Free iPads or other tablets for low-income families with young kids? Not just for reading to toddlers but also for delivery of content and services in areas ranging from childcare advice to nutrition?
My further thoughts, especially on the tablets as family literacy promoters, are on the way. What kind of reading software might be best, for example? The image is from the International Children’s Digital Library, one of the apps I’ll be mentioning.
And meanwhile, here’s a point I don’t want to be lost amid the others, given the current focus on frugality in the public and nonprofit sectors. I believe that the experiment could be cost effective if:
–It started on a small scale in rural and not-so-rural locations.
–Only motivated families qualified—with sufficient interest in children’s healthcare and nutrition being a key indicator. I know: it’s tough, given the two or three jobs that many low-income parents must hold. But the experiment should begin with participants most likely to succeed, with adjustments made later to accommodate others. Another indicator would be willingness to participate in person in library-related activities and others advancing children’s well-being.
–The experiment remotely tracked usage to assure that the hardware wasn’t simply used to play Angry Birds. A fraction of the time is okay.
–Ruggedized tablets were used—break-proof through their original designs or else use of products such as OtterBoxes—to reduce losses.
–Various measurements of results were undertaken by qualified experts. Remember, the outcomes would be not only literacy related but also health related and other kinds.
If you’re thinking, “Isn’t the tablet just one of the details?”? Exactly. Let the emphasis be on results and integration with existing government and nonprofit programs, such as Reading Is Fundamental, as opposed to technology for tech’s sake. People ahead of gadgets!
Whether or not the Digital Public Library of America forks into separate organizations for public and academic libraries, this experiment definitely should be on the plate. Given the benefits of preschool learning, the potential upside is too big not to try it.
- With so many U.S. kids in poverty, a national digital library and hardware program could be a godsend for children’s e-book publishers
- More ammunition for a national digital library system playing up early childhood education and a family literacy approach? Thanks, Messrs. Kristof and Friedman!
- OverDrive as an e-library kickstart—and related information on e-books and family literacy: Links for new visitors to LibraryCity.org
- The hotspot strategy: Cost-justifying free tablet computers for low-income library users
- An e-smart family literacy approach for Rockford, Illinois? Back to the future?