Acts of reading

Image from Penningtron on Flickr

After reading the chapter "Reading in a Digital Age" by Anouk Lang from this book I've been thinking about reading groups and book talk in the online context. At the school where I work I've taken part in many face-to-face book groups from Year 7s to sixth formers but have not tried anything online yet. There were interesting points made about the need to carefully structure the discussion about a book so that the solitary activity of posting comments on an online discussion board became an interactive process allowing for discussion, arguement and dialogue. So, whilst there might be considerable benefits to an online learning medium for those less confident at speaking in a group, there is still a central need for a facilitator to mediate the learning process required to make appropriate and collaborative book talk.

It seems to me that if the internet is indeed rewiring our brains, and making slow reading more difficult for us, then perhaps mediated online book discussions could go some way to redressing the balance and making the internet a place where we can also go to ponder and consider an idea for long enough to actually understand better and comprehend more deeply.