Mobile devices and more reading - two reports

A couple of interesting reports I've stumbled across yesterday...

Pockets of Potential: Using Mobile Technologies to Promote Children’s Learning by Carley Shuler was published this month by the same folks who bring us Sesame Street. The executive summary does a good job of summarizing research and the state of using mobile devices in education. I liked this:

The report highlights five opportunities to seize mobile learning’s unique attributes to improve education:

1. Encourage “anywhere, anytime” learning Mobile devices allow students to gather, access, and process information outside the classroom. They can encourage learning in a real-world context, and help bridge school, afterschool, and home environments.
2. Reach underserved children Because of their relatively low cost and accessibility in low-income communities, handheld devices can help advance digital equity, reaching and inspiring populations “at the edges” — children from economically disadvantaged communities and those from developing countries.
3. Improve 21st-century social interactions Mobile technologies have the power to promote and foster collaboration and communication, which are deemed essential for 21st-century success.
4. Fit with learning environments Mobile devices can help overcome many of the challenges associated with larger technologies, as they fit more naturally within various learning environments.
5. Enable a personalized learning experience Not all children are alike; instruction should be adaptable to individual and diverse learners. There are significant opportunities for genuinely supporting differentiated, autonomous, and individualized learning through mobile devices.

I am particularly excited by the last observation. Education has simply not tapped the huge potential for individualizing instruction for all students - every child needs the same attention paid to an IEP that our special needs children now have. Isn't every child a special needs child?

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As the old joke and the just released NEA study Reading on the Rise goes, "I have some good news and I have some bad news." I'm guessing you want to hear the good news first.

Yes, for the first time in years, the percentage of Americans reading "literary" materials is going up. Now slightly more than half of us read fiction, poetry, plays, etc. This slight upward trend is evident among nearly all demographic groups and the NEA takes credit for the rise since it alerted the public to declining reading rates and society has promoted reading.

The report credits materials being read on electronic devices as well as in print. (So reading on my Kindle and iPod now "count."

What the NEA Report buries, but an AP article pulls out, is that there is less voluntary reading being done:

But the preface does not mention a countertrend: a drop among people not obligated to read. Adults who read books of any kind — fiction or nonfiction, online or on paper — that were not assigned by a teacher or employer dropped from 56.6 percent of adults in 2002 to 54.3 percent last year. The fall was greatest among those younger than 55.

And while the number of adults who say they read a non-required book is 3.5 million higher than in 2002, the report notes that that the total adult population increased by 19 million, meaning an increase in the number of people who didn't voluntarily read books of 15.5 million, a huge disparity confirmed by NEA research director Sunil Iyengar.

Gioia [outgoing NEA chair] believes the NEA report is essentially positive — if only because good news about reading is so rare — but says that "we're still in a culture in which all kinds of reading are under pressure" from other forms of leisure and entertainment.

OK, readers, Johnson's definition of postliteracy again?

...the postliterate as those who can read, but chose to meet their primary information and recreational needs through audio, video, graphics and gaming.

Are our schools and especially our libraries preparing for a postliterate society?

Your holiday reading list

Everywhere we look, we see screens. The other day I watched clips from a movie as I pumped gas into my car. The other night I saw a movie on the backseat of a plane. We will watch anywhere. Screens playing video pop up in the most unexpected places — like A.T.M. machines and supermarket checkout lines and tiny phones; some movie fans watch entire films in between calls. These ever-present screens have created an audience for very short moving pictures, as brief as three minutes, while cheap digital creation tools have empowered a new generation of filmmakers, who are rapidly filling up those screens. We are headed toward screen ubiquity. Kevin Kelly, "Becoming Screen Literate"

Like many of you, I have a four-day weekend fast approaching. After feeding the 25 hungry Johnsons and Hansons descending on the house tomorrow, I expect to have a little time to read and relax. Oh wait, my daughter's family including the grandsons are staying on for a couple days. (I am NOT complaining, mind you.)

So let me rephrase that - you may have a little time to read and relax. Here are three interesting publications that you might want to spend a few minutes with.

