Tufts Now

Researchers at Tufts University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently gave 40 children in rural Ethiopia tablet computers equipped with more than 300 specially designed apps to help them learn reading basics. Within a week, the children had all the apps up and running. Each app addresses some of the basic processes needed to learn to read, such as the alphabet, letter-name knowledge, letter-sound correspondence, basic decoding principles, and sight word recognition. Within a year, the children had learned the alphabet, could recognize some words by sight, and had figured out how to use applications that would help them learn even more. One of the most successful apps was TinkrBook, which presents an interactive story that invites children to play with the text and graphics to explore how these changes affect the narrative. To read further, please visit http://now.tufts.edu/articles/tablet-computers-global-literacy.