LiteracyApps has been created by the National Literacy Trust, with the support of partners and academic advisors.
About our work
One person in six in the UK lives with poor literacy. This holds them back at every stage of their life. As a child they won’t be able to succeed at school, as a young adult they will be locked out of the job market, and on becoming a parent they won’t be able to support their child’s learning.
Lacking these vital skills undermines their wellbeing and stops them making a full contribution to the economic and cultural life of our nation.
The National Literacy Trust is a national charity dedicated to raising literacy levels in the UK.
We work to improve the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in the UK’s most disadvantaged communities, where up to 40 per cent of people have literacy problems. Our research and analysis make us the leading authority on literacy and drive our interventions. Because literacy learning is intergenerational, we focus our work on families, young people and children.
- We establish literacy projects in the poorest communities
- We campaign to make literacy a priority for politicians and parents/caregivers
- We support schools
About this guide
This guide aims to help you get the most out of apps that support language and literacy development. If you choose to use apps with your child(ren) it is important to be aware that there is still no definitive research about the impact of using screens on developing brains. Please use your own judgement to consider what is reasonable screen time and app use, and encourage children to have a balance of activities across their day. We recommend that you engage in the app activity with your child – we hope that this guide will help you choose apps that support you and your child(ren) spend time together.
Some of the apps recommended in this guide need to be paid for and some offer further in app purchases. Therefore we strongly advise that you monitor your child’s ability to make purchases on your device. The National Literacy Trust cannot be responsible for any costs you may incur when using the apps recommended in this guide.
Who has helped us?
This guide has been developed with the support of Dr Natalia Kucirkova, Senior Lecturer in Early Years and Childhood Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University. It has drawn on a number of research studies, including a Knowledge Transfer Partnership project between BookTrust and The Open University.
We have also benefitted from the advice of the Diversity in Apps team. Diversity in Apps is a grassroots coalition made up of researchers, producers, parents and teachers. Their mission is to raise awareness and engage in research about the need for inclusive, equitable, and diverse children’s media.
The creation of this guide was funded by Department for Education 2015/16 VCS grant funding and is available under Open Government Licence.
©Crown Copyright 2016
LiteracyApps imeundwa na National Literacy Trust, kwa msaada wa washirika na washauri wa kitaaluma. Kwa mujibu wa ripoti hiyo, kila mtu wa sita nchini Uingereza ana ujuzi mdogo wa kusoma na kuandika. Jambo hilo huwazuia katika kila hatua ya maisha yao. Kama mtoto hawatakuwa na uwezo wa kufanikiwa shuleni, kama mtu mzima mchanga watakuwa wamefungwa nje ya soko la kazi, na juu ya kuwa mzazi hawatakuwa na uwezo wa kusaidia kujifunza mtoto wao. Ukosefu wa ujuzi huu muhimu huathiri ustawi wao na kuwazuia kutoa mchango kamili katika maisha ya kiuchumi na kitamaduni ya taifa letu. National Literacy Trust ni shirika la kitaifa la kutoa misaada linalojitolea kuongeza viwango vya kusoma na kuandika nchini Uingereza. Kazi ya kusoma, kuandika, kuzungumza na kusikiliza katika jamii za chini zaidi za Uingereza, ambapo hadi asilimia 40 ya watu wana matatizo ya kusoma na kuandika. Utafiti wetu na uchambuzi hutufanya kuwa mamlaka inayoongoza juu ya kusoma na kuandika na kuendesha hatua zetu. Kwa sababu kujifunza kusoma na kuandika ni kati ya vizazi, tunazingatia kazi yetu kwenye familia, vijana na watoto. - Tunaanzisha miradi ya kusoma na kuandika katika jamii maskini - Tunafanya kampeni ya kufanya kusoma na kuandika kuwa kipaumbele kwa wanasiasa na wazazi / watunzaji - Tunaunga mkono shule Kuhusu mwongozo huu Mwongozo huu unakusudia kukusaidia kupata zaidi kutoka kwa programu zinazounga mkono lugha na maendeleo ya kusoma na kuandika. Ikiwa unachagua kutumia programu na mtoto wako, ni muhimu kujua kwamba bado hakuna utafiti wa uhakika kuhusu athari za kutumia skrini kwenye ubongo unaokua. Tafadhali tumia uamuzi wako mwenyewe kuzingatia nini ni wakati wa screen na matumizi ya programu, na kuhamasisha watoto kuwa na usawa wa shughuli katika siku yao. Tunapendekeza kwamba ushiriki katika shughuli ya programu na mtoto wako - tunatumaini kwamba mwongozo huu utakusaidia kuchagua programu ambazo zinakusaidia wewe na mtoto wako kutumia muda pamoja. Baadhi ya programu zilizopendekezwa katika mwongozo huu zinahitaji kulipwa na zingine hutoa zaidi katika ununuzi wa programu. Kwa hiyo tunashauri sana kwamba wewe kufuatilia uwezo wa mtoto wako kufanya ununuzi juu ya kifaa chako. National Literacy Trust haiwezi kuwajibika kwa gharama zozote unazoweza kupata wakati wa kutumia programu zinazopendekezwa katika mwongozo huu. Ni nani aliyetusaidia? Mwongozo huu umebuniwa kwa msaada wa Dk Natalia Kucierkova, Mhadhiri Mkuu wa Mafunzo ya Miaka ya Mapema na Utoto katika Chuo Kikuu cha Manchester Metropolitan. Imechukuliwa kutoka kwa masomo kadhaa ya utafiti, pamoja na mradi wa Ushirikiano wa Uhamisho wa Ujuzi kati ya BookTrust na Chuo Kikuu cha Wazi. Pia tumenufaika na ushauri wa timu ya Diversity in Apps. Diversity in Apps ni muungano wa msingi ulioundwa na watafiti, wazalishaji, wazazi na walimu. Ujumbe wao ni kuongeza ufahamu na kushiriki katika utafiti kuhusu haja ya vyombo vya habari vya watoto vya ujumuishaji, usawa, na tofauti. Mwongozo huu umefadhiliwa na Wizara ya Elimu ya 2015-2016 na inapatikana chini ya leseni ya Serikali ya wazi. Copyright 2016 Crown