Online Reading

It is interesting to think that there may be a unique process taking place when we read an “online” document as opposed to a print document. That is the question that Coiro and Dobler contemplate in their article, “Exploring the online reading comprehension strategies used by sixth-grade skilled readers to search for and locate information on the internet.” They find that while the processes are similar, there are additional skills required for the reading and comprehension of online text. These are skills that will become increasingly important in the 21st century. More and more information is being produced in a non-print form and this will undoubtedly lead to the increasing importance of these skills. One of the skills discussed is the interconnectivity of information that is expressed in online text. I believe that the understanding of this aspect of online reading is the most important feature of the study, and will continue to be important as information becomes more accessible.