Students reading
(Photo by/ Rose McDermott )
By: Rose McDermott
The increase in technology over the last decade has led to developments such as the Kindle, Nook and other reading tablets. Recently, scientists have been studying whether or not the same information is garnered from both electronic sources and real books.
A study from The Guardian stated “The haptic and tactile feedback of a Kindle does not provide the same support for mental reconstruction of a story as a print pocket book does.”
Although e-readers and tablets are more convenient, if less information is garnered, the convenience may not be as important. It may be a personal preference; some might continue to carry around hard copies of books, hoping to pull more information from them while others rely solely on their electronics to read.
According to the Scientific American in an article online, “Modern screens and e-readers fail to adequately recreate certain tactile experiences of reading on paper that many people miss and, more importantly, prevent people from navigating long texts in an intuitive and satisfying way.”
It may even be affecting the way people read on paper. As technology becomes more advanced and more prevalent in society, it has changed the way people think. If a reader is accustomed to quickly skimming a page for interesting details and flitting their eyes around a website, they may do the same thing when reading a paper book.
“I just skim the page when I read online so I’m probably not learning as much because sometimes I have to re-read the same facts multiple times,” said AHS junior Laura Shedd.
An article from the New Yorker delves into the idea that readers move along the words more quickly online because there is so much more information. In order to compensate for the vast amount of information, readers have to speed up and may lose information.
“I am more likely to read something online. I don’t think that I absorb any more information by reading something on paper because it’s the same information, so I prefer to read online,” said Attleboro High School (AHS) senior Julia Paine.
“I much prefer reading hard copies of books. I don’t think comprehension wise that it’s any different but I enjoy actual books more than electronics,” said AHS math teacher Mr. Derek Brooks.
The same information is presented online and in paper books, however, there are many more distracters with online reading. The brightness and color of the screen, in addition to any noises, ads or pop ups, pull the reader away from the story or article.
“When I try to read online, I don’t understand as much. All the lights reflect too much and my eyes hurt more than when I read a hard copy,” said AHS senior Ben Wagner.
Even a distraction for a few seconds will cause the reader to pull his/her mind from the subject matter and therefore causes the need to refocus. On paper, there are few distractions and most readers can give their undivided attention to their reading material.
“Online reading is distracting; I get much more out of my books when I can read paper copies,” said AHS junior Tyler Stowe.
Schools may want to use electronics more because it is more cost efficient than buying and storing many different books for each class. However, the cost benefits are outweighed if students are not learning as much.
English Department Head Kevin Gorman said, “I do a lot of reading in paper books, which is helpful because I annotate in the margins and make notes all over. It is just more conducive to my learning style.
“However, I have proctored two standardized tests recently and on the MCAS, which is done on paper, kids had more interaction with the text. On PARCC, a computer test, they had a more passive experience,” he continued.
“I prefer paper reading. Not only is it nostalgic to hold a book in my hands and to smell the paper but I soak up more when I can give my full attention to what I’m reading and not have to pay attention to anything else,” said AHS senior Sarah Williams.
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