Creating the Early Literacy Classroom

Casey (education, California State U., Long Beach) begins by arguing that computers make a difference for early reading and writing, and that the classroom computer should have speech capability. Using the computer as an oral decoder, Casey's 90 activities help teachers get students, from as early as age three, writing mysteries, tall tales, scripts, recipes, persuasive letters, and newsletter articles. One example encourages students to use the talking computer to re-tell a story their teacher has just read out loud. Students then illustrate the story and improve spelling skills when the computer mispronounces flagrant misspellings they are challenged to correct. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

JEAN M. CASEY is Professor of Education, California State University, Long Beach. She has published numerous articles on technology and learning and is a nationally known speaker and consultant on the topic.