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My 4th grade students are in great need of a new, classroom set of student-edition dictionaries. Over the past 10 years, I have used the same set of dictionaries with a copyright date of 1983! At first I thought, 鈥淥h that鈥檚 not too bad.鈥 But then I did the math, and quite frankly, 35 years-old for a dictionary is 鈥ld! That鈥檚 a lot of kids, with a lot of hands and a lot of fingers. (approximately 19,260 fingers to be exact!) Can you even begin to imagine all of the words that have developed since 1983? Not to mention, all of the new and/or revised rules relating to etymology that have also emerged. In a generation that鈥檚 nothing less than a digital apocalypse, one might ask, 鈥淲hy would a writing teacher want to purchase and use hard copies of dictionaries versus an online site which might be a more efficient and effective tool?鈥 My pedagogical beliefs as an educator are backed by students having a multitude of exposures and experiences in everything. This includes both the school environment as well as the home environment. Thus digital as well as hard copies are equally important. The dictionary provides learning experiences that can not be achieved digitally. The hard copy should be a student鈥檚 first exposure and learned before the introduction of the digital dictionary versions. Additionally, most educators at some point in their career are exposed to students whose families might not have the monetary means to afford an internet connection in their home. This is another reason why it is essential that children know the different ways to successfully complete work. A hard copy of a dictionary could always be assigned to these children as an accommodation if needed. The usefulness of this long-time great resource doesn鈥檛 just end there.
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