How Digital Reading Platforms are Helping Strengthen Students’ Reading Comprehension

Digital literacy has long been an essential skill in the classroom, helping students to prepare for a world where technology plays a central role. But while IT has been part of the regular school curriculum for years (if not decades), reading is the next lesson to get a digital upgrade.

Digital reading platforms are cloud-based libraries that provide schools and students with access to vast collections of e-books and audiobooks through internet-connected devices. Unlike traditional library systems, these platforms offer interactive features such as built-in dictionaries, note-taking tools, progress tracking, and accessibility options like adjustable fonts and read-aloud functionality. Students can access their digital libraries from tablets, computers, or smartphones, reading at school, at home, or anywhere with an internet connection. 

Modern digital reading platforms are transforming how teachers present literature to their classes. When working with picture books or graphic novels, educators can project texts onto smart boards, allowing entire classes to examine illustrations in detail and engage in collaborative discussions. This shared visual experience creates opportunities for deeper analysis that simply aren't possible when students are hunched over individual copies.

The annotation and note-taking features available on many platforms represent another significant pedagogical advancement. Students can highlight passages, jot down thoughts, and bookmark important sections, all of which remain accessible even after they've finished reading. This permanent record of student thinking facilitates meaningful comparisons between texts and supports group work in ways that traditional physical books cannot match.

Teachers are increasingly asking students to engage actively with texts as they read, documenting their responses and questions in real-time. These organic reactions, captured digitally, become valuable resources for later discussion and analysis, ensuring that fleeting insights aren't lost.

Helping Students with Diverse Learning Needs
For students with diverse learning needs, platforms like Sora provide accessibility features that can be game-changing. Adjustable font sizes support students with vision impairments, while dyslexic-friendly fonts can make reading more comfortable for students with learning differences. Audiobook functionality allows students to engage with texts during commutes or while multitasking, effectively extending their reading time throughout the day.

Perhaps most importantly, these platforms democratise access to literature. Research highlights the significant benefits of audiobooks in extending students' literacy skills, particularly when students read along with the audio (Margaret Merga's 2023). This dual-mode engagement can be especially powerful for reluctant readers or those still developing fluency.

Solving Practical Challenges
Australian schools face unique challenges when it comes to maintaining comprehensive library collections. Supply chain disruptions can make it difficult to obtain physical copies of popular titles, while out-of-print books may be completely inaccessible. Digital platforms provide a solution to these logistical nightmares, ensuring that curriculum-essential texts remain available regardless of printing status or distribution challenges.

The space constraints that plague many school libraries also become irrelevant in digital environments. Schools can offer students access to thousands of titles without requiring additional shelf space or worrying about theft and damage: persistent concerns for resource-strapped institutions.

Research consistently shows that children read more when they have unlimited access to books rather than rationed collections. The reality of limited budgets and varying student interests makes it virtually impossible for physical libraries to stock every title students might want to explore. This is particularly challenging when students discover a beloved series, and ensuring every book is available becomes an expensive and logistically complex undertaking.

Digital collections solve this problem elegantly. Students can access books 24/7, reading whenever inspiration strikes, whether at home, during breaks, or even during family holidays. Different licensing models allow schools to run book clubs where entire classes can access the same title simultaneously, eliminating the frustration of waiting lists and unavailable copies.

Building Digital Literacy Skills
As we prepare students for an increasingly digital world, familiarity with digital reading platforms becomes a crucial literacy skill in itself. Students need to learn how to navigate e-books, utilise annotation tools effectively, and integrate multimedia elements into their reading experience. These skills transfer directly to academic and professional contexts where digital text consumption is the norm.

The shift toward digital reading also opens doors to multimedia texts that combine traditional prose with video, audio, and interactive elements. This evolution of the ‘book’ itself requires new literacy skills that go beyond traditional reading comprehension.

As we continue to understand the full potential of these technologies, one thing is clear: digital reading platforms are transforming how students engage with literature itself.

For educators considering incorporating digital reading into their programs, the key is starting small and focusing on how these tools can address specific challenges in their classrooms. Whether it's providing access to out-of-print texts, supporting students with diverse learning needs, or simply ensuring every student can participate in class discussions, digital platforms offer practical solutions to real educational challenges.

The future of reading education is undoubtedly digital, but it's also deeply human, focused on nurturing the critical thinking, empathy, and communication skills that great literature has always provided.