In today’s world, people are no longer confined to reading print books. Many people are embracing the digital world they live in by accessing reading materials through electronic devices. Over the last couple of years, e-reading capabilities have shifted to become available through devices like smart phones, tablets, computers, and e-book readers. While many individuals have noted the physical differences between reading print versus reading electronically, few have studied if the use of e-readers alters the manner in which material is read. Without the consideration of these effects, many schools have begun using electronic reading devices in the classroom as a substitute for print books. Therefore, it is important that the effects of e-reader usage on their ability to understand or comprehend literature be studied, in order to afford today’s children, the internet generation, the best opportunities for success in literacy.
When discussing the effects of e-books on reading comprehension, it is important to define both e-books and reading comprehension. E-books are defined as any digitized book that is accessible through a variety of electronic devices such as a desktop computer, e-reading device, Smartphone, or tablet (“E-books,” 2012). E-books can be used to access a variety of both free and paid reading materials made available through the internet. While they may not provide the same feeling of reading a printed book, many e-books contain features that allow readers to highlight, underline, and add notes to the text (“E-books,” 2012).
Reading comprehension refers to the ability to decipher the meaning of written text. There are three required elements needed for adequate understand of written material: a knowledge of word...
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...uture of Children, 22(2), 3-15. Retrieved from Project MUSE
Rainie, L., Zickuhr, K., Purcell, K., Madden, M., Brenner, J. (2012). The rise of e-reading. Pew Internet & American Life Project, 3-11. Retrieved from Education Resources Information Center
Reardon, S. F., Valentino, R. A., & Shores, K. A. (2012, Fall). Patterns of literacy among U.S. students. The Future of Children, 22(2), 17-37. Retrieved from Education Resources Information Center.
Segal-Drori, O., Korat, O., Shamir, A., & Klein, P. (2010, September). Reading electronic and printed books with and without adult instruction: Effects on emergent reading. Reading& Writing, 23(8), 913-930. doi:10.1007/s11145-009-9182-x
Wright, S., Caputa, F., & Fugett, A. (2013).Using e-readers and internet resources to support comprehension. Educational Technology and Society, 16(1), 367-379. Retrieved from Scopus database
On October 10th, 2017 at Springhurst Elementary School, I conducted a “Reading Interest Survey” and the “Elementary Reading Attitude Survey.” These surveys were conducted on a 1st grade student, Jax, to determine what his feelings are towards reading in different settings, what genres he prefers to read, and interests. It was found that Jax doesn’t mind reading, but prefers a few different topics. This was evident through his raw score of 30 on recreational reading, and a raw score of 31 on academic reading.
The type of reading that is on the decline, is that which requires thought, the assimilation and accommodation of ideas, and effort—close reading. This form of reading involves the careful, sustained interpretation of literary text that comes from observing a pieces minute detail. In accordance with the definition of reading provided by the Princeton dictionary, “the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message”, the methods used other than closed reading are not truly reading. Many have argued that the creation of new technology has actually enabled more people to read, but when compared with reading’s definition, this is not true. Reading in not mindlessly skimming articles and not knowing what they mean afterwards, but being able to comprehend the material that one has read, including its many facets.
Serafini, Frank, and Cyndi Giorgis. Reading Aloud and Beyond: Fostering the Intellectual Life with Older Readers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2003. Print.
However, you do not see that happening much anymore. Sitting down and reading from a book has turned into sitting down and reading from an electronic device. Nicholas Carr admits, “for more than a decade now, I’ve been spending a lot of time online, searching and surfing and sometimes adding to the great databases of the Internet” (Carr 314). Carr wishes he could focus and read more from a book rather than the Web. I personally do not find a problem with reading from the Web, rather than a book. On the internet you have the option of seeking opinions while adding your own opinions to the list. Along with reading from the Web, you have the option to read summaries along with the book; to reach a better understanding of the reading. Most Americans view the Internet as information that is put into words, only. But along with the information, put in words, comes the information from
The survey was distributed to all third grade teachers at Enterprise Elementary. The survey included five items that dealt with teachers’ ideas about reading comprehension. The survey was designed to gain a deeper understanding of what the teachers thought would improve comprehension, and can be found in appendix A.
