E-book Reading And Responding

By Author: Adela
Total Articles: 74
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Integrating e-books into an otherwise traditional literacy program is an effective move toward new literacies instruction. Recently, I observed 10 fifth-grade students reading electronic versions of two award-winning books by Christopher Paul Curtis: Bud, Not Buddy (1999) and The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 (1996). None of the students had prior experience with e-books, yet 8 reported in a prereading survey that they were in favor of the upcoming experience, making statements such as, "I'm looking forward to it because trying new things is something I like to do." One student expressed a neutral attitude: "It sounds really fun but in Links Of London Bracelets another way it sounds really weird." Another student was strongly opposed to the idea: "I would rather read a book that was not on the computer." While reading, all 10 students interacted with the text through the use of a wide variety of e-book tools including the highlighter and note tool.

During the first few sessions, the fifth graders (who were used to taking Accelerated Reader quizzes) ...
... highlighted what they anticipated would be included on a formal comprehension quiz. Gradually, as they learned that no such assessments were planned, they began using the highlighter in unique ways that reflected their personalities and individual reading styles. In some cases, students marked passages that they later wanted to address during class discussions or in small-group conversations. They also highlighted funny, interesting, or unusual expressions such as "woop, zoop, sloop" and "the thing was positively alive with germs!" (from Bud, Not Buddy). Derogatory terms, including vulgar and insulting expressions— "Shut the hell up and enjoy the damn cookies" (from The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963)—were also popular. In an interview, one student explained that highlighting the characters' names helped him "keep track of who is who."

Many e-books allow for markups or annotations by the reader. The fifth graders I observed inserted sticky notes in response to the text. For example, the note in Figure 1 captured the reader's thought process in the form of a personal query and was placed directly on the page in close proximity to the relevant passage. When annotating, students did not concern themselves with proper writing conventions and mechanics but rather focused on transferring their thoughts onto paper as quickly and effectively as possible. Students often used invented spellings, letter and number substitutions, and emoticons: "Poor him...he brought it on himself.

The notes also recorded perceptions about evolving events—"Joey and Grandma sound like they ' would get along"—and predicted future happenings—"If Bud hurries he could catch up with Bugs in Grand Rapids maybe." At times, responses indicated a lack of understanding or a desire for additional information. Such responses were often in the form of single questions that were consistently positioned right next to the confusing text passage: "Why is he playing and wasting his time?" "What might the codes mean?" Most of the notes reflected students' spontaneity and impulsiveness. Statements were short with a conversational tone; readers Links Of London Charms offered personal commentaries as the story unfolded: "He has a point!" "Don't do it!!!" "Are you sure about that?" The note tool provided students with a literature-response mechanism that suited their individual needs and purposes as readers. By using the note tool, they engaged in new literacy practices by envisioning new ways to access their thought processes to engage in spontaneous, instantaneous response to the e-books.

In the end, all 10 fifth graders reported that they preferred reading e-books over traditional books, and they positively described their use of e-book tools: "I would rather read an e-book [than a regular book] because there are so many cool tools to use and choose from. I still haven't used them all, and I'm done with the book." The tools, in addition to being perceived as fun and motivating, encouraged readers to actively engage with the text.

Rosenblatt's (1938/1995) transactional theory of reader response explains that each reader breathes life into the text through personal meaning making and individual experiences. e-Books clearly offer new opportunities and extended possibilities for personal interpretation of and engagement with texts (Hancock, 2008; Larson, 2009).