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Thursday, March 5, 2015

A rainbow of words


“A lot of people don’t associate books with technology, but that’s such a mistake.  Although I haven’t abandoned reading bound books, I’m a big fan of reading on digital devices.  I am able to carry a library in my hand, on my tablet computer.  To me that is a miracle. Quite frankly, I don’t care whether they’re reading a bound book or on a tablet computer.  I just want kids to read.  LeVar Burton

LeVar Burton knows how to reach people with his acting skills, but it was his daughter Mica who knew the power of social media and urged him to transform the popular PBS show Rainbow Reading into a web experience that was accessible to everyone, Burton told AARP Magazine.   And so the next generation of kids will still have the wonderful show because Burton cares.

Burton first broke onto the scene and into our consciousness as the young star of the television miniseries Roots. In 1983, he became the host of Reading Rainbow.  Under his leadership it won five Emmy Awards.  Meanwhile, Burton became a household name for science-fiction fans as a star of the series Star Trek: The Next Generation, but he never gave up on insuring that kids had the opportunity to read and be excited by reading.

 
LeVar Burton

“Reading a hard copy book and reading a book on an iPad are slightly different experiences, but what they both have in common is that you must engage your imagination in the process,” he said.  “As long as we are engaged in storytelling that moves the culture forward, it doesn’t matter what format it is.”



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