Teaching Literacy in the Early Elementary Grades Through the Use

of Technology

Margaret Albin

Dominican University

July 25, 2006

Technology Based Literacy

We are currently living in a world surrounded by technology. In fact, many children know how to use a

computer before they know how to read or write. As an elementary school

teacher it is important to be able to incorporate technology into my

curriculum and one way to do that is by using a technology based literacy

program.

What Programs are Available?

Fast ForWord DaisyQuest Little Planet WiggleWorks

Just to name a few! Let’s take a look at each of these programs.

Fast ForWord

This is a program that uses both CD-ROMs and Internet based practice. It is meant to help at-

risk children to build their oral language skills as well as their comprehension and critical thinking

skills. This program emphasizes: critical language skills, phonemic awareness, auditory

processing speed, phonological awareness, memory, syntax, grammar, and sequencing.

DaisyQuest

Designed as a pre-reading program for children ranging in age from pre-K through kindergarten. The main goal of the program is on phonological

awareness. Meant to teach the seven phonological awareness skills that have been

proven to be most important to young readers. These skills are: rhyming, beginning sounds,

middle sounds, ending sounds, blending phonemes, and segmenting.

Little Planet

“Little Planet literacy series is a comprehensive multimedia, language, and literacy program for beginning reading instruction suited for the end of kindergarten and beginning of first grade” (Schacter, 2002, p.23).

Little Planet works as follows; children are given a story on video, then they read from a text and either retell or rewrite their own versions of the story. This program offers a wide range and variety of texts which gives the children a broad range of skills to work with and master. The books are leveled and get increasingly harder as the children progress.

WiggleWorks

WiggleWorks is an interactive program designed for children in kindergarten through second grade. This program was developed by the Scholastic Beginning Literacy System and it teaches children phonetic awareness, letter recognition and naming, story comprehension, and phonics skills

Costs

Fast ForWord: $38,250 for 50 students

DaisyQuest: $29.95 per MAC

Little Planet: $32,000 for the 80 CD set, or $4,350 for the 10 CD set

WiggleWorks: $5,000 for a classroom or lab license

Positives

Children typically love to use the computer.

Cuts down on pressure from school district to use technology.

Teaches reading and writing with games and interactive activities.

Helps to teach children computer skills along with academic skills.

Negatives

*Very costly for a school district to have technology based literacy programs.

Not only are the programs expensive, but you would also have to of course have computers.

*Not enough time in the day to adequately use the programs.

*Very little research has been done on any of the long term results of these programs.

Resources

DeKeyser, Raymond (2004). Helping technology students improve their reading skills. Techdirections, 3, 22-23.

Holum, Ann & Gahala, Jan (2001). Critical issue: using technology to enhance literacy instruction. Retrieved July 10, 2006, from

www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/cntareas/reading/li300 htm.

Langone, John, Clees, Tom J., Rieber, Lloyd, & Matzko, Michael (2003). The future of Computer-based interactive technology for teaching individuals with moderate to severe disabilities issues relating to research and practice. Journal of Special Education Technology, 18, 5-16.

McNabb, M.L. (2005). Raising the bar on technology research in english language arts.Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 38, 113-119.

Resources Continued

Mott, Michael S., Benus, Matthew J., & Neal, Lisa (2005). Media-rich paper: enhancing reading comprehension through

touch user interface technology. E-Learn Magazine, April, 1-11.

Panell, Chris (2005). Teaching literacy in the technology classroom. Techdirections, January, 23-25.

Schacter, John (2002). Reading programs that work: a review of programs for pre-k to 4th grade. Retrieved on July 10, 2006 from, www.mff.org/pubs/ME279.pdf.

Watts-Taffe, Susan, Gwinn, Carolyn B., Johnson, Julie R., & Horn, Marcia L.. (2003). Preparing preservice teachers to

integrate technology with the elementary Literacy program. International Reading Association, 57, 130-138.