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Clint Heitz

The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens - Scientific ... - 25 views

  • The matter is by no means settled. Before 1992 most studies concluded that people read slower, less accurately and less comprehensively on screens than on paper. Studies published since the early 1990s, however, have produced more inconsistent results: a slight majority has confirmed earlier conclusions, but almost as many have found few significant differences in reading speed or comprehension between paper and screens. And recent surveys suggest that although most people still prefer paper—especially when reading intensively—attitudes are changing as tablets and e-reading technology improve and reading digital books for facts and fun becomes more common.
  • Compared with paper, screens may also drain more of our mental resources while we are reading and make it a little harder to remember what we read when we are done. A parallel line of research focuses on people's attitudes toward different kinds of media. 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.
  • Both anecdotally and in published studies, people report that when trying to locate a particular piece of written information they often remember where in the text it appeared. We might recall that we passed the red farmhouse near the start of the trail before we started climbing uphill through the forest; in a similar way, we remember that we read about Mr. Darcy rebuffing Elizabeth Bennett on the bottom of the left-hand page in one of the earlier chapters.
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  • At least a few studies suggest that by limiting the way people navigate texts, screens impair comprehension.
  • Because of their easy navigability, paper books and documents may be better suited to absorption in a text. "The ease with which you can find out the beginning, end and everything inbetween and the constant connection to your path, your progress in the text, might be some way of making it less taxing cognitively, so you have more free capacity for comprehension," Mangen says.
  • An e-reader always weighs the same, regardless of whether you are reading Proust's magnum opus or one of Hemingway's short stories. Some researchers have found that these discrepancies create enough "haptic dissonance" to dissuade some people from using e-readers. People expect books to look, feel and even smell a certain way; when they do not, reading sometimes becomes less enjoyable or even unpleasant. For others, the convenience of a slim portable e-reader outweighs any attachment they might have to the feel of paper books.
  • In one of his experiments 72 volunteers completed the Higher Education Entrance Examination READ test—a 30-minute, Swedish-language reading-comprehension exam consisting of multiple-choice questions about five texts averaging 1,000 words each. People who took the test on a computer scored lower and reported higher levels of stress and tiredness than people who completed it on paper.
  • Perhaps, then, any discrepancies in reading comprehension between paper and screens will shrink as people's attitudes continue to change. The star of "A Magazine Is an iPad That Does Not Work" is three-and-a-half years old today and no longer interacts with paper magazines as though they were touchscreens, her father says. Perhaps she and her peers will grow up without the subtle bias against screens that seems to lurk in the minds of older generations. In current research for Microsoft, Sellen has learned that many people do not feel much ownership of e-books because of their impermanence and intangibility: "They think of using an e-book, not owning an e-book," she says. Participants in her studies say that when they really like an electronic book, they go out and get the paper version. This reminds Sellen of people's early opinions of digital music, which she has also studied. Despite initial resistance, people love curating, organizing and sharing digital music today. Attitudes toward e-books may transition in a similar way, especially if e-readers and tablets allow more sharing and social interaction than they currently do.
Martin Burrett

Dropbox - Simplify your life - 95 views

    • Kalin Wilburn
       
      Use dropbox to keep track of files you need at home, work, and anywhere else you might be. It provides you the ability to access your files from any location, allow others to "drop" files into your dropbox, and to share any files you have placed in there. You can use it for student work or just as a personal productivity tool.
    • Kalin Wilburn
       
      It has to be downloaded on your computer so if you want to use this at school you will need your tech coordinator's permission.
    • S. Cosmo
       
      But you can use it at school with the access to the web page...
    • smithirowa24
       
      Dropbox synchs with your smart phone like an iphone, and it also synchs with tablets like the ipad.  This way I can carry my files no matter where I am.
    • Bill Shelly
       
      Try this in combination with dropitto.me. Awesome!
    • benjaminv
       
      I am not sure, but the idea of bringing referals to increase storage are awesome.
    • 玉昆 吴
       
      Great application
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    This is an amazing solution for storing, sharing, and back up your data. The ability to access files from any computer & mobile devices makes this a great solution. Up to 2GB storage free! Learn more about the public folder to share files with others, while keeping your other files private. I have it on both my Apple computers and on two PCs. This rocks!
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    I love my Dropbox!! It makes life so much easier!
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    I have it too, and have used it for a couple of years now to go between my mac at school and PC at home. I recently blogged about it here: http://www.educationtechnologyblog.com/1/post/2010/08/dropbox-for-educators.html
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    @Jonathon, thanks for sharing the blog post. I'll pass that along to others. @Cathy, thanks for confirming it's been a useful tool.
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    One of the leading and best online file storage option. It works across many different devices and is great for teachers who like to travel light. Download required. Basic package is free with 'paid for' option with more storage. Easily share files with others. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ICT+&+Web+Tools
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