For many of us who love to read, and for those who've done research on the topic, one thing's become clear over the past decade: you retain more information when you read an actual printed copy of a book as opposed to when you read on a digital device.
That's why we would urge administrators not only in Ohio County Schools but throughout our region to proceed cautiously with moving away from printed textbooks for students in some subject areas and instead utilizing "e-textbooks" that can be read on a computer.
In Ohio County, school officials said the move earlier this month to digital textbooks for language arts students in grades 6-12 is being done in part as a way to save money and to help pay for the Chromebooks students currently utilize. In the end, though, research on the topic indicates it could lead to youngsters who, while they may understand the main points of what they're reading on their devices, won't get into the finer, more intricate details of the text.
Why is that? According to several studies, it's because we're used to using our digital devices to skim articles, and to do several tasks at the same time. When something is in print, we tend to slow down and consume the text.
One particular study from the University of Maryland's Lauren Singer and Patricia Alexander found these key points on digital versus print comprehension:
– "Students overwhelmingly preferred to read digitally.
– "Reading was significantly faster online than in print.
– "Students judged their comprehension as better online than in print.
– "Paradoxically, overall comprehension was better for print versus digital reading.
– "The medium didn't matter for general questions (like understanding the main idea of the text).
– "But when it came to specific questions, comprehension was significantly better when participants read printed texts."
Learning is not just about getting the "main idea" of a particular topic; it's about understanding the intricate details of the text. And the subject matter these e-textbooks will cover -- contemporary literature, short stories, poetry and literature -- the importance of those works is contained within the intricacies of the text, in many cases with how certain phrases are written. If students don't understand that now, how will that serve them in the future?
To be fair, the e-textbooks Ohio County has purchased are considered by professional educators as the best available option: they allow students to highlight text and other tools are available to assist with helping students comprehend the subject matter.
But if there's one thing we've learned over the past year, it's this: more screen time for kids is not a good thing. We would urge our region's education leaders to keep this in mind moving forward.