Now, the focus of my final paper is how classrooms turn kids off to reading. The way in which reading is presented in school makes kids to lose their motivation to read because their attitude towards it becomes a chore. It also doesn't help when required reading doesn't relate to the students because then they don't see the point in reading at all, and are turned off to reading all together. Teachers' influence is vital to the development of a positive attitude and motivation towards reading.
Original Post:
Claim: Popular culture has caused the decline in reading among teenagers.
Because of…technology, and our need to communicate and connect…
I. Technology:
a. Has provided outlets for distraction, now in our downtime we find ourselves on Facebook and surfing the web instead of entertaining ourselves by reading…
a. It takes away time from reading because before you know it you’ve spent the past 2 hours at your computer on Facebook for no reason, it consumes the bulk of our spare time…
b.We may gravitate towards technology for entertainment because it is more leisurely, we can surf the web etc. at our own pace, and it sustains our focus more because there is more to capture our attention (auditory/ visual stimulations associated with computers and tv etc.) rather than just plain text, and it takes less effort to enjoy: with books, you have to create the stories in your head and conjure up the whole world of the book etc, but with tv, everything is already given to you and you just need to follow along
II. Communication and Connection:
a.Our modern society demands communication and connection because with the rise of technology, this is what’s expected and needed to keep up with our fast paced lifestyles
a. Classics vs. Modern novels reflect the times in which they were written:
i. Classic books like those of Mark Twain may be more heavily emphasized because back then, they didn’t have technology, so reading was the skill they needed to focus on to get ahead, whereas today communication and face to face interaction (like in the board room) is more vital than ever because with technology, communication is made easier, and happens more frequently because it is more efficient, therefore instead of focusing on reading, people may be more focused on interacting because this is what helps you get ahead today
b. Technology allows us to stay connected: cell phones, email, text, facebook, etc.: we all know what’s going on in each others lives (ex. Twitter, status updates, etc.) and therefore we’re accustomed to human connection, and I think now more than ever, we are people persons… therefore sitting alone in our own world reading a book isn’t as appealing because we want to be with each other, and we want to be up to date on what’s happening now with our generation, and be caught up on the trends so we can fit in, etc.
i. It’s a place just for us that we can go to (i.e. facebook isn’t really for adults: source→ “The Myths of Teenage Readers”
ii. And being the most connected we’ve ever been, means that our peer’s opinions of us have never meant so much, therefore it’s most crucial that we keep up with the trends and by reading and taking ourselves to another world, especially worlds that don’t necessarily apply to ours (like classic books) seems unnecessary because we can’t really relate (reading skills vs. communication skills)
source:
Aronson, Marc. "The Myths of Teenage Readers." Publishing Research Quarterly 16.3
(Fall2000 2000): 4. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. [Library name], [City],
[State abbreviation]. 17 Apr. 2009
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