Cat

Interesting thing happened today: my daughter Mya’s teacher is apparently not pleased with me because she asked all parents to purchase a “physical” dictionary for students to use at home to look up words they don’t know and instead I have opted to have her search for the meanings to words on one of several online dictionarys. 

Putting the argument often associated with online resources like Wikipedia aside (data that is not accurate, research is just as much about the journey as the result, wikipedia does not encourage in-depth exploration into ideas, etc), I thought the purpose of a dictionary was to find a word’s meaning. The online version of this that Mya uses is just as adequate as any printed version. In fact, it is more so. She actually ENJOYS looking up words because she loves her computer and consequently spends more time finding the meaning of words she doesn’t understand in her reading.

Plus, since we’re already online, she can look up other things to do with these words besides just their meaning. For instance (and this process is so common it shouldn’t even need to be mentioned), we are currently reading a book called “Oceans and Seas” that is all about how oceans are created. When she runs into words she doesn’t know and searches for them, we can also go see examples of what these words mean - pictures, video, further explanations, etc. Granted, one of my biggest pet peeves is that online learning resources for children my daughter’s age are extremely lacking, but information is there. 

I think its fine to say that children should buy a dictionary. For some, that may really be the way they learn best (although I doubt it) and perhaps it does teach a skill that is specific to looking things up in a very large book. But Mya is an active child that needs to be engaged in what she is learning to be excited by it and if this is the best way to engage her, what’s the real problem - isn’t that what we’re after? Also, I would argue that her ability to navigate online resources and find the answers to questions, even one’s as simple as what does this word mean, are teaching her an extremely valuable skill that should be recognized in its own right.