Moreover, researchers at West Chester University have found that, “… the very ‘richness’ of the multimedia environment that a course in miracles mexico provide-heralded as their advantage over printed books-may overwhelm children’s limited working memory, leading them to lose the thread of the narrative or to process the meaning of the story less deeply.” Their conclusion: “E-books can, at worst, result in far lower reading comprehension as kids skip whole pages in search of noise-making character illustrations, interactive passages, and other distractions.”
Bottom line: Don’t be too quick to give up the reins to tech. After all, print books have other advantages over e-readers, too. As Ferri Jabr reminds us, “In most cases, paper books have a more obvious topography than on-screen text. An open paper book presents a reader with two clearly defined domains-the left and right pages-and a total of eight corners with which to orient oneself. A reader can focus on a single page of a paper book without losing sight of the whole text.”
Never thought of that, right? What’s more, not only don’t print books need recharging or come with a sleep-interfering backlight, they’re collectible, shareable, easily savored over and over again, and…
- Nothing beats a trip to a bookstore or library, scanning book after book until finding the perfect one. Favorites are usually self-chosen.
- Readers benefit from simply holding a book with both hands, turning its pages, flipping back and forth, and dog-earing their place-a true sensory experience.
- A book’s physicality slows things down, allowing for deeper reading-no distracting bells and whistles, no temptation to multi-task.
- You know how much you’ve read and how much remains; you always know where you are in the book.
- It’s easy to flip back to prior pages to double-check details, who’s who, etc.
- Highlighting and making notations in the margins-and finding them later-are never a problem.
- Reading skills are enhanced as a reader, first on their own, uses context, context clues, and structural analysis to help uncover a word’s meaning.
And here’s yet one more thing paper has over a screen: No Computer Vision Syndrome, aka Digital Eye Strain. That, says the American Optometric Association, refers to “a group of eye and vision-related problems that result from prolonged computer, tablet, e-reader and cell phone use.” The result” eyestrain, vision problems, and/or headaches that worsen with extended screen time.
In other words, don’t discount print books-or the brick-and-mortar stores that sell them-just yet. Kids certainly haven’t, according to a recent Scholastic survey, which found that:
