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F R O M T H E S T A R T: T H E E F F E C T I V E R E A D I N G T E A C H E R
E- BOOKS
TPACK
What Teachers Need to Know
Jeremy S. Brueck Lisa A. Lenhart
T
oday s tech-savvy young learners are often
equipped with a variety of technological
tools used as easily as pencils and paper. Just
like a favorite picture book, toy, or puzzle,
these tools are something they ve always known,
read, or used. Many may reach for the laptop first
when it s time to write or look for an e-book when
it is time to read. The reason may be that e-books,
the digital equivalent of the storybook, have quickly
become popular and are widely available. E-books
are increasingly viewed as an appropriate source for
literacy exposure to books and reading by parents
and educators, as net sales revenue from e-books
surpassed hardcover books in the first quarter of
2012(Boog, 2012).
As educators consider adopting e-books as
instructional resources, they must begin to con-
sider how to effectively merge content, pedagogy,
and technology in the early literacy classroom. In
this article, we will discuss the emerging role of
e-book technology in early reading instruction and
describe how the Technological Pedagogical Content
Knowledge (TPACK) framework (Figure; Mishra &
Koehler, 2006) can assist teachers in understanding
the dynamic relationship between content, pedagogy,
and technology in the literacy classroom.
E-Books in the Classroom
In many ways, e-books for young children are sim-
ilar to the traditional storybooks we know and love.
However, they are also different in ways that pro-
foundly change the storybook as a source of early
The Reading Teacher Vol. 68 Issue 5 pp. 373376
AND
literacy experiences. For example, an e-book is both
an object (on a device) and a source of content (in the
traditional sense of a book); the electronics interface
with the content. This is both similar to and differ-
ent from traditional books. E-books have traditional
conventions of print books, like a title, pages, and chap-
ters. However, they also can contain illustrations and
hotspots that provide a navigation mechanism for the
reader. A deeper look at childrens e-books reveals a
more complex form, a type of software that includes
animations, sounds, videos, and a read-aloud function.
The addition of electronics impacts the reading in new
ways. Research is helping us to understand how.
The role of e-books in young childrens liter-
acy development is in its infancy, but what we are
learning has growing implications for early literacy
teaching and learning. From a broad perspective, we
can track two major lines of research: (1) the effects
of e-books on childrens engagement with printed
words and stories and (2) how e-books scaffold early
literacy skills, or tutor in the absence of an adult.
E-books offer an engaging medium for young
struggling readers, ease of implementation for
classroom teachers, and opportunities for indi-
vidual practice for all students. Recent findings by
Wright, Fugett, and Caputa (2013) compared print
Jeremy S. Brueck is a visiting assistant professor at The University of
Akron, Ohio, USA; e-mail jbrueck@uakron.edu.
Lisa A. Lenhart is a professor at The University of Akron; e-mail
lenhar1@uakron.edu.
DOI:10.1002/trtr.1323 2015 International Literacy Association
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Figure TPACK Framework
Note. From Mishra, P., & Koehler, M.J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge.
Teachers College Record, 108 (6), 10171054. Reproduced by permission of the publisher.
and electronic books and found that
Grade 2 students were more inclined
to use reading resources when digi-
tal text was the medium rather than
conventional print. E-books have
also been shown to motivate chil-
dren to be active readers. When using
e-books, children tend to more nat-
urally investigate words, images, and
interactivessuch as user-controlled
animations, tap-to-hear word pro-
nunciations, built-in dictionaries,
definitions, games, and puzzlesin
the reading environment.
E-books can also teach children early
literacy skills such as phonological
awareness and vocabulary. In addi-
tion to features found in a print book,
e-books provide scaffolding through
narrations, animations, and inter-
active media, which support young
children who are developing emer-
gent literacy skills. Scaffolds in e-books
include search capability, hyperlinks,
audio and visual enhancements, and in
The Reading Teacher Vol. 68 Issue 5
some cases, hotspot pop-up definitions
for words. The digital scaffolds found
in e-books provide additional oppor-
tunities for independent practice and
interactive exploration of a text, avail-
able even when an adult is not present
to read with a child (Smeets & Bus,
2012).
There are many unknowns sur-
rounding the use of e-books in the
classroom, especially for teachers
who received their training before the
advent of mobile technologies and
cloud computing. Questions range
from How can teachers use e-books
to teach both traditional and digital
reading skills, such as orienting to the
e-book, multimodal exploration of the
page, and nonlinear reading of text?
to What instructional techniques and
decisions do teachers need to consider
as they begin to incorporate digi-
tal storybooks into their classroom
curriculum, and how will they know
when this incorporation is effective?
February 2015
While research supporting the bene-
fits of e-books in early literacy learning
continues to emerge, there is a great
need to situate e-book use to support
student learning within an educational
framework. This educational framework
must not only allow for access to tech-
nology but also offer direction on how to
best use technology in a learning envi-
ronment. In recent years, a framework
has emerged to guide teachers use of
e-books for instruction.
