Engaging Reluctant Readers: Literature Links and Descriptions

Over this past week I’ve been researching sources on how to engage reluctant readers (specifically through the use of technology). I selected this topic of focus last week with some hesitation, as there are so many unexplored and interesting avenues that I could take my research. My decision however has been confirmed, as I combed through journal articles over this past week.  I am thrilled with the direction it is taking me, its application to elementary grades, and the affordability of accessing some of these resources/applications.

When I began my research, I imagined it would take me into research focused on e-readers, tablets, interactive fiction, and online stories as tools for assisting and motivating reluctant readers. I knew very little about these resources, how they worked, or how a teacher would go about implementing them. What I have found is that much of the research in the area of increasing reading interest and success is attributed to the use of multimodal and digitally based texts. Many are easily accessible and there is a wealth of knowledge available on how to use these tools with students.

Inanimate Alice “Born Digital” (Source Link)

This journal article is about the award-winning transmedia storytelling project, Inanimate Alice. Inanimate Alice is a “born-digital novel” (named Best Web-site in United States for Teaching and Learning in 2012 by AASL). The article highlights the multimodality characteristic of this project. It is similar to a role-playing game, where in order for students to comprehend the story of Alice Field, a globe-trotting girl who wants to be a game designer when she grows up, they must make meaning out of images, sounds and actions. The multimodality of this story-telling project is described as a literacy tool and one that opens up opportunities for engaging reluctant readers. Inanimate Alice is cited as being a 21^st Century learning tool and one that has the power to develop critical-thinking skills, creativity, collaboration skills and communication.

Hovious, A. (2014). Inanimate Alice: Born digital. Teacher Librarian, 42(2), 42-46.

Reading Workshop 2.0: Children’s Literature in the Digital Age (Source Link)

This resource discusses what a Reading Workshop 2.0 environment looks like. It examines the use of multimodal and digitally based texts as a new avenue for breaking away from traditional book reports and paper/pencil tasks. Using these devices, Serafini states, still requires decoding of text, but demands that students navigate new text structures. Included in the text is a discussion on audio books, e-readers, interactive digital storybooks and the ability of such devices to allow students to share with others via websites.

Serafini, F. & Youngs, S. (2013). Reading workshop 2.0: Children’s literature in the digital age. The Reading Teacher, 66(5), 401-404.

Using Digital Story Projects to Help Students Improve in Reading and Writing (Source Link)

This article opens by discussing the importance of technologies’ place in schools. It states the necessity for students to be technologically literate, so that they are able to function in today’s digital society. It calls on teachers to prepare students in this way, stating that it is a disservice, and detrimental to students’ future should they not be taught to use technology effectively in school. Furthermore, this article outlines digital storytelling and how it can be used to improve students’ reading, and reading motivation (specific to reluctant readers). It is stated that reading, reading motivation, fluency and vocabulary all improve through the use of digital storytelling circles (DSCs). In conclusion, the author lists websites with examples of digital storytelling, as well links to tutorials on how to create digital stories in a variety of programs such as Photo Story 3 and iMovie.

Morgan, H. (2014). Using digital story projects to help students improve in reading and writing. Reading Improvement, 51(1), 20-26.

Multimodal Children’s E-Books Help Young Learners in Reading (Source Link)

Interactive electronic resources provide struggling readers with the motivation to make academic gains and they improve in reading as a result. This article provides a background on the difficulties children have with reading and the motivational issues that go hand-in-hand. Such e-books (those that combine text with sound, animation, and images) are cited as promoting “literacy development by providing young learners with guidance through the use of additional text tools” (Morgan, 2013, p. 80). The article discusses how teachers can implement the successful use of multimodal e-books, provides guide lines for selecting good interactive e-books, and includes a list of e-book apps for children as well as a checklist for selecting your own.

Morgan, H. (2013). Multimodal children’s e-books help young learners in reading. Early Childhood Education Journal, 41(6), 477-483.