How do you read from a computer screen?

We all know the power of the Internet. We maintain communication with friends, make plans, play games, conduct financial activities, explore new things, and read.

It's the last item I've listed that every so often commands my attention, because I'm left to wonder if the reading I do from the computer screen helps or hurts me. And, by extension, I wonder how it impacts kids who spending time "reading" before the warming luminescence of a computer screen.

Here's what I know for sure. When I read from a computer screen, it's often a painful process. I dislike the experience. To begin, I'm usually in a chair, which is not my ideal reading position. The screen is no friend either. The light from most screens is harsh and the contrast between text and background is too extreme for eyes. Then there's the web "page" which is frequently saturated with advertisements or pop-ups designed to move me away from concentrated reading. Add in the mouse pointer, which I frequently need to move away from the spot I'm trying to read every twenty seconds; and also the temptation of embedded hyperlinks and I begin to opt for quicker avenues through any text of length.

Take a look at the list that follows and consider how many of these events are generally practiced by you or come to confound you:

>> skim far more than read word-for-word what's on the screen <<
>> drift from the page, with every intention of returning, as you click multiple hyperlinks <<
>> put your finger to the screen to help follow the text <<
>> use the mouse to highlight what you've covered as you read <<
>> click over to the print version of the article to avoid as many distractors as possible <<
>> bookmark the page again with the full intention of reading it fully at a later point <<
>> rarely reread because it feels like losing time more than improving understanding <<
>> print a hard copy because that's the best way to ensure you're reading properly <<

When I look at the list I know I'm guilty of poor reading. Reading is defined as a complex activity involving my knowledge, the text before me, and the author. Skimming, failing to reread, web page hopping, and good intentions to read later are all the proof I need in the Court of Me that I'm not doing this complex activity justice. So....

If I'm guilty of these poor screen reading behaviors what's happening with kids? Well, they certainly believe they're reading online, they insist as much. It only takes a few questions to know otherwise because they're dealing with all of the problems/adaptations noted above plus instant messages, music streams, and far less experience with book reading than you or I. I do not fault the kids of course for what I cannot avoid, but poor screen reading behaviors undermine reading proper. Reading is hard and we do know (despite the articles and claims to the contrary) that we comprehend best when not multitasking or confronted with distractions.

Books still have a place in our classes and homes if for no other reason than they continue to be the best vehicle for delivery of substantial information and ideas. Until technology can make information from the Internet present itself as a book, it's simply a very poor man's version of the real thing. A book does only one task and it does it well. We need to make sure our children learn this too.

The Right to Vote

I came across an interesting list this weekend and felt it was worth sharing. Women, as we know from our study of history, have not always had equal footing in society. We're all well aware of the division of labor, unequal pay for similar jobs, and lack of voting rights women have had to endure. Just the same, being what we are (i.e. human) it's very easy to forgot those times and inequalities. What I found particularly eye-opening was how long it's taken some countries to extend this right.




Look over the two lists below and try to match the country with the year for which women were finally given equal voting rights.






New Zealand 1971

Australia 1920

Finland 1913

Norway 1928

United States 1893

Britain 2006

France 1906

Belgium 1902

Switzerland 1946

Kuwait 1945





The answers, like a many life insurance contract, are in the very fine print located at the bottom. And yes, the 2006 date is accurate. I looked it up to verify- shocking and amazing.

























Answers: New Zealand- 1893, Australia- 1902, Finland- 1906, Norway- 1913, United States- 1920, Britain- 1928, France- 1945, Belgium- 1946, Switzerland- 1971, Kuwait- 2006

The Great Pacific Garbage "Patch"

I bet when you think of a garbage dump a picture of a big pile of junk in a spacious field pops to mind. It turns out that garbage is not only piling up on land but in the sea too.

The Pacific Ocean is home to thousands of sea species as well as some of the most ferocious storms and currents on our planet. It is also home to two swirling locations where garbage continues to collect, a lot of garbage. These areas, (roughly located on either side of Hawaii) are referred to as The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Each so called "patch" is estimated to be the size of Texas. Yes, as in our US of A Texas!

(Trying to picture a floating pile of garbage as big as Texas is way beyond me. It hurts trying to imagine this.)

These floating garbage piles are officially the world's largest with millions of tons of junk between them- more than two Texas-sized states. Now, you may think "Hey what's the big deal" the ocean is huge and the junk is well out of sight and smell. Sadly, this has been the feeling many governments have held for over a decade. Ignoring the problem hasn't made is go away.

The truth is that these monstrous garbage spots are creating problems for sea life, which may come back to hurt each of us. Plastic bottles and especially plastic bags eventually break into smaller pieces. The combination of churning water, feeding plankton, and the sun mash up the plastic into fairly small plastic balls called nurdles.

Nurdles alone are not a problem (not that we want the ocean bottom covered in small plastic balls). The worry is that these are being eaten by smaller sea life such as plankton. (Thank you Sponge Bob for helping children around the world know the importance of plankton ;) So as more plastic is eaten by plankton it passes on to the sea life that feeds on them. It is very possible that plastic will come back to shore as part of the very fish we pull from the sea to eat! It won't be long before a waiter asks, "Excuse me sir, but would you like more fish with your plastic?"



Keep informed so you can gently guide others. Check out the website Howstuffworks.com for more information on this topic. For even more in depth reading on the subject locate a copy of The World Without Us by Alan Weisman

It is a smart -if expensive- pen

Before anyone jumps to any conclusions here the answer is “no”. No, I am not a salesman for the company Livescribe and its clever writing utensil the Pulse Smartpen. I think this will become clearer as I present the pros and cons to this item.

The Pulse Smartpen is –well- a pen. This pen, however, can record a teacher’s lecture as the individual using it records notes. It’s a lot like having a tape recorder running during a class lecture as you are taking notes. The advantage is that you can later tap the pen on specific words or bullets you’ve written and the recorded lecture will pick up at that exact spot. This is certainly a big step over forwarding and rewinding to locate information on a tape or digital recording. Another nice feature is how the recorded notes and audio from the pen can be downloaded directly to a computer hard drive. This can make for some very comprehensive coalition of data, as simply clicking on a key word can call up every time that audio was recorded. That’s impressive.

There are several drawbacks that came to mind immediately. First, the pen, its accompanying software, and its non-reusable writing pads can run quite a tab. The site shows some packages running around 250 dollars. That’s prohibitive for many. Second, the item is clever, but also in many ways simply a glorified tape machine. Hey, I’ll be the first to admit that as true as this comment may be it’s still a cool gadget I’d like to own. The promise for me with such a tool is that it’s a clear precursor to things to come. Third, the pen is not ideal for all students. It does seem best fitted to the college student where is can be used as a tool and not a gadget as so many younger students might make use of it. Also, younger students are prone to recording everything, which is simply too much information to revisit as an audio later.

I noted that I could see this technology eventually growing cheap enough to become commonly used. This is one of those blessings and curses for me. It’d be nice to see the student that is slower when recording notes having the means to follow up later. It would also be satisfying to know that student’s will be receiving the definitions, examples, and information I, as a teacher, intended to impart. The curse is born of that very same blessing though. I’m not sure I want every word I say recorded. Would you? Bottom line: The site is worth visiting though if only to have a peek at the near future.

http://www.livescribe.com/