Kindling a Passion for Literature
This
article explore the discovery that the author, Gigi Whiteside, made when
introducing Kindle devices to her “non-readers”. Whiteside had doubts and
oppositions to e-readers when they first came out, but eventually tried them
out with her “non-reader” students. The Kindle devices have capabilities for
text-to-speech, which allow students to listen to books as they read along.
Whiteside quickly learned that they students loved these new devices, and
instead of asking, “Do we have to
read?” they were asking, “Do we get
to read?”. The introduction of these devices has dramatically changed her
students’ outlook on learning, school and reading. Whiteside explained that
students who were always reluctant towards any lessons started to express
excitement and engage in discussion over their books. The Kindle’s have changed
Whiteside’s classroom, increased the students’ engagement, and even improved
their scores on the standard assessments.
I
was shocked to read all of the great influences that the Kindle has on
Whiteside’s students. It is so encouraging to hear about technology being used
to promote learning, reading, and classroom engagement in students. I hope that
other teachers can see the use in technology like this, and hopefully more
classrooms will implement these programs. If we can use technology to promote
this sort of development in our students, maybe we can influence the gap
between “non-readers” and the rest of their classmates.
This
article has a strong correlation with the ISTE NETS standard 5b, exhibit a
positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning
and productivity. These students expressed excitement towards using the
Kindle’s to read their books, discuss their books, and think critically about
the literature, which is a perfect example of this ISTE NETS standard.
Whiteside, G. (2012). Kindling a Passion for Literature. Learning
and Leading with Technology, 39(7). 33-34. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/201205#pg35.
Lindsey,
ReplyDeleteIt is great to hear the impact that Kindle e-readers had on these students. I have found that young students are often very interested in technology, even when using it for educational purposes. When I asked my friend’s younger sibling why she enjoyed using an iPad so much, she replied that it makes her feel older and more responsible, and in my opinion her behavior then starts to reflect those emotions.
After skimming the article, I wish that author Whiteside had made the results section slightly more solid in its findings. I definitely believe Kindles improve reading skills, but I would be interested in an actual study documenting their use.
Thanks for sharing this very interesting article!
April
The fact that the students asked “Do we get to read?" is a powerful idea. It shows their interesting in reading and learning. I don’t see that often in classrooms (my experience is most in math classrooms). I wonder: in addition to Kindle, what exactly did teacher do in his or her teaching. One cannot just bring in the technology without adjusting classroom practice. What happened there that contributed to the change of students’ attitudes toward learning?
ReplyDeleteRong-Ji