Last night I read this article from the NY Times called The Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading? . I have spent the last 18 or more hours trying to make sense of it and often going back to the article and the comments that followed. Is reading on the Internet real reading? Should reading on the Internet be compared to reading a comic strip? Should reading on the Internet much the same as watching TV? Is reading from a book more significant than reading from the Internet? Is our whole society going to pots because of the amount of time our kids are spending on the Internet? Maybe! Maybe not!

I love reading a book especially a good fictional novel. I absolutely love the point where I am hooked and my conscious takes over. It is the point where I see and interact with the novel on a completely different level of consciousness. It is that moment when the video in my head takes over and I become overwhelmed as I live the plot with the characters but only peering into the story like a fly observing as she buzzes around the room. Reading novels helps us grasp the world by pursuing stories, symbols, analogies, metaphors, arguments — patterns of thought, some of them linear. The patterns always have their limitations, but they can illuminate aspects of the world if we pursue them far enough. Those patterns help us make sense of the world around us and help us see clearly through the murky dark.

I confess I read online a lot more than I did a year ago and I believe my reading will continue to increase online. Reading online helps me pursue my interest. Reading online allows me to interact with authors and others who make comments in reading. I can participate in discussions about news items that I find compelling (such as this one) and observe how popular certain articles are. There is no doubt that the Internet is enhancing literacy in terms of both writing and reading skills. One example is the open participation of ordinary people in the book reviews at Amazon.com and many others.

This approach has helped me to strengthen what I know about teaching, instructional technology, constructivist learning, and more. Reading and writing online has pushed me to pursue my inquiry at different levels, and I have learned more in this pursuit than I have in the graduate degree I will complete on Sunday. I have used reading on the Internet a tool for learning and staying informed.

I too confess I am reading a lot less books than I normally do even though I am reading two books now. This summer I only read two fictional books whereas most summers are spent reading fiction books. My interest this summer has changed, and I am more motivated to pursue topics of curiosity instead of my desire to be purely entertained from fiction.

I think books are wonderful and I worry that kids today will miss real reading in the terms of the experience many good readers have. There is nothing more entertaining than a good novel that captures my attention. I do not think reading on the Internet is evil, but I feel that our children and students need to learn how to read on the Internet. They still need to be taught to pursue great books. Great books make us stronger people. Great books help us grasp the world through stories, symbols, analogies, metaphors, arguments — patterns of thought, some of them linear. They teach us about the world and about the metaphors and analogies of life we have a difficult time figuring out on our own. Books help us figure out patterns that other people may have traveled and helps synthesis meaning into our own lives. Reading books has to stay near and dear to our hearts.