While some teenagers love to disappear into a fantasy world or delve into the deep reaches of history through an interesting book, others hesitate. Yet again, there are some others that like to follow the concept of comprar curtidas which seems to be picking up today. Some find reading boring, too difficult, or would simply prefer to spend their time on social networking sites. Yet, reading skills benefit teens in all areas of life, particularly on standardized tests such as the ACT, SAT, ASVAB, or college entrance exams. Many questions, for example, expect students to use strong reading skills to prove their competency of math and science. Yet, if a teenager struggles with reading comprehension, the results could show low proficiency regardless of their true knowledge of math or science. The solution lies in motivating a teenager to read for understanding on their own as much as possible. Using technology can provide an interesting way to inspire a teen to fall in love with reading.
- YALSA App
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) targets ages 12 to 18, building “the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens.” As such, the organization has created a free “Teen Book Finder” app, allowing teens to use an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to learn about young adult literature. Features of the app include a daily focus on three titles from their data base, a search for book awards, a book locator to help find a book at a nearby library, a favorites book list, and the ability to share favorite books from the app onto Twitter or Facebook.
- Teen Book Club
Why not use a teenager’s love for friends and social media to encourage reading? A slew of teenage oriented book clubs exist online and accept teens from around the world. One such club geographically originates in the United Kingdom, but any teen may join their Facebook teen book club. Sponsored by theguardian, teens can vote, read, and discuss a particular book with each other and often ask the author questions.
- Change the Medium
Using an e-reader such as a Kindle or iPad may make reading more fun for a teen. Simply by changing the medium of the book, from paper to a digital version, a teen gains flexibility and power over the words. Many e-readers allow a change of font size, background color, hearing it read in audio while reading it on the screen, and placement of bookmarks. Several also include a way for the reader to look up a definition of a word he or she does not understand. This allows teens to discover meanings on their own in a private manner, saving them potential embarrassment from asking someone else. Certain classics can become very difficult to read and analyze for weaker readers. However, several classic literature books written by authors such as Charles Dickens, Joseph Conrad, or William Shakespeare can be accessed for free through an app called Classicly, or the Classicly HD app which sells for 99 cents, and includes unlimited access to over 26 thousand books and almost 3 thousand audio books.
Technology seems to be the key to making reading fun for teenagers. They have grown up holding a music player or some sort of gadget more often than a paperback book. As such, it naturally makes sense to bring reading to the gadget. Make reading fun, and before long teens will fall in love with reading.
