You often hear older people complain about the use of technology to view books with the coined phrase “There will be no use for the good old paper book”.
But think about a classroom situation where children who are abled different literacy wise than others – having to be helped in different ways by the teacher. That’s a lot of effort. Under no circumstances am I saying as educators we shouldn’t used traditional texts or writing methods – but think of that less abled child who switches off and disengages with the task because they are struggling.
That’s where technology comes in. If we’re reading a book in class for private reading, the availability of audio texts to accompany the texts can support the less abled child to advance in their abilities and hopefully catch up with the rest of their class.
This is similar when it comes to writing abilities. A child who is unable to write to the same abilities as the class will be able to create a story using less words and images with ease.
Some suggest that eBooks can be an “assistive technology” for struggling readers, useful to help students get caught up to “normal reading development.
Teaching with eBooks enables teachers to address “21st century skills” related to digital texts and digital environments (Felvegi & Matthew, 2012).
Also with the easy access to settings like read-ability settings can enhance the learning experience of learners with physical and/or learning difficulties. This not only lets them learn in unity with the rest of the class – but provides them the access and tools to work independently and be responsible for their own learning.
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Adjustible elements: text size, contrast of screen colours, etc.
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Text-to-speech and audio narration features
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Options for students to add notes and bookmarks
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Text highlighting
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Access to word definitions
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For some students with physical disabilities, options such as being able to touch a screen may be easier than manipulating a print book.
(Cavanaugh, 2002)
Whilst it is clear that some teachers will be out of their element introducing literacy through eBooks; Nobody can argue with the mass benefits of eBooks to learners who are struggling and the hugely positive impact this can have on their learning.
