I think I’ve figured out why I don’t prefer to read online. I like to read books and articles on paper. This week I’ve been reading a lot of online publications, and I’ve found that the problem for me is not the same as what I’ve heard a lot of teachers say when they protest the idea of designing a paperless classroom, posting readings online and responding to student writing on the screen instead of on paper. I don’t mind reading from the screen. It doesn’t hurt my eyes, and I actually prefer commenting on student writing on a computer than on paper. I type a lot faster than I write, and the older I get, the faster the hand cramps seem to start when I’m writing with a pen.

The problem for me with reading online is the DISTRACTION.

I guess I’m not as good at multi-tasking as I’d like to believe. This week I would start with The Horizon Report, but somehow end up in Facebook (yes, there really is a string of connections that can lead there).
Or I would open up an article, like Prensky’s Digital Natives piece, and wind up with five different tabs open, chatting with a friend while I’m trying to put a blog together and–yes–check Facebook at the same time.

Sometimes it feels like I can spend hours at my computer and get very little done. On the other hand, I might come away with several different ideas to follow up on. I guess online reading can be a kind of invention for me, but I always end up feeling like I need to chastise myself for not staying more focused.

But perhaps I’m missing the point.