How do you read? Do you do it on a computer or a tablet or do you prefer good old fashioned paper texts? Do you listen to books on tape or use an audible subscription? Do you prefer to watch movies or videos? Do you like audiobooks? Do those even count as books? What about ebooks? Comics? Books that have been adapted to movies? Podcasts and youtube videos? Do you think that one form is better than another for personal reasons or do you think there is a scientific reason that one is better than another. And actually, while we’re talking about all of this… what is reading anyway? In fact, what’s a book? The answers to these questions aren’t quite as obvious as it sounds, so Mav, Wayne and Hannah are joined by returning guests Stephanie Siler and Amy Hummel to talk about the psychology and literary theory behind reading. Reading is complicated! Check it out and let us know what you think.
Citations and Links:
- This episode’s Call for Comments
- “Don’t throw away your printed books: A meta-analysis on the effects of reading media on reading comprehension” by Pablo Delgadoa, Cristina Vargasb, Rakefet Ackermanc, & Ladislao Salmerón
- “The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens” by Ferris Jabr
- “Reading on Paper Versus Reading on Screen: Some Considerations for Teachers” by Willy Wood
- Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
- Narrative and Its Discontents by D. A. Miller
- Between Women by Sharon Marcus
- The Pleasure of the Text by Roland Barthes
- The Digital Divide edited by Mark Bauerlein
- Understanding Digital Literacies by Rodney H. Jones & Christopher A. Hafner
- Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme
- Follow Hannah on Twitter: @hannahleerogers
- Follow Mav on Twitter: @chrismaverick
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- Follow Wayne’s Personal Blog: http://wayne-wise.com
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I read almost exclusively electronically today. However, I do prefer to read dense text on an e-ink reader such as my Amazon Kindle. I was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child and I struggled with certain aspects of reading when I was young. To this day reading can be an intense task for me, but the ability to change the font or the size of the font instantly can help me read for longer without becoming mentally exhausted. I also like audiobooks in the car at times.