Post for February 5,2009

In response to Len Unsworth's article, Multiliteracies, E-literature and English Teaching

I found Unsworth's article to be interesting as it described all of the ways that books are published on the Internet. I was completely unaware of  all of the websites that allow viewers to read books directly from their sites. I also didn't know that so many classic novels are being revamped and put on the Internet with graphics and sound recordings. What an interesting way to get kids reading great books that they might never have found! 

Unsworth states that, "video games are not threatening the continued existence of books," and I would agree that video games will not take the place of books for adults, but I am concerned that video games will replace books for children, especially those in the middle grades. In the classroom it is very easy to overhear children, especially boys, discussing the latest video game, but seldom do you hear them discussing the book that they cracked the night before. I think that this is unfortunate. I feel that a lot of pressure needs to put on parents to monitor how much time their children spend in front of a television playing video games. I look forward to a day when books and video games will actually compliment each other and both will provide children with the benefits of reading a good book!