Prompt due by May 22, 5pm

[Dr. C.]

After completing the required reading, please choose one of the following prompts to answer:

1.  “Reading at Risk” asserts that “literary reading” is declining among all age groups.  Write a response that describes the “literary reading” you have completed in the past 5 years, explores why you have (or have not!) completed this reading, and postulate about your future “literary reading” in the next 5 years.  Write about why you think “literary reading” is declining.

2.  “Reading at Risk” identifies 10 key findings.  Write a response in which you discuss which key finding you agree with, and which key finding you disagree with.  

[noblejg]

Hey everyone! Attached is my Module 1 Prompt in response to question #1 on what I have read in the past 5 years as well as why I believe literary reading is declining. 

[adamsjm6]

1. Over the past five years my personal literary reading has varied greatly and has had numerous outside influences acting upon my motivation and willingness to read. I find I am most active in reading when I am least busy and do not have to read large amounts of academic works. Being a political science major I not only consistently read news stories, but also extensively read political science journals for class and my own self benefit. 

At times a class will require heavy amounts of reading which is over subjects that I can find difficult to relate to and this directly correlates to a lack of motivation to read on my own when this occurs. When ever I must read something I have no ability to relate to or believe has minimal relevance to my life I find it drags on and is difficult to finish. This is the typical horror story we have all had to deal with during reading, and has at times affected our motivation and willingness to read. When ever this occurs I refuse to read for days, weeks, and even months because I feel burned out after reading 350 pages of political science boredom. 

Yet, when ever I read something that I relate to and sparks my interest I begin searching for similar stories or books which then peek my interest and I begin reading those for extensively long periods. I find my reading habits come and go in waves and are based upon my current work level and can be dependent on if I am burned out with reading. I find it difficult to predict my future reading habits due to their inconsistent nature of showing up, yet I have a suspicion they will increase over time. 

I believe many Americans are similar to me, and that people simply get burned out with reading office reports, constantly reading bad news in the morning paper and eventually they simply get tired of it and quit for awhile. Unfortunately this quitting is seen by their children and slowly their children's reading habits suffer when their parents fail to read to them at a young age or encourage them to read books while in school. The school system has also failed by using less than efficient methods in inspiring our youngsters to love reading, and this has directly affected the reading rate in our country. I certainly hope that reading levels will increase, yet according to the the latest research this is not likely to be the case. 

[David A. Riley]

“Reading at Risk,” a report produced by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), gives direct insight into the current decline of reading among the American populace. The survey focused specifically on “literary reading,” defined in the report as “reading of novels, short stories, poetry or drama in any print format.” The statistics gathered by the NEA show a well-defined trend away from this type of reading, despite including the internet as a source of reading. The 10 Key Findings presented in “Reading at Risk” show the changes in reading from the past 20 years. Most of those findings are hard to dispute, but one struck me as debatable.

            Key finding #1, “The percentage of adult Americans reading literature has dropped dramatically over the past 20 years,” seems like it should be common knowledge. The increases in television programming and internet access could easily explain why there are fewer and fewer literary readers every year. Even when including internet reading, the numbers are dropping. This report was published in 2002. Certainly there were plenty of websites available then (just over 3 million), but in the ten years that have passed since this data was collected, the number has skyrocketed (187 million active sites)( http://techlogon.com/2011/11/15/how-many-websites-are-there-in-the-world/). With the advent of television news tickers, status updates, and 140 character “tweets,” is it any wonder people no longer have the requisite attention span to read a novel? Or the time to consider an interpretation of poetry? I for one would be very curious to see how this trend looks if the survey data was extended back 100 years. Before television. Before radio. Back when the published word seemed to hold more meaning, and people thought for themselves in complete sentences.

            The finding that I have a hard time accepting is #9: The decline in literary reading foreshadows an erosion in cultural and civic participation. While attendance at performing arts events and art museum visitation may be down, I don’t hear anyone complaining that tickets to professional sporting events are too easy to get. It seems strange to think that people will be less inclined to volunteer if they don’t read Shakespeare, or won’t vote because they didn’t finish “War and Peace.” If anything, the ever-increasing role of social media will boost support for worthy causes. All you have to do to see that is look at a Facebook wall. We are bombarded with requests for support all day every day. And while it is much easier to click “like” or “share” on something that we agree with than to get out and do something about it, at least the idea is spreading. Isn’t the purpose of literature? To spread new ideas? Or sometimes to expose evil where it is found? Ideas spread much faster along optical fiber than printing presses, and literature has ever been aimed at provoking thought. As long as that remains true, what difference does the medium make? After all, it is the message that is important.  

[newporjd]

1. “Reading at Risk” asserts that “literary reading” is declining among all age groups.  Write a response that describes the “literary reading” you have completed in the past 5 years, explores why you have (or have not!) completed this reading, and postulate about your future “literary reading” in the next 5 years.  Write about why you think “literary reading” is declining. 

 

In the past five years, I would say that my reading has increased slightly. At 17, I would have been entering my senior year of high school 5 years ago. That summer, I don't remember reading anything out of my assigned summer reading list. While the summer before held the release of the final Harry Potter book, I remember reading that book. Throughout high school and through the beginning of college, I had a hard time reading for enjoyment. With the beginning of college, I feel a lot of why I didn't read for pleasure because I was so busy with other activities.

 

I really started to love reading when I went abroad my Sophomore year at Miami. I remember taking my Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows abroad with me so I could reread it before the movie was released that summer. Once I returned in the summer of 2010, I read Aron Ralston's Between a Rock and a Hard Place. One thing that is funny about these readings is the order in which I read both. Growing up I'd say the book of my generation was the Harry Potter series. I loved reading those books as a kid and into adulthood and it was thrilling when they were adapted to film. Some of my other readings such as Aron Ralston's autobiography came from seeing a movie I really enjoyed (127 Hours) and deciding to read the book.

 

Besides those two books, I also began J.R.R. Tolkein's The Hobbit and George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones. Again, both of these readings I chose because I had seen the movie or tv series and wanted to look into the actual books. So all in all, in the last five years I have read many books and novels for school but only 4 books on my own. Part of why I personally have a hard time reading for pleasure has been because of school. Between school in the fall and spring and working full time when home for the summer, the last thing a majority of people in my age group want to do is read. The amount of text taken in by our generation through the internet, social media, and constant advertisements is at an all time high. I think why television and movies are so popular is because it is a somewhat mindless activity. While Why We Read  points out shows like The Sopranos or Lost offer intense character studies like a novel, the majority of television simply sitcoms and other programming. I think it is so easy to become more engaged in a television show because it is so set out in terms of time slots and the ease at which to watch. Television shows can resolve conflict in a single episode while books require hours of reading to see the outcome of the story.

 

All in all, I wouldn't say I am happy with the amount of literary reading I have completed in the last five years. Even now after I've graduated I have so many priorities between work, online summer classes, and studying for my state boards. I hope once I have passed my state boards and I am working later this year that I have more time for reading for leisure. All in all, I think literary reading is declining partially from our school system. While elementary school and middle school require entire books to be read, I remember reading declining significantly when I entered high school. No longer do teachers find the great novels of our day to be important reads but instead several sections are packed into a single textbook. While the number of readers is declining, I don't think reading books will ever truly die out. Part of why my age group doesn't read I think is because it is hard to make time to read. Once I am in a place of solidity as opposed to transition I plan to read more and I think others feel the same way.

[brighaak]

1.  After thinking over what I have read in the past 5 years, I feel disappointed in myself. I grew up in a home where everyone always had a book in hand. I had a huge bookcase that was filled to the brim. I usually read 3 books a week, until I had my first child. Compared to my past reading history, I have not read very many books outside of academic reading.

     In the past 5 years, I have read all the Maya Angelou biographical novels, including some of her poetry. I have almost completed the Elizabeth Berg collection; she is by far one of my favorite authors. Janet Evanovich, One for the Money to Hot Six. I enjoy books about the wilderness, so I have read Into the Wild (amazing!!!) and Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and am currently reading The Endurance, Shackleton's Antarctica Expedition. I have also reread Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. A comical "outdoorsy" book that I have read is They Shoot Canoes Don't They by Patrick McManus. I am also currently reading one of my all time favorite childhood books to my 6 year old son, The Phantom Tollbooth.

     Future reading will depend on many factors. I still have 2+ years at Miami, as I will be attempting a Master's in Geology after graduation. Since "me" time is very rare, I do not feel I read as much literature as I would like. My son and I have made a list of books we will be reading next, including Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. We are planning a family trip to Hamilton, Missouri next summer. I want to spark his imagination about the river, barges, town and caves before we explore the childhood home of Mark Twain. We also have the Chronicles of Narnia on our list. We are also working on Learn to Read books. I am hoping to read Barren Lands soon, a story about the exploration for Canadian diamonds.

    I feel that reading is declining for many reasons. It seems to be a matter of time, money, energy, education level, and utility (what we would rather do). For me, time is limited so I am not able to read as much as I would like. I am much more focused on teaching my children to enjoy reading. I do always have one book I am reading because I feel it is important for my children to see me enjoy reading. As a child, I remember every family member reading at some point in the day (Parents, siblings, grandparents, uncles/aunts, cousins, etc). With reading rates for men dropping more than 11 percent, I would especially like to leave the same impression on my children; that reading isn't something that must be done, but that it is an art and is meant for learning and enjoyment.

