Week 9 - Essay Topic

My essay topic explores the use of digital apps for children and the evolving nature of digital literacy. I will be examining Tumblebooks - an app that allows children to read books online and have books read to them online.

There are many features in the Tumblebooks app that are quite advanced, the first and foremost being that one doesn't have to wait for a particular book in order to read it. Why? Because anyone can digitally 'check out' a book online and allow others to have access to it at the same time. Waiting, placing holds on items are things of the past in this digital world of instant gratification.

Another cool feature is that books have tags e.g. the Paperbag Princess has tags such as: dragon, fairytales, princess, prince and one can search for books using those tags. The simplicity of searching combined with artfully crafted child-like elegance is really quite fascinating to see.

Something that struck me as very Amazon-esque was the option of showing readers books they may like based on their current selection. An extremely convenient and helpful feature ... or are we preparing young readers for the world of online purchasing?

It is absolutely amazing how independent reading and the concept of children as hybrid readers is emerging from this kind of technology. I've been playing around with the app and had the first chapter of the Wizard of Oz read to me by a very soothing female voice and it struck me how reading is evolving from being tucked in with a parent at night with a large illustrated book, to independent children listening to bedtime stories on their tablets before bed.

It would be fascinating to survey children and ask them whether they preferred to read books with Mum and Dad or on a computer, and why? Do we simply assume that digital technology is a natural replacement for traditional methods of reading or are we actually filling in gaps with technology that traditional forms of reading are unable to satisfy?

I am looking forward to researching my topic further in the coming weeks and exploring the world of Tumblebooks and maybe getting to Chapter 2 of the Wizard of Oz.

~Fareh