What Is TPACK?
Mishra and Koehlers (2006) TPACK
framework is increasingly being used
to describe the knowledge base from
which teachers can effectively teach with
technology. TPACK frames effective
technology integration for instruc-
tion around specific subject matter. The
framework encompasses three large
domainstechnological knowledge,
pedagogical knowledge, and content
knowledgeand teachers are likely
to understand the basic principles. For
example, teachers are highly skilled in
the content areas they teach, or content
knowledge (CK). When teachers con-
sider how their students learn, think
about ways to motivate and engage
student learning, then develop appro-
priate means to assess learning, they are
applying their pedagogical knowledge
(PK). Finally, teachers call upon their
technological knowledge (TK) when
they use digital tools and resources such
as e-books in their classrooms.
TPACK frames
effective technology
integration for
instruction around
specific subject matter.

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However, the TPACK model moves
past merely viewing these three knowl-
edge domains in isolation. Instead, it
accentuates the new types of knowl-
edge that lie at the intersections
between the domains. The TPACK
framework requires researchers and
teachers to develop understanding of
the dynamic, transactional relation-
ship among all three components. In
this regard, TPACK is an emergent
form ofknowledge that teachers must
develop beyond content, technology,
and pedagogy alone (Mishra & Koehler,
2006, p. 1028).
TPACK, E-Books, and
Implications for Teaching
Reading literacy is an essential ped-
agogy in K2 classrooms. Reading
instruction has a well-established
practice based on print texts across all
content. The transformational effects
of technology on traditional definitions
ofreading and learning impact the
purpose, processes, medium, and act of
reading. As e-books rapidly spread into
the early childhood classroom, inviting
young children to interact with books in
ways they have not done before, there
are several key implications for read-
ing teachers, school administrators, and
curricular leaders.
A robust foundational knowledge
in the fundamental operation of new
technologies will allow teachers to con-
sider the shifts in pedagogy and practice
needed to teach using e-books and
future iterations of childrens litera-
ture. Students are entering classrooms
as fluent and fluid learners of the most
recent digital advances. Reading teach-
ers need to stay current with these
advances, determine the impact on
their current pedagogical approaches,
and adapt, revise, or eliminate based
on pedagogical need. Ongoing profes-
sional learning is key to staying apprised
of digital advances and emerging
technologies.
While some teachers may be wary
of social media, in our digital age, con-
necting, sharing, and learning with
professionals from across the globe is
the norm. Teachers can take advantage
of web services like Pinterest and Twitter
to provide new opportunities for com-
municating and sharing with a diverse
array of literacy professionals. For exam-
ple, reading teachers who would like to
learn more about using e-books in the
classroom can participate in a Twitter
chat like #storyappchat (storyappchat.
wordpress.com) or follow professional
blogs such as Carisa Kluvers Digital
Storytime (digital-storytime.com),
which provides reviews of hundreds of
e-books for emerging and early readers.
Throughout their professional learn-
ing, teachers should place an emphasis
on a seamlessly integrated approach
to technology. Technology should not
drive the curriculum nor determine
content; rather, technology should be
ubiquitously integrated at every avail-
able opportunity based on the increased
opportunities for expanded depth and
breadth of student learning as identi-
fied by TPACK knowledge domains and
overlap. In creating opportunities for
e-book reading in the classroom, the
important educational goal is the full
use of technological tools for learning.
There is little benefit in having interac-
tive whiteboards, touchscreens, laptops,
and mobile devices for e-book read-
ing that remain idle for much of the
The transformational effects of technology
ontraditional definitions of reading and
learningimpact the purpose, processes,
medium,and act of reading.
375
instructional day. Yet how to seamlessly
integrate e-book reading tools into the
instructional day is a challenge for many
educators who genuinely want to use
these tools but dont know how.
Solving this problem begins with
teacher professional development in
how various technologies provide access
to content and how they can be used in
instructional delivery. School curricular
leaders who keep abreast of the chang-
ing landscape of literacy must support
teachers through an approach that
enables teachers to develop a compre-
hensive understanding of the dynamic
nature of technological, pedagogical,
and content knowledge. Professional
development resources should be pro-
vided to support teachers in the how-to
of literacy instruction with e-books. For
example, Akron Ready Steps, a federal
Early Reading First program in Akron,
Ohio, developed an online module
titled Ebooks in the Early Years to help
guide teachers as they begin engag-
ing children at the screen during e-book
reading sessions. This professional
learning resource is available for teach-
ers and curricular leaders to access at
goo.gl/4OTG6H. It provides background
in the current body of research sur-
rounding e-books for young children,
developing spaces for e-book reading,
and also provides examples of instruc-
tional techniques teachers can put into
place in their classrooms. Following
the shift toward a blended reading
platform, one that includes both tradi-
tional and digital texts in the classroom,
www.reading.org
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professional learning should focus on a
collaborative approach between curric-
ular leaders and teachers that supports
childrens active participation in e-book
reading and develops screen read-
ing and digital book-handling skills.
