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Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?

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Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?
The Change in Reading Style
In the article “Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?,” Motoko Rich (2008) writes about the differences between online reading and printed books presenting various opinions and studies regarding the relative impacts and benefits.
According to Rich, web critics argue that the decreasing scores in teenagers' standardized reading tests are due to the significant amount of hours young people spend on the Internet. The Internet, as some say, is damaging the readers' attention spans, weakening literacy, and destroying the printed book culture. However, web advocates believe that the Internet, instead of being the enemy of literacy, has not only created a new experience of reading, but also conceived a new kind of reading. Young people should be examining on the new reading techniques that they have gained from the Web. Reading became difficult to define accounting for the change in reading method when the Internet was invented. Some traditionalists warn that the Internet does not strengthens literacy. The Internet users, rather than reading, spend their time taking pictures, texting, and playing videos. Finally, RIch concludes with a quote said by Gay Ivey, “I think they need it all.”
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The quote explains that the Internet and books reading are both important for people’s learning process because learners, in order to have fun and enjoy, must acquire from many resources, and this depicts Rich’s intention for showing her article main argument. Rich’s main point is believing that learners need both to learn. Rich was objective in the article, and she gave many supporting details for both sides. It is essential for parents to read the article in order to understand that the Internet has positive impacts on teenagers, and using it does not always means that their children are wasting their

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