    In this economy, I feel money is a huge hinder to the book reading participation rate. How many libraries have closed in the past few years? We live in a small community in the Cincinnati area and are very lucky to have a library within walking distance. I try to make it at least 3 times a week with my children. Liam has his own card and checks out 2-3 books per visit. Sometimes, they are only picture books, but it sparks his interest and imagination and is a joy to see. I do wish the local library had more Story Time. They only have one reading per week, at 11 am on Wednesdays. I am not able to take my children because of work and school schedules. Due to budget cuts, they only are able to do the reading once a week. In my eyes, this leaves many children deprived of a very important experience; seeing other children and adults socially engaging in the enjoyment of a good book.

     Ohio currently is doing half-day Kindergarten at public schools. In my son's classroom, they read one book per week. His only homework is to read books at home. The school is trying to focus on key problem areas such as the reading ability of the children. This leaves it up to the parents to form good reading habits with their children. Unfortunately, not all parents are able or willing to work with their children. This lack of schooling and parental participation definitely has an influence on future reading rates of the next generation. Next year, Ohio will be returning to full day Kindergarten. I am glad to see this change as the most crucial years of development and habit forming is ages 3-5. Some studies have shown the difference full day Kindergarten has made on the ability for children to become successful college graduates. How many of you had full day Kindergarten?

     I also believe the idea of utility to play a key role in the reading participation rates. How much of the population would rather play outside, go to the movies, watch television or play a video game? With so many other things to do and the accessability of these things increasing, why read? Personally, at the end of the night, after school, work, cleaning, cooking and taking care of 2 young children is over, all  I want is my bed. I choose not to read before bed so I am well rested in the morning to do it all over again.

 

 

[brighaak]

 

Is the purpose of literature solely about spreading new ideas? I think the idea of cultural erosion due to the decline in reading literature has a huge impact on our language and culture. Globally, the number of languages is declining. Although English is the number one used language in the world now, who's to say what language will thrive in the future. Literature is a way of expressing your ideas, yes. But it is also a way of preserving your culture and language. We can look back 30,000 years ago and read pictures from ancient civilizations and get an idea of what their culture may have been like. Not all their "text" was to spread ideas, but to preserve their culture. Although it is faster to spread ideas and "text" across optical fiber, the power and internet could go down forever tomorrow. How would we spread our ideas and culture without it on paper? Sometimes the fastest method isn't always the best method.

An idea on civic participation thought could be that there are so many other things to do, that people aren't reading nor volunteering. Although you can like a post, or text a donation to some organization, some people are still not reading nor volunteering. It does seem interesting to me, that over time reading rates have declined as well as the "sense of community".

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[roeselbl]

2. "Reading at Risk" identifies 10 key findings. Write a response in which you discuss which key finding you agree with, and which key finding you disagree with.\

After reviewing the 10 key findings "Reading at Risk" identifies the last two were the ones I disagreed with and agreed with. Key finding number nine I didn't really agree with because I read a lot but I don't do much charity work or attend performing arts events. I would need more evidence for this key finding to be something I agree with. I don't believe that reading effects how much a person volunteers, visits museums or attends sporting events. I used myself as an example for this key finding but my friend is the complete opposite. He does not read like I read and he attends more sporting events and performing arts events than I do. My sister is the same way but she volunteers more instead of attending performing arts events.

However, key finding number ten I do agree with. I do believe that people, especially younger, that do not read spend more time watching television and playing video games. If you are reading you will not be watching television because you will be focused on the book in your hands. If you are not into reading then you would rather watch a movie or a television show that is based off a book of interest to you. I definitely see this in my household because my 4 year old niece used to live with me. She would love to watch TV shows, such as Dora the Explorer, and when my grandma would try to read her a Dora book she would be more interested in the TV show.

I definitely agree that it is hard for books to compete with television shows and movies. Some people can't use their imagination like others when reading books so the movie is more convenient for them to picture what is happening. Reading takes a lot of concentration and imagination to really enjoy and make your own of what you're reading.

[Dr. C.]

I enjoyed reading your response, and I am happy that you are an active reader!  

I have two questions though:  Why do you think that people work more than they did in the 70s? How do schools take the fun out of reading?

[Dr. C.]

I can definitely understand the feeling of being "burnt out" by all the reading you must do.  I wonder, though, if you're a political science major why you don't like reading political science texts, or is there a particular type you had in mind below?

[Dr. C.]

Jeremy,

I am glad that you enjoy reading, and it's interesting how it "clicked" for you at a particular time in your life.  You're right that often we just don't have the time to read between all of other commitments.  

You mention the Sopranos.  Are you a fan of the show?  I loved it.  I'm from NJ, so it resonated with me in particular ways.

[Dr. C.]

You shouldn't be disappointed!  It sounds like you are an active reader and that you value reading for yourself and your children.   You make great points about the school system and the role of parents.  I was reading at the age of 2 - primarily because my mom worked with me every night before bed.  I still remember her having these flash cards that she made and asking me questions.   

I know I've read something by Elizabeth Berg - at least the name sounds familiar.  I should google it and probably will, but what has she written?  For some reason, I'm thinking it's a book set in New England ?   

[gibertpm]

Over the past five years, my reading of literary sources has decreased. Ever since attending college at Miami, my reading has dramatically decreased due to the course loads of reading that I already have to do for other classes. I was an avid reader ever since I was a younger child. My mother always took me on weekly visits to the library and read stories to me, which started for me as an avid reader from the start. I loved the fact that I could immerse myself in a completely different world and experience a life unlike mine. It seems childish now, as I'm older, but this standard holds true to this day. It's almost like the assigned poem that we had to read, "My Father's Waltz". Theodore Roethke recreated a favorite memory from his childhood, which he turned into a beautiful poem dedicated to his father's greatness. I believe that writing/reading is fundamental in education of our children and the "Reading at Risk" article further convinces me of this problem. Too many children and older adults are slipping the cracks of the education system, not knowing how to read and this is personally to me, a huge problem that needs to be addressed. I believe that this is due to the more and more media being ruled by television, internet, radio, and smart-phones that replace rhetoric/analysis with connivence. We allow the media to raise our children, instead of the traditional values that older generations were raised on. They had to read actual maps to get to locations, rather than using mapquest and google maps app on your phone. After reading this article, I plan on more summer reading for personal enjoyment and to encourage reading as a future teacher.

[gibertpm]

I agree with your statement about disagreeing with the last two statements about the charity work and volunteering through reading literary texts. That is more of a personal choice that a personal may decide to do. I like to do this type of work, because I have a passion for it and understand the importance of it. This is more of a generalization that reading makes you a well-rounded person, but this doesn't have an affect on the person, but of the intelligence that they display.

[jocketjw]

"Reading at Risk" Prompt 1:

To be completely honest, I have personally contributed to the decline of "literary reading." Over the past five years, my reading has virtually all been school related. I know it seems sad but, unfortunately it is true. I guess I find other activities more entertaining than reading. I think technological advances over the years have contributed to this phenomenon. There are so many ways for people of all ages to fill their free time and reading has seemed to trickle down in interest in recent years. I would have to predict that over the next five years the interest in reading will continue to decline with the continued increase in technology. It is a sad reality of the world we live in. 

[Amanda Sellers]

Dr. C,

 

Elizabeth Berg has written the books Joy School, Durable Goods, Ordinary Life, The Pull of the Moon, The Last Time I Saw You, Home Safe, The Year of Pleasures, The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted, Dream When Your Feeling Blue, Say When, Open House, Range of Motion, Talk Before Sleep, What We Keep,  and The Art of Mending. There are much more, however I do not own all the books and cannot remember all of them.  Open House, The Art of Mending and What We Keep are probably my 3 favorite novels. I love that she can take a life situation and emotionalize her characters. The books are hard to put down and it is easy to escape into the books and feel the characters pain or happiness. I had a friend who introduced me to her books during my foreign exchange to Argentian (I read Open House). As soon as I returned to the states, I looked for her books. I definitely recommend any of her books!

-Amanda

[shekinba]

Response to prompt #1-Module #1
"Reading at Risk" Noble
May 21, 2013

According to the article, "Reading at Risk," there has been a significant decline in reading among individuals within the various age groups, genders, races and nationality throughout the years.  This phenomenon has been in influenced by, in competition with and correlated to the increased use of technology.  The author suggest that these factors have played a role in this creating this issue.

When I was a young child, I was primarily exposed to literature that was of a spiritual nature, as well as anything that involved improving the character.  The bible, and literature written by spiritual leaders was the only kind of literature that was allowed to be read in the community.  Since I was home schooled only on an intermittent basis, I had not the pleasure of reading for specific knowledge of any kind, such as science, humanities or anything relating to specific subjects like health and spirituality.  However, as the years progressed, I found myself walking in my sisters footsteps and rebelling by reading mystery novels by Agatha Christie, most of Sydney Sheldon's novels.  "The Stars Shine Down," "The Sands of Time," "If Tomorrow comes," as well as others.  More recently, or within the past five years and longer, I have found myself regressing or might I use the term progressing to former literary genres.  As I desired a more spiritual approach to dealing with the daily challenges of life, (or just navigating this physical existence in general), I have consistently found myself being drawn to authors  who I determined could lead me in my desired direction.  Deepak Chopra, author of "Ageless Body, Timeless Mind," has written many books that have appealed to me; "The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success" has also been a favorite.  I intend to read every book that he has written because his thoughts and ideas have full filled many philosophical questions I have had pertaining to life in general and spirituality.  Other authors that I have listened to have inspired me to set goals to read their books; Dr. Wayne Dyer, Anthony Robbins, "Personal Power" and "The Law of Attraction," which is what I am reading now by Esther Hicks.  During my so called rebellion days, I was more inclined to read literature for passing the time as opposed to reading for pleasure and spiritual fulfillment.  This change was possibly affected by the fact that motherhood leaves you with less time to read just for the sake of it, with that in mind, I have concluded, somewhere in my conscious, to utilize my time most efficiently by reading literature that inspire me to live an effective existence.

