Children "more likely to own a mobile phone than a book"

"Children as young as seven are more likely to own a mobile phone than a book, figures show, fuelling fears over a decline in reading."

I wanted to share an article I found this morning by by Graeme Paton in The Telegraph. It discusses a report by the National Literacy Trust that surveyed more than 17,000 schoolchildren aged seven to 16.

The findings come amid continuing concerns over the effect of modern technology on young people. Some of the key results are:

• 85.5 per cent of pupils had their own mobile phone, compared with 72.6 per cent who had their own books.
• Among children in Key Stage 2 – aged seven to 11 – 79.1 per cent had a mobile compared with 72.7 per cent who had access to books.
• Almost nine-in-10 pupils now have a mobile compared with fewer than three-quarters who have their own books in the home.
• Some 80 per cent of children with better than expected reading skills had their own books, compared with just 58 per cent who were below the level expected for their age group.
• The study suggests a link between regular access to books outside school and high test scores.

Read the full article here.

I have long believed that many in society are alliterate and this keeps us from modeling a love of reading to our children and our students. My question is, should we then redefine how we deliver instruction? Should it all be developed for hand-helds or would traditional methods still be best? Should it be delivered in combination?  J.T.