Comparison Of Reading From Computer Screens And Paper Books
There are different ways to get an assignment done, and people prefer different techniques. I took a survey of twenty eight students and a whopping nineteen of the students prefered to write instead type. The students in my survey said said, “I think the paper smells good” or that reading on paper makes it “real reading. ” They could “see” where they were in the passage they read. Handwriting was said to be easier on the eyes and less likely to encourage procrastination. Students complained about eyestrain from reading from screens. A. J. Donovan, a student at Olympia High School, says, “Sometimes computers mess up and aren't always the most accurate way of going about things, I would much rather look in my bag and get my assignment out then connecting to wifi, log into the device, then finding my assignment. ” As opposed to the other nine, anti-pen and paper students, saying its “too hard!” Kaden Seeman, another student at Olympia High School, says “Why would I actually know how to spell the words when the computer will fix it for me? ”
Having a laptop 24/7 can be extremely distracting; you know you should be doing your essay that’s due tomorrow that’s not even started but you really want to get to the next level in that game. Just one more try. . Maybe one more. Research shows a link between the amount of television watched up to age 3 and attentional problems at school age. Each additional hour of programs watched has lead to a 10% increase of having attention problems at school (Kids Focus 1). Screens are truly affecting our future generations. It is making them care less and hooked to the screens. Children utilize their imaginations to sit through an entire book to see what happens in the end. In a study of children, ages 4 and 6, those who had regular access to devices with eReading features, such as Ipads or kindles, did not tend to actually use their devices for reading, and this happened even when the child reads daily! (Books Rather than Screens 1). Research also shows that the more devices a child has the less they will read. Even 90% of parents and teachers are convinced that children’s attention span is decreasing.
When I work on an assignment for a long time, my head eventually tends to hurt, my eyes get a little dry and irritated. I've always wondered, why does this happen? This condition is called Computer Vision Syndrome. Computer Vision syndrome is a temporary condition with symptoms like headaches or dry eyes. Using or reading on newer tablets and computers with higher pixel densities spare your eyes a little more. This syndrome can be prevented by closing your eyes or looking away from the screen from time to time (Sleep Stimulated Deep Immersion 1). Another way to avoid Computer Vision Syndrome is to shut the device off a couple hours before bedtime, even if you're only reading. The blue light from the screen will make it harder for you to fall asleep and decrease the production of our body’s melatonin. We shouldn't have to pause from our school work because our heads are hurting from looking at our access to the assignment itself. We should be able to get out a piece of paper and a pencil and write until we are done. I can't say how many times I have had to take a break from this assignment because my head hurts from looking at the screen.
Using computers for school assignments is completely unnecessary. It hurts kids heads and gives them access to millions of unneeded, distracting websites that will hold the student from finishing work for hours at a time. Written assignments are prefered from students, make them motivated to get it done, and kids work more diligently.
