Back to the future?

1. Electronic Text Comprehension Reading furnishes the mind only with materials for knowledge;it is thinking that makes what we read ours. ~ John Locke ~ Back to the future?

2. Take 2—turn and talk • Think about your own electronic/computer use when you were in school • What age were you when you used a computer for school work? (or…..Did you ever?) • Now—think about yourself presently and your own electronic/computer use • When was the last time you used a computer, a cell phone, an ipod, a Kindle, Facebook, GPS??

3. The reality--- • Many teachers are at a “disadvantage” because they were not computer-aged learners • Technology is moving so fast that many educators struggle to adapt classroom practices to include all the “new” applications • Research is limited in the area of electronic and multi-media literacy • HOWEVER--technology is a part of our daily lives (all of us—teachers and students)

4. So—where do we start? • Understand comprehension • Look at the differences between print and electronic literacy • Look at the opportunities and strategies to promote comprehension in the classroom and for online reading assignments and assessments

5. What is comprehension? RAND Reading Study Group [2002]— “We define reading comprehension as the process of simultaneously extracting and constructing meaning.” (Sweet & Snow, 2003) • Interaction between reader, text, activity • Socio-cultural context: • classroom, community, home

6. 2. How are print and electronic text alike and different? Print Text—traditional literacy • Format: • Books, newspaper, magazines • Reader: • Purpose and motivation—to gain information • Activities: • Locating main ideas, inferencing, summarizing, analyzing

7. So what is “new”? Electronic text—new literacy • Formats: • Hypertext, interactive multiple media (email, Facebook, chat rooms, blogs), “Kindle” • Reader: • Purpose and motivation—to share as well as gain information • Activities: • Publishing multimedia projects, verifying credibility, online exchanges, getting the latest news “right now”

8. How is comprehension “the same?” • Interaction between text, reader and activity still take place • Ultimate goal of reading is learning • Reading strategies and skills are still necessary to promote success

9. How is comprehension “different?” • Web text reading is different from print text reading because: • “Snatch and grab” philosophy (Farstrup & Samuels, 2002) • A researcher found that the majority of readers scan • 16% of participants read word for word (Sweet & Snow, 2003) • Reading skills must include critical thinking skills for locating, evaluating, and controlling distractions (Mokhtari, Kymes & Edwards, 2008)

10. Print text vs. Electronic text Print Text Electronic Text More vertical orientation Requires scrolling up & down Has features to support reading but, can be distracting—colors, animations Encourages less thorough reading (scanning) • Horizontal orientation • Requires a turn of the page • Has features to support reading • Requires flipping back and forth to look for information

11. 3. What does this mean for comprehension instruction? • Engagement is the key to comprehension (print and electronic) (Farstrup & Samuels, 2002) • Set clear-cut purpose • Create authentic reading opportunities • Allow for exposure to web based text • Continued use of multi-media projects (Coiro & Dobler, 2007)

12. How does this affect assessment? • Currently our reading assessments are print-text based (but given electronically) • Our preparation for these types of assessments need to remain consistent with our current “best practices” (Farstrup & Samuels, 2004) • Comprehension is the goal • Ultimately motivation and purpose need to be our continued focus

13. What can teachers do to promote comprehension and success? • Use online reading text opportunities for authentic purposes • Use smart tools to encourage engagement with the text • Encourage reading the entire text (Patterson & Pipkin, 2001) • Model how you read online text • Continue print-text comprehension strategies • Engage and motivate students—read to learn!

14. Websites for reading opportunities- • Tween Tribune (an online periodical) • Star in Education (KC Star) • International Reading Association’s electronic journal: readingonline.org • The Learning Channel: tlc.discovery.com • National Geographic: magma.nationalgeographic.com • *WebQuest: edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest • (Webquests are online inquiry-based activites created by you to fit your classroom units)

15. Suggested strategies that promote successful comprehension-- • Check readability • (Is the reading level too difficult?) • Limit or structure using hyperlinks • (distractions reduce comprehension) • Evaluate basic computer skills of students • Engage in print-type strategies to guide reading • activate prior knowledge • note-taking worksheets • graphic organizers • think sheets

16. Authentic reading opportunities: www.tweentribune.com Use an online reading guide to help students stay focused.

17. Reading Guide: (before/during) Used with Tween Tribune or Star In Education: (front page)

18. Reading Guide: (after/evaluate) Used with Tween Tribune or Star In Education (back page)

19. Plan & Label Strategy-- Print text strategy— Payne, R.K. (2009). Research-Based Strategies, Narrowing the Achievement Gap for Under-Resourced Students. Highlands, TX: aha! Process, Inc., p. 148. (adapted by Laura Patton)

20. Plan & Label Strategy--revised Adapted-- electronic text strategy— (Adapted by Barbara McDade and Laura Patton)

21. Thinking points-- • What is the overall impact of electronic text on the struggling reader? • Will print text be completely replaced by electronic text in schools? • What will technology bring to education in the future?

22. Resources used: • Coiro, J. (2003) Exploring literacy on the internet. The ReadingTeacher, 56(5), p. 458. • Coiro, J. & Dobler, E. (2007) Exploring the online reading comprehension strategies used by sixth-grade skilled readers to serach for and locate information on the Internet. Reading Research Quarterly, 42(2). • Farstrup, A.E. & Samuels, S.J. (2002) What research has to say about reading instruction. Newark, DE: International Reading Association. • Mokhtari,k., Kymes, A., & Edwards, P. (2008) Assessing the new literacies of online reading comprehension. The Reading Teacher, 62 (4), pp. 354-357. • Patterson, N. & Pipkin, G. (2001) Guiding readers to new understandings through electronic text, Voices from the Middle, 8(4), p. 64. • Payne, R.K. (2009). Research-Based Strategies, Narrowing the Achievement Gap for Under-Resourced Students. Highlands, TX: aha! Process, Inc., p. 148. • Sweet, A.P. & Snow, C.E. (2003) Rethinking reading comprehension. New York: Guilford Press.