The Phonics versus Whole Language debate is virtually extinct.  Most experts agree that each have a place in the classroom and neither should stand alone as the primary reading strategy (Cromwell, Personal Experience, Conversations with early elem teachers, Curtis).  Basically, we've come to the realization that the more ways we experience language the better readers we'll become.  What does this mean as far as reading from a computer screen?  Computers offer yet another way to expose students to text.  My son learned to read in part by using the "Reader Rabbit" software program.  He was able to click on words and have them read to him.  He recorded himself reading the text and then listened as he watched the words.  He was able to  move through the program at a pace comfortable for him.  This type of program stimulates the reader with colorful images. It contains games that use phonics and skill building.  "Technology is changing the way we think about and teach literacy."(Grisham)  Students can move through text in a nonlinear fashion using hypertexts and links that take them to additional information. We become successful readers if we have knowledge of the world around us, we are old enough to have a working  memory that can store 4 or 5 bits of information or  more (if kids are trying to learn to read at an earlier age, they spend a large portion of thier working memory trying to decode unknown words, this leaves no memory for comprehension), we can focus our attention on the words and their meaning, (Bruning) and we have an abundance of experience with language.

We start the process of learning to read at a very early age.  As infants, we respond to familiar words(Hopkins).  As we become older we see written language and make relationships between words and items.  We learn to speak words, build extensive vocabularies, and associate written language with verbal language.  The more we are exposed to all types of language as an infant, toddler and preschooler, the more apt we are to be successful readers.  Computers in the home can give kids more experiences with language.  Computers offer a huge variety of texts.  Early readers can find short stories.  Advanced readers can learn to navigate through the internet. "New web technologies can be applied to assist readers both in integrating content and in maintaining a process focus as they navigate complex expository text." (McEneaney)  Reviews of computer assisted instruction (CAI) show that children appear to progress more quickly and prefer CAI over traditional classroom methods.  The more time a child spends involved with text the more success he/she will have reading.

Students must be taught how to read text from a computer screen.  "Students who read essays on a computer screen found the text harder to understand, less interesting and less persuasive than students who read the same essay on paper. There is no reason they should be harder to understand. But we think readers develop strategies about how to remember and comprehend printed texts, but these students were unable to transfer those strategies to computerized texts."(Ohio State) This article went on to say that even students who had computer experience felt the text from the computer screen was harder to read.  This type of study is interesting but we need more research before we can determine the reasons for such an outcome.  Perhaps the study had a bias.  It has been my experience that it takes a while for young students to learn to actually read the computer screen, but once they've had practice finding useful information and learning which pages are reliable, they enjoy reading and learning from the computer.

Another barrier in the use of computers is their expense.  Homes that are already rich with print are typically the homes that purchase a home computer. Instead of reaching a new population of young learners, we are widening the gap between those who have many resources and those who have few. (Wilkinson) All schools need to be equipped with technological resources in order to help eliminate that gap.  We can't provide all homes with computers but, we can and should provide them for schools.

References:

Converstion with early elem teacher (2-27-01)

Bruning, Schraw, Ronning, Cognitive Psychology and Instruction

Cromwell, Sharon, Education World Whole Language and Phonics: Can They WorkTogether?

Curtis, Jenny, Phonic Versus Whole Language

John E. McEneaney, John E., Oakland University, Learning on the Web: A Content Literacy Perspective

Grisham, Dana L. Making Technology Meaningful for Literacy Teaching (sorry, couldn't find this link again)

Hopkins, Infant Language Research

Stories for Early Readers

Ohio State University, Texts on Computer Screens Harder to Understand, Less Persuasive

Wilkinson, Louise, Classroom Language and Literacy Learning (or this one)