Can interactive media such as games, websites and apps really help children learn?

How do resources like the Martha Speaks and Arthur websites help children learn?
On the Martha Speaks website, the goal is to teach oral vocabulary (hearing and speaking words), rather than reading or writing words, so kids can play the games and use the site independently, whether or not they know how to read. Children hear new words and then have to understand and use the words to play the games.

Students' oral vocabulary knowledge in first grade is an indicator of what their reading comprehension skills will be in 11th grade, so the more vocabulary they know at an early age, the better their reading skills will be. By playing games, watching videos, and doing activities again and again, they are repeatedly exposed to new words, and we know that this is an effective strategy for teaching new vocabulary.

Arthur covers lots of important social topics, from learning about Asperger’s to making new friends. The day-to-day life of the characters models a love of reading, visits to the local library, and an enthusiasm for learning. Kids gain social skills and new interests from watching the show. The website offers lots of creative games on related topics. For example, we have a brand-new sustainability game called Groovy Garden that is designed to get kids to think about the environment and make environmentally-friendly choices. You can also combine the fun of Martha Speaks and Arthur with our “Marthur” Sticker Mashup game where kids create their own scenes using characters from both shows and watch the video of Arthur and Martha together!

As you know, “summer slide” is a significant concern for children of all ages. How can parents and families use websites and interactive media to help kids continue learning over the summer months?
Just as parents think about what to feed their kids, they need to think about their kid’s media diet and ask questions such as, What games are my children playing online or on mobile devices? How much time should my kids stay online or play computer games? What is the educational value behind a particular game? Parents do control their children’s media use. Parents can have educational games already downloaded, linked, or bookmarked, and make sure that they offer lots of educationally-based media for their kids.

Not all media producers use education as a basis for television shows or online games and apps, but WGBH does, which is what sets us apart. We work with advisors and do research to make sure what we’re producing is useful, educational, and really helps kids learn. Common Sense Media and Parents’ Choice Awards are also great places for parents and caregivers to find reviews of games and educational content.

Another thing to keep in mind is that web-based and mobile activities are a good way to “cool down.” If kids have been outside running around all day, they can wind down with a game online. And they’re still learning, because every PBS game is packed with educational content. Of course, web-based games and interactive media can be incorporated into summer reading programs as well.

Martha Speaks has a new mobile optimized site. What is this? How can families use this as a learning tool?
The Martha Speaks mobile optimized site, which you can only view on your handheld, touch-screen mobile device, is an alternative to the Martha Speaks website. As we see more and more people accessing our websites by mobile devices, we are rethinking our ideas on design and optimizing sites for the large or small screen.

I am very excited about mobile technologies and their impact on children. Kids can use them everywhere, so it breaks down the notion that learning only happens in the classroom. Kids are now learning in both formal and informal settings—in the car, on a bus, waiting in line. Games are designed for individual kids, but the awesome thing about mobile technologies, especially for younger kids, is that a parent or adult is usually involved, since the child is generally using a parent’s mobile device.

We know that having a parent present has a greater impact on learning, so it’s great to have parents involved in their child’s learning, and talking with the child about what they’re playing. With the Martha Speaks iPhone app, for example, parents/caregivers are aware of the words kids are learning and can use them during their daily routine.

What keeps you busy at home?
I have 1-year-old twin boys so that keeps me very busy! We have lots of outside time at the water table in our backyard and at the pond near our house. We painted a wall in our house with blackboard paint so they can chalk it up—I draw pictures of animals and we make the animal’s sound together. We go to the library (where they wreak havoc but are working on their inside voices!) and they get to pick the books we read to them before bed each night. Currently, two of their favorites are Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin and John Achambault.

We use our fair share of media too. My twins were born just before the iPad and it’s incredible how much has changed in just their tiny lifetime. They love interactive stories on the iPad. It’s stunning to watch them interact with this kind of technology—they have an intuitive facility that is just mind-blowing.

Related

Theresa Lynn is the executive director of ReadBoston, a nonprofit children’s literacy program founded by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino. In this role, she has led many new literacy efforts to address reading development, including the creation of the Early Words program, which seeks to substantially increase verbal interaction between parents and infants and toddlers. She has also overseen the development of the Environmental Literacy Project, a multifaceted program which seeks to increase literacy skills using environmental themes. This program has been extremely successful, especially with boys and reluctant readers.

What impact do the ReadBoston book distributions have on young children? 
The research on the “summer slide” is very clear. Children who have access to books in the summer can avoid the academic slide that many children from families with low-income experience. As few as six books can make a difference. Free book programs are important to young children because the “summer slide” effect is cumulative. So after a few summers without access to books and educational engagement programs over the summer years, an at-risk student might be as much as a full academic year behind his fellow classmates. By reaching them early, we are working with WGBH to stem this problem before it starts.

Tell us about the many programs that ReadBoston sponsors for young children, and how Boston families can access them.
The centerpiece of ReadBoston’s summer activities is our popular and ubiquitous Storymobile program, which will visit 80 Boston locations each week for seven weeks. At each stop, children receive a free, new book and participate in an engaging storytelling session. The times and dates are listed on our website, and all public locations are open to everyone.
 
New this year, we are adding two evening locations, one outside the Franklin Park Zoo in Dorchester and one at the Pond in Jamaica Plain. We also have an exciting week of special Storymobile events planned for the week of August 15, including sessions at Fenway Park and the Boston Harbor Islands, so please check out our website, and visit our Fan Page on Face Book.
 