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"Becoming Screen Literate" by Kevin Kelly appeared this week in the New York Times. As my friend John Dyer (who pointed this article out to me) suggests that Kelly's observations support my prediction of us becoming a post-literate society. My question is "What metamorphosis do libraries need to undertake when the primary means of communication, information, and culture moves from print to video? (Kim Cofino at Always Learning has some interesting comments about this article too.)

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A certain familiarity with what the Partnership for 21st Century Skills advocates in terms of, uh, 21st century skills is necessary to make much sense of this, but the organization's recently released Transition Brief: Policy Recommendations on Preparing Americans for the Global Skills Race is worth a look. (Joyce Valenza has a good summary and comments on the NeverEndingSearch.) Here is the scary bit that jumped out at me:

3. The United States faces two student achievement gaps. So far, the nation is only paying attention to one of them—inadequately. For the past decade, the United States has focused nationally on closing achievement gaps between the lowest- and highest-performing students, and between the poorest and most affluent. This is a legitimate and critical objective, and one that is putting proficiency in reading, mathematics and science within reach of millions more students.

Equally important, however, is the global achievement gap between U.S. students— including our top-performing students—and their international peers in competitor nations. U.S. students fare poorly compared to their counterparts on international assessments, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). These results are economically significant. Countries that do well on PISA, which measures 21st century skills such as critical thinking and problem solving, have demonstrated higher increases in GDP growth than countries that do not, according to a series of studies by Stanford researchers.

An unintended consequence of progress in closing national achievement gaps has been a lack of attention to the global achievement gap—and to the growing competitive demand for advanced skills. Going forward, the nation must redress these circumstances by redefining rigor as mastery of both academic subjects and 21st century skills. This is not an either–or agenda.

Where is your district putting its resources? Basic skills or 21st century skills?

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Did I say three recommendations? Oh, the heck with it. Go have a second piece of pumpkin pie and just one more little piece of turkey. Read something for fun - and get some cranberry sauce on the pages.

Think about how thankful we should all be for our problems and the people who create them. Without challenges, the world would be a very dull place and our brains would get no exercise.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Oh, this is how the Ovation gas pump pictured above is described on the manufacturer's website:

The Dresser Wayne Ovation2 iX fuel dispenser is an Internet-ready, WiFi-capable gas pump with a 15-inch touchscreen and speakers, which enables the transfer of media content to other WiFi-enabled devices. The demonstration at CES will feature a Microsoft Windows Automotive-enabled Alpine Electronics stereo and navigation system installed in a Lincoln Navigator. As part of the demo, audio files will be purchased and downloaded from the Dresser Wayne fuel dispenser to a compatible media device (cell phone or entertainment system) and then played through the Alpine IVA-W200 stereo system installed in the vehicle.

The Dresser Wayne fuel dispenser, Alpine Electronics stereo and navigation system, and cell phone all easily integrate via their common Microsoft Windows CE platform, .NET framework, and Bluetooth.

No mention of whether it actually dispenses gasoline.

Book Fair or Toy Fair?

Hosting a Fair is the best way to support your school’s reading efforts. Students, parents, and teachers love Book Fairs for a number of reasons, including:

• A Book Fair connects kids to the books they want to read.
• They feature a terrific assortment of books, hand-selected by book experts.
• Book Fairs help build school, classroom, and home libraries.
• They generate community involvement.
• A Fair is one of the easiest ways to raise funds for the school. (Scholastic website.)

The parent-teacher organization at the LWW's school hosts a book fair during its P/T conferences each fall and spring. The attractive displays are bright and inviting.  The goals of the event are fantastic -  to encourage personal ownership of books and raise a little money for classrooms and the library. As an indulgent grandfather, it is all I can do to keep my checkbook in my pocket...

Here are a few shots of the offerings...

Notice anything unusual about this "book" fair? Where are the books in these shots?

OK, I'll admit I was somewhat selective in my photo shoot. Not shown are cases and displays of actual books that were there as well. But I think the toys are taking over. Even a high percentage of "books" are combo books-games-activities.

This shift from print to multi-media is not just visible at school book fairs, but in the children's section at the Barnes & Noble as well. I wonder how many kids will get real books as gifts this holiday season?

We have nobody ourselves to hold responsible for creating a postliterate society...

Are book fairs really about reading anymore?