As suggested in the article, issues with literacy in our society can be alleviated when one encounters literature that inspire and is somewhat related to our goals or interest.  Once you find something that deeply inspires you, you will be drawn to literature that satisfies those interests and desires.  According to my personal insight, I would say that many make the excuse of not having the time to read or are not interested in reading because the act of reading sparks deep modes of thinking, which will require us to focus other things on our minds, which we are seeking a distraction from, through the medium of electronics, in the form of television, video games,  and similar creations.  Suffice it to say, time is an illusion, which we have made our reality and have been using as an excuse to ignore our problems of declining literacy.  In conclusion, if we will turn away from the distractions of technology and other advances in our modern world, we will become re-inspired through literature that helps us all achieve our goals and intentions.

On Tuesday, April 30, 2013 4:28:38 PM UTC-4, Dr. C. wrote:

After completing the required reading, please choose one of the following prompts to answer:

1.  “Reading at Risk” asserts that “literary reading” is declining among all age groups.  Write a response that describes the “literary reading” you have completed in the past 5 years, explores why you have (or have not!) completed this reading, and postulate about your future “literary reading” in the next 5 years.  Write about why you think “literary reading” is declining.

[fran...@miamioh.edu]

I would have to say that I too have contributed to the decline in literary reading. In high school, I would not have considered myself an avid reader, but I still found time to read a few books here and there for leisure. But over the last five years, especially since being in college, I rarely find the time to read outside of school. I myself am a political science major and that comes with a lot of reading on its own. I mostly enjoy reading the assigned texts and novels for my major, but because of the extensive amount of reading that I have had to do, I don't really have the drive to pick up another book for my own pleasure. I would have to say that a lot of this decline in society can easily be attributed to the increase in technology; from cell phones to electronic gaming and internet, everyone these days have so many more obstacles that can distract them from wanting to read on their own 

When thinking about how my amount of leisure reading has declined, I think about what I will be doing with my life after college, and truly think I will want to get back into reading many different novels. I have personally thought of a few books that I would like to start out with once I have a little more free time, and hopefully I can progress from this. Most of the key findings in this piece I have to agree with, aside from #9. I think this finding is a very broad area surveyed and cannot be truly attributed to the decline in reading. Overall, the decline in literary reading is a serious problem through all age groups and I believe schools need to find new ways to make reading a fun and enjoyable thing for kids to do.

[zubaoe]

2. "Reading at Risk" identifies 10 key findings. Write a response in which you discuss which key finding you agree with, and which key finding you disagree with.

While reading, "Reading at Risk," it was hard for me to choose just one key finding that I agreed with. I think a lot of the key findings have very good points about the future of reading. The one that I agreed with most was key finding 10. The decline in reading correlates with increased participation in a variety of electronic media, including the Internet, video games, and portable digital devices. From 1982-2002 electronics have obviously become very popular. One of the bullets that the article provided claimed that literature and electronics compete for audiences attention. That attention is getting taken away from literary reading. I couldn't agree more with that statement! The fun in literary reading is being taken away by these electronic devices. It is so much easier for someone to buy a book on their Kindle, Nook, or IPad than it is for them to pick up the latest novel at the book store. What happened to the enjoyment of opening the first page of a book and smelling the fresh printed pages? We do not get that enjoyment from reading on a electronic device. These devices also have access to the Internet and social media. Social media is booming right now and people spend their free time trying to connect with their friends, not with the characters in a novel. Key finding 10 also discusses how as TV became more popular, book reading became less popular. Overall, electronic devices are taking away from the fun and relaxation or literary reading.

The key finding I disagreed with was number 7. Literary reading is declining among all age groups. When looking at the chart that goes along with key finding 7 I noticed that it only started with age 18. I get that this whole article is looking at the decline of reading in "adults" but since this key finding stated "all age groups" I have to disagree. We are not given the numbers to all age groups so how can we compare just the ages from 18 and up? Literary reading doesn't just start at age 18. There could have been an increase in literary reading from younger children who have the time for literary reading and a decline later in life. Since we are not given those statistics I have to disagree!

[Andrew Wilkening]

"Reading at Risk" includes many statistics and identifies many problems with todays reading. I feel like I can relate to many of the facts presented in the article and feel somewhat ashamed of the results. I remember reading numerous books a year during my childhood. I was excited to read and enjoyed spending my day finishing a book. As I became older, my time spent reading decreased. Today I rarely read outside of school. The "literary reading" I have completed in the past 5 years has almost nearly been assignment based. I completed the assigned reading because there were many consequences that would have occurred if the reading were not completed. My grades, GPA and overall school experience would have suffered if I hadn't completed the assigned material. Over the past 5 years I barely read anything outside of these assigned readings. I believe this occurred because of sports, activities and events. As a child I had plenty of free time and often became bored with nothing to do. Today, I feel the complete opposite as I struggle to find any free time. Because of the increase in extracurricular events and advancements in electronics, I am not surprised the percentage of adult Americans reading literature has dropped dramatically over the past 20 years. 

I do not feel like the amount of time I spend freely reading literary pieces will increase in my near future. My time is consumed with many other assignments and jobs. I can however see myself reading assigned literary works in the upcoming years. Many jobs require employees to read, research and explore many different areas and topics. This type of assignment may include some sort of literary writing. I am not surprised with the decrease in overall reading. I think many things are becoming more "assignment-based" in careers and our lives. Careers are becoming more competitive and require more work and time. There may be fewer opportunities for many people to read literary pieces on their own. The advancements in electronics have also aided in the decreasing numbers of literary works read. Many new devices have been created and consume the majority of our time. Unless an dramatic change occurs with our careers, electronics and overall lifestyles, I cannot see the results of "Reading at Risk" improving. 

[Andrew Wilkening]

I completely agree with your thoughts about key finding #10. I can personally relate to that statistic as I have seen a decrease in my personal reading due to advancements in electronics and social media. I found your response to key finding #7 very interesting. What do you think the results may have been if the study included people under the age of 18? Do you think the overall reading of literary pieces with children has decreased with the other age groups or do you you think the amount of reading has increased since 1982? Remained the same?

[rogers26]

1.  “Reading at Risk” asserts that “literary reading” is declining among all age groups.  Write a response that describes the “literary reading” you have completed in the past 5 years, explores why you have (or have not!) completed this reading, and postulate about your future “literary reading” in the next 5 years.  Write about why you think “literary reading” is declining.

 

In my introduction I mention that one passion I have in life is reading and as I went about completing the readings for this week it struck me odd at how much "literary reading" has declined(and it was from 2002!). But then the more I thought about it the more I came to accept the data they were reporting. We now live in a society that has begun placing the convenience of all things digital above everything, (not that it's necessarily a bad thing) but it leaves people leaning toward watching an image on a screen for entertainment rather than opening a book (or digitally opening one). Movies and television have their own esteem, but are we on verge of loosing"literary reading" as a part of our culture? I think at one point that may have been the case, but in recent years I believe there's been rise in reading in younger generations. The invention of tablets and kindles has also created easier and cheaper access to literature inspiring people begin reading.

 

Sifting through all the literature I have read in the past years has made me realize the eclectic taste I have in "literary readings." I have read everything from a Nicholas Sparks novel, The Millennium Trilogy (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo etc.), to a John Steinbeck novel, and the list does not end there. Part of the reason I think why I read so much is that I started when I was younger and really grew to love an excellent story no matter the genre. It also helps that I have parents who both prefer reading as a past time. A point made in the New York Times article is that a possible motivation behind why people read is to get lost in the story, that may not be everyone's motivation for reading, but it's close to mine. I always find reading a book provides me with a reprieve from all the worries and stress of my own life, and allows me to worry about someone else's that isn't real.  In the old debate of nature vs. nurture, I have to say I think that environment plays a large part in cultivating a person's interest in "literary reading" especially in younger people. I've found that being an avid reader has not only made me half the writer I am, but spurs my creativity to continually move beyond what it is, which is why I will continue reading as the years progress. I believe my eclectic tastes in "literary readings" will remain the same, and keep me from getting bored with one genre.

 

 

[Dr. C.]

This is a thoughtful and detailed post.  I love how you draw from your experiences as a child and now as a mom and also offer what I consider a very good response to the question of why reading seems to be declining. 

Good work!

[Dr. C.]

I love your opening line!  It made me chuckle (that's a good thing).  

There's also research out there that suggests that the technology we use is actually reprogramming our brains, and that we're not really capable of focused attention in the way we once were.  I don't know if that's accurate, but I do know what I observe in my students and their ability to read longer works.  

[Dr. C.]

Olivia,

Like you, I love the feeling of reading a book and opening up its pages; it's why I can be a bit of a snob and don't like used books.  I love buying a new hardcover book at the bookstore.  There have to been efforts to replace the feeling of pages with digital devices, but nothing has really come close to that experience.  

