After reading a USA Today article entitled Companies mine growth of MP3 homework posted on 2/6/2007, I thought, wow- I never considered how much can be done with a simple MP3 player! I know that the new craze in reading is using an electronic book (like a Nook or Kindle) but never realized how listening to an MP3 player can be expanded from music to reading material. Guess Apple should change the following ad to include studying!
For my students (50% special ed & 50% typically developing preschoolers), this is a great extension to either books on tape or read alouds. For parents with minimal spare time to spend reading to their children, the MP3 version would be very helpful. My concerns would be that the device would take away from the one-on-one time we encourage parents to spend with their children as well as the cost of the device, and whether technology like this would only increase the gap between children who can or cannot afford such tools.
You bring up an important concern. Technology may affect the crucial child-parent interaction. Technology should not be completely responsible for educating/teaching a child. It should be used as a tool, to assist in learning in various ways. It is important that the child take advantage of the many benefits technology has to offer, however, parents should still be involved with their child’s education...especially before the child enters high school.
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