Some days ago I heard my 5 year old son talking mumbo jumbo english by his computer; he was imitating a Lego Star Wars-video conversation he just had been watching (and evidently listening too, 10 times or so...). His pronunciation was english but what he said didn't make any sense, well, once a while he dropped the phrase "Star Wars..."
A couple of hours ago he showed my a small Lego poster of HERO FACTORY and asked me (in swedish) "Dad, does it say here (reading in english - a skill he often says he isn't able to do in swedish... - with his index finger pointing out the reading direction) 'HERO FACTORY'?"*
Learning how to read is globalized today, thanks to the ICT possibilities; foreign languages support the native language in children's reading comprehension - a prospect that just 10 years ago was limited to kids with bilingual parents or kids attending bilingual education.
* I don't remember if I answered his question, maybe I just nodded (or maybe my Vygotskian presence was enough) during my process in thinking of the history of the development of reading and writing. I think anyway he announced "YES" (he often does...) and went back to his computer keyboard knowing what to type (a skill he often says he isn't able to ...): ”HERO FACTORY”, in the adress bar of Google Chrome...
At my school we work with iPads for the younger students. We aim to learn how to read by writing. The immidiate response is what motivates the children the most. The iPad is such an amazing resource for learning because its ability to make sounds, do recordings, spellcheck etc. It is amazing for connecting letter, words and pronounciation.
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