Still, thinks like the Kindle and Nook have their uses.  I keep wondering whether I should just bring my Kindle to Shanghai rather than a stack of books I need to read to prep for Fall.  

Good response here!

[Dr. C.]

Andrew, I agree with you that I don't see the situation improving... unless we redefine what it means to do "literary reading."  You mention that your job might call for you to do that.  How are you defining literary reading here?

[Dr. C.]

Kobey,

Yes, the NY Times piece makes a good point about why people read and that motivation may be filled by other things, such as games, etc.  Someone else mentioned that in this thread (I forget who, so I apologize!).

Good response here!

Dr. C.

[Amanda Sellers]

I definitely agree with your idea of excuse making  to ignore declining literacy rates. In my opinion, I'm not sure I can agree that time is an illusion we make our reality. Biologically, humans run on a normal 25 hour daily cycle, which we can alter at our will. Our social interactions also affect this cycle, including work, school, outdoor activities, electronical activites, raising children and so on. When we fill our days with so many activities, where is the time to read? This begins the cycle of excuses. When you can earn good grades by spending more time studying, earn extra money by working overtime, or just numb your brain from everyday thinking, time becomes limited to read. I definitely agree with you that reading requires you to imagine or confront ideas or issues some would rather ignore.

 

Whenever I feel my days are overloaded, I schedule time for myself, just as I schedule time to study. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post about how you enjoy books about spirituality and growth. I will look into a few of the books you have listed as this has sparked my interest. With mental and spiritual growth, you can adapt to situations with more ease and understanding as well as accept the things you cannot change. As a mother myself, I enjoy books that can help me to understand and build my character and be a better person. Thank you for your post.

[roeselbl]

I completely agree with you about key finding number ten. That was the only one I could completely agree with because I can relate to it! I honestly don't read as much as I do because I have a computer now so I am on that more than I have a book in my hands. But one thing that's different about me is that I have a Nook but I enjoy reading an actual book instead of reading it off the Nook. I love opening up that first page and seeing how far I've come along as I read.

I also agree with you statement for key finding number seven. I don't think they should refer to the 18+ age group as "all ages" because you're right, we are not looking at anyone younger than 18. I believe if they want to look at all ages they definitely need to address the elementary ages because I believe that's where most of the leisure reading is declining. Younger children are they ones that are most "addicted" to playing video games and going directly to watch T.V when they get home from school. 

[Olivia Zuba]

Like you, I mentioned in my introduction that I enjoy reading as a pastime. I see we are a fan of some of the same authors! The articles were also very shocking to me but the facts and statistics reflect how our society has changed with the introduction of electronics. As also mentioned, movies and TV shows are becoming more popular, but a lot of movies we see out today are replicas of novels which I find interesting. I just recently read "Safe Haven" and there was a movie out about that. It makes me wonder if directors and authors are making literature more popular by putting the two hand in hand? A boost in the book sales probably came from the popularity of the movie. That also goes along with your comment about environment. If people are spending time watching TV they see movie commercials that could be linked to a book. It is interesting to see the world of reading evolve but also scary when we see the statistics.

On Wednesday, May 22, 2013 12:24:56 AM UTC-4, rogers26 wrote:

[Mandy]

One word can sum up how I feel about the "Reading at Risk" article; WOW!  I definitely agree that today’s technologies are taking precedence over literary reading, and it certainly makes sense that literary reading rates have declined over the last couple of decades, due to the increase in technologies, but I never considered the impacts that this may have on our society.  Literary reading absolutely fosters intellectual thought and development, while today’s technologies cannot.  I feel like reading utilizes a part of our brains that technologies (movies, electronic games, social media, ect.) do not even touch.  To me, reading has always inspired me to think more critically and creatively about things, whereas movies, electronic games and such do not.  Studies have shown that if we don’t use it we will lose it – meaning if we do not use parts of our brain, we will lose that region’s function.  For example, we all are required to learn a foreign language, and most of us will forget how to speak, read and write in that language in the years to follow because we don’t or can’t continue to use it. 

 

Another reason for the decline in the younger age group, is probably due to the importance of being able to use technology today, which drives teachers to ensure that their students are given every opportunity to be on top of the ever increasing technological developments; whereas, in the past it was more important to inspire children to read.  I actually know of preschools that include computer education in their curriculum for 2 and 3-year-olds!  Today, we live in a society that is driven by technology, and if we are unable to use technology we are sadly at a true disadvantage.  

 

I never realized there was a connection between literary reading and other cultural activities, and for me I don’t know that I’ve ever felt this connection despite my strong love of reading beginning as a child.  But if studies show this link and also the decline that parallels the decline in literary reading, then this is also a cause for concern.  At this rate, before we know it, the whole world will be technologically zombified, narrow-minded people.  I would be interested to learn about the data from the year 2012, to see if this decline is still steadily increasing.

 

I have always loved to read. I remember as a child my nose was always in a book.  I definitely was the essence of a bookworm.  In the last five years, my literary reading has stayed pretty constant. I generally don’t have a ton of free time to read but I always read when I can.  On breaks from school, I typically read as many books as I can squeeze in but I can’t really do so while school is in progress.  Or if I do, it either takes me a long time to finish just one book, or it distracts me so much from studying that I have to ban myself from reading until I am on break.  In the next 5 years, I hope to read more as I will be done with school and should have more time to allocate to reading. 

 

The rise in this issue inspires me to encourage a lifetime love of reading for my child.  We try to read a bedtime story on a nightly basis, although sometimes we have to skip it.  I know that my desire for reading spurred at a VERY young age, and I hope to help develop this desire in my son as well.  I definitely will be making more meaningful attempts to read to him, while encouraging him to read in the future.

 

On Tuesday, April 30, 2013 4:28:38 PM UTC-4, Dr. C. wrote:

After completing the required reading, please choose one of the following prompts to answer:

1.  “Reading at Risk” asserts that “literary reading” is declining among all age groups.  Write a response that describes the “literary reading” you have completed in the past 5 years, explores why you have (or have not!) completed this reading, and postulate about your future “literary reading” in the next 5 years.  Write about why you think “literary reading” is declining.

[Christopher Griffin]

Oh boy if this wasn't a huge guilt trip of an article... The title could have been "IPads and Fifty Shades of Grey, eradicating the face of America's youth". Reflecting on what literary reading I have accomplished was a strong wake-up call, especially given the dramatic statistics in the article. While I have engaged in active reading over the course of attending Miami University, I admit there has been a drop in my critical thinking applications. What I believe pushed this literary reading out and short attention span in was the style in which some classes here were conducted. Rather than deep analysis of meaning and ideas, many of my courses were faced-paced and deadline focused instead of deliberate and exploratory. Having many hours of course work a night, reading for pleasure eroded over the past five years. When I had a kindle I read several books over the course of weeks, nostalgic to the feeling books brought to me when I was younger. However, my device broke and I found myself once again turning to electronics rather than literature to curb my anxieties. I completely agree that media now requires passive participation, we are being told what to think, not what to ask. Younger people certainly have been affected the most, growing up in a digitized world, they simply do not have the critical reading skill set because it is no longer required. I believe that in entering the professional world my literary reading will increase, as will my participation within the community. Throughout college I have been too self centered to gain pleasure from the world around me, and I believe that this coming of age will prompt me to better participate and think critically to better shape my next five years.

[Mandy]

I enjoyed reading your thoughts on this, David. You make a great point about what studies would have shown back a 100 years ago when other technologies were not available. Reading was quite possibly the sole form of entertainment for the population back then. I wonder if people were more cultured back then as well.  I would also be interested to learn more about literary reading in previous eras.

 

Regarding your other point, that regardless of the medium the same information is being spread; I agree with this too.  However, I feel that reading inspires more intellectual and critical thinking that other media does not.  I think this is important for our society, as a whole, to have the ability to think on deeper levels.  If we are unable to do so, do we progress into a superficial world?  Maybe!

On Tuesday, May 21, 2013 11:34:55 AM UTC-4, David A. Riley wrote:

“Reading at Risk,” a report produced by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), gives direct insight into the current decline of reading among the American populace. The survey focused specifically on “literary reading,” defined in the report as “reading of novels, short stories, poetry or drama in any print format.” The statistics gathered by the NEA show a well-defined trend away from this type of reading, despite including the internet as a source of reading. The 10 Key Findings presented in “Reading at Risk” show the changes in reading from the past 20 years. Most of those findings are hard to dispute, but one struck me as debatable.

            Key finding #1, “The percentage of adult Americans reading literature has dropped dramatically over the past 20 years,” seems like it should be common knowledge. The increases in television programming and internet access could easily explain why there are fewer and fewer literary readers every year. Even when including internet reading, the numbers are dropping. This report was published in 2002. Certainly there were plenty of websites available then (just over 3 million), but in the ten years that have passed since this data was collected, the number has skyrocketed (187 million active sites)( http://techlogon.com/2011/11/15/how-many-websites-are-there-in-the-world/). With the advent of television news tickers, status updates, and 140 character “tweets,” is it any wonder people no longer have the requisite attention span to read a novel? Or the time to consider an interpretation of poetry? I for one would be very curious to see how this trend looks if the survey data was extended back 100 years. Before television. Before radio. Back when the published word seemed to hold more meaning, and people thought for themselves in complete sentences.

