Welcome to Spring Semester! This blog is the place for you to access online readings and post your discussion comments and questions. Links to the readings are in the sidebar.
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Okay....to start us off, here is the link to your first reading, "Twilight of the Books" by Caleb Crain. Please read it and come prepared to write about it and discuss in class! Enjoy!
Reading this took me back to when I was in k-12. It made me regret skipping all the assigned readings that I had. The experiments showed that all the repetitive reading caused the reader to understand and evaluate the material easier. When children started reading they had to use two lobes of their brain, then over time the children only had to use one lobe. The ability to further the power of your own brain, and better one's future. Is that motivation enough to read?
ReplyDeleteFor me I can't seem to make reading a priority when it comes to reading for school. Even when I tell myself reading frequently is good for you and helps you better understand the material, I still can't get myself to read for very long for assignments. For me it's a self-motivational thing that I have to stick to. Sticking to it may help it become more enjoyable, however.
DeleteI agree with Jenna. It is so hard for me to read even if it is not assigned. Reading is really hard for me no matter the case, i have never really found a book that is a page turner for me.
DeleteReading the article, reminded me of when I was in elem. and jr high. We were required to read a book. In elem. we would read books that had been listed, on a test and would be able to read harder books if you had passed a book test. In Jr High we had to read a book in home room, to prevent loss of points. In high school no one ever told or tried to get us to read, unless it was in a English class. I think that the decline in reading is due to, becoming active in the world around us.
ReplyDeleteI remember those days. There was a room we called the Kieva where the librarian would read stories to us or play books on cassette tapes... Damn, I sound old.
DeleteAmber B.
I really enjoyed reading this article. It made me think of what the future might hold for literature. I loved the studies and experiments in this article. One study i found interesting, was how they did some imaging study on how our brain develops how to read as a young child. Over time our brain creates shorter paths, allowing us read as almost as an instinct.
ReplyDeleteThis article was so interesting. I mainly noticed how the production of television influenced how much people read books. I know it's obvious that we watch tv more than reading for pleasure, but it was interesting to see the statistics and results that came right after tvs were being sold. People would much rather watch something than take the time to read and comprehend what a text is saying. It's so much easier, but it significantly lowers reading comprehension and even writing skills. I'm realizing I need to start reading more often so I don't lose that ability!
ReplyDelete-Jenna S.
I thought this article had a very good point. I agree that society appears to be reading less and less, not that I've done my own extensive research. There were just a few sections of the article that didn't sit right with me. The research done between 1982 and 2002 asked specifically what percent of Americans had read a work of creative literature. Maybe it's just me but what exactly did they define as "a work of creative literature?" Were the percentages off because of how the question was worded? Did the researchers ever ask about reading electronically, which I guess is only a recent development. Also, the article pointed out that American households spent around $163 on reading in 1995, and that number declined by 2005 to $126. That's only a $37 difference. With as expensive as books can be today (think about how much your college textbooks cost...just saying), that could really only be one less book in their collection. I suppose that if we look at it in the long run this really could be a disaster, but maybe the author overreacted to certain information?
ReplyDeleteEither way, I thought the article had a good message, but perhaps the danger was a bit exaggerated.
- Maddie W.
I find it truly sad how no one reads anymore. We live in a world that likes everything instantaneously and reading a book takes time and involvement to get anything out of it. There are good things that have come from technology but nothing can take away the value of opening a book and escaping for a while.
ReplyDeleteJason Baldwin
I think that this article had a very good point, i think that we really are reading less. I remember when i was in jr. high and we had to read a book or a few to get reading points. and there was no way around it because we had to take a test on the books are we had to get so many points. Now the kids dont even have to read. It is really not helpful.
ReplyDeleteThey still have to read, but it's books that the teachers get to choose. I didn't have a good experience with reading because the books that I was assigned to read were books like, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Grapes of Wrath, etc.. If the readings that were given in school revolved around the students interests, I believe that kids wouldn't have such a bad taste about reading and choose to read more than they do now.
Delete-Tanner Adams
Tanner, I agree with you up to a point, I think that students would read more if the books that were chosen were aimed more in the students interests; however, I do think that there is an advantage of reading books that students are not use to, it takes them out of their comfort zones a little, and gives the students a taste of a different culture, and different time period.
Delete-Kortney T.
This article makes an excellent point, and I agree reading seems to be on the decline in the United States.
ReplyDeleteI think the reading decline is very sad and going at a very rapid pace. In high school, teachers would assign reading assignments and no students would do it. They would read spark notes and read the summary and take the test the next day. I think it is a very sad thing that is happening.
ReplyDeleteSydney Medsker
I feel like most teens don't read unless they have to do an assignment, like a book report.
ReplyDelete-kaitlyn
I know I didn't read unless I had to. And when I had to, it was usually books I didn't enjoy at all, for example, The Grapes of Wrath. Worst reading experience ever!!! Probably because I procrastinated reading it until a couple days before it was due and I was up all night reading it. I will probably never open that book again for as long as I live.
Delete-Tanner Adams
I think that kids don't read anymore because they are getting kind of lazy. They just want to play their video games and what not.
ReplyDelete-Ben Nelson
It shows in how, a lot of them, treat older generations. With Disrespect.
Delete-Tanner Adams
This article is very interesting. In my opinion, books are so much better than movies, I love to get caught up in a book, and for me it's so therapeutic to get lost in a book after a long day.
ReplyDelete-Kortney T.
I thought the article was quite interesting, a little pretentious. I read constantly and know many people that do also. The author is slightly pessimistic but has some valid points.
ReplyDelete-Thomas S
How stuck is the author in his ways? Society will always have trends and is constantly changing
ReplyDelete-Thomas S