home

Project Title:
What affect does technology have on student's reading comprehension?

Leah G. Doughman

=
As a teacher of reading (as well as all subject matter since I am an early childhood teacher), I am very concerned with reading comprehension among my students. I feel that reading is a subject that affects all other subjects; if one cannot read, then they cannot do word problems, read their science or world history books, and the list continues. Reading and comprehension of the material is critical for students to be successful in school and as productive adults—the ultimate goal of a teacher. ======

=
In regards to fluency, I feel that if individuals can read fluently, then that clears up more cognitive room for comprehension. LaBerge and Samuels have also stated this in their 1974 research. So I feel that comprehension and fluency should go hand-in-hand; they should not be taught in isolation or separate from one another. Comprehension and fluency should coincide and allow the student to reach their goal of becoming an engaged, lifelong reader. ======

In knowing this and having a strong interest in the two reading components, I wanted to take it a step further and incorporate technology. I feel that technology can help aid educators and students in achieving high goals in fluency and comprehension. I wanted to know more about technology and it capabilities. McKeown, Beck, and Blake said it beautifully in their 2009 article, “Student don’t just read books. They read television screens”. They read game directions, they read tweets, they read wall postings, they read online directions, they read text on a screen, and it's not just paper and ink anymore. Print is all around our students and they are engaged in it; we just have to find the means of reaching students in the classroom, and when we do this I feel like the comprehension and fluency will come along with student engagement. We just have to be up-to-date, flexible, and willing to take on today’s learners in today’s world.

Applegate, M. D., Applegate, A. J., Modla, V. B. (2009). She’s my best reader; she just can’t comprehend: Studying the relationship between fluency and comprehension. The Reading Teacher, 62, 512-521.

LaBerge, D., & Samuels, S. (1974). Toward a theory of automatic information processing in reading. Cognitive Psychology, 6, 293-323.