According to this article, technology in the form of digital text is used to teach reading. Digital text is an interactive set of learning content and tools which serves as motivation for most students to read. It allows the students to be more interactive with the learning and keeps them engaged and motivated. An advantage of digit text is that it provides built-in tutors or virtual assistants that focus attention and provide on-the-spot teaching of reading skills (i.e. such as decoding and word meanings). From a teacher point of view, digit text allows teachers to make learning more personal for the students, allow teachers to be able to see student’s performances quicker and provide the student with feedback. Digital text can also increase instructional time and support differentiation to meet each student’s
In Kouider Mohktari’s “The Impact of Internet and Television Use on the Reading Habits and Practices of College Students”, he and two other authors (Carla A. Reichard and Anne Gardner) briefly argue and discuss how technology (like television and the internet) affects how the American adult reads. They went further into the subject and decided to study the reading habits of college students in the education system of today. There haven’t been many studies on the habits of college students, which is one reason why Mokhtari decided to study it. The reading skills of Americans are decreasing as each year passes. While I am a very avid user of the internet, and I do watch quite a bit of television, I also spend a fair amount of time reading.
Since the dawn of man, we have become a society that has thrived on the existence of knowledge. Individuals are told that knowledge is power and power can lead to a very comfortable life on this earth. However, some people in this world have difficulty in learning that knowledge due to an inability to comprehend what they read even though they know how to read. They can read a book but when given a test on comprehension, the test results show a low amount of inability to process the information portrayed on the subject. The goal of this paper is to enlighten the reader into a slight understanding of how the brain comprehends and how to strengthen that comprehension with practical exercises.
According to Glenda A. Gunter, many people who are avid readers for entertainment credit their enjoyment to being able to create a movie in their head. In her experience, some learners have not been taught the ability to create intense visual representations of the text they read. She believes that only learning digitally can inhibit them from gaining and exercising those skills (Gunter). I agree with Glenda’s theory because sometimes digital entertainment and learning does the creative thinking for people, and it takes away the challenge of having to use your imagination. Gunter also thinks that this could cause learners to have negative feelings toward reading because they don’t think it is as engaging as digital presentations or entertainment (Gunter).
It is a “reading world” we live in and students should be guaranteed every opportunity to succeed in this information driven society. Children today are overwhelmed with more reading material than ever before on billboard, television, the Internet and at school, causing reading to become a relevant and essential need in the life of every child (Lumpkin 1972). Being able to read has become the core of our information driven society. Yet, reading difficulties continue to plague the foundation of our education system creating a problem that only seems to be escalating. Hasselbring affirms that reading difficulties are a serious concern to our nation’s students claiming that, “as many as 20 percent of 17 year olds... [are] functionally illiterate and 44 percent of all high school students…[are] described as semi-illiterate”(2004). This is a harsh reality to face – a reality that stems from difficulties developed at the elementary level where reading complications arise and usually go unchecked. These reading difficulties are carri...
Some years ago, with the arrival of digital technology, the process of reading has been changed to make it easier for everybody; therefore digital books are replacing the actual physical books. In spite of the fact that paper books and digital books are very similar in some ways, such as tittle pages, copyright page, covers, chapters or tables of contents; they present a visual and a sensory difference. In fact, they have a similar action that gives benefits but drawbacks at the same time. Paper books are tangible, accomplishment, easy to share; they have a unique aroma, and a sensitive side. But people should take in consideration that digital books are the better choice, because they are portable, convenient, cheap in price, and easy to manipulate, not to mention that anybody is able to have an bunch of them in only one file, either their phones or
In this information–driven age, preparing students to read a variety of texts with complete understanding should likely be one of our educational system’s highest priorities. Understanding is more than just the ability to produce information on demand (knowledge) or the ability to perform learned routines (skills). “Understanding is the ability to think and act flexibly with what one knows.” (Active Learning Practice for Schools, n. d.) A review of the literature in the area of reading comprehension of elementary-age students shows two principle areas of focus. There is a body of literature that examines the development of proficient vs. struggling comprehenders and another body of literature that compares methodologies for teaching reading comprehension.
So many scientists have argued that online reading doesn’t help people. Their research found out that people were just glancing through each page they are reading, picking out individual words and pr...
With the advance of digital technology and growing web resources, people read more and more e-documents on their computers through the internet and mobile carriers. Liu (2008) investigated people’s digital reading behaviour over a ten year period through questionnaire surveys. Based on the increasing amount of time spent reading edocuments, he proposed the emergence of “screen-based reading” behaviour, characterised by more time spent on browsing and scanning, keyword spotting, onetime reading, non-linear reading, and reading more selectively, with less time is spent on in-depth reading and concentrated reading – a decrease in sustained attention was also noted. Annotating and highlighting while reading is a common activity in the printed environment, however this traditional pattern has not yet migrated across to the digital environment. Although the study proposed the appearance of digital reading, further details of digital reading and various types of digital resources was not discussed.
Biancarosa, G. & Griffiths, G. G. (2012). Technology Tools to Support Reading in the Digital Age. The Future of Children 22(2), 139-160. Princeton University. Retrieved April 28, 2014, from Project MUSE database.