Healthy Skeptic

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 out that you won't use it or that it wasn't what you expect. It's pretty easy to download a free app and give it a try with little risk. So much is free on-line these days (Paid for in other ways!) that we have come to expect this. It doesn't help that these applications are not providing much information about the app's effectiveness and the credentials of the creators. It was nice to find on pages 77-79 of  Tap, Click, Read: Growing Readers in a World of Screens that their are reviewers trying to compare these apps and provide recommendations for the higher quality ones.


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