Reply to DCI: Too much focus on tablets/devices?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Here is a link on article.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reading-paper-screens/[/quote]

This is how I read that article,

Results of studies on paper vs. screens have changed over time, with less pronounced differences since 1993.  At this point, it's difficult to conclude that there's a difference, since almost 1/2 of the studies didn't find one, but if there is a difference here are some of the dimensions of the issue:

1) People who are reading long texts, especially ones that are not illustrated, may find that the physical structure of books helps them organize information.

Question:  Does DCI require kids to use online books for the novels and plays they read, or can students purchase paper copies and bring them to school?

2) People who read texts that require them to scroll, rather than turning pages electronically, fatigue more quickly.

Question:  Are most of the textbooks and other online resources that DCI uses set up with pages or scrolling?

Question:  One thing I see a lot in the 1:1 school I know best (not DCI) is the use of Powerpoint presentations in classes.  Is there research on this format?  Particularly research that compares reading a presentation off an individual device, to reading it off a handout, to reading it off an Interactive White Board?

3) People who read paper based texts are more likely to "reread" and "review", and generally spend more time with a text.  When readers are given texts to read on a screen or on paper with a time limit, there isn't a difference in their performance.  On the other hand, when readers are given unlimited time, they do slightly better with paper based tests.

Question:  This seems to support the idea that reading in the classroom, where there are always time limits, might be fine on the chromebook, but that printing out any reading, particularly lengthy reading, that is done for homework may make sense.  Is there any reason why DCI students can't do this?

4) We really have no idea if this is a stable phenomena that will continue into the future, or if we sill see changes as the next generation becomes more familiar with reading on screens.   As many people have pointed out on this thread, many adults do most of their professional reading on screens.  If reading well on a screen is a skill that can be taught, or that improves with practice, it would seem logical that students should be given opportunities to learn and practice this skill.  On the other hand, if reading on a screen is always worse than reading on paper, then students should be given paper for all reading tasks.

Question:  Are there researchers looking at this issue?

5) While paper may (or may not) be better for long unillustrated texts, there are other types of texts where the online environment provides great benefits, such as articles with embedded graphics.

Question: What kinds of reading does a DCI student do across the course of a typical day.  What percentage is in long texts vs. short, literary vs. informational, or illustrated s. unillustrated.

To me the big take away from this article is that the question of how best to share reading materials with students is complex, and needs more study.  In the meantime there are things that a school can do to further reduce some of the already small difference between screen-based and paper-based reading comprehension.  These strategies would include providing students with paper copies of novels and plays, allowing students to print things that will be read at home in untimed settings, and looking for ereaders that use pages and not scrolling.  Is DCI doing those things?  I work at a different 1:1 school, and all of those things are in place at my school.[/quote]

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