That is not to say that it has no distinctive features at all just that these are not immanent. For, the computer being a Universal Machine, its potential is unlimited, and the digital medium will continue to grow and expand along with it. Not only is the digital medium too new to have reached the transparency of print yet, it is likely that this will never happen. All technologies, writing and print no less than the digital medium, result from a process of discovery of their social uses more than they are technological inventions. Imitation happens on the level of technological features, but also-more insidiously-on a conceptual level, and it is helpful to scrutinise the technological features and concepts concerned closely. As we make that transition we need to avoid the pitfall of imitating familiar aspects of existing mediums, stopping us from recognising and making full use of salient characteristics of the unfamiliar new medium. However, we are rapidly making a transition from analogue to digital textual transmission. Print still being the primary medium for the exchange of knowledge today, we may be said to be homo typographicus, living in the 'Order of the Book'. Both time spent reading and certain reading behaviours varied to some extent by condition and may be associated with comprehension however, personal characteristics of the readers played little to no role in determining outcomes. Results show that the simplest textual environment (Plain Text presentation with no Interactivity) was associated with the highest comprehension outcomes, but that Interactivity mitigated the negative effects of texts presented In-Context. This study investigated the effects of two design dimensions: Text Presentation (Plain Text vs In-Context) and Interactivity (availability of Reading Tools). Such work can inform the design of information and search systems intended to support learning. While there is a large body of literature that compares print and digital reading, research that compares differently designed digital reading environments is limited. This paper reports on a study of digital reading that investigates the effects of different textual environments on information interaction and comprehension outcomes.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |