Blurts

I have been doing more literature research on the difference between comprehension in reading from paper and the screen. I came across a meta-analysis by Delgado and colleagues.

One of the factors in the research was whether the content involved narrative or informational text. The researchers found a significant difference when the genre was informational, but not narrative. The authors speculate this may be an example of the “shallowing hypothesis“. This hypothesis proposes that as readers frequently use a given medium for shallow interactions they will have greater difficulty using it for other purposes.

When I read about taking Smart Notes, I found the recommendation that the reader take particular attention when information ran counter to personal beliefs. The Delgado finding would seem to fit this recommendation as I am more likely to rely on screen reading when I am involved with informational text. I do this because I can use annotation more effectively on a digital device. This is a priority I have followed now for many years. My history of reading information-rich texts in a digital format would not refute the shallowing hypothesis because my history with this approach means I come to reading with a different mindset than many other readers.

Assuming that the shallowing hypothesis offers a valid interpretation of the frequently found advantage of paper over screen, what is it that educators should take from these studies? Some have decided there is evidence learning from paper is the only approach suited to learning tasks. Given the high volume of information we all encounter online, I think this is the wrong decision. The hypothesis could also be interpreted to mean that when learners only use digital reading for casual experiences, they will tend to carry over this shallow approach. The remedy could be argued to be more assigned meaningful tasks that rely on deep reading with digital media.

Delgado, P., Vargas, C., Ackerman, R., & Salmerón, L. (2018). Don’t throw away your printed books: A meta-analysis on the effects of reading media on reading comprehension. Educational Research Review, 25, 23-38.

I was thinking this may be the time of year that school IT administrators should be contacting parents to alert them to government programs intended to lower the cost of home high-speed internet access. The savings should allow access for a rate between $30 and $50 dollars a month. Two links follow that might be forwarded with recommendations for review.

Office of Educational Technology

White House – Get Internet

K12 schools will soon open their doors for the new school year and many schools are still dealing with a shortage of teachers. This article from The Hill does a nice job of identifying common explanations for the challenge.

The causes identified include:

• Stress associated with COVID, COVID-related changes in how instruction is to be delivered, and public questioning of education.
• Low salaries. The article indicates that the starting salary in 2019/20 was $41,000.
• A decline in the number of education graduates. Nationwide the total number of education degrees was 200,000 or so in the 1970s and 90,000 in 2019.
• Occupations options for women – 36% of grads in 1970 were focused on education and 6% in 2019.
• These factors in combination – many of these factors feed on each other increasing the impact. Fewer teachers mean more demand on those who are working. Low pay means other occupations will be more attractive. etc.

The leadership of the FCC presently consists of four members; two Democrats and two Republicans. The intended leadership group is five members with three members from the party of the President and two from the opposing party. At this point in the Biden Presidency, the FCC still lacks a fifth member because of Senate Republican objections to Biden nominees (read this pro-Republican account for complains about nominee Gigi Sohn). 

The makeup of the FCC is crucial to the role of net neutrality. This doctrine proposes that service providers (the company you pay to access the Internet) must treat all content equally. This means they cannot prioritize content based on business opportunities or other reasons. For example, a company that provides both Internet and cable television cannot slow access to online video services advantaging their own cable television offerings. A different way to describe the concept is to propose that Internet providers should function as common carriers in the same way telephone companies must be common carriers. You pay for phone service and the cost can change, but you can use this service as you want. Related to this issue is the level of realistic competition in the market. Many Internet users have limited options in how they access the Internet meaning market options with different companies offering different experiences are not available.

As a policy net neutrality has changed with administrations. Net neutrality was the policy during the Obama administration, but this standard was removed during the Trump administration. With a 2-2 split on the FCC, the existing standard remains in place.

Democrats have now introduced a bill to mandate net neutrality. Passing legislation would take the FCC out of the decision making role for this issue. The bill would expect Internet providers to function as common carriers and allow the FCC to take on other issues related to Internet use (see below). As a political issue the party orientation toward the Internet breaks out as favoring corporations or consumers. 

Meanwhile, classifying broadband as a telecommunications service would in turn allow the FCC more authority over providers. This would mean promoting competition, policing potential abuses, and updating Universal Service Fund programs to provide broadband to schools, libraries, and lower-income Americans. 

https://www.extremetech.com/internet/338404-democrats-introduce-bill-to-reinstate-net-neutrality-rules

9 to 5 Mac has carried several articles explaining Apple’s vulnerability because of the assembly of Apple products and the creation of chips in Taiwan and China. Lovejoy (9to5) suggests that despite the Taiwan Relations Act which stipulates that the U.S. will come to the aid of Taiwan should China invade, the threat of Russia to use nuclear weapons should the U.S. become involved directly in Ukraine has established that the U.S. will avoid fighting by the side of Taiwan. In addition to the disruption of manufacturing, the U.S. has demonstrated that in retaliation for a country’s aggression, U.S. companies would not be allowed to do business with companies of the enemy. Chips are produced in Taiwan (Taiwan Semiconductor manufacturing) and many Apple products are assembled by Taiwanese Foxconn in China. Foxconn has made the effort to move some manufacturing elsewhere, but any conflict involving Taiwan would have dire consequences for Apple.

Summer gives educators some relaxed time they can use to search online for new ideas and interact with colleagues. Twitter chats offer an opportunity to meet both goals. I admit I have not been a huge fan of chats because in real time it seems an inefficient way to exchange information. Perhaps in the summer months, this is less of an issue. I have written about the mechanics of participating in a twitter chat elsewhere and provide some ideas about improving the efficiency of the time spent.

Sara Qualls has put a great deal of effort into a resource I would describe as All Things Twitter Chats. The resource describes tools to use when participating in a chat, but of greatest value is her large list of educational chats organized by day of the week. The list is a bit dated, but because the list includes links it is very easy to use a link to see if the chat is still active. Trying out these links is also an efficient way to evaluate whether you might find the style and focus of a given chat group of value.

My issue with chats is based on the experience of participating in quite a few which involves sitting through an hour answering and reading the answers to probably 8-10 prompts. The time to enter text from a screen or keyboard and wait for others to do the same to questions that may or may not be relevant reduces what I think I get from the time spent. A slow chat unfolds over a longer period of time, but allows the information to accumulate and be reviewed in a more efficient way. Examing past chats using the links Qualls has made available would provide a similar experience. You can quickly read archived chats to see what you can find.