Professional learning resources should
also deepen teachers e-book-reading
language facilitation skills such as
asking questions, clarifying content, and
extending ideas.
As schools and districts look for
ways to keep professional development
costs down, web services like Google
Hangouts and other widely available
collaborative tools like FaceTime reduce
the need to meet face-toface in districts
where teachers may not all be working in
the same school building and would nor-
mally need to travel for a meeting. The
use of digital-age communication and
social media allow literacy profession-
als to connect quickly and easily with
teachers inside their school and across
the globe as they seek to learn how to
incorporate e-books into their class-
rooms. These services also enable school
administrators and curricular leaders
to offer teachers the opportunity to set
individualized time schedules that con-
nect them with other professionals while
modeling the intersection of technol-
ogy, content, and pedagogy for personal
learning and professional growth.
For example, kindergarten, first-grade,
and second-grade teachers at Green
Primary School near Akron, Ohio, were
deeply involved in a series of blended
professional development opportunities
as they worked to integrate e-books into
their daily reading block. Participating
teachers were provided instruction in
design strategies and skills that enrich
environments with language, literacy,
and content through face-to-face pro-
fessional development, web-conference
sessions, and online tutorials that pro-
vided examples and design skill practice.
The Reading Teacher Vol. 68 Issue 5
The focus of the teacher instruction was
on the development of procedural knowl-
edge based on a set of design principles
(Roskos & Vukelich, 2008) and included
program introduction, an overview of
e-books for young children, accessing
and sharing e-books, identifying quality
e-book resources, completing an e-book
quality rating using an E-Book Quality
Rating Tool, developing classroom spaces
for e-book reading, and finally, vocab-
ulary instruction. A web-based portal,
located at digitxt.ning.com, was devel-
oped to serve as a repository for all
professional development materials.
Following professional development
centered on instruction in the e-book-
equipped classroom, school curricular
leaders should encourage teachers to
experiment with alternative instruc-
tional practices while remaining true
to best practices and evidence-based
techniques. Teachers can start by using
e-books to adapt and extend tradi-
tional comprehension and oral reading
practices in the classroom to support
learning. At Green Primary School, for
example, teachers began to incorporate
a variety of reading experiences in the
e-book-equipped classroom, including
the read-aloud, shared reading, choral
reading, and Readers Theatre strategies.
School administrators and curricular
leaders should support inquisitiveness,
innovation, and creativity in developing
and delivery instruction with e-books
that support early literacy learning in
students. Recommendations for support
include providing instructional coach-
ing for reading teachers, collaborating
with childrens library and media spe-
cialists, and bringing in assistance from
instructional designers and technology
integration specialists.
Conclusion
The future of teaching with e-books
is promising. Most practicing teachers
February 2015
should be able to incorporate e-books
as powerful curricular resources
with ease. Teachers with a limited
TK domain may need additional sup-
port and professional development
to feel comfortable using e-books
to support learning. Explicit mod-
eling of Before, During, and After
(B/D/A) e-book reading activities and
oral reading strategy adaptations are
essential to developing a more com-
prehensive understanding of the
dynamic nature of the TK, PK, and
CK domains as they pertain to teach-
ing in the e-book-equipped classroom.
Much like supporting comprehension
in students, teachers will need links
built between their prior knowledge
of traditional pedagogical approaches
and the requisite augmentations that
must be applied to the e-book as a
curricular material. Ongoing and
job-embedded support for teachers
making the transition to teaching in
an e-book-equipped classroom will
ensure teachers have the technological
pedagogical content knowledge they
need to effectively use e-books to sup-
port student learning.
R E F E R E NC E S
Boog , J. (2012, June 15). eBook revenues
tophardcover [Web log post]. Retrieved
fromwww.mediabistro.com/galleycat/
e-books-top-hardcover-revenues-in-q1_
b53090
Mishra, P., & Koehler, M.J. (2006). Technological
pedagogical content knowledge: A frame-
work for teacher knowledge. Teachers College
Record, 108(6), 10171054.
Roskos, K.A., & Vukelich, C. (2008). Quality
counts: design and use of an early literacy
program review tool. In L.M. Justice & C.
Vukelich (Eds.), Achieving excellence in pre-
school literacy instruction (pp. 265 283).
New York, NY: Guilford.
Smeets, D., & Bus, A. (2012). Interactive elec-
tronic storybooks for kindergartners to
promote vocabulary growth. Journal of
Experimental Child Psychology, 112(1), 36 55.
doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2011.12.003
Wright, S., Fugett, A., & Caputa, F. (2013). Using
e-readers and Internet resources to support
comprehension. Educational Technology &
Society, 16(1), 367 379.
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