Reading on the Screen

I don't have problems reading online, but prefer books. I think students may feel the same way. I like the ability to flip back and forth with ease.

I also think that you have to build capacity to read online. This is a skill that should be started at an early age.

I agree with these statements. I too prefer tangable books for all the reasons you have mentioned. 

I think we can build a better capacity for reading online as we develope skills for this method. 

1. I don't have issues reading articles online. I read on my Kindle app almost every day and nearly all the news I read is on my phone. 

2. What might cause students issues when reading text online is that they don't do it often. I think this will be less of an issue as educational apps and ebooks continue to become more popular.

3. Ways to help students reading text on screen is to practice; start with small amount of reading and increase the amount of text as time goes on. 

1.  I read often on my Libby app.  I prefer actual books.  I think reading for enjoyment vs reading for education are different.  I find it easier to go back and forward in an actual book or on paper.  I feel like I can focus more on paper than on a screen.

2. Online apps have the ability to highlight passages, define unknown words, and make notations.  Not all articles online are through apps that have these abilities.  

3. I agree with others that you need to practice this as a skill just like other types of reading.  Technology is improving constantly, allowing for more interaction with online materials as I've discussed above.  Students have to be taught to use them.  

1. I found myself more distracted when reading the online article. I also needed to re-read passages more than once to absorb the information...it did feel like that was a physical reaction to the screen--more concentration was needed on each word on the screen. 

2. Focusing through distractions

3. "Chunking" information up in to smaller more digestible segments--including discussion time between segments to reinforce the learning...gradually increasing the size of segments (sort of like brain-training?)

1. What do you have problems with while reading articles online?

While I am completely capable of reading online, I prefer to hold what I am reading and be able to easily flip back and fourth as needed to understand what I am reading. I also struggle with being distracted by popups or ads on the screen. 

1. What might cause your students the most problems when reading text online?

For students I feel they can have a hard time absorbing what they are reading online. Some programs are really great at allowing highlighting, word defining, etc. Those are some positive aspects of online. But like me, I feel that students can become distracted easliy while reading online. 

1. Brainstorm ways you support your students when they read text on a screen.

Reading and comprehending what you read online are skills that need to be worked on to develop appropriately. By having students start with small articles and checking for understanding, they can then gradually build up to longer, more complex text. 

Online articles are somewhat distracting with pop ups and links. 

I think what would cause the most problem for students would be the distractions and the non consistency. 

Tips and tricks for reading and comprehension online texts would be something to consider to enchance their skills.