about by not being able to physically feel and turn the pages. For children, the idea of having animation to their books, almost loses the point of a book entirely. Children books can be so magically and allow you mind to wander to mystical, magically lands, and the eReaders are destroying any hope of the child developing an vivid imagination. All the work of creating the picture of a character or setting in your head is taken away by animation.
I also very much disagree with the readers having sound. Books are meant to be read, not listened too. I understand books have been on tape for a very long time. But I don't agree with children using them either. Its imperative for children to develop strong reading skills and listening too books take that away. The children will suffer from not learning phonic and learning what new words look like. Plus looking at a screen for a long time will strain the childrens' eyes.
So ultimately, I do not see eReaders as a good substitute for a regular paper book.
Alyssa, You bring up some really great points about e-readers. Although I personally disagree with your opinion about them, I can totally see why you dislike them. I love the "feel" of an actual book, turning the pages without any obtrusive glare.
ReplyDeleteYou said in your post "Books are meant to be read, not listened to." What about books on tape? We'll be listening to an audio book during our course and we'll have to respond to it just like we have been with our paper books. What about learners who are more inclined to auditory based learning or readers who have difficulties with dyslexia? I am all for any way of getting children to read and experience literature, and if that is through Ereaders or Kindles or Audiobooks, I am all for it.
I think that there is a time and place for these types of devices. I'm somewhat on the fence about Kindles and Ereaders. I do agree with Ereaders maybe taking away the imagination aspect of the books but I do think they could be benificial for younger children who may not be able to read yet. I guess it would mostly depend on what these Ereaders actually do, for example if the words are being lit up or underlined while the book is being read that could obviously help with children's reading skills, but if its moreover just a animation telling of a story (basically a movie with subtitles) then I understand why you don't see these as being beneficial. Overall I think we're in an odd phase when it comes to books and technology, and like with any new "fad" there are going to be devices that are beneficial and others that may not be.
ReplyDeleteI’ve heard lots of pros and cons about eReaders and I’m still unsure of how I feel about the idea. I agree with you on how you lose the feel of the book with eReaders. I recently read a book on my mom’s iPad and although I enjoyed reading on it, I still miss the actual book. When reading a book, I always get excited when the remaining pages grow smaller and smaller as I near the end because that means I will soon be finding out the ending. But with the iPad I didn’t sense that same feeling as I saw the number of pages getting closer to the end. I believe little things like just flipping the pages and holding the real book in your hand enhance your reading experience.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this post one hundred percent, especially considering the things we have been discussing in class about how important illustrations are to the understanding and general enjoyment of the text in a picture book. There is something about holding a book in your hands that enables you to really be a part of the world that is in that book, something that is lost when a book is formatted to be electronic. You miss things this way, such as small details or messages that could be of interest to the reader. In my own personal experience, I remember my love of reading coming from the ability to actually feel like part of the book I was holding. Therefore, I cannot understand how a child might foster the same kind of love of reading looking at a screen rather than experiencing the magic feeling of physically being a part of the story.
ReplyDeleteI think the eReader helps to motivate younger kids to read. This summer I babysit for a little boy who is 5 years old, just going into kindergarten. Whenever we left the house to go somewhere, he brought his eReader in the car. Being a 5 year old, he could not read just yet, but the eReader read stories out loud to him. I think this was a good way to encourage learning to read in a fun way. At his age he is unable to pick up a paper book and read by himself, so I think this was a great way for him to be introduced to reading. Therefore, for a younger child I think having an eReader can be a good thing, but I do see how for an older child it could take away from the true reading experience of a paper book.
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