Reading is simply the communication of ideas through alphanumeric symbols. I'm not sure why this represents such sacred ground for teachers, but it does. Personally, I would be more concerned about reading habits, reasons for reading, quality of reading materials, etc. Symbols change, forms change, media change. Watch the gifs, the memes, the language and acronyms that become words, and the words that become metaphors again. This is your audience, and these are the symbols they are drawn to.

With more personalization, more access, and more connectivity, we should be creating a generation of avid readers who can't get enough. So if that's not happening, the question is, why isn't it happening? The pieces are there.

Technology Improves Reading

1. Readers are online readers

Through applications with social components, readers can connect through texts. Reading groups, reading contests, reasons to read, book suggestions, establishing social credibility for the reading process, and more are possible when reading is, at least on some level, a social act.

No, we don't always “need to be connected.” However, this is not an “either/or” circumstance. We can be alone with our book and then socialize our reaction to the book. We can have an idea for a book and then be alone to read, then socialize again afterwards. We can “socialize” an idea and gain background knowledge for a certain chapter of a book, then read alone and not “socialize” at all afterwards. The point is that we can choose who we socialize with and who we don't, when and how we do it.

We have the choice.

2. Adaptive algorithms can lead to personalization

With adaptive learning algorithms, readers can instantly customize the pace, diversity, complexity, and form of their reading materials.

3. Better access and more options

Through digital storefronts, free ebooks, RSS feeds, social magazines, and more, there has never been a time when students had more content at their fingertips. Do you like this book and use an e-book reader like Kindle or iBooks? Here are 25 more similar ones.

Also, here are 10 other authors who liked this book, too.

And here are 750 reviews you can check out to get an idea of what other people think. And please download a free sample of any book you like.

And it's easier to publish now, so while that means there's more crap on the market, there's also more variety. Fanfiction has exploded. If you can't find something you like, it's because you're not looking hard enough.

4. Technology can distract, technology can focus

Technology can allow readers to annotate texts and share notes, which is physically interactive and “social.” There are also applications, such as white noise, that can block distractions in class, among other functions. Before you blame technology for “distracting” students, make sure you are honest with yourself about how much they were focused without technology.

5. Technology makes learning easier

Let's divide reading into three different categories: Before reading, During reading, and After reading.

During each of these stages, readers have different needs.

Before reading: A young reader beginning a story set in a different culture may benefit from watching a YouTube video about that culture or reading a quick summary on Wikipedia about it.

While reading: A high school student reading a poem may want to Google the literary allusions in that poem to better understand it.

After reading: A PhD student may want to check previous studies done by the authors of that study to evaluate some claim being made or to delve into some other data point found in the study and learn more.

The point is that technology (used appropriately) improves understanding. No, it is not absolutely necessary in the same way that I do not need to drive a car to go to Henry County, Kentucky. I could walk if I wanted to, and there are benefits to walking. Cars are not “superior.” But thanks to that technology, I have the opportunity.

6. Analytics can personalize reading mechanisms

Analytics can be, well, analyzed for reading practice: time spent reading, how often readers click on certain words, etc. I know this is vague. I am not a reading specialist or an application developer. The point is that data can be used to keep all readers in their literacy “sweet zone,” supporting struggling readers, challenging advanced readers, and offering choices to grade-level readers.

7. Texts can be adjusted instantly

Taking the data from the previous point, we have a powerful combination. This involves having less or more complex sentence structure, syntax, vocabulary, etc. Platforms like Epic Reader and News-O-Matic make it easy to match a student's reading level to a text, as do various desktop applications and programs.

Additionally, using e-reading apps, students can tap on a word and get its definition instantly. It doesn't necessarily mean that they will, keep in mind that close reading is still a matter of will. But they have the option to do so.

8. Reading speed is more “visible”

With applications that allow you to practice frequent words, others created expressly to increase reading speed, and others that measure time spent reading, words read per minute, and more, now more than ever reading speed is visible, and a Higher reading speed generally translates into greater comprehension.