            The finding that I have a hard time accepting is #9: The decline in literary reading foreshadows an erosion in cultural and civic participation. While attendance at performing arts events and art museum visitation may be down, I don’t hear anyone complaining that tickets to professional sporting events are too easy to get. It seems strange to think that people will be less inclined to volunteer if they don’t read Shakespeare, or won’t vote because they didn’t finish “War and Peace.” If anything, the ever-increasing role of social media will boost support for worthy causes. All you have to do to see that is look at a Facebook wall. We are bombarded with requests for support all day every day. And while it is much easier to click “like” or “share” on something that we agree with than to get out and do something about it, at least the idea is spreading. Isn’t the purpose of literature? To spread new ideas? Or sometimes to expose evil where it is found? Ideas spread much faster along optical fiber than printing presses, and literature has ever been aimed at provoking thought. As long as that remains true, what difference does the medium make? After all, it is the message that is important.  

[adamsjm6]

I completely agree with your point that technology has a huge impact on crowding out others forms of learning and methods used for decades. Reading is disappearing and  technology and computers are growing trend in schools. Unfortunately I believe this is a growing trend which will continue to crowd out literary reading and could cause educational and cultural ramifications. I think literary reading may have a similar fate to letter writing, which was taken over by technology and is now becoming more and more rare. 

[kasibhm]

1.  “Reading at Risk” asserts that “literary reading” is declining among all age groups.  Write a response that describes the “literary reading” you have completed in the past 5 years, explores why you have (or have not!) completed this reading, and postulate about your future “literary reading” in the next 5 years.  Write about why you think “literary reading” is declining.

“Reading at Risk” asserts that literary reading is reading “any novels, short stories, plays, or poetry.” In the survey conducted, researchers found that more and more people tend to be moving away from this type of reading. Looking at my own involvement of literary reading these past five years, I would have to agree with these findings. The amount of literary reading that I have completed these past five years varies greatly depending upon numerous outside factors.

For instance, I’m a psychology major so I have a lot of reading about different case studies that I must complete. These can be handed to me in the form of a short story, describing the type of mental disorder a patient may have. These types of articles, while interesting, tend to bog me down and make me not want to read. However, my best friend is an English major. She’ll recommend a good book to me, and I’ll be thoroughly engrossed in.

            However, as I’ve grown older life has sort of taken control of me and I find that I no longer have time to enjoy reading those novels I used to love. Between work and assignments for classes, I have almost no free time and that is typically spent keeping up with my boyfriend or trying to hold onto friendships. I believe that as time continues on, it’s just going to become more challenging for me to keep up with literary reading. Beyond reading a news story every now and again, I honestly feel like I will not have the time to put forth to reading.

            I think that this is the same for many adults in today’s world. We all lead busy lives and with the jobs being as hard to find nowadays when we get one, we tend to cling to it and do almost anything. This severely cuts down on the time that we could be allocating to things such as reading and writing. I also feel very strongly that an increasing number of parents aren’t giving their children the type of attention they need to focus on things such as reading. Parents are so busy and normally, what I’ve seen, to make up for being away a lot, they will buy their kids almost anything to make them happy. Children these days will be seen with ipads or iPhones playing random games when back in our day, we’d laze out under the sun with a book in our hands during the summer (well, some of us). Hopefully one day, our society will slow back down and remember the importance of books, music and other older forms of entertainment.

[kasibhm]

I agree completely with what you wrote! It's really hard to motivate yourself to read when you're bogged down with articles and news stories that you are assigned to read. I had a psych class last semester where my teacher would make us read close to 40 pages a week on abnormal child psychopathology and while I find that really interesting, it made me not want to even look at anything that required focus. But at times, I'll have someone send me something that I absolutely love and can relate to, and when I've got a minute I'll read it and just like you, I search for similar stories. 

Something I do to help myself get over those "humps" of indescribable boredom or that feeling of being burnt out is I have my parents and other friends on the look out for things that could be of interest to me in some way. That way, I don't have to go through a bunch of stuff when all I want to do is relax, but I still get to read some very interesting and relevant articles to my life. Something to keep in mind that could help! 

On Tuesday, May 21, 2013 10:45:11 AM UTC-4, adamsjm6 wrote:

1. Over the past five years my personal literary reading has varied greatly and has had numerous outside influences acting upon my motivation and willingness to read. I find I am most active in reading when I am least busy and do not have to read large amounts of academic works. Being a political science major I not only consistently read news stories, but also extensively read political science journals for class and my own self benefit. 

At times a class will require heavy amounts of reading which is over subjects that I can find difficult to relate to and this directly correlates to a lack of motivation to read on my own when this occurs. When ever I must read something I have no ability to relate to or believe has minimal relevance to my life I find it drags on and is difficult to finish. This is the typical horror story we have all had to deal with during reading, and has at times affected our motivation and willingness to read. When ever this occurs I refuse to read for days, weeks, and even months because I feel burned out after reading 350 pages of political science boredom. 

Yet, when ever I read something that I relate to and sparks my interest I begin searching for similar stories or books which then peek my interest and I begin reading those for extensively long periods. I find my reading habits come and go in waves and are based upon my current work level and can be dependent on if I am burned out with reading. I find it difficult to predict my future reading habits due to their inconsistent nature of showing up, yet I have a suspicion they will increase over time. 

I believe many Americans are similar to me, and that people simply get burned out with reading office reports, constantly reading bad news in the morning paper and eventually they simply get tired of it and quit for awhile. Unfortunately this quitting is seen by their children and slowly their children's reading habits suffer when their parents fail to read to them at a young age or encourage them to read books while in school. The school system has also failed by using less than efficient methods in inspiring our youngsters to love reading, and this has directly affected the reading rate in our country. I certainly hope that reading levels will increase, yet according to the the latest research this is not likely to be the case. 

[libbysk]

2.  “Reading at Risk” identifies 10 key findings.  Write a response in which you discuss which key finding you agree with, and which key finding you disagree with.  

"Reading at Risk" identifies 10 key research findings pertaining to the decline of reading's role in our nations culture. Key finding #10 states, "The decline of reading correlates with increased participation in a variety of electronic media, including the Internet, video games and portable digital devices." As a Psychology major, I have to participate and conduct many research studies. My colleagues and I conducted an experiment this past Spring about whether students (for this study, being college students) retain information more when reading and taking an exam on paper or using a computer. We were interested in our studies findings because universities today have become very technology centered in teaching methods and learning.  

The data showed that students retain more information when reading and taking exams on paper, rather than using a computer. Although, the use of textbooks and taking notes in a notebook is declining and the rate of professors using power point, issuing homework assignments on the computer and students taking notes on their laptops is increasing. I don't necessarily disagree with universities becoming more technology based, but that just means that students will have to keep up with technology and use outside sources if needed. I am a very visual reader and have found that trying to comprehend any information given to me on a computer can be strenuous at times. It is pretty easy to figure out; as electronic media increases more and more, people are just going to have to adjust the best they can and possibly learn new ways to study, read a magazine/newspaper, or teach students. 

I can't say that I completely disagree with key finding #8, "The steepest decline in literary reading is in the youngest age groups", but I believe a majority of the nations reading decline is centered around teenagers and adults. Unfortunately, I hate to admit this as well as I'm sure many others in our age group do, but I know that I am attached to my iPhone 23 out of 24 hours in a day. It is hard not to be when it has your sports updates, any newspaper you want to read, the news, a Kindle app, social networking, etc. The first time I opened a book in probably a good couple of months was this past week and that was because I was on an airplane. It is actually quite upsetting to think about because I once loved to walk into a bookstore with my mom and pick out 5 books that I would sit down and read at home in a two week time period. Today, I would rather get on my Kindle app that I have on my iPhone and buy a book through Amazon so I don't have to drive all the way to the bookstore. I think our nation is flat out lazy and I am 100% included in that statistic.  

It is sad to see that young children aren't getting the same education as even I did 10 years ago when I was in the 5th grade. They aren't being taught cursive anymore, which could hinder reading abilities in the future, and elementary schools are giving every student an iPad to do homework assignments and read their textbooks. Is this really the cheaper, better education for us students or is it going to make the long run and our future a more difficult place to be? I really don't know.

[littleca]

I don't perform much, if any, "literary reading" and have no desire to change that in the next 5 years. This is not to be confused with not reading. I often enjoy memoirs such as "Steve Jobs" by Walter Issacson and other non-fiction books like "Probably Approximately Correct" by Leslie Valiant (which I just finished). I feel this is closely related to the premise in Reading at Risk that "literary reading" requires a more active role than other forms of pleasurable activity. Personally I tend not to want to put forth the energy required to read a book purely for entertainment. However, if i can learn something I am considerably more likely to put forth that effort.

I believe this is largely the reason "literary reading" is declining. For example, one of HBO's current hit shows is Game of Thrones which is based on the best selling book series "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George Martin. The first season of Game of Throes, which also covers the first book in the series, consists of ten episodes each an hour long. So enjoying the story in this way would take me ten hours. But what if I actually read the book?

According to Forbes magazine the average adult reads at a rate of 300 words per minute (http://www.forbes.com/sites/brettnelson/2012/06/04/do-you-read-fast-enough-to-be-successful/). The first novel, also titled "Game of Thrones", is roughly 298k words long (http://www.cesspit.net/drupal/node/1869). Some quick math will tell you that it would take me roughly 16.5 hours to enjoy the book. Over 6 hours longer than watching the series! In those 6 hours I could play a video game, work out, go to the mall, or work on my ENG 143 homework.

