Teachers and parents are in the middle of a debate about the relationship between the Internet and reading, according to a report in
The New York Times.
Some experts in education believe that teenagers spend too much time on the Internet, which leads to a decline in reading test scores and a lessening of their abilities to concentrate. They argue that reading books is the only way to absorb a culture that has always been communicated that way from generation to generation. Others believe that by using the Internet, young people master a new set of skills that will benefit them in the future.
The average teen spends almost two hours a day on computers, compared to 46 minutes in 1999, according to research by the Kaiser Family Institute. And success on reading tests has been linked to leisure-time reading. However, most teens prefer to spend leisure time communicating with one another on the Internet, which does improve reading skills. Some experts believe that college board exams should keep up with the times by including sections that test computer literacy, which they believe is just as important as reading skills.
Dana Gioia, chairperson of the National Education Association, disagrees. "What we are losing in this country and presumably around the world is the sustained, focused, linear attention developed by reading," he said. "I would believe people who tell me that the Internet develops reading if I did not see such a universal decline in reading ability and reading comprehension on virtually all tests."
If you feel your teen is spending too much time on the Internet, learn about
Internet Addiction at www.video-game-addiction.org.
Labels: communication, internet, reading
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