“What will life be like if people stop reading?” asks Caleb Crain in a December 24, 2007 New Yorker article (“Twilight of the Books” – available via UIUC’s Online Research Resources). His essay is an extended review of Maryanne Wolf’s Proust and the Squid, which combines historical and biological research related to reading. Wolf suggests that fluent readers use less of their brain than those who have difficulty reading, thereby freeing their mind to think about and analyze what they read.
Moving on to a discussion of media, Crain cites studies indicating that “a small amount of television seemed to benefit children; more hurt.” So some Sesame Street is good for your child, but hours and hours is not. Internet use, however, does not lower reading scores, although Crain wonders whether this will change as the internet becomes more video-based and less reading intensive.
Crain returns to his original question of life without reading, describing a voter watching a debate on television rather than reading a candidate’s platform. This voter bases decisions on a candidate’s personality and his or her own emotions rather than the candidate’s position on healthcare. Crain argues that readers can distinguish “differing levels of authority behind different pieces of information,” but that viewers cannot. “Forced to choose between conflicting stories on television, the viewer falls back on hunches, or on what he believed before he started watching.”
Is the world really in danger because of the invasion of media, or are we simply adapting to changing methods of receiving information? Is reading an endangered habit that will soon be practiced only by a few hobbyists? Crain seems to think that it is. How do we, as librarians-to-be, maintain an excitement for reading from childhood through adulthood? Here we are in a Media Literacy class – what does this really mean? Are we, by promoting the use of media, encouraging children to leave books behind? Or are we encouraging children to engage in critical thinking through media which will also encourage them to want to learn more – by reading? This is definitely something to think about in the course of the semester, and I’d be interested to hear your thoughts about, and responses to, this article.
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I read with interest the questions posed in your blog regarding the "invasion of media " and its perceived detrimental effects on reading.
My personal view is that traditional reading is not necessarily in peril and actually our use of online media can actually free up time to engage in more actual "quality" reading of choice. There is so much information coming at us from so many sources that the internet and nightly news serve as a synopsis of events, definitely not in depth information.
Regarding our roles as Media Professionals, the love of reading books will compete with computers and game texts, however the challenge is to get kids reading books early. In my experience at the elementary level, the key is variety, great illustrations, book award programs, and a continual influx of new books with inviting and contemporary book jacket covers with alluring titles.
I also see a role of Media Educators as extensions of the classroom teacher. Teachers need to know what is possible in exploring online and computer projects. A wonderful example of a positive approach is the video clip examples in our assigned reading, New Media Thinking "Youth Media Project"; that is, introducing children to online or computer assisted methods of delving into and expressing the written word.
The projects mostly center around traditional areas of study such as historical events or literature and therefore students are required to read and analyze text.
What made the projects impressive and a great model for media education are the following: The instructors required that the students brainstorm, collaborate, and prepare a structure via storyboard to explain their subject before jumping onto the computer to play with the bells and whistles. (fancy fonts, pictures, and other “fun stuff”). The students were exposed to computers and digital options for information gathering, creative expression, and delivery to a specified audience. Interestingly, the project results displayed reflected very humanistic emotion and feeling. Lastly, the students gained the real world skills of collaboration and working with others toward a common goal.
So, I see the media educator as an enabler and a facilitator. It is not feasible to “know everything” that is out there. We need to listen, and offer opportunities the best we know how to find answers and information. Despite all the intimidating information that we take in about how savvy and sophisticated kids are today, it is still most important to consider each individual. They are still kids that want to be heard and express themselves. They are not “averages” or a statistic. They may be comfortable and proficient using a computer, however, their learning and uniformity of computer knowledge is inconsistent. As mentioned in the New Media movie, and in my real world experience, there are students that know more than others and more than I do in a particular area. How great it is to just let them explain it to all of us.
I include the following article from the New York Times and Scholastic and their efforts to keep kids reading magazines
54131119The New York Times and Scholastic Inc. to Co-Publish The New York Times Upfront, an Original News Magazine for Teens
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