The time difference also doesn't take into account the active attention difference between reading and watching a tv show. When watching tv I can eat popcorn, check my texts, and talk a little to a friend. While reading largely requires my undivided attention or else I lose my place rather easily. This energy and time difference between reading and other forms of entertainment, I imagine, contributes greatly to why people read less.

[noblejg]

Hi Dr. C,

Thank you for your response! In regards to your first question; I learned that Americans have actually been working more hours over time since the 70's in my Sociology class I completed last fall. I actually looked online to see if I could support this claim just a few seconds ago and I found an article in regards to the hours on ABC news' webs tie. 

(Here's a link if interested  http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=93364&page=1#.UZ0HS5VcTFI) 

As for your second question, I have no proof of this, but it's just my opinion. I feel the classrooms nowadays like for students to read the same types of literature or at least in the same type of genre. This creates an imbalance because while some kids really enjoy and appreciate the books they are presented in school the other students may have different interests or different style of literature that they enjoy that they are not presented with while in school. This creates a false image of literature for some kids, because they grow up believing all literature is the same type of literature that they read in school. That's just my opinion and I actually did not start becoming an avid reader until I finished high school. This was just how I felt about reading before I entered college. 

On Tuesday, May 21, 2013 2:51:06 PM UTC-4, Dr. C. wrote:

I enjoyed reading your response, and I am happy that you are an active reader!  

I have two questions though:  Why do you think that people work more than they did in the 70s? How do schools take the fun out of reading?

On Tuesday, May 21, 2013 10:35:11 AM UTC-4, noblejg wrote:

Hey everyone! Attached is my Module 1 Prompt in response to question #1 on what I have read in the past 5 years as well as why I believe literary reading is declining. 

[oligeejr]

 

1.  “Reading at Risk” asserts that “literary reading” is declining among all age groups.  Write a response that describes the “literary reading” you have completed in the past 5 years, explores why you have (or have not!) completed this reading, and postulate about your future “literary reading” in the next 5 years.  Write about why you think “literary reading” is declining.

 

The article talks about reading declining in all grade levels and in adult hood. I am an English Education major and will soon be a teacher.  I think a big reason that literary reading has declined all together is the way that children are taught in school. There has been a big shift in education in the past decades. There is now a huge focus on standardized tests. And less of a focus on actual literacy texts and their importance. All of the teachers that I have observed and taught with in my college experience have spent most of their time teaching to the test rather than teaching literary texts. They teach their students how to best answer multiple choices questions and format a five-paragraph essay. They don't do this because they want to, but because their job depends on it. I think that this has a huge impact on the decline of reading literary texts. When students leave school and become adults they don't have the background in reading that they need to support their reading as adults. On of the articles we read talked about reading being like a drug. They said that once a person gets a taste of text that they like, they keep looking for more and more to fulfill their desire to read.

In the past five years of my life I have been in college, so I have has my fair share of literary reading. I have read multiple textbooks, poems, short stories, and books. I have read anything from Teacher Education books to texts that I will be using with my future students, including multiple works of Shakespeare, The Scarlet Letter, The odyssey, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, and many more. I have learned a lot on my journey of reading about myself and abut reading.

In the next five years I plan to do more reading than I have ever done. I plan to get my Masters Degree and also be an educator so I will be doing a lot of reading. I hope to learn a lot more about reading that I can pass on to my students to make their journey in reading a great one that they can use for the rest of their lives. I plan to read things I have never read before, and re read things that I have read in the past. I plan to become a better reader and help my students become better readers through reading literary texts. 

[Betty Gabbard]

1. In my younger years I loved to read. Really loved it. As I got older, though, I believe things began to change. Reading wasn't something to do to pass the time anymore, because I seemed to be so busy now. With school, work, a kid...it felt like any reading I did was reading I was required to do. And even then I was just skimming- doing the very minimum to get by before I could get back to my busy life. Then I started reading again. Out of nowhere. Last year. I use it as a way to put everything on hold while I'm transported to another place and time. I read as a small vacation. Since resuming reading, I've read the famed The Color Purple by Alice Walker and The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. I absolutely love Mario Puzo and am currently reading The Fortunate Pilgrim. My favorite book of his being The Last Don. I've also carried on my father's love of John Grisham and when I'm ready I'll tackle his huge collection of Stephen King books. If literary reading is declining for the rest of the population- I don't see it declining for me. In fact, in the next five years, I plan to add many, many more books to my "read that" list. I love to read- and I just discovered it all over again. As for the rest of the world- I can't say. I think literary reading is declining because people are so engrossed in a "right here, right now" lifestyle where text messages, memos, emails and social media have taken over and slowly pushed literary reading to the curb.

[sawtelmt]

1.  “Reading at Risk” asserts that “literary reading” is declining among all age groups.  Write a response that describes the “literary reading” you have completed in the past 5 years, explores why you have (or have not!) completed this reading, and postulate about your future “literary reading” in the next 5 years.  Write about why you think “literary reading” is declining.

 I would say that my literary reading has increased a little over the past 5 years, but it also depends what time of the year it is  During winter and summer break I definitely read a lot more.  Once classes start I don't read at all in my spare time, usually because I'm so worn out from reading text books and articles that I just want to give my brain a rest.  When it comes to the type of books I read it seems like I almost always read books that are going to be turned into movies or books that have a series.  I've read the Hunger Games, Harry Potter and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which are all series and have been turned into movies.  I've read The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks, Angels & Demons by Dan Brown, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, The Mist by Stephen King, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, and Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen which have all been turned into movies.  I didn't really realize that I was doing this until I started listing all of the books I've read recently.  I guess I do this because I love movies so I'm interested in seeing if the movie will turn out how the book was.  I also noticed that most of these books are pretty well known and popular, so after realizing this I hope that my future reading in the next 5 years has more range and consists of books that are more outside my comfort level.

When it comes to the decline in literary reading I don't think it should be a surprise to anyone.  All of the technology we have is so excessive people don't even have time to think about reading a book.  I think social media plays a huge role in the decline, especially amongst young adults.  I know people who have a Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and all day long they're either updating something, adding pictures, or responding to something.  It's crazy to me that all three of these sites basically do the same thing, yet people feel the need to be on all of them constantly.  I can't hardly go anywhere with some of my friends because the whole time all they want to do is try to get the perfect picture so they can put it on Instagram.  It's exhausting that we can't even enjoy the moment because everyone's obsessed with taking pictures of everything.  I think the main factor behind this is that young adults are always afraid they're going to miss something and be out of the loop.  They want to be connected to everyone all the time and if they're not it stresses them out.  When you add texting to the mix your whole day is consumed by technology.  In "A Good Mystery: Why We Read" it talks about how reading is a personal and private act, which makes sense.  If you're into a really good book you're probably not going to be on your phone the whole time or talking to people.  I honestly don't think a lot of kids would be able to sit down and enjoy a book because they'd be too concerned about missing something on Instagram or Facebook. 

[David A. Riley]

To Olivia: 

You make a great point about literary reading not starting at 18.  Both of my children (15 and 10) read regularly. I will admit that most of their reading it pretty light fiction, as opposed to classic literature. But they both enjoy a good story and have learned to appreciate time spent lost in the world of books.

[Dr. C.]

You make a great point about the burden on teachers now to teach MORE and how that might be affecting reading practices.  Yes, when we have computer education for 3 year olds, we are probably spending less time teaching traditional skills, such as reading a book.   My niece, who is 4, is an absolute whiz on the computer.  She is more dexterous than many of my videogame-playing friends.  She still loves books, thankfully, but I wonder how much time she will have to pick up an actual book as she gets older?

On Wednesday, May 22, 2013 12:23:40 PM UTC-4, Mandy wrote:

[Dr. C.]

Hi Chris, Your opening sentence gave me a laugh as did your rewriting of the title.  

I'm still hoping that someone will take serious issue with the report and perhaps say that things aren't that bad. :)

[Dr. C.]

Manu,

Good response, and I think your sentiments are similar to others, but you mention about society slowing down at some point. Do you think this is realistic? What might prompt it?

[Jeremy Newport]

 I definitely agree with a lot of what David is saying in his post. One thing the Endowment for the Arts fails to go over that I feel is a very real possibility is simply that America is going through a rapid change of culture. With inventions throughout the 1900s like the television and computers, who could be surprised that we try to constantly perfect the technology? While this article was written in 2002, it was difficult at that time to see how technology has positively impacted literature. Personally, I know I do a great deal of reading on my iPad. Nowadays too, you can find literary classics for free downloads as ebooks. In my opinion, I would think this would be something to celebrate.

 

I understand if the Endowment for the Arts was scared at the time because it was probably very difficult to envision how exactly books could evolve. Another great point David made was the idea of social media. While the survey showed a positive correlation between volunteer work and literary readers, I feel this is not the case today. On Oxford main campus, every sorority and fraternity holds philanthropic events and some organizations have service hour requirements. Volunteer organizations now do not spread through word of mouth but as David describes as social media word of keyboard. Recently this past semester, a Miami student from Newtown, CT organized a 5k fun run and proceeds benefited the victims families. How did I and everyone else on campus hear about this? A Facebook group.

