More and more often, kids have access to tablet computers–They share their parents’ devices, have their own, or their school hands them out.  

Sure, some parents use iPads as little more than distraction devices to keep kids quiet during a dinner out.  

But for many educators and parents, the hope is that tablets could be a tool to help kids learn to read. Right now, only about a third of 4th graders have reading skills that are considered proficient.

Could iPads and other tablets help? There’s reason to be hopeful.  

Michael Levine from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop says strong literacy and reading apps can be an improvement on boring learning devices–like flashcards.  

But, he says, tablets are still only a tool. Teaching kids literacy skills will always require caring and responsive adults.