"The writing we produce is not getting worse. Instead, it is simply adapting to the modern world." -Does Digital Media Make Us Bad Writers?
I found this quote very interesting. I've heard often that students, and in general people, today can't write. I have personally seen the opposite in many classrooms. There are many different ways in which to read and write. Video games often require basic reading skills for them to be completed. Almost any activity completed online involves reading and/or writing. Children are learning and engaging with text in a different way now then they used to, as this quote points out. It is not so much that writing is getting worse, but that's it changing.
"One early study showed that giving home Internet access to low-income students appeared to improve standardized reading test scores and school grades." -The Future of Reading
This I found interesting as well. By giving low-income students access to a computer and then internet, their reading scores improved. Often, it is low-income students who don't have as much access to books and reading, and it reflects in their ability to read and write. However, by having access to the internet, they were able to improve. To me, this shows that having access to something to read, even if it's on the internet, helps improve those skills.
Web Evangelist vs. Traditionalist
I feel that I fall more of the Web Evangelist side of this argument. Reading is reading, whether it's something read online or a classic novel. The same can be said about writing. When people engage online with writing, they are improving their skills. I do, however, believe that reading books cannot be ruled out as useful. Those who read and write regularly tend to do better with those subjects in school. Reading books can lead to a desire to search for information and engage with others who enjoy it as well. Both can work together. There are some great sources of evidence that support the benefits of children reading online, such as the study showing that low-income students who recieved computers did better in reading.
Visual Metaphor
Both of your quotes are on point! They show how the internet is not detracting from the learning of students, but instead can even help students do better in school.
ReplyDeleteBrittany you are right reading is reading no matter what it is. I walked in on my son Matt last night and he was watching Naruto on his computer in Chinese. I asked him how in the world was he understanding it. He said he was reading the sub text under neath. I thought to myself wow how many other Naruto fans did the same.
ReplyDeleteMatt also said that after watching so many episodes and being able to connect the sub text with what they were saying he could now understand some of the words.
I thought that was a pretty insightful way of learning.