# Using Tablets to Teach Basic Literacy Skills to Kindergarten Students: A Case Study
## 1 Introduction  
From a young age, children become acquainted with reading and writing processes even before physically interacting with a text and decoding its content; in essence, before becoming literate. As children progress from infancy, they embark on a journey toward literacy as their literacy skills naturally evolve. Early literacy is related to the initial experiences that lay the groundwork for reading and writing. This early or emergent literacy is a crucial developmental phase where young children progressively grasp the functionalities of both spoken and written language [1]. During this stage, children are introduced to books, games, and activities designed to familiarize them with letters, sounds, and language; in that way, they acquire essential skills prior to entering formal education [2]. Emergent reading, defined as the process by which children begin to associate printed words with their meanings, starts early in a child's life and progresses until they achieve conventional reading and writing skills [3]. Key elements of emergent reading development encompass alphabet knowledge, print concepts, oral language skills, and phonological awareness [4]. Phonological awareness involves the ability to recognize and manipulate sound segments in spoken language, while phonics instruction deals with the correspondence between sounds and letters in written language. Similarly, phoneme identification, or the recognition of individual letter sounds (phonemes), is essential [5]. Letter identification, the ability to identify the letters of the alphabet, is fundamental to the above process [3]. As foundational skills, letter identification and letter sound recognition are critical for establishing the ability to read and write, allowing children to decode wordsand comprehend their meanings. They are considered vital for early literacy, significantly impacting students' future reading performance [6]. In essence, these skills are critical for transitioning from the stage of learning to read to that of reading to learn. Consequently, the enhancement of these skills has become a central priority in early childhood education. The swift advancement of technology has undeniably created boundless opportunities for educators and students alike. The modern educational landscape now offers limitless possibilities for extending the learning process beyond the confines of the traditional classroom. Participants have unprecedented access to global knowledge through suitable digital devices [7]. In fact, the integration of technology into kindergarten education has demonstrated significant promise in supporting the development of children's literacy skills. A range of technological interventions, including video lessons, augmented reality (AR), and digital applications, have been utilized. These tools effectively engage young learners, while delivering measurable enhancements in their abilities [8]. On the other hand, mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones eliminate the need for fine motor skills required for operating computers, due to their intuitive tactile interfaces that rely on simple finger-based operations, characterized by actions like tapping and swiping. This user-friendliness enables young children to use them with ease [9]. Additionally, mobile devices play a supportive role in developing media competency, an essential skill for effective navigation of the digital world [10]. In this respect, their integration into early childhood education is part of a larger movement towards ICT-based learning models, which are considered instrumental in preparing learners to adapt to a rapidly evolving technological landscape [11]. Their integration into this educational level has been investigated across various fields, such as phonics, natural sciences, and mathematics (e.g., [12; 13]), yielding mixed yet predominantly positive results.