Recognising the opportunities of digital technology on International Literacy Day
The theme for this year’s International Literacy Day is ‘digital technology’, reflecting the ever-growing impact it has on all areas of our lives.
The discussion about the role of technology in a child’s life tends to be highly polarised. On one side are the technology champions who imagine it could be the answer to every challenge. On the other side are those that believe that all technology is harmful to a child and there should be no, or very limited, access.
When the National Literacy Trust reviewed the research around how digital technology can support early language and literacy, we found that the whole picture is much more nuanced — digital technology brings both challenges and opportunities.
What cannot be denied is that today’s children are growing up in a digital world. Ofcom tell us that a staggering 75% of 5 to 15-year-olds use a tablet at home, as do over half (55%) of 3 to 4-year-olds. As they are exposed to so much more digital content, their literacy skills — including their ability to speak, listen, read, write, decode, understand and interrogate language and texts — need to be stronger than ever.
Supporting early language development
Parents are their children’s first teachers and have a vital impact on their child’s development of early language and literacy. When we look at the influences that help to engage parents in supporting their child to learn, no influence has grown more speedily or become as ubiquitous as digital technology.
Our research with families with children aged 3 to 5 has shown that touchscreen technology may have specific benefits for two key groups who consistently do less well in early years and primary assessments — boys and children from lower-income homes.
We found that children from poorer backgrounds were more likely to look at or read stories on a touchscreen for longer than with printed books. Our findings also show that more children from lower-income homes use technology for educational activities than for entertainment, and children’s vocabulary attainment was more likely to be above average if they used both touchscreen and printed books for reading stories. Boys are also twice as likely as girls to look at stories on a touchscreen for longer than they look at printed stories. These are important findings for homes that are full of touchscreen technology.
A route into reading
Digital technology can also play a hugely important role in giving older children and young people a route into reading and helping them develop their literacy skills. Again, this particularly applies to children who are traditionally less engaged with reading.
Our ebooks project in 2015 had a striking impact on boys. After taking part, we found that boys’ reading progress doubled, increasing by an average of 8.4 months over an average project time of 4.2 months. It also had a positive impact on reading attitudes. After the project twice as many boys thought reading was cool and the percentage of boys who thought reading was difficult halved.
It is important to recognise that technology can offer pupils increased reading opportunities and help those who struggle to read — by for example giving them the option of increasing the font size of the text. Being seen reading on a tablet or smart phone is also different to being seen with a book, which can influence how much time pupils spend reading, particularly if they are reading something they might feel embarrassed is too young for their age.
Using technology in the right way
While our research has presented advantages and opportunities of digital technology, children need to be supported to get the most out of it. Young children learn best when they use technology with a parent who can help them explore, interact and reflect on what they’re doing. It shouldn’t replace real life interactions with people, places and books.
We must make sure that families have the support and advice they need to use technology in the best possible way to support their child’s learning, and that adults are role modelling responsible technology use to children.
The National Literacy Trust has created a host of resources to support parents, teachers and practitioners better navigate a digital world to help improve children’s language and literacy skills. This includes our LiteracyApps guide, tips for parents on Words for Life, and teaching resources around technology in the early years.
As with most things in life, balance is key. The time a child spends playing with technology should be balanced with other activities, like spending time outside or playing offline games.
