Bennett-Armistead quoted in Public News Service report on video learning series

Susan Bennett-Armistead, a professor of literacy education at the University of Maine, was quoted in a Public News Service report about a video learning series that claims to help infants read and learn. Bennett-Armistead said videos lack the ability to interact and provide the human contact that is vital to early learning. “So, if I’m reading to my baby, I’m looking at her face,” she said. “I might notice that she’s maybe drifting in her attention, so I’m going to make my voice a little louder or a little quieter, or I’m going to do something to regain her attention. And a video is static, it can’t respond in those same ways.” Bennett-Armistead said Maine is ranked among the top states in the nation for parents reading aloud to children, and added it doesn’t require a big investment, as books can be checked out from the local library.