Technology in the Lutheran Classroom: Reading in the 21st Century

Notes for sectional by Dr. Abbie Brown, Dr. Heidi Blair, and Dr. Kenneth Lutherback (Present in research only) from East Carolina University.
PODCAST: Reading in the 21st Century: The Challenges of Modern Media

PPT of Presentation

I'm going to do something I picked up from Wes Fryer. Everything in caps will be my thoughts about the sectional. Sorry for any misspellings or typos. This was typed in session, so speed was of the essence.

**The accompanying podcast was taken with permission from both presenters**

Challenges for readers:
Reading different types of web formatting
Busy webpages with many movable graphics (marketing) draws attention away from the reading.
Type font size and face differences
Pages may not look the same when a student returns to the a site.

WHAT I'M HEARING IS DISTRACTIBILITY AND NEW PARADIGM IN SHIFT FROM LINEAR READING PRESENTATION.

Is there a greater straing to reading hypertext?Yes--according to research
reading from a monitor, scrolling verticle is like turing a page, but horizontal scrolling is odd for readers.

?resolution of the monitor?
Difficult to annotate (NOT WITH GOOGLE NOTEBOOK THOUGH :-)
Distracting--have to cognitively assess the information instead of focusing on the reading itself

What to do??**create websites that don't need horizontal scrolling
**encourage goal setting--what to click on, what not to click on
**Read more hypertext
**Inform

Is hypertext more appropriate for learners at a certain age?
No current information

Does the use of animations cause reading fatigue
People track(1st) and scan(2nd), but animations cause a change in tracking. Our eye/mind can shift but it causes greater fatigue.

What to do?
**Avoid placing recurring animations near static text
**Use animations to gain the reader's attention. Have a beginning and ending though

What are the more readable Color/font styles combinations for reading?
wavelengths of light to reader--pale orange in background, black forground(pigments)
Dark Blue background, yellow text (light projection) High contrast, low saturation

What to do?
**use black/white when possible
**use blue/yellow to add visual interest while maintaining legibility

In terms of fatigue from sustained reading, what is the difference between print and computer screen media?
Reading=Nearwork (make your eye muscles work and changes lens shape)
ECC already using screen media. Introducing nearwork earlier in development
Eye fatigue--NITM (nearwork induced transient myopia), aching/sore eyes, black/white tinged with color, sensitivity to light
implications decreased reading speed, decrease in comprehension, impacts readers ability to attend to the content, genesis of myopia related to the nearwork-induced transient mypia...mom was right; your eyes might get stuck like that!
non-academic time screen time can also be considered nearwork
TEACHERS SHOULD MIX MEDIA TO DECREASE EYE FATIGUE

Does relativeley low screen resolution affect legibility?