What Are the Benefits of Using a Computer Based Reading Program for 20 Minutes

Peter DeWitt

Peter DeWitt is a former K-5 public schoolhouse principal turned author, presenter, and leadership coach.

Information technology'due south the 21st Century thing to practice. Have students who are struggling readers or those classified as special education students and put them on an interactive reading plan to learn how to read. Many educators buy into it. After all, kids are enveloped in technology from an early age and these programs accept sound, graphics and the programs ask in-depth comprehension questions which seem personalized to fit each student's need. But are they working?

Educators believe they are working. They get data from these programs that say educatee'due south Lexile scores are climbing and find that students are showing an increase in comprehension. With the support of these programs, some students find reading less intimidating and pick up books to read which may be different than their previous behavior of not wanting to read at all. Merely, is their fluency really getting better? Are they really becoming better readers?

How are those students doing when teachers complete not estimator-based progress monitoring?

Reading Software Results
Recently, I had a conversation with Dr. Dick Allington, i of the leading experts in the expanse of literacy instruction. Dr. Allington made the comment that he would ban computers from an instructional role and that they didn't have a pregnant effect on teaching students to read. He added that the results of studies are "Largely depressing, especially since schools are spending billions on such software."

In a 2007 Education Week article, Trotter wrote that, "A major federal report of reading and mathematics software has found no difference in academic achievement betwixt students who used the engineering in their classrooms and youngsters who used other methods." This is troubling because the number of schools that utilize calculator-based programs for reading instruction.

In addition, in this time of using technology (I have written about BYOD, flipping classrooms, etc. and meet the benefits of engineering and social media) are educators really getting the bang for their buck? Are we hoping to run into something from technology that might non exist in that location?

The

Dynarski study

that Trotter referred to said, "

The second-year study included four reading software products for beginning grade, Destination Reading (Riverdeep 2008), the Waterford Early Reading Program (Pearson School 2008), Headsprout (Headsprout 2008), and Plato Focus (Plato Learning Corporation 2008).

Three of the four products provided supplemental instruction and Plato Focus was used every bit the core reading curriculum. The 2d-year written report also included two reading products for quaternary grade, LeapTrack (LeapFrog School 2008) and Academy of Reading (Autoskill International 2008). These products supplemented the core reading curriculum with tutorials, practice, and cess geared to specific reading skills."

According to Campuzano et al, "The findings indicated that, after ane school year, differences in pupil test scores were not statistically pregnant between classrooms that were randomly assigned to use products and those that were randomly assigned not to use products. The written report found a positive, statistically pregnant result for one of the 6 reading products examined (LeapTrack®, 4th grade). The estimated upshot size was 0.09, equivalent to moving a student from the 50th to the 54th percentile of reading achievement."

A Balanced Plan
So why focus on a study that came out over 5 years agone? Recently, Dr. Allington suggested that these programs are all the same not valuable to the reading process and that states are spending billions of dollars for programs that do non help students become ameliorate readers. Co-ordinate to Allington, students need a more balanced program which should non include sitting kids at a computer.

There is zippo more important to the reading process than a teacher who can provide high quality reading education to students. We all know this! Withal, it is surprising to read how ineffective some computer-based programs were in the area of reading instruction. Allington has some suggestions to foster meliorate readers.

In a former interview Allington suggested the post-obit:
• Every child reads something he or she chooses - Allow students to cull books that they like AND can read. This is in addition to books that are selected by their instructor.

• Every child needs high-quality instruction - That reading didactics needs to be 90-120 minutes which includes a big per centum of time being engaged in reading. In READ 180: Policy Gone Wrong for the Language Arts Journal of Michigan Suzanne Whitford wrote, "Students must be engaged in reading every day, and it must be authentic and meaningful. Too frequently students are engaged in activities about reading rather than being engaged in bodily reading."

• Every kid reads accurately - Many schools have increased the time spent on ELA but increased time doesn't hateful that students are allowed to read books where they can be successful (98% accuracy or better). Students demand to spend fourth dimension reading texts that are not too challenging. Reading books where they can be successful increment the likelihood that they volition get better readers. This differs from some who say the Common Core suggests a focus on more challenging texts.

• Every child reads something he or she understands - Allington and Gabriel say that, "Understanding what you've read is the goal of reading. Merely too oft, struggling readers get interventions that focus on basic skills in isolation, rather than on reading connected text for significant."

• Every child talks with peers about reading and writing - Provide students time to talk with one some other about their reading and writing.

• Every kid listens to a fluent adult read aloud - Listening to an adult who reads fluently increases students' own fluency.

In the End
• What are your thoughts?
• Do you see the benefits of computer-aided software?
• Are there any figurer-based programs that have helped students?
• Or do you believe at that place isn't a place for such programs in school?

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A special give thanks yous to Dr. Dick Allington for the resources and data. He is not only an outstanding resources but he is a phenomenal keynote speaker.

Resources:

Blok, H., Oostdam, R., Otter, M. Eastward., & Overmaat, Yard. (2002). Computer-assisted instruction in support of beginning reading teaching: A review. Review of Educational Enquiry, 72(ane), 101-130.

Borman, G. D., Benson, J. G., & Overman, L. T. (2009). A randomized field trial of the Fast ForWord Language reckoner-based training plan. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 31(1), 82-106.

Campuzano, L., Dynarski, Thou., Agodini, R., & Rall, One thousand. (2009). Effectiveness of reading and mathematics software products: Findings from 2 pupil cohorts. (NCEE 2009-4041). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Plant of Educational activity Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.

Dynarski, M. (2007). Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software Products: Findings from the Kickoff Student Cohort: U.S. Department of Didactics. Downloaded from: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20074005/

Rouse, C. Due east., & Krueger, A. B. (2004). Putting computerized instruction to the exam: A randomized evaluation of a 'scientifically-based' reading program. Economics of Pedagogy Review, 23(4), 323-338.

Trotter, A. (2007). Federal study finds no border for students using technology-based reading and math products. Education Week.

The opinions expressed in Peter DeWitt's Finding Mutual Ground are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

What Are the Benefits of Using a Computer Based Reading Program for 20 Minutes

Source: https://www.edweek.org/education/opinion-the-myth-about-computer-based-reading-software/2013/01

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