Okay, I Confess!

I am confessing now that I am printing all articles and research studies that are over 2 or 3 pages long!

So why do I do that? Is it because I am a “digital immigrant” and am not used to reading on screen? Perhaps it is because I have a short attention span and need to walk away and come back? What I do know is that I like to highlight main points and quotes that I want to use. Sometimes I like to write reflections in the margins of the paper. I tend to have visual/kinesthetic learning style. I learn best by doing and making connections then I am definitely a visual over an auditory learner. I feel highlighting helps me to read deeper and come away with a better understanding/comprehension. Okay, so I can highlight digital text too! But for me it is just not the same—I like the physical part of highlighting.

I guess I can never go all the way green with this obsession of having to print all lengthy articles! So, a question I am asking myself is---even if I teach great strategies for reading digital text---will there be some students who will need to print? What about students with learning disabilities? What will be the best strategies for them?

I know that technology rocks my world! I could not live without email, texting, having immediate information available to 24/7 but yet I still wonder how much I am really absorbing. I chuckled when I read the article, Is Google Making Us Stupid? Just after speed dial came out, I put my kids and others who I call frequently in speed dial. Then when I lost my phone (just misplaced it—really) I had no idea what anyone’s phone number was—I had not written them anywhere so I was really at a loss---I kept thinking how stupid is that? I can remember old phone numbers from 40 years ago, yet I couldn’t reach my kids because I put them in speed dial. So knowing that I can always look something up online keep me from deep understanding? I think that might be part of the issue!

I am so enjoying researching this topic! 