Much of our focus at ReadBoston is on strengthening the capacity and skills of people that interact with children, including parents, but also childcare staff, teachers, after-school staff and para-professionals. Strong literacy practices include creating a print-rich environment, reading-aloud, lots of engaging verbal interaction, extending the book themes through drama, singing, and art and, of course, access to lots of great books!

Tell us about the new summer initiative that you are partnering on with WGBH this summer.
ReadBoston is thrilled to join forces with WGBH to help put the breaks on the “summer slide.” Together, we plan to implement a variety of activities designed to provide young Bostonians with ready access to new children’s books that they will be excited to read and share with their families, as well as access to engaging, skill-building activities, both online and in the community. We’re working with several elementary schools to recruit rising first graders and their families to participate in a summer books-by-mail program. Participating children will receive six new books, plus fun giveaways such as pencils, word magnets, stickers, etc. Families that register will receive a series of text messages with literacy tips, links to educational games online, and invitations to free community events. ReadBoston, Mayor Menino, and WGBH will also collaborate on a large-scale event for children and families featuring read-alouds and book distributions.

You estimate that ReadBoston will distribute a staggering 50,000 new books to Boston’s children this summer. Is there a title or two that young Bostonians are most excited about?
Yes, we’re extremely proud to be able to offer so many books to Boston’s children, many of whom would not otherwise have books to call their own. In terms of titles, we’re hearing a lot of buzz about Swim! Swim!by Lerch, which tells the story of Lerch the goldfish who is lonely and  goes in search of a friend. When the family cat offers his friendship, Lerch is understandably concerned since the cat refers to his new friend as “Lunch.” Another popular title is Brontorina by James Howe and Randy Cecil, which is a story about acceptance and pursing one’s dream. Brontorina Apatosaurus wants to attend Madame Lucille’s dance academy, but there’s a problem: Is it that Brontorina is too big, or is it that the dance studio is too small? Clever Jack Takes the Cakeby Candace Fleming and G. Brian Karas is a funny tale about a boy whose story about what happened to the cake he baked for the princess is as “delicious” as the cake itself. Book series such as Arthur, Curious George, and Martha Speaks, all three of which have been turned into successful PBS Kids television series, are perennial favorites.

During your tenure, you’ve distributed hundreds of thousands of books to Boston’s children. Is there a particularly memorable story you’d like to share?
In the course of my work, I meet tons of parents who tell me how much they like the Storymobile program. They tell me the location they went to and the ages of their children. When I visit classrooms, I often ask the students if they have ever heard of the Storymobile program. Generally, there are several children who have experienced the Storymobile program, and can recall which books they received. Being able to choose their own book is meaningful to them.
 
Recently, I met a young boy named Jackson at a Family Night in a Dorchester school. Jackson was there with his mother who was getting information about language-building activities to try at home. His mother told me how much Jackson likes to read and that he reads all the time. She also told me that she really didn’t like to read herself and didn’t do so very often. But Jackson was always bugging her to read him books and to get more books in the house. When she found out that I was from ReadBoston, she was very excited and told us that Jackson had been part of our Reading Trail program at his preschool, then our Family Literacy Project at his elementary school, and received books at home during the summer as part of our Summer Time is Reading Time program. And he also attended a few Storymobile sessions each summer. I was gratified to see how our multiple programs touched Jackson and his mom, and helped them both develop a love of books and reading.
 
For more information on ReadBoston, or to find out when the Storymobile will be in your Boston neighborhood, please visit:

http://www.readboston.org/
http://www.facebook.com/ReadBoston

Three independent studies report that the highly rated WGBH and PBS KIDS series Martha Speaks is an effective tool across platforms (broadcast and mobile devices) in increasing young children’s vocabulary. The studies noted increases comparable to traditional classroom vocabulary instruction (such as reading out loud) for kids who viewed multiple episodes of the show, as well as gains of up to 31 percent in the vocabulary tested among low-income children who played with the Martha Speaks Dog Party iPhone app.

“We’re thrilled with the impressive impact the project is having on increasing young children’s vocabulary,” says Carol Greenwald, WGBH senior executive producer. “Vocabulary is critical to reading comprehension and a key predictor of reading success. By the time children enter kindergarten, however, a great chasm in vocabulary knowledge exists between disadvantaged kids and their peers—and the former never catch up. Across multiple platforms, Martha Speaks has been able to enhance kids’ knowledge of words through the context of a talking dog and great stories.”

Both fans of the series and education experts agree, saying:
 

• “I could not agree any more. My daughter is three and tests at a higher level and I thank PBS daily for that.” - My Springfield Mommy
• “My experience is a bit different from other parents, because my oldest son is autistic. At the age of 4-years-old, he was hardly talking and strangers couldn’t understand him at all. That’s why we get very giddy when he likes shows like Martha Speaks that actually make a big effort to help his development.” - Mommy Q
• “Kids like Martha, and a host of studies now show she’s improving their vocabularies in a big way. At a time when many members of Congress want to kill federal funding for public broadcasting...it’s important to acknowledge the benefit that shows like Martha Speaks bring to some of its youngest, and most disadvantaged, viewers.” - American School Board Journal
• “Yay Martha Speaks! "Martha Speaks" Shows Impressive Impact in Helping Children Learn New Vocabulary http://t.co/bOWyTEw @pbskids - Alice Wilder, Educational Psychologist and co-creator of Super Why