 

While it may seem tough, I feel the Endowment for the Arts has to learn to adapt. If readers are adapting how they use technology and gather information, than literary books must adapt as well. While this has happened with the iPad, Kindle, Sony reader, etc. it will be interesting to see new statistics on the matter. I definitely agree with David in that number 9 on their list of ten findings seems faulty but we can only truly find out by close observation over the coming years. Ultimately, I don't think ereaders will ever truly phase out books. I know I myself will always prefer hardback to an ecopy. But if it becomes a cheaper technology to use, then this could be the greatest invention in literary reading.

[Dr. C.]

Jeremy,

Good point here about the need for the NEA (and really, all of us) to adapt.  I think that's something people are often unwilling to do.  You're correct that you can read literary classics with an iPad, etc.  As long as people keep doing that (reading them in some form), I think that's ok, but I do think something is "lost" when you're not holding a printed book in your hand.

The printed book IS an advanced technology.  When you think about it as a technological device, I think you can see that it really is innovative in ways that haven't been duplicated.  It's interesting to me that there continue to be attempts to mimic the "feel" of a print book with digital devices.  Why?  Because people recognize there's something valuable in that experience.  

Good response, here.

[Dr. C.]

David,

How did your children learn to appreciate reading?  What it something you introduced to them at a young age?   Do you think they will continue to read on their own?

[Christopher Griffin]

RESPONSE:

I agree a great deal with this post, and it highlighted many sentiments I had about the reading that had not come to my mind. The seasonal affect on reading is indeed pretty dramatic. My reading during the academic year is greatly curbed by the fatigue of writing and reading for classes. My leisure reading occurs exclusively during travel, or summer and winter seasons. This stems from a lack of engagement mentally where academia would fill in, as well as the desire to return to reading for recreational purposes. The point of great book series turning into movie franchises struck me heavily. That made the idea of technology and books a lot closer than what I had expected. I researched this point a bit and learned for example there are younger children who are unaware the Harry Potter movies are based on books. Whereas I took the time to read these great works and engage them critically, younger generations merely are shown what happens instead of immersing themselves into the magical worlds of literature.

On Wednesday, May 22, 2013 4:26:37 PM UTC-4, sawtelmt wrote:

1.  “Reading at Risk” asserts that “literary reading” is declining among all age groups.  Write a response that describes the “literary reading” you have completed in the past 5 years, explores why you have (or have not!) completed this reading, and postulate about your future “literary reading” in the next 5 years.  Write about why you think “literary reading” is declining.

. 

[Betty Gabbard]

I totally agree with you that the world is moving too fast nowadays for anyone to actually sit down and enjoy a good book. I mentioned social media in my post too, and I feel like it contributes a lot to the younger generation's need to always feel connected to the outside world. With constant status updates, Instagram photos and every sentence ending in a #hashtag, it's no wonder literary reading is declining- everyone is moving too fast and the goal of communication is to do it as efficiently as possible with the use of shorthand, abbreviations and acronyms. With this being the norm, literary reading- poetry, novels- become almost alien. 

I also read a lot more when I'm out of school, because classes require so much textbook reading that if I read for enjoyment- I'd literally be reading 24/7. I hope you find some good books to expand your personal reading library :) When I started reading again, I tried to start with the "classics"- one of my favorites is The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.    

[Jeremy Newport]

Hello Dr. C,

 

I was actually using the example of Motoko Rich in A Good Mystery: Why We Read. He mentions Lost and The Sopranos and how they are detailed character dramas similar to some books. While I haven't watched The Sopranos, I highly agree with his opinion that certain tv shows can develop characters like books. Specifically, he mentions the show Lost which is one of my all time favorite shows. The tv show Lost was able to develop 30 plus characters over 6 seasons and bring it all together in the end.

 

Best,

Jeremy Newport

[jocketjw]

Re: Betty's Post: 

I admire how you have been able to begin reading again. It is tough for many people to find/make the time to do so. I think that we all should follow your lead and begin reading more and more. I think everyone would benefit from this. 

[rogers26]

I really enjoyed your take on the decline on reading literature and its possible correlation with our digital, instant gratification world. I'm going to agree with you that the decline in reading is in part due to the amount of time we spend on the internet, and how our model of communication has become one where the faster and shorter the better. But I think I'm going to have to disagree with you on your second finding. I think there has been a steady decline in participation of the arts. Yes, we may be offering our virtual support, but isn't what really matters is being there physically? We can "like" or claim to support as many cultural and artistic organizations as we want, but if we are not there showing our physical support nothing can really come from that claimed appreciation. I will agree with you though that sports events, however, might be the one cultural event that has shown growth over the years.

[Caitlin Lamb]

I agree with your statement about the school system failing children when it comes to inspiring them to read.  I have always been an avid reader, yet I can remember hating to read for school in the years prior to high school.  Schools are so worried about choosing books that they feel are right for students, and in turn the students are often bored with the books, and I feel that this turns them away from reading on their own, outside of school.  Perhaps if schools allowed students to have more of a say in what they were required to read, this may lead them to enjoy reading more on their own as well.

On Tuesday, May 21, 2013 10:45:11 AM UTC-4, adamsjm6 wrote:

1. Over the past five years my personal literary reading has varied greatly and has had numerous outside influences acting upon my motivation and willingness to read. I find I am most active in reading when I am least busy and do not have to read large amounts of academic works. Being a political science major I not only consistently read news stories, but also extensively read political science journals for class and my own self benefit. 

At times a class will require heavy amounts of reading which is over subjects that I can find difficult to relate to and this directly correlates to a lack of motivation to read on my own when this occurs. When ever I must read something I have no ability to relate to or believe has minimal relevance to my life I find it drags on and is difficult to finish. This is the typical horror story we have all had to deal with during reading, and has at times affected our motivation and willingness to read. When ever this occurs I refuse to read for days, weeks, and even months because I feel burned out after reading 350 pages of political science boredom. 

Yet, when ever I read something that I relate to and sparks my interest I begin searching for similar stories or books which then peek my interest and I begin reading those for extensively long periods. I find my reading habits come and go in waves and are based upon my current work level and can be dependent on if I am burned out with reading. I find it difficult to predict my future reading habits due to their inconsistent nature of showing up, yet I have a suspicion they will increase over time. 

I believe many Americans are similar to me, and that people simply get burned out with reading office reports, constantly reading bad news in the morning paper and eventually they simply get tired of it and quit for awhile. Unfortunately this quitting is seen by their children and slowly their children's reading habits suffer when their parents fail to read to them at a young age or encourage them to read books while in school. The school system has also failed by using less than efficient methods in inspiring our youngsters to love reading, and this has directly affected the reading rate in our country. I certainly hope that reading levels will increase, yet according to the the latest research this is not likely to be the case. 

On Tuesday, April 30, 2013 4:28:38 PM UTC-4, Dr. C. wrote:

After completing the required reading, please choose one of the following prompts to answer:

1.  “Reading at Risk” asserts that “literary reading” is declining among all age groups.  Write a response that describes the “literary reading” you have completed in the past 5 years, explores why you have (or have not!) completed this reading, and postulate about your future “literary reading” in the next 5 years.  Write about why you think “literary reading” is declining.

[Caitlin Lamb]

I couldn't agree more with your comments about number nine.  If anything, I feel that the internet and technology in general could in fact greatly increase civic participation.  When you read a novel for your own enjoyment, you are unlikely to discuss your feelings on it with very many people.  However, when you read a news article or watch a video online, you are then exposed to a long list of comments from other viewers, and are free to voice your opinion as well.  Suppose your read in a print newspaper that a new law was being proposed, and you disagreed with it.  You could speak with friends about it, and maybe gain some support in your opposition, but without any technology, progress would be slow.  Now add in the internet.  With just a simple comment in the right place, you could voice your opinion to millions, and easily find others who agree.  Civic participation at a greatly increased speed.

[Caitlin Lamb]

I agree with your statement about the media raising the children of today.  A few weeks ago I was trying to explain to a coworker how to get to a nearby restaurant.  Although she was only a few years younger than me, and had lived in the same city as me for her entire life, she did not know any of the street names I was describing. Instead she simply replied that she would use her GPS to find it.  In this day and age technology allows us to essentially sidestep anything that we do not know or understand, because it can provide us with a quick and easy answer, without explaining where that answer came from.

On Tuesday, May 21, 2013 3:48:22 PM UTC-4, gibertpm wrote:

Over the past five years, my reading of literary sources has decreased. Ever since attending college at Miami, my reading has dramatically decreased due to the course loads of reading that I already have to do for other classes. I was an avid reader ever since I was a younger child. My mother always took me on weekly visits to the library and read stories to me, which started for me as an avid reader from the start. I loved the fact that I could immerse myself in a completely different world and experience a life unlike mine. It seems childish now, as I'm older, but this standard holds true to this day. It's almost like the assigned poem that we had to read, "My Father's Waltz". Theodore Roethke recreated a favorite memory from his childhood, which he turned into a beautiful poem dedicated to his father's greatness. I believe that writing/reading is fundamental in education of our children and the "Reading at Risk" article further convinces me of this problem. Too many children and older adults are slipping the cracks of the education system, not knowing how to read and this is personally to me, a huge problem that needs to be addressed. I believe that this is due to the more and more media being ruled by television, internet, radio, and smart-phones that replace rhetoric/analysis with connivence. We allow the media to raise our children, instead of the traditional values that older generations were raised on. They had to read actual maps to get to locations, rather than using mapquest and google maps app on your phone. After reading this article, I plan on more summer reading for personal enjoyment and to encourage reading as a future teacher.

