This week I am working on a paper all about e-readers for my reading development class. Our textbook says that electronic talking books can be especially helpful for students who have limited motivation to read. I totally agree that e-readers can help entice reluctant readers but I am cautious about letting my students use ETB in the classroom because of the possibility for distraction due to the “extras” such as sound effects or animation. An article that I read in The Reading Teacher discussed the different types of interactions that exist in ETBs and put forth an evaluation tool to help teachers determine the quality of an electronic book. The article suggested that teachers look at the interactions to see if they, supported the text, or extended the readers thinking beyond the text, or if they were just for fun. If you use electronic books in your classroom, do you find that interactions within the e-books draw students’ attention away from the actual reading of the text? How do you choose what books are available for students to read? What apps or websites do you use?
