Advances in technology have greatly increased the tools we can choose from to assist with the improvement of reading skills. I am going to focus on computer learning software for kids. This is of particular interest to me because while the child is increasing his or her attentional capacity by playing a video game he is also fine tuning reading specific skills such as comprehension and vocabulary.
In ?Action Video Game Modifies Visual Selection Attention? published in April 2003 by Shawn Green & Daphne Bavelier a study was conducted to analyze the effects of video game playing on visual attention resources. Green and Bavelier did find that video-game players do indeed have a greater attentional capacity than non video-game players. Thus, we can assume that video games do in fact improve reading skills by increasing the attentional capacity.
Children who have difficulty reading are more likely to drop out of high school and less likely to attend college. Therefore, focusing on and solidifying reading skills at a young age is incredibly important to an individuals overall success. Reading can be very difficult skill to motivate a young person to practice. However, once an agreed upon method or methods are found it is an easy skill to improve and you will see progress quickly.
I conducted a search for games that would enhance specific reading skills while incorporating the above mentioned increase in attentional capacity and offer the following reviews.
Reader Rabbit 1 Software by The Learning Company builds early reading skills and is geared for ages 4-7. Features include match up, sorter, labeler and word train. Educational benefits include increasing vocabulary by associating pictures with their names, increasing the understanding of letter-sound correspondences with the use of lifelike speech throughout the program and allowing parents to customize their child's learning experience using graduated levels of difficulty.
Reading Comprehension Booster by Merit Software allows students to receive practice in using basic reading improvement strategies and is geared for grades 3 through 5. Students work with interactive exercises to determine main idea, make inferences, and draw conclusions. Assessments place students in appropriate units of instruction. Students advance as they demonstrate readiness. They receive immediate instructional feedback throughout.
The Jump Start Series by Knowledge Adventure pack extreme fun and exciting adventure into learning. The game takes you through an adventure for example, solving a mystery while using various skills to navigate through a number of different settings. Skills include Parts of Speech, Spelling and Vocabulary, Addition and Subtraction, Multiplication and Division, Prime Numbers, Fractions, Decimals, Estimation, Science, Geography, Music, The Arts and History. Jump Start series is available from Kindergarten through 6th grade!
Technological advances have increased the tools that we can choose for reading enhancement. I have suggested computer learning software for kids that I find to be of high quality as well as engaging. This is of particular interest to me because while the child is increasing his or her attentional capacity by playing a video game he is also fine tuning reading specific skills such as comprehension and vocabulary.
Due to the fact that some video games take a long time to complete, the endurance of the game players mental ability is tested. Patience, resilience and dedication are attributes needed in great amounts, especially to play the large role playing games. A programmers job is to devise a video game where whenever there is an action there is also a corresponding reaction. This activity in a game learns the player about the consequences of an action.
The gameplay terrain can be very large in size and although maps are sometimes provided the game player ideally must memorize a large part of the map in order to navigate around the game quickly. This activity is a great memory exercise. The player must also memorize certain tasks to help in accessing certain areas of the game.
Many video games encourage the player to explore new and unknown lands, some of which may seem quite scary and therefore a level of confidence and courage is needed to proceed. Also the players character usually has to interact with the other virtual or real life characters to find out critical game information. Sometimes the player needs to find another player online to complete a certain mission. This interaction teaches social and co-operational skills.
Strategic decisions constantly have to be made during gameplay, with the player always looking ahead to see what consequences the decisions will make. Strategic thinking in gameplay can be directly applied to real world situations. Along with decision making, and the ability to make smart and quick decisions, the gamer may also have to solve a variety of maths and English problems. Games can be purchased with an emphasis on problem solving tasks.
In todays modern games the amount of controls that need to be known in order to play the games is staggering. Sometimes many buttons of the controller may have to be pressed in an exact order to facilitate an action. This can greatly increase the players memory and hand eye coordination.
For younger children there are lots of video games that focus on these educational attributes of the games, with a selection of games designed to enhance schoolwork and support the curriculum.
Both Allison Merlino & Bryan Pilkington are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Bryan Pilkington has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Improvement How to, Video Games and Information Technology. Bryan Pilkington regularly teaches children and has an interest in how video games affect their daily lives. For more go to. Bryan Pilkington's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.