Uninterrupted text...Oh, my!

Nothinng like the tongue in cheek Onion articles to give us a little reality check. The article "Nation Shudders At Large Block Of Uninterrupted Text" was brought to my attention this morning. In addition to LOL (laughing out loud, for those of you unfamiliar with "texting" abbreviations), it gave me pause. What is it that our students come into our classrooms expecting to see? 

There have been many claims about how computers are ruining the lives of our children. They aren't reading any more... There is a great conglomeration of statistics that I found on the Media Literacy Clearinghouse site. It includes statistics from Pew, FCC, and several others. Not surprisingly they all report an increase in the use of technology and a decrease in the use of print media. But does that necessarily correlate to we are reading less? I'm not so sure that it does. There are a number of videos that talk about how the way our students learn has changed and actually demonstrate that students are reading more, although perhaps differently. If you aren't familiar with the "Did you know" Videos you might check this out:


As teachers we spend lots of time thinking about learning styles and differentiated learning so we can meet the needs of our students. Is technology just offering us another way to do that? If students are motivated to read, or if you are finding this blog post more interesting because the text is broken up by related pictures and some video, perhaps you too are using those "in text" clues to help you reconsider what reading looks like in today's world. 

Recently Apple released some new hardware, the iPad. Tablet PCs aren't a new concept but the look and feel of the iPad may be for some people. How will this technology change reading for our students? Not long ago the Kindle was a "must have" for those who wanted books digitally. Are we really reading less or just reading differently? What are the different skills we use when we read digitally? Are our students spending more time skimming and scanning content? How will textbook companies respond? As you can see I have more questions than answers. 

What I do know is that I'm a huge fan of diigo as it helps me share electronically what I'm reading with friends and followers. But it is even more than just a social bookmarking tool as it also lets me highlight and comment on the content that I read. While I could do that before in a traditional text, those notes were only for me. With diigo, I can share my comments and highlights with others with whom I collaborate. I'm still reading but now my reading has become more active. Sharing what I read adds new questions and new ideas as I develop meaning from a text as a result of not just my own thoughts but those of my colleagues who are able to read the same exact "page" of text. 

Now that you are overloaded with too much "uninterrupted text" (the last 4 paragraphs) let me know what your thoughts are. How is technology changing the face of reading in our students? What are your predictions and concerns for the future readers we are shaping in the classroom today?