e-Books are becoming increasingly common in our society. Children and adults can read e-Books easily using devices such as the Kindle, Nook, iPods, iPads, iPhones, and computers. The speed at which e-Books are adapted into routine use could be accelerated even faster as communication technologies such as Wi-Fi and smartphones become more common in people’s daily lives.

So, then what does this mean in regards to e-Book reading from the perspective of e-Book pedagogy in early childhood classrooms? What do we know about the quality of current e-Books that many children are reading? During this presentation, we will briefly explain an e-Book instructional model in early literacy, and then we will focus on the issue of developing an e-Book quality-rating tool.

We approached this question from a design perspective, creating a prototype model for implementation of e-book pedagogy in the preschool classroom and set out to observe it. Our e-book model has four phase components:

1.   The e-book and its quality in terms of design and content

2.   The physical environment of e-book reading in the classroom.

3.   Engagement in e-book reading for small groups and individuals

4.   Explicit instruction using e-books

Our approach is straightforward–introduce each component progressively—bringing what we learn from each phase into the next toward the goal of examining the model as an instantiated whole.

In the week leading up to my AERA 2011 Annual Meeting presentation, I will be sharing parts of the presentation on Raised Digital. The paper I will be presenting focuses on the development of my e-Book Quality Rating Tool and is part of a symposium titled E-Books as Instructional Tools in Preschool Classrooms: Promises and Pitfalls. The symposium will take place Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 2:15pm – 3:45pm, at the Doubletree/Madewood B.