{"id":35,"date":"2009-09-26T10:32:43","date_gmt":"2009-09-26T17:32:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/?p=35"},"modified":"2009-09-26T10:32:43","modified_gmt":"2009-09-26T17:32:43","slug":"online-e-books-dont-overlook-their-importance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/online-e-books-dont-overlook-their-importance\/","title":{"rendered":"Kids Online eBooks: Don't Overlook Their Importance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Importance of Reading\"\"<\/span><\/h2>\n

R<\/span><\/strong>eading to your child is one of the most important things you can do to prepare your child for school. The foundation for instilling early learning success begins as a baby. The sooner you begin reading regularly to your baby the better off s\/he will be.\u00a0 Reading to your baby helps in the following ways:<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0 develops a closeness between the parent and child<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 o\u00a0 elevates the importance of books to children in a fun way<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0 is great for setting up a bedtime routine that the baby will eventually recognize and follow<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0 helps growing babies to understand how books work with pictures and turning pages<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0 is a fun activity involving interaction between the book, child, and parent<\/p>\n

As a baby gets older,\u00a0s\/he has learned to look forward to this time of closeness and adventure. Reading books helps children to understand the alphabet, communication through print, and the characteristics of written language.1\u00a0\u00a0 By the time the child reaches two, children who have been read to regularly show better language understanding, have larger vocabularies, and show higher cognitive abilities than other children. 2 Furthermore, continued parent-child reading during the preschool leads to increased reading achievement in elementary school and an increased enthusiasm for reading and learning.3<\/p>\n

Reading eBooks Online <\/span><\/h2>\n

The best place for a child to learn how to read is in your lap with a book.\u00a0 There is no better first learning experience than this.\u00a0 However, as your child gets older, exposing him\/her to other reading mediums can be very valuable.\u00a0 The Internet is full of games, coloring pages, videos, and e-books where your child can enhance his\/her reading ability.\u00a0 Age three and higher is recommended for children using the Internet.\u00a0 Their cognitive abilities are more operable as well as their potential in maneuvering the mouse.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Reading eBooks is beneficial because they:<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0 provide children with an interactive experience though sound, movement, turning pages, etc.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0 enhance the reading experience by hearing different voices read to them<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0 improve hand-eye coordination as they follow the screen and click the previous and next page buttons 4<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0 help initiate kids to the computer – where they will be spending most of their time in the future<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0 often provide a twist on a familiar story making an old story new again<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0 prepare children for the very possible future of online libraries – which will compliment physical libraries but\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 provide more convenience and a 24\/7 experience<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0 “bring added dimensions to the learning environment when used in an appropriate context.” \"\"5<\/p>\n

You may have read about the popularity of eReaders.\u00a0 Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s eReader are the big players in this market.\u00a0 These readers can hold a lot of books and the clarity of the print they project is pretty amazing.\u00a0 It really does seem as if you’re reading an actual printed book.\u00a0 Nonetheless, their future growth is unpredictable – much like GPS systems.\u00a0 These stand alone devices can become inconvenient when a person needs to tote around their laptop, GPS, E-Reader, cell phone, etc.\u00a0 The future is in multi-bundled devices – such as the iPhone.<\/p>\n

With\u00a0 the advent of the touch screen, there are numerous possibilities for books and how children interact with them.\u00a0 Children are being raised with computers, Gameboys, Nintendo DS’s, playing with their parents iPhone or cell phones, etc.\u00a0 They love playing with these gadgets.\u00a0 Why not enhance their reading experience with the interactivity and entertainment these devices provide children?\u00a0 It’s the best of both worlds.\u00a0 iPhones and other multimedia phones can already hold thousands of mp3’s and pictures – eBooks are the next logical step.<\/p>\n

\"See<\/strong><\/p>\n

Interactive eBooks are sure to be big due to:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0 their instant accessibility (once downloaded)<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0 condensed format – no more lugging heavy books around<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o convenience – whether stretching out on the sofa or sitting on a plane – you can now read anywhere<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0 entertainment value to kids<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0 increases kids’ independence if the eBook has audio narration – the whole story can be read or the child can click on\u00a0single unknown words\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0\u00a0 multimedia experience – increasing learning through sight, sound, and interactivity with theclick of a mouse<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0 some eBooks offer online quizes after the book is over to help children with their reading comprehension.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This is key because it helps prepare children for education standards later in their schooling.\u00a0 They will be tested not on how well they read but on how well they understand what they read.<\/p>\n

