Get to Know Becky Baron

As I began my search on the internet for published research focusing on the Amazon Kindle I realized quite quickly that there was very little research based information regarding the Kindle specifically.  I blame this on the fact that the Kindle is such a new device and there has not been sufficient time to implement a study discovering its educational tool potential.  However, there is a lot of published research regarding Oral Reading Fluency which is the learning issue that I feel the Kindle can help out with.  I used several different search engines to find information regarding the Kindle.  I ran searches under Google, which gave me basic information regarding the Kindle’s functions and uses.  I then checked several research publication search engines such as mel.org, er.lib.msu.edu, Eric and gale to search for possible research papers dealing with the Kindle and found 0 matches.  As soon as I refocused my search for publications onto Oral Reading Fluency I came up with several possible articles in each and every one of the search engines listed above, i.e. an Advance Search on Google, mel.org, er.lib.msu.edu, Eric and gale.  The next step was to sift through all the information to make sure that I found articles that were current and appropriate for the way I intend to use the Kindle within a classroom setting.   I was able to come up with quite a few useful articles that are applicable to my project.  Here is the list of potential journal articles:

 

• Chard, D., Vaughn, S., and Tyler, B. J. (2002). "A synthesis of research on effective interventions for building reading fluency with elementary students with learning disabilities." Journal of Learning Disabilities 36 (5), 386–406.
• Hasbrouck, J., & Tindal, G. (2005). Oral Reading Fluency: 90 Years of Measurement (Technical Report No. 33). Eugene, Oregon: University of Oregon, College of Education, Behavioral Research and Teaching
• Hasbrouck, J. E. & Tindal, G. (2006). "Oral reading fluency norms: A valuable assessment tool for reading teachers." The Reading Teacher 59(7): 636–644.
• Rasinski, T. V. (2003). The Fluent Reader: Oral Reading Strategies for Building Word Recognition, Fluency, and Comprehension. Jefferson City, MO: Scholastic Professional Books.
• Rasinski, T. V. & Hoffman, J. V. (2003). "Theory and research into practice: Oral reading in the school literacy curriculum." Reading Research Quarterly 38, 510–523
• Samuels, S. J. (2002). Chapter 8, "Reading Fluency: Its Development and Assessment." In What Research Has to Say About Reading Instruction (3rd ed.), edited by A. E. Farstrup and S. J. Samuels. Newark, DE: International Reading Association

I also came up with a few anecdotal possibilities:

• Digital School Library Leaves Book Stacks Behind, Tina Antolini, NPR, November 2009
• The Amazon Kindle could dramatically improve US education, February 9, 2009 by Paul Ballen
• Will the Kindle Change Education? E-book reader advances are pushing printed textbooks closer to extinction.September/October 2009

 

There is a lot of information regarding Fluency Practice and Comprehension out there from a research based perspective and from an anecdotal standpoint.  What I learned is that you have to be very careful when choosing the types of articles you will use for a project.  Most of the anecdotal examples I found are purely opinion, with little or no reference to research based information.  The only problem I found with a lot of the research articles is that they are pretty old.  Ultimately when I made my search more specific in terms of dates then I was able to narrow down some strong possibilities for use with my project. My next step is to read through the research journals thoroughly and find the data that will make my ideas for a Kindle as an instructional tool a reality.

