Navigating the Web: Challenges

I just finished reading chapters 9 and 10 in The New Lit Handbook, and I see how the information in the chapters connects to the skills in the ORMS model, particularly as they relate to online reading comprehension.

My first impression of Chapter 9 is that it seemed “dated.” The latest reference was 2003. The Internet was not yet the dominant text in education at the time this chapter was written. However, the authors recognized the skills that students need in order to be able to utilize the Internet effectively. The authors discussed the challenges students had in “web-searching.” Although self-inquiry quests seemed to have some success, students had trouble generating questions for in-depth searches. Students were not using keywords effectively and were looking for quick answers. They also browsed and jumped from site to site randomly. Finally, they tended to think that sites were valid simply because they were on the Internet. These challenges lead directly to the online reading comprehension skills discussed in the ORMS model. The model identifies the need for students to be able to generate questions, locate information effectively, and evaluate the validity of information found on the Internet. The authors of the Chapter realized that in order for the Web to be valuable for knowledge construction, individuals must develop the skills to locate and evaluate the information.

Chapter 10 went on to analyze the navigational skills of students. Researchers noted that the way an individual navigated the Internet was influenced by prior knowledge, spatial ability, learning style and motivation. They believed that the complexity of the task was posing new challenges to learning. This coincides with research by Leu et al (2013) in an article I used for my research in online reading comprehension. They argue that in many cases online reading requires more higher order thinking than offline reading.  This is particularly true when students try to synthesize information from multiple sources.

Even though the use of the Internet as a source of knowledge construction has increased astronomically in the past few years, many of the challenges remain the same. Finally we are recognizing that there are specific skills associated with online reading which even proficient offline readers may not possess.

The final idea that I took away from the article is that persistence and flexibility are two of the key factors leading to success as the Internet becomes the dominant text of our generation. From my own experience and challenges, I wholeheartedly agree!