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Some here rather sharply questioned my advocacy of picture books in traditional format for small children over the Ipad and other versions.
Interestingly, I was at a gathering this evening where two elementary school teachers with many years of experience - one a Montessori teacher of small children, the other a teacher of middle-grade gifted children in the public schools - and I discussed this very thing. All were in agreement that electronic, computerized devices have their place - but that children who are learning to read do far, far better with traditional, print-on-paper books. My own profession involved work with children for over twenty-five years, btw.
Much has to do with tactile experience - a young child can feel the texture of books' pages and binding, the pages can be turned physically (important for eye-hand coordination and small muscle control), the illustrations are right there, printed on the pages, and can be touched and felt in a way that their on-screen counterpart cannot. You can even smell the ink. If you're a small child sitting in a parent's lap or next to a parent (or other caring adult), the experience becomes even more valuable.
I'm the person who buys a book because it's a specific edition. Nothing like reading Twain with the original typeset and drawings.
Lol, I've got NO problems with 7-year old's knowing the ins and outs of an iPad. It's 2014. I recently had a kid, about 7, show me how to use an interactive display at a museum. I was impressed. I asked him how he knew what to do and he said, "We have computers at school." I thanked him for showing me.... then I told him he rocked.
p.s. When I was a 7-year old the experts were wringing their hands and telling our parents that the hours we spent in front of a black and white TV was going to ruin our eyesight, rot our brains and isolate us. Didn't happen.
If you see those people again.... ask them what they think of a kid WANTING to learn how to read...... because it's on a computer. Ask them their opinion of kids WANTING to read..... because it's on an iPad. The sky isn't falling. The sky is expanding.
Last edited by DewDropInn; 05-03-2014 at 07:46 PM..
I'm the person who buys a book because it's a specific edition. Nothing like reading Twain with the original typeset and drawings. .
So how do the words, and the meaning of those words. change? For what ever reason you may buy a first addition....it is not because it makes the story better.
It's to stroke your ego....and hey...that's okay if what works for you....but you can't pretend that it makes the words somehow better.
Real books are far better than computer programs, when it comes to learning to read easily. While ebooks have their place, the real thing still cannot be improved upon, especially for children.
Do you have a link to support this claim?
The OP is not talking about ebooks. She is talking about games to help a beginning reader.
p.s. They're facsimile reprints, not first editions. If you have a need to psychoanalyze my reading experience you might start with getting those details correct.
Last edited by DewDropInn; 05-04-2014 at 09:34 AM..
My soon to be 7year old (in June) is just finishing kindergarten. It has been a very hard ride with letters, words, recognition, numbers, etc - You name it. We have gotten special help within her school and also have hired personal tutors for after school. My wife has an Ipad and there is a Reading egg app that the school gave us to help and she uses that. However, we wanted to get her own device and wasn't sure what to get her. We wanted this device to assist with learning and also let her have some fun on it along with ebooks that she can read. Which device do people suggest given the history? thanks!
Ipad is the best because of the variety of apps. And, it will grow with him. There is a kindle app for the Ipad, so he can have any ebooks on that. Also, there are apps that help teaching reading depending upon what he is struggling with.
While "real" books are great, and the bonding time with parents is unmatched by any app, the OP is looking for apps to assist in learning. Books can't do what these apps can, they have been made for many great moments with our little ones. When our, at the time, 1 yr old starting pointing to letters around the house and saying their names and making their sounds, we were astonished, his learning is greatly accelerated by these types of apps. Our two year old knows all his colors, shapes, can count to 100 (and likely more if we emphasized it). He can say the alphabet backwards, easily, it's amazing. We were in bed reading a real book (gasp!) the other night with numbers, and as we counted, he said "No, No Mommy, that's Uno, Dos, Tres..." He counted to twenty in Spanish, on his own, we've never showed him that. We later discovered he had seen a video of counting Spanish on one of his apps. Amazing learning potential, he knows more than we know he knows
So how do the words, and the meaning of those words. change? For what ever reason you may buy a first addition....it is not because it makes the story better.
It's to stroke your ego....and hey...that's okay if what works for you....but you can't pretend that it makes the words somehow better.
I didn't see her pretend it makes the words better.
An appreciation for old books and typesetting doesn't negate appreciation for iPads - just as appreciation for iPads shouldn't negate appreciation for analog books.
I love both (and am a staunch long time defender of technology for kids on this forum), but they are not exactly the same experience.
I didn't see her pretend it makes the words better.
An appreciation for old books and typesetting doesn't negate appreciation for iPads - just as appreciation for iPads shouldn't negate appreciation for analog books.
I love both (and am a staunch long time defender of technology for kids on this forum), but they are not exactly the same experience.
They are definitely not the same experience, and I still can't really read books on screens. I like to actually hold the book.
If you're looking for apps, an iPad is a better option if you're OK with spending that much for a young child.
I basically do iPads on the hand me down track. I.e. my son is using the ipad Generation 2. As I get a new ipad. . .(maybe I'll think about another one in October) i'll hand down the next one.
I think the most important thing is a good strong case/wrap and screen protector.
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