The key to improving reading education is to continually asses the most effective
methods and strategies. Since the beginning of reading education, paper-based texts have
been the focus of, and the tools used with, instruction. However, technological advances
could possibly alter the world of reading instruction—and much more quickly than
previously thought. In the past years, the electronic book has emerged and poses drastic
changes to the paper-based text’s place in the school. In an ever-evolving technological
world, more and more schools are choosing to adopt solely electronic texts. Instead of
heavy textbooks and full classroom libraries students are now experiencing iPads and
iBooks. Due to the fact many schools are moving toward an electronic curriculum, it is
important to evaluate the effectiveness of these new literacies. Therefore, this study was
developed to answer the following questions: Is a second grade student’s silent reading
comprehension affected when using an electronic reader? Also, how do these students
feel about the electronic reader and its use? Data was collected through a short
experience survey and comprehension quizzes administered in a second grade classroom
of 18 students. The results of this study demonstrated no significant statistical difference
between the comprehension of students using the iPad and those reading from a printed
text. However, surveys and observations demonstrated an increase in engagement when
using the electronic reader in the classroom.