The commentary on May 9 ("Sharing stories makes for rich language development") noted that digital media, such as blogs, podcasts, text messages, videos and video games, provide students with the opportunity to share their ideas, creating many "shared reading" platforms along the way and increasing their engagement and knowledge in stories.

Hence, schools should occasionally engage students in such digital "shared reading" platforms.

When using platforms such as videos and blogs, students are exposed to a wide array of ideas and opinions contributed by people from all over the world.

They get access to things that they may not have thought of before, and can start to think out of the box and accept differing opinions.

Digital technology will also allow students to create their own stories. They no longer need to follow the standard way of writing, but can redesign the way stories are told, in turn, developing their writing skills and showcasing their creativity.

I hope schools will consider incorporating digital "shared reading" platforms into language lessons to create a joyful reading experience for students.

Zhang Qiming, 15,

Secondary 4 student

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