For children with reading issues school can be a very difficult place to attend 180 days of the year.  Once a reading level gap is established in a child and left untreated then that gap only grows as they progress through to the higher grades.  A lot of times these children are left behind while the rest of the class follows the natural progression of education.  When a child struggles with reading their development often tends to suffers in every subject.  If you have difficulty reading the directions for your Math homework, your performance on that homework will certainly suffer.  The same can be said for Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies as well.  The issues of fluency and comprehension are fundamental to a child’s success in all school subjects and if the issue is not address early that child’s learning will certainly be inhibited.
I have chosen to examine the potential uses an Amazon Kindle can provide within a classroom.  A couple of years ago I volunteered in a local school to help a third grade class that had an unusually large number of students who were testing well below grade level in reading.  We used the computer program Read Naturally as a tool to bring their reading levels up to the appropriate grade level.  This program involved having the students read several short stories along with a computer generated voice over a thirty minute period.  The programs “voice reader” modeled appropriate reading styles for the students to help them gain fluency skills.  One of the biggest selling points the Kindle offers is a fluent reading application.  The voice that reads the digital book is not a jumpy digital recording, it actually sounds like a human voice reading a book aloud which is quite similar to the Read Naturally program.  There is huge potential for this as a supplemental reading tool for children who struggle with fluency and since fluency aids in comprehension the applications for this technology are boundless.  The other positive aspect the Kindle offers arises from its popularity.  Since it has become a popular alternative to books there has been a large outpouring of support from the publishing world.  Many textbooks are now available in digital format, which is just one more reason a Kindle would be a great asset to a classroom with students who struggle with reading.
The one aspect of the Kindle that makes it relatively unreasonable as a classroom tool is its price.  For the most basic model a Kindle costs around $250.  That is a lot of money for one unit within schools that are constantly struggling with financial constraints.  It is also a lot of money to pay for a device that young students will be handling.  However, I feel like the potential positives of integrating Kindles into a classroom setting far outweigh the negatives.
There is considerable research proving that fluency practice increases reading levels and comprehension.  One specific example is a study conducted by the Florida Center for Reading Research of 13 schools in one Florida school district.  Researchers found that students with Oral Reading Fluency levels of 110 words correct per minute or higher consistently scored higher on Standardized Tests in all subject areas.  It would be awesome to be able to hand a Kindle to a student who struggles with reading fluency for a Social Studies lesson that involves a lot of Textbook reading.  Instead of that kid falling behind once again and pretending like they are finished reading when the rest of the class has finished reading, he or she may finally have completed the reading with the help of their digital reader and a set of earphones.
I have access to a third grade classroom with several readers who would be considered “at risk” for reading comprehension and fluency.  I am planning on using a Kindle as a reading assistance tool for a textbook lesson.  I want to set up a situation where a child will be able to follow along with a textbook lesson while listening and reading along on a Kindle.  The ideal situation would be to have two kids that are functioning at similar reading levels and have one student follow along while listening and reading with a Kindle while the other student proceeds through the lesson in a traditional manner without a Kindle.  If that situation is available I would then be able to gauge the results of the lessons on both children.  The same type of situation can be used for reading lessons as well.  Should my assumptions regarding the usefulness of a Kindle as a reading assistance tool prove true, it would be wonderful to report my findings and find potential funding for the purchase of Kindles as reading assistance tools for low level readers.
My project addresses all four common places in education: the teacher, the learner, the subject matter, and the setting.  When thinking about the teacher in a classroom the Kindle has the potential to be a huge asset in terms of keeping kids on even ground when reading is a part of the lesson.  Obviously this would apply to lessons in Math, Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts lessons since all of these subjects include reading at some level.  With a Kindle the concerns about a student keeping up with the class while reading through a lesson is eliminated because the Kindle is reading the lesson for that student and they are following along.  This same concept applies when you think about the student as a common place in education.  The frustration a low level reader usually feels when they are fighting to keep up in a lesson is alleviated by relying on the Kindle to read their lesson at a fluent and consistent pace.  When thinking about the subject matter as a common place for learning a Kindle can be of great assistance on many levels.  I will be focusing specifically on a social studies lesson in which the Kindle will hopefully be keeping a lower level reader on track with the rest of the students in the class while reading through the textbook subject matter.  The other aspect of a Kindle that is a bonus in terms of subject matter relates to its built in Dictionary.  If a child does not know what a word they have read in their lesson means they can look it up immediately on the Kindle.  The final common place of education that this project addresses is setting.  A third grade classroom is the setting I will be observing within this project.  It is a bit daunting to think about handing over a $250 device for a third grader to use during a lesson, but if it is an effective tool the cost should be a secondary consideration.
I am aware that the Kindles are a relatively new technological innovation, but there is so much potential when thinking of them in the context of educational assistance.  If fluency is key to reading comprehension then a tool like a Kindle in the hands of a low level reader has limitless potential.  Hopefully this project will prove just that.