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There’s dissonance between the cultural and psychological associations I have about technology and the associations I have about reading. The popular mythology tells me that words are good while tech is scary.

Bottom line: the eReader makes my son read more. And my son is not unique. According to PlayScience and Digital Book World study, the Kids eBook market “has basically tripled from 2011 to 2012, that is 500% growth.”  What’s more, “A staggering number of kids  (85%) e-read at least once a week.”

“Which do you like better,” I sent him a message with gChat, “eBooks or paper books?” “ebook” “Why?” “Its a elictrak devise” I forgive the bad spelling. But I should probably correct him. Or, even better, respond with sentences that use the words and model correct spellings. “What have you been reading?” “All the Horrid Henrys” “Cool. Are they good books?” “Ya.”

Still, most parenting wisdom continues to portray television as an evil mind-rotting demon. The fear of ‘screen time’ is so deeply ingrained in our collective imagination that an irrational opposition between outdoor play and media consumption is taken for granted. Many parents believe the choice is either/or: indoors or out.

most storytelling is interactive. We consume most of our media through internet connected devices. And technology is so adept at providing ‘adaptive feedback’ that it proves to be an exceptionally effective teaching tool. In fact, a recent SRI study shows that game based learning can boost cognitive learning for students sitting on the median by 12%.

Joint media engagement refers to spontaneous and designed experiences of people using media together, and can happen anywhere and at any time when there are multiple people interacting together with digital and traditional media.