[sawtelmt]

I completely agree with what you said.  I hate that technology is contributing to the decline of literary reading but sadly I'm a contributor also.  It's hard not to be these days.  Everything is online now so people don't even think about reading as an option.  With the rate that our technology is advancing I think that reading with continue to decline at the rate it is or maybe even faster.

[libbysk]

I agree with what roeselbl has to say about agreeing with key finding number ten.  I also wrote about how I agreed with that finding as well.  They brought up a good point saying that younger children would much rather watch the television than read a book, especially those children that have not yet learned to read.  These children would understand what was happening in a tv show much more than they would understand a book that had scribbled words written on every page that they couldn't make out.  Like I said in my post, I also believe that teenagers and adults are at fault for the decline of reading rate in our culture.  We are just as lazy as those children that can't read are at times.  I know that there are days when all I want to do is lay in bed and watch tv rather than have to physically read a book.  But, there are those times when picking up a new book and reading it from cover to cover is relaxing.  I also believe that it depends on the person and how active they are in society.  If you are a person that volunteers on a daily basis or works from 8am to 5pm reading a book at the end of the day is not going to be on your top priority list. 

On Tuesday, May 21, 2013 12:28:04 PM UTC-4, roeselbl wrote:

2. "Reading at Risk" identifies 10 key findings. Write a response in which you discuss which key finding you agree with, and which key finding you disagree with.\

After reviewing the 10 key findings "Reading at Risk" identifies the last two were the ones I disagreed with and agreed with. Key finding number nine I didn't really agree with because I read a lot but I don't do much charity work or attend performing arts events. I would need more evidence for this key finding to be something I agree with. I don't believe that reading effects how much a person volunteers, visits museums or attends sporting events. I used myself as an example for this key finding but my friend is the complete opposite. He does not read like I read and he attends more sporting events and performing arts events than I do. My sister is the same way but she volunteers more instead of attending performing arts events.

However, key finding number ten I do agree with. I do believe that people, especially younger, that do not read spend more time watching television and playing video games. If you are reading you will not be watching television because you will be focused on the book in your hands. If you are not into reading then you would rather watch a movie or a television show that is based off a book of interest to you. I definitely see this in my household because my 4 year old niece used to live with me. She would love to watch TV shows, such as Dora the Explorer, and when my grandma would try to read her a Dora book she would be more interested in the TV show.

I definitely agree that it is hard for books to compete with television shows and movies. Some people can't use their imagination like others when reading books so the movie is more convenient for them to picture what is happening. Reading takes a lot of concentration and imagination to really enjoy and make your own of what you're reading.

[oligeejr]

I also agree with you guys on the social media thing. I was thinking about how much time I spend on my phone before I go to bed, in the car, sitting on the couch, in class, etc. sometimes my family jokes with me on how my life revolves around my phone or my ipad. Usually I am catching on my facebook or twitter feed, sometimes on Instagram looking at pictures, or searching the internet for useless and stupid information. When I really thought of how much time I waste doing that I thought of how much I could use that time to read. I have tried in the past couple weeks to not get on my phone before bed and only read. Some times it is more successful than others depending on what I am reading. there is another aspect of technology that has really been bothering me lately too! It is the "reading apps" on kindle or ipad. They are mobil books that you can take any where easy, rather than carrying a book around with you but personally I hate it. It distracts me with ads and notifications from all of my other apps. I think it is good to actually have a book in front of you rather than a piece of technology. I think the more we move towards technology the less people are going to read. 

[Joseph Dowd]

Overall, I have to agree with Brandon's post. It sounds like a cop out but I found that, while in school, there just weren't enough hours in the day to read for pleasure while excelling academically, working, participating in organizations (clubs/fraternities) and maintaining friendships. Now, everyone has their own priorities so I'm sure that there are plenty of students who can and do read in their spare time for pleasure or as a means to unwind, and still do well academically and socially. That just did not work for me and many of my classmates/co-workers. Furthermore, the fact that virtually everyone has their phone on them at almost all times of the day can not help when it comes to reading for pleasure. Being constantly bombarded with notifications from Facebook and Twitter, receiving e-mails at all hours of the day, and keeping up with the latest message threads you've got going between friends and family can be distracting to even the most focussed. I've found that the times when I get the most pleasure reading in are when I don't have my phone, laptop or any other electronic device within reach or earshot. The constant updates and interruptions divide the reading experience into fragments and prevent us from really "getting into" a good book, in my opinion.

On Tuesday, May 21, 2013 8:50:29 PM UTC-4, fran...@miamioh.edu wrote:

I would have to say that I too have contributed to the decline in literary reading. In high school, I would not have considered myself an avid reader, but I still found time to read a few books here and there for leisure. But over the last five years, especially since being in college, I rarely find the time to read outside of school. I myself am a political science major and that comes with a lot of reading on its own. I mostly enjoy reading the assigned texts and novels for my major, but because of the extensive amount of reading that I have had to do, I don't really have the drive to pick up another book for my own pleasure. I would have to say that a lot of this decline in society can easily be attributed to the increase in technology; from cell phones to electronic gaming and internet, everyone these days have so many more obstacles that can distract them from wanting to read on their own 

When thinking about how my amount of leisure reading has declined, I think about what I will be doing with my life after college, and truly think I will want to get back into reading many different novels. I have personally thought of a few books that I would like to start out with once I have a little more free time, and hopefully I can progress from this. Most of the key findings in this piece I have to agree with, aside from #9. I think this finding is a very broad area surveyed and cannot be truly attributed to the decline in reading. Overall, the decline in literary reading is a serious problem through all age groups and I believe schools need to find new ways to make reading a fun and enjoyable thing for kids to do.

On Tuesday, April 30, 2013 4:28:38 PM UTC-4, Dr. C. wrote:

After completing the required reading, please choose one of the following prompts to answer:

1.  “Reading at Risk” asserts that “literary reading” is declining among all age groups.  Write a response that describes the “literary reading” you have completed in the past 5 years, explores why you have (or have not!) completed this reading, and postulate about your future “literary reading” in the next 5 years.  Write about why you think “literary reading” is declining.

[fran...@miamioh.edu]

I really enjoyed reading your insight on this study, especially coming from someone who has such a passion for reading. It's interesting to me to see someone who loved reading as a child and who had parents that did the same, and see them still able to continue with reading different novels throughout their life. I think having that support from parents really helps keep children reading throughout their teenage years and into adult life. Reading was never really something that my parents pushed for me to keep up with and I think that plays a big role into why my reading has dropped off over the years. I did like your point as well about the kindles and other reading technology and I think it will be interesting to see how developments in technology like that may change the pace of literary reading decline that this study has shown. 

On Wednesday, May 22, 2013 12:24:56 AM UTC-4, rogers26 wrote:

1.  “Reading at Risk” asserts that “literary reading” is declining among all age groups.  Write a response that describes the “literary reading” you have completed in the past 5 years, explores why you have (or have not!) completed this reading, and postulate about your future “literary reading” in the next 5 years.  Write about why you think “literary reading” is declining.

 

In my introduction I mention that one passion I have in life is reading and as I went about completing the readings for this week it struck me odd at how much "literary reading" has declined(and it was from 2002!). But then the more I thought about it the more I came to accept the data they were reporting. We now live in a society that has begun placing the convenience of all things digital above everything, (not that it's necessarily a bad thing) but it leaves people leaning toward watching an image on a screen for entertainment rather than opening a book (or digitally opening one). Movies and television have their own esteem, but are we on verge of loosing"literary reading" as a part of our culture? I think at one point that may have been the case, but in recent years I believe there's been rise in reading in younger generations. The invention of tablets and kindles has also created easier and cheaper access to literature inspiring people begin reading.

 

Sifting through all the literature I have read in the past years has made me realize the eclectic taste I have in "literary readings." I have read everything from a Nicholas Sparks novel, The Millennium Trilogy (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo etc.), to a John Steinbeck novel, and the list does not end there. Part of the reason I think why I read so much is that I started when I was younger and really grew to love an excellent story no matter the genre. It also helps that I have parents who both prefer reading as a past time. A point made in the New York Times article is that a possible motivation behind why people read is to get lost in the story, that may not be everyone's motivation for reading, but it's close to mine. I always find reading a book provides me with a reprieve from all the worries and stress of my own life, and allows me to worry about someone else's that isn't real.  In the old debate of nature vs. nurture, I have to say I think that environment plays a large part in cultivating a person's interest in "literary reading" especially in younger people. I've found that being an avid reader has not only made me half the writer I am, but spurs my creativity to continually move beyond what it is, which is why I will continue reading as the years progress. I believe my eclectic tastes in "literary readings" will remain the same, and keep me from getting bored with one genre.

 

 

[Chris Little]

I completely relate to this. In high school we spent almost a month in all my classes doing test taking strategies and practice exams, and I was in the advanced classes. The general students additionally had to take a full semester long course their sophomore year on test prep before the big standardized test. It is absoulutly rediculous to me that that is what education has boiled down too.

[Dr. C.]

Chris,

I agree with you that there is an increased emphasis on teaching test-taking strategies in education now, much to the detriment of teaching content.  I don't blame educators for this, because I think these efforts are often dictated by administrators who are responding to lawmakers, etc.