Christopher's Deep Thoughts (On Literacy)

I thought it was interesting in Chapter 8 of Tap Click Read when the authors quoted Maryanne Wolf saying that reading "isn't something we were born to do-it's something we train our brains to do". While I do read to learn things, I wouldn't say I enjoy reading. I have always read very slow and tend to get lost and daydream while "reading" several lines, even paragraphs, of text. Reading about literacy for this course has given me a new perspective on reading, though it still takes me a long time. There are so many things we do in life that, while we may consider them necessary now, are not necessarily natural and how we do them is not set in stone. I think of this when I read about new technologies. If we are not born to do it and it must be learned, one could even argue that reading and literacy are a technology. Technologies evolve through time. We have to be critical of new technologies. Especially when using that technology to educate. However, we...

There should always be a healthy skepticism when it comes to new technology. New technology and ideas can produce opportunities that were not possible or even considered before their development. Smartphones and tablets have allowed apps to be created for all kinds of things. Some apps are for entertainment and others are functional. In Chapter 6 of Tap, Click, Read: Growing Readers in a World of Screens  the authors discuss the availability of apps to improve literacy for young children. There is concern that these apps may not be effective and worse detrimental to the child's learning. One factor in how apps are selected by parents and educators seems to be price. I am guilty of only choosing apps that are free and it is to be expected that parents and educators would be motivated in the same way. It is likely that the apps that cost money are developed to higher quality and more effective but the higher cost is a deterrent. You don't want to pay for something and then find o...