I saw this over on The Future of Reading – Literacy Debate – Online, R U Really Reading? – Series – NYTimes.com
Setting Expectations
Few who believe in the potential of the Web deny the value of books. But they argue that it is unrealistic to expect all children to read “To Kill a Mockingbird” or “Pride and Prejudice” for fun. And those who prefer staring at a television or mashing buttons on a game console, they say, can still benefit from reading on the Internet. In fact, some literacy experts say that online reading skills will help children fare better when they begin looking for digital-age jobs.
Some Web evangelists say children should be evaluated for their proficiency on the Internet just as they are tested on their print reading comprehension. Starting next year, some countries will participate in new international assessments of digital literacy, but the United States, for now, will not.
Forcing classes to read To Kill A Mockingbird at a snail’s pace, while being quizzed on unimportant facts to prove they’d read it, kills the enjoyment of reading for many people. I don’t think we should jump on the internet bandwagon — MySpace blogs are not great literature — but if this shakes up how the US teaches reading, it would be great.
Via The Future of Reading – Literacy Debate – Online, R U Really Reading? – Series – NYTimes.com.