Early readers and eleetronie texts: CD-ROM storybook features that influenee reading behaviors

Technology is changing the face of modem life as many everyday tasks are computerized, from tuming on an oven to accessing financial resources. It is clear that workers of the future, today's children, will need to be technologically literate to compete with industrialized societies in a global economy. The National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) Project (Intemational Society for Technology in Education, 2002) pointed out that the world is now a different place and that in order to live, leam, and work successfully, it is vital that students have opportunities to use technology during their school years. They argued that technology should be used in meaningful ways to support the instmctional goals of developing students who are effective problem solvers; decision makers; communicators; and informed, responsible, contributing citizens. Labbo and Reinking (1999) supported this view and made a distinction between leaming/ram the computer, such as in drill and practice exercises, and leaming with the computer in ways that stimulate thinking and result in changing students' orientations toward leaming. They suggested a need for research to investigate the impact of technology on students' approaches to learning, arguing that technology has the potential to transform reading and writing and, therefore, literacy instmction. Spurred on by business, parents, and school boards, technology is indeed finding its way into the classroom as teachers have growing access to technology for instmctional purposes. To guide teachers in their use of technology in the classroom, NETS provides standards for what students should be able to do with technology at the end of specified developmental grade clusters. For students in the beginning reading stages, typically associated with the NETS grade cluster of pre-K-2, it is recommended that by the end of second grade, students should "use developmentaily appropriate multimedia resources to support leaming" (Intemational Society for Technology in Education, 2002). Electronic texts, such as CD-ROM storybooks, are one example of how teachers of beginning readers can use technology to advance the goals of their reading program. CD-ROM storybooks present children's literature with text and illustrations similar to a traditional text and also include elements designed to enhance the reading experience for beginning readers. Much variation exists between publishers in the features and elements that are included in these storybooks, making each type or series somewhat different in how it attempts to support readers. However, many CD-ROM storybooks include audio and graphic animations where book characters talk and settings come alive. For example, on many pages of a story, "hotspots" appear that, when activated by the child, produce animated graphics, sound effects, and other features. Additional features allow students to manipulate and individualize the reading environment by choosing to highlight a word or phrase to hear an audio pronunciation, or