Being a Better Online Reader, Reading Online vs. On Paper, from The @NewYorker

Maria Konnikova at The New Yorker discusses the differences between reading online and reading on paper:

One of her main hypotheses is that the physical presence of a book—its heft, its feel, the weight and order of its pages—may have more than a purely emotional or nostalgic significance. People prefer physical books, not out of old-fashioned attachment but because the nature of the object itself has deeper repercussions for reading and comprehension. “Anecdotally, I’ve heard some say it’s like they haven’t read anything properly if they’ve read it on a Kindle. The reading has left more of an ephemeral experience,” she told me. Her hunch is that the physicality of a printed page may matter for those reading experiences when you need a firmer grounding in the material. The text you read on a Kindle or computer simply doesn’t have the same tangibility.

Read the full article here.

Newsy Website for Current Event Assignments

Newsy is a site I just heard about that produces videos for the biggest news stories of the day. They compile information from various news outlets to report their stories, including links back to the original articles and a transcript of the video. If you like to have your news delivered in video form, this could be a good site for you to use. It also could be a great resource for teachers and students who are reading article or research about current issues. The videos could act as an introduction to a topic, provide background information, or just be an alternative source for information. From what I have seen the videos are very professionally produced and comprehensive in coverage. This is not a source for cutting edge, investigative, or breaking news. I see it more as a supplement to discussions of current events.

They also have mobile apps for every platform.

Have any teachers used Newsy with their students?

http://www.newsy.com/

Teen Driving Deaths Increase Dramatically During Summer Months

Photo: License Some rights reserved by State Farm

I read this interesting article in the Washington Post this morning about how teenage driving deaths double in the summer months. I am tucking it away until next May. Our school year in SW Florida has already ended, but if you’re still in school you may want to discuss this with your high school students. Perhaps being aware of the trends around summer party weekends will cause a few more young people to save themselves. The article points out that many people feel they do not have control of whether or not they are involved in a collision. The data suggests otherwise. Educators, have a wonderfully restful, enjoyable, and safe summer.

Post article:  wapo.st/171vtIk

Why Audio? SoundCloud and the Power of Audio on the Web

Image:  License Some rights reserved by j_baer

The first time I saw SoundCloud a few year ago, I was blown away. Comments embedded in the music. Actually seeing the sound waves – the core of what sound is – displayed on the screen, normally hidden and forgotten about. It seemed like an audiophile’s dream. Although it did start with indie musicians, it has been gaining traction beyond that world. Lately, I have thought of it as the YouTube of audio, and I am sure I’m not the first one to use that phrase. In reality, it may be more like Vimeo, the premium video service, used by many filmmakers and other video professionals. Unlike YouTube, Vimeo and SoundCloud put substantial limits on uploads for free accounts, encouraging professional creators to upgrade to a paid account. In both cases, I think it is worth the cost.

SoundCloud offers channels, “likes,” following, and commenting just like other social networking sites. Comments are still embedded in the sound waves, as well as in a familiar list on the page. I have been thinking about SoundCloud a lot lately, and how it fits in to the internet media landscape. Given the relative longevity of the service, and its growing popularity, especially amount young people, I am left asking the question, “Why audio?”

In a world saturated with visual media, why would anyone, viewer or creator, choose audio over video? Music is the obvious frontrunner here. It has been the bread and butter of SoundCloud and will continue to be. Even after the internet resurrected the music video (thank you!), music is still essentially an audio-based art. Radio news is still prevalent, whether you are an NPR enthusiast or a talk radio junkie. SoundCloud and other internet services allow radio programs to expand their audience. News reporters create content for print, website, video, and radio, but posting reports and reflections about news events directly online to something like SoundCloud offers certain advantages. This could be more convenient for reporters who are looking to get information or interviews out to the public in a fast way. You can record a conversation and upload it directly to SoundCloud to make it accessible to listeners with limited editing. Podcasts are another purely audio-based form of media. I have used different apps to subscribe to and listen to podcasts, but they were purely for consumption. What is brilliant about putting podcasts on SoundCloud, as the show RadioLab and others do, is that it transforms listening into an interactive experience. While listening, you can view comments and post you own questions and comments at specific points throughout the show. Naturally, SoundCloud has this same effective on everything that is uploaded to the site.

I have provide my own perspective on why audio online is important. What other reasons do you see for its popularity? What makes it better and more useful (or not) than video? What other uses for online audio can you think of?

Must Reads: A Personal Glimpse at Amazon Founder, Free Tethering, Lying Authors, Comics, Healthcare, and More

This is my weekly list of what I most want to share. What have I read that was fascinating, exciting, puzzling, or inspiring. Catch up on some things you missed from the past week. Maybe I dug up a few obscure gems that are totally new to you. Check out the brief ones now and save the more lengthy ones for later. Share and be share to…here’s the list:

News and Tech

Well written piece from the New York Times. Interesting to see a glimpse into the private life of such an influential person. Amazon founder, Bezel, and his large financial support of gay marriage.

Is Groupon actually harming some small businesses? Interesting knowing that they are also seeing steep declines in their stock price lately.

Free tethering without penalty could set a new precedent in the cell phone industry, even if it is not a voluntary policy for Verizon.

A short comic about Jesse Owens in Nazi Germany for the Olympics. Plus this is an awesome comic website worth following. Useful for your personal enjoyment or for teachers looking for relevant, motivating materials.

The kind of woman who needs a late-term abortion. Although the essay is clearly for one side of the issue, you don’t have to be to read it. I was impressed with this powerful, expertly written piece of political writing with a fresh angle.

Health and Education

An Ed tech cheat sheet from Edudemic. Also excellent example of a straightforward, well designed infographic.

Five ways apples culture can improve your class. I was going to suggest reading Imagine: How Creativity Works, by Jonah Lehrer to go along with the above post. He delves into more creative, innovative organizations. But I just found out that he admitted to making up and misrepresenting quotes from Bob Dylan (the Dylan section of the book never sat right with me). Anyway, if you do get your hands on the book, I still think it is worth a read for the other sections, unless we find out he made those up too. Then I will recall this post like they have recalled his book…

Not all completely new information about weight loss but some interesting findings here worth taking a look at.

Long Reads

What Mississippi Can Learn From Iran? Informative, inspiring and with some absolutely crushing moments. Why are poor communities deprived of health care, and how can it be fixed?