26 Additional Activities: The Changing Ways We Read and Write
26 Additional Activities: The Changing Ways We Read and Write
Learning Outcomes
- Compare and contrast the ideas from an article with your perspective.
- Compare and contrast ideas from two articles.
- Analyze the use of examples in an academic article.
- Analyze the use of process analysis in an academic article.
- Evaluate the sources used in an academic article.
This chapter contains additional reading and writing activities related to the articles in Themed Texts: The Changing Ways We Read and Write.
Making Connections
Several of the readings in this section speak to the ways that technology is changing how people read and write, be those positive changes, negative changes, or neutral ones. As examples, consider the following:
- The article The Enduring Power of Print for Learning in a Digital World shows some advantages of reading in print form over digital form.
- Both 7 Tips on How to Take Better Notes and Look Out, Email. Handwritten Letters Are Making a Comeback speak to the value of handwriting over typing.
- The pitfalls of not recognizing misinformation in online texts are evident in To Navigate the Dangers of the Web, You Need Critical Thinking — but Also Critical Ignoring and Out-of-context Photos Are a Powerful Low-tech Form of Misinformation.
- The article What Is BookTok, and How Is It Influencing What Australian Teenagers Read? shows how technology is leading to more print-based reading among certain groups of teenagers.
What connections do you see among these readings? What connections do these readings have with your experience? One way to make connections is to compare and contrast ideas among readings or with your ideas. Comparison/contrast is a common method of thinking, organizing, and writing across the curriculum. In a math course, for example, you may be asked to compare and contrast two approaches to solving a math problem. In a history course, you may be asked to compare and contrast two historical events or two leaders. In English courses, it is common to compare and contrast ideas, writers, and texts.
Complete the following activities to practice making connections by using comparison and contrast.
- Choose one idea related to technology and reading/writing that you see addressed in one of the readings. Consider your opinions on the idea. Compare and/or contrast the ideas in the text or the writer’s opinion with your ideas and opinions.
- Choose one idea related to technology and reading/writing that you see addressed in at least two of the readings. You could use an idea in the bulleted list above or choose your own. Compare and/or contrast what the writers have to say about the idea.
Rhetorical Analysis
Analyzing Examples
The authors of What Is BookTok, and How Is It Influencing What Australian Teenagers Read? and Look Out, Email. Handwritten Letters Are Making a Comeback use examples throughout the articles. For example, “What Is BookTok…” includes examples of BookTok users and posts, and “Look out, Email…” has e