Change. Defined as meaning “to transform or convert”, change is a natural aspect of life that is inevitable to occur. As technology and knowledge continue to develop there will continue to be change. If this change is not welcomed and people attempt to prevent it, everything begins to plateau. No more developing, no more improving. Although thoughts on the Internet may not as supporting as others, there is an overall view that it has changed the way people now read and research. However, in order for this change in learning to be successful, the education system must learn to adapt to the developments as well. After all, encouraging out-dated ways of learning does no good in a society that is constantly changing. Due to this, the education system would benefit from teaching students how to properly use the internet at a younger age to prevent confusion, frustration, and failure when it comes to using technology as a resource further down the road.
Before this era of technology, the way people had to read and write was a lot different. Typically reading aloud to an audience from paper, readers were forced to speak every word of the text which helped them to understand what was being read. They actually had to pay attention to the context. There was no temptation to skim over the text. In today’s world, which now revolves around reading from a screen, there is more of an emphasis on quick and convenient, rather than efficient. In “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Nicholas Carr argues how we are not only what we read, but how we read. He states, “Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski” (2008). As someone who was originally accustomed to paperback books and is now surrounded by the Web, Carr claims that such a transition has taken away from comprehension and analysis. If reading from a screen is so relevant in society today, students should be taught the right way to do so. There is a difference between high school and college students who began their education using paperback books and written tests, and younger students who are just now beginning their education. The development of the Web that occurred, forcing older students to switch to digital learning was not expected so there is an excuse as to why they were not properly taught. For the students who are beginning to learn now with written materials, they are being set up for failure. If the education system knows there will be an abrupt change in the way they are expected to read and research, why are they being taught a false method with no relevance once they reach a certain age? Instead, they should begin learning how to use the Web from the start so by the time they are expected to begin researching and reading lengthy articles they are equipped with proper methods and a full understanding.
In addition to trying to use the Web with no instructions on how to do so, there is also an inability to concentrate when using the internet. This is due to distraction. Online articles are full of advertisements and hyperlinks to other websites. Our brain loses focus when presented with these distractions. In an online article about the brain, Olivia Goldhill discusses how multitasking effects our productiveness. She states, “Gloria Mark, professor in the department of informatics at the University of California, Irvine, says that when people are interrupted, it typically takes 23 minutes and 15 seconds to return to their work, and most people will do two intervening tasks before going back to their original project” (Goldhill, “Neuroscientists say multitasking literally drains the energy reserves of your brain”). When scrolling through readings on the internet and running into so many distractions, the brain tries to stay on track with reading but cannot help to glance at the multiple flashing ads. This multitasking throws off any train of thought or focus. How are students expected to be in favor of reading online when they cannot concentrate? In an article written by Jabr highlighting the problems with reading online he states that in “a 2003 study conducted at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, nearly 80 percent of 687 surveyed students preferred to read text on paper as opposed to on a screen in order to “understand it with clarity”” (“The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens”). This is not only due to distractions. Studies show that reading online actually causes tiredness and headaches, which is obviously not going to make reading online enjoyable. Also, there is something about physically holding a book that makes it easier to read and understand. As Jabr explains, having control over the text is a preference; flipping through the pages, highlighting words, writing annotations (Jabr, “The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens”). These are skills taught in schools that are said to be extremely important in being able to understand what is read. Yet, schools then choose to give online readings that students are unable to practice these skills on. So they do not care. They know that they will have a hard time trying to read online, not to mention older generations are constantly complaining over how bad technology is, and it makes the Internet seems like a waste of time. Jabr explains, “Whether they realize it or not, many people approach computers and tablets with a state of mind less conducive to learning than the one they bring to paper” (Jabr, “The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens”). It is no secret why that is the case. Instead of promoting online reading as a positive and convenient tool it holds a very negative reputation which will not work in the 21st century. Today’s day and age requires fast and efficient work. From schools to careers it is vital that the Internet is being used to it’s advantage. Carr states, “It has made research very quick and efficient” (“Is Google Making Us Stupid?”) as opposed to the “old days” when finding information for research papers was like pulling teeth. With that said, students need direction. They need to be informed on how to deal with all those distractions and they need to be fed positive feedback on using the Internet so they are not automatically shut down when face to face with the Web.
The issue is simple and the solution is just as simple. Technology is relevant in 2018 because it is needed. It is part of change in society that is going to continue to develop no matter what. If students were taught how to online rather than just being told what to read, there may not be such a dreaded attitude towards the frequent online reading done today. Mixed messages need to stop being given to students. Degrading the use of technology and how it brainwashes the youth then giving them multiple online readings to try and analyze is enough of a distraction without all the extra ads they are soon to encounter. The Internet is there to help society grow and increase intelligence. In “The Deep Space of Digital Reading”, La Farge quotes MaryAnn Wolf when she states “We have to be discerning, vigilant, developmentally savvy.” And of course we have to be surprised, delighted, puzzled, even disturbed. We have to enjoy ourselves. If we can do that, digital reading will expand the already vast interior space of our humanity.” This statement suggests that even though the way we read now is totally different than it was years ago, it does not have to be a bad thing. If the tools are used right and taught right from the start, these sophisticated benefits of technology will lead the world to a whole new chapter of knowledge.