Reading in the online environment

I still prefer to read a book in print over reading from an ereader or online.  I do not need to recharge it and is fun to share with others.  I like lending out my books.

Reading in the Web 2.0 world is okay.  About 3 years ago I still liked to print out assignments and readings but as I read more on the computer with CBC or email I find I do not print so much.  I might save it but even still I am choosing to read it from the computer.  Having a laptop helps too so that I can read from my computer in front of the fireplace with my hot chocolate. 

If the article I am reading is long, I may copy and paste the portion I wish to read onto a word doc then make it 14 font for easier reading.  Most articles seem too small in font to me.  Maybe that is age but it has become a preference for me to change the font size to 14.

If I am writing a paper and wish to proof read the paper I will print it out.  I don’t know why but I can concentrate on reading and scribbling corrections on the paper better this way.  Then I go back to the computer to make my corrections from my scribbled up page.

Having a couple or few windows open at a time so I can read and write on the computer is powerful.  I am an active reader, meaning as I read I like to write things down.  As I think while reading I like to scribble some of my thoughts and reading from the computer with a word doc open to write in at the same time makes this easier for me.  Reading from a book means I have pieces of paper sticking out and a pen or golf pencil in my book.  I suppose that is one reason why I like owning my books because I jot notes (and bend pages)! 

 

I do not have an ereader or ipad.  I think I will someday but I am waiting for the nice to settle down about which might be better to get.  I think an ipad will win because I can do more things with an ipad.  I am not into having tons of toys.  I would probably end up leaving my ereader at home and having my ipad with me when I want to read and my reading is on the ereader.  Or something like that.  It would also mean more login and password letters and number to memorize!  I am having a hard enough time with my new Visa PIN!

I don’t feel that I am the right person to promote this new kind of reading to my colleagues and students.  I have discussions sometimes with them about the use of ereaders, personal or school based.  For the most part friends seem excited about their personal ereaders but find that reading books that are not mainstream or popular are hard to come by.  There is not a real choice in ereaders for personal taste in ereader availability. 

Actually, I am curious now that I write this but I wonder about the books that I have recently read … How many of my books are available on ereaders?  The Help, yes.  The Black Tulip, no.  1982, no.  The Winter Palace, yes.  That Boy Red, no.  Racing Home, no.  Ice Storm, no. I Am Number Four, yes.  Gone, yes. The Hobbit, yes.  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, yes.  Fathom, no.  Steampunk!, yes!  Peculiars, no.  So out of 13 books, I can get 7 of them in ereaders.  So half of my reading is still only in print.  Yes, that matters to me as I like to read different kinds of books.  Maybe this will be my way of seeing when books online are ready for me. As far as being a model or the person to promote and lead teachers in this area, I am not a leader.  I can honestly say this is not an area I want to be a leader in.  My main focus is to get students (and my friends) into reading.  What form that takes really does not matter to me.  Still, I like seeing what is going to happen with ereaders and online reading.   Personally, I think there is something better than ereaders still.  Sort of like when videos first came out.  Beta vs. VHS then bang they were taken out by DVDs.  It is fun to watch.

Just about to publish when I realized tht I do advocate  bit for books online!  TumbleReaders!  I tell people about them.  Especially the TAs but they find it too time consuming.  I also show students how to use our eresources.  Mostly Culture Grams and WorldBook online.  The teachers like it butmostly it is left for me to teach.  I have a feeling some of the teachers will start using more soon.   

bibliography

"Burnt and Bent | Preservation Underground." Duke University Libraries Blogs. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2012. http://blogs.library.duke.edu/preservation/2010/08/12/burnt-and-bent/.

 

Dueck, Adele.  "Racing Home: Amazon.ca: Adele Dueck: Books." Amazon.ca: Online shopping for Canadians - books, electronics, music, DVDs, software, video games & more. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2012. http://www.amazon.ca/Racing-Home-Adele-Dueck/dp/1550504509.

 

Ghomeshi, Jian. "1982: Amazon.ca: Jian Ghomeshi: Books." Amazon.ca: Online shopping for Canadians - books, electronics, music, DVDs, software, video games & more. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2012. http://www.amazon.ca/1982-Jian-Ghomeshi/dp/0670066486.

 

"READING | Online English Guru." Online English Guru | Web English Teacher | Improve Conversation in English| English for Business Communication | Spoken English. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2012. http://onlineenglishguru.com/blog/?p=169.