\u00a0My SQUEEZE on e-books:<\/span><\/h2>\n

I highly recommend engaging your child in eBooks and online activity.\u00a0 However, in no way do I advise allowing eBooks to replace the traditional book reading experience.\u00a0 eBooks offer a new exciting way for kids to enjoy books and interact with them in a way that is not possible with traditional books.<\/p>\n

At my little girl’s school, they utilize an Accelerated Reader (AR) program which assesses whether or not a child has read a book. AR is a progress monitoring software assessment tool used by primary and secondary schools for monitoring the practice of reading.6\u00a0 It helps teachers assess their students’ comprehension rates and grade reading level.\u00a0 AR is used by more than 75,000 schools nationwide.\u00a0 My daughter reads books at home and then takes her AR test the next day at school.\u00a0 She is already learning to use the computer to take quizes on the books she reads.\u00a0 She started taking these tests in Kindergarten!\u00a0 When I took my GRE (Graduate Records Examination) test to enter graduate school\u00a0– nearly 10 years ago – it was all computer based – which included reading comprehension.\u00a0 There’s no doubt in my mind that our children will read more things and be evaluated online as technology progresses.<\/p>\n

If you’d like to pursue eBooks further, here are some links for you to view.\u00a0 I noticed that most free sites are limited in their offerings and interactivity.\u00a0 Nonetheless, they provide for a good introduction to reading eBooks online.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0StarFall <\/a>– Short stories for beginning readers<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0StarFall – Beginners <\/a>– online text with audio or emerging readers<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 o\u00a0BBC Childrens stories<\/a>\u00a0 Popular kids shows in England<\/span><\/p>\n

I have recently been given the opportunity to review a children’s eBook retailer online.\u00a0 Stay tuned.\u00a0 I will be posting my review of their site shortly.\u00a0 UPDATE<\/strong><\/span>:\u00a0 I reviewed the site Wizz-e.com<\/a>, see my post here, entitled, ” eBooks Review:\u00a0 Wizz-e.com<\/a>.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Remember, reading to your children – or having them read themselves – is an important daily habit to continue.\u00a0 Experts recommend a minimum of 15 minutes a day.\u00a0 Fifteen minutes a day can pay big dividends\u00a0for a lifetime of learning.\u00a0 Enjoy this reading time with your kids, they grow so fast, as you already know.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lori<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

1\u00a0 Armbruster, B., Lehr, F., and Osborn, J. (2002). “Teaching Our Youngest: A Guide for Preschool Teachers and Child Care and Family Providers.” Early Childhood Task Force. Us Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available: http:\/\/www.ed.gov\/teachers\/how\/early\/teachingouryoungest\/index.html<\/a><\/h6>\n
2\u00a0 Raikes, H., Pan, B.A., Luze, G.J., Tamis-LeMonda, C.S., Brooks-Gunn, J., Constantine, J., Tarullo, L.B., Raikes, H.A, Rodriguez, E. (2006). “Mother-child bookreading in low-income families: Correlates and outcomes during the first three years of life.” Child Development, 77(4).<\/h6>\n
3\u00a0 Kuo, A.A., Franke, T.M., Regalado, M., and Halfon, N. (2004). “Parent Report of Reading to Young Children.” Pediatrics, 113(6), pp. 1944-1951.<\/h6>\n
4\u00a0\u00a0http:\/\/www.teaching-children-to-read.net\/benefits-of-reading-to-children.html<\/h6>\n
5\u00a0Abbott, W. & Kelly, K. (2004). Sooner or later! Have e-books turned the page? Library Papers. Posted<\/h6>\n
through ePublications@Bond University. Retrieved from https:\/\/epublications.bond.au\/library-pubs\/5<\/h6>\n
\u00a0<\/h6>\n
6\u00a0<\/span>http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Accelerated_Reader<\/span><\/a><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reading to your baby or child daily has been shown to increase their language understanding, increase their vocabularies, and develop higher cognitive abilities than other children. Incorporating eBooks into your reading routine with your child helps to add fun and variety, assist the child in learning the computer, brings new life to familiar stories, and prepares your child for future school assignments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[2776,60,64,87,2783,152,227],"class_list":["post-35","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kids","tag-books","tag-children","tag-computer","tag-ebooks","tag-kids","tag-learning","tag-reading","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}