PBS ran a series that I believe was broadcast on February 2nd, 2010 called Digital Nation, life on the virtual frontier.
www.pbs.org
I often start sessions on 21st century learners by asking my participants to visit the Digital Native Map. On this link, young digital citizens are explored and explained: both positively and negatively. It focuses on their brain, hands, eyes, ears, and more.
In the eyes section, you find information regarding how people read websites differently. The F-Shaped Pattern For Reading Web Content explains that “Most people read websites completely differently than they read books. They tend to skim the bottom and edges of text before focusing on the center” (from PBS). I feel that this should have significance in how we teach our students to read text, especially non-fiction text. If students are absorbing a significant amount of information from a website, how does the F-Pattern then translate to our traditional textbooks? And, how does teaching on traditional texts transfer to how students will then read information when they take standardized tests on the computer? Is there a disconnect? This is a topic that I would love to investigate further.
I ask you to visit the site. What do you observe? What is the information that catches your attention most?