Story Catcher: e-library to Improve Early Literacy Skills and Verbal Fluency in Kids

Abstract

Mobile smart devices are gaining popularity rapidly. These digital devices facilitate a new generation of technological tools that offer unprecedented access to content as well as opportunities for creative use even for young children. The development of mobile technology and the proliferation of smartphones have made m- Learning and e-Learning one of the most efficient methods of learning. Previous studies have explained the positive impact of using e-library mobile applications to develop literacy skills of children. Despite positive outcomes, Sri Lanka does not have an e-library mobile application for children to improve their reading and writing skills in both Sinhala and English. A solution to overcome this problem is to develop an e- library mobile application for kids. Story Catcher e-library mobile application contains books, poems, and songs in both Sinhala and English languages with the special narrating feature which helps kids to learn correct pronunciation and to improve verbal fluency, and communication skills. Special features like a screen time management option for parental control and to avoid overuse, an interactive game for the kids and an option to add or remove any book, song and poem from favourites are included in this mobile application. This research paper proposes a novel method to improve the literacy skills of kids in Sri Lanka.