Tag Archives: literacy

Literacy and Education — How Can Audio Books Help?

by admin

Article by Bou Allem

The arrival of multimedia initially pushed the use of audio books as an educational tool into the background. Seen against the backdrop of a generation of young television addicts, it is hardly surprising that the already beleaguered literacy-related abilities of children were subject to yet another setback when audio books disappeared from the scene.

Several educators soon started adding two and two together, and came to the conclusion that in order to address the myriad of challenges associated with the decline in literacy, the underlying problem of listening skills needed to be addressed. As a result, audio books have yet again stepped to the fore and have regained recognition as valuable contributors in educational terms.

Many educators are downloading audio books from the web to address this issue. All the latest titles ranging from Narnia to Harry Potter are available as audio book downloads today. Because of the popularity of these stories, children need not be coerced into listening to these audio books. They look forward to story time – regardless of whether it is a part of the curriculum or whether it is the reward for a day’s work well done!

What is the educational value of audio books to children?

The very first value that comes to mind is listening skills. The first contact an unborn babe makes with the outside world while she is still in her mother’s womb is through hearing. After her birth, she uses hearing to acquire the skill to verbally communicate with others. This language skill she develops over the first few years in her life is her first step towards literacy.

The second contribution made by audio books, revolves around language ability. Children are bombarded with visual stimuli. Television, movies and the majority of educational toys available today, are all visual. In the absence of aural stimuli, such as those offered by audio books, listening skills become under-developed, impacting both language and literacy.

Audio books impose the need on the child to listen to the spoken word (language). In addition to improving the child’s grammar, it also improves vocabulary and elocution all of which underpin literacy. Audio books allow children the opportunity to create images in their mind’s eye. By stimulating a child’s ability to imagine, her ability for lateral thinking is also greatly enhanced.

The third benefit of audio books as an educational tool falls within the ambit of reading and comprehension. These are critical learning skills. Reading centers and laboratories report that as many as 80% of all students tested not only read at speeds 2 years or more below the levels required for their specific age groups, but also show a comprehension / retention of 65% and less. There are many different methods employed to assist enrolled students with recovering the ‘lost years’. Of note is the fact that some of these centers make use of audio books in conjunction with the readers they provide.

The students follow the written text in time with the audio books being played back to them. A visual / aural link is forged between the written word and the spoken word. Once this divide is crossed, tangible progress is made both in terms of reading speeds and comprehension. In addition to the hour or two spent at these centers per week, twenty minutes’ supplemental reading is required per day. Instead of issuing a student on the read-along program with a CD, many centers offer the student access to the appropriate audio book online.

How can parents help?

The answer is simple: Get them listening to audio books – sooner rather than later. Opportunities for listening to audio books abound. For smaller children, parents can play audio books in the car. For teens, consider allowing audio book downloads to their iPods and other Media Players. Compared against the printed medium, audio books procured in this way are relatively cheap. The range of titles available means that there is something for anybody. Even for the most ‘difficult’ of teens!

Although buying audio books may not be the biggest investment a parent can make in money terms, investing in audio books may well turn out to be the biggest in terms of value.

Bou Allem is a former teacher, now a successful internet marketer and published, owner of the sites: http://www.spoken-books.com and http://www.planet3000.info










The educational app: new solutions to America’s literacy problem

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Article by Fran H Jakubowicz

A revolution in early childhood education is taking place in certain cities in the United States thanks to modern technology and certain educators and politicians who have allowed themselves to think out of the box. Apple ipads have made their way into kindergartens in Auburn, Maine; Omaha, Nebraska; Columbiana, Ohio; and Scottsdale Arizona. The goal of the iPad program in Maine is to increase the literacy rate from 62% to 90%. Tom Morrill, the Superintendent in Maine commented in a Boston Globe report , “The iPad is a powerful education tool with hundreds of teaching applications, with its touchpad screen, it is simple to use and can bring learning to life with imagery and sounds. It’s a revolution in education.” Superintendent Morrill has already received a lot of positive feedback regarding this program.

The ipad has a lot of work to do if it wants to tackle America’s literacy problem. 44% of American 4th grade students cannot read fluently. According to the 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 37% of 4th graders and 26% of 8th graders are unable to read on a basic level. This means that they are unable to comprehend what they read. 46% of American adults cannot understand the labels on their prescription medication. America has been waiting for some new solutions to the literacy issue and the ipad shows some real promise. But if the ipad wants to create some inroads into the literacy problem it needs to start early. It needs to begin in our kindergartens.

While the ipad is indeed a powerful learning instrument for young children, it is the educational app that will ultimately make it sing. Many apps entertain but some manage to educate at the same time. There is one company in particular that stands out in the field of early childhood education that teaches children through creative and enjoyable activities. Umachaka Media Inc. has developed apps for the ipad and the computer that provides kids with games, songs, puzzles, stories and videos that aim to challenge kids on their level and grow and develop with them. TJ’s Puzzle Fun is an app that provides kids with a choice of four puzzles on four different levels. When your child completes the puzzle the picture comes to life in a song or video. Puzzles are an excellent means of improving a child’s spatial awareness and problem solving skills. The songs and videos at the end of the puzzles are a wonderful way of providing positive reinforcement for a job well done.TJ’s Remember is a memory game played on one of three levels of difficulty with six colorful themes to choose from. When a child finds a match she is rewarded with a playful tune. This game is a fun way to develop a child’s memory.TJ’s Seek & Find is an app in which a child is presented with one of four scenes such as a toy store or a circus. He is asked to locate ten items in that scene. Once he finds those items he is transported to another scene, such as a child’s bedroom, where he is asked to match the items with shapes that are in the bedroom. Once the items are placed in the proper place the bedroom comes to life with music and dancing. This app develops a child’s pre-reading skills as well as a child’s self-esteem.TJ’s Picture Dictionary is a colorful talking dictionary that is suitable for young children. It allows kids access to new words and ideas and is perfect for an audience of pre-readers who are building their vocabularies.TJ’s Art is for those budding artists to draw, paint, and stamp their way into fame and fortune (or their parents’ refrigerators, whichever comes first). A pencil named TJ with his friends Dabney the paintbrush, the Koki markers, and Butch the eraser are the tools that children use to play with their A,B,C’s and 1,2,3’s as well as make pictures for their friends and family members in this portable art studio.All these wonderful apps can be found in the apple app store http://itunes.apple.com/il/artist/umachaka-media-inc/id412417087

Umachaka Media Inc. has created a website called TJ & Pals where they have accumulated all of their games, videos, and songs https://tjandpals.com/. A few things make their website unique. Firstly, it is free of commercial advertisements making it a safe environment for kids to play. Secondly, There is an option called “Live Play” which allows members of the website to play games one on one with family members anywhere in the world. There is also something called “TJ Connect” which is TJ & Pals version of “Skype for preschoolers” – it’s the safe parentally controlled version of Skype for little kids that will allow them to chat with family members and friends that their parents have pre-approved. In short Umachak Media has developed wonderful education apps for the ipad, and a safe environment for kids to play on their website. Maybe there is hope for education in America after all.

Umachaka Media headed by award winning film director Ashley Lazarus has introduced a brand new vision for children’s websites. https://tjandpals.com is a children’s website that utilizes verified educational principles to allow kids, ages 3 to 7, to learn without even realizing that they are learning. They have also developed the technology to give kids the ability to play on the internet without being exposed to child targetted advertisements or other influences.