How to Read a Book in the Year 1998

This course (ED5990 Independent Study) is now operational for the Fall semester of 1998. Please refer to the Comment page for additional information.

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Potential Books
3. Registration for an Independent Study
4. Reading With the Web
5. Steps for a Computer-Augmented Reading of a Non-fiction Book
6. Resources
7. Brief Biography

1. Introduction

I also like learning. This should also come as no surprise.

Related to this latter love are two corporate slogans (horror of horrors!) that have also struck a responsive chord in my being. One is from IBM, "Think". The other is from Apple, "The power to be your best".

My primary interest is in the utilization of new technologies for the enhancement of learning. We now have a troika: books, technology and learning. Triangles are stable geometric structures.

While sitting in a coffee shop this morning (August 4, 1998), I finally brought together a few thoughts that have been swirling around in my head for some time (trying to escape?). The synthesis is the creation of this web site.

The idea is to bring together much of what is known about the reading of a (non-fiction) book with the emerging capabilities of the web. But it is more than just this. It also takes into account another interest of mine: graduate education.

I would like to pilot an idea for a new type of Independent Study. A possible title might be Collaborative Reading at a Distance. The word Collaborative refers to a sharing of ideas between the instructor and the student, but could possibly also include sharing among a few students, if they are all "reading" the same book.

This web site will provide a framework for the reading of non-fiction literature.

The idea for the Independent Study is to use this framework while reading non-fiction books appropriate for graduate-level study in education. Since the entire activity will be web-based, it lends itself to individuals who would like to complete a "course-credit" during the 1998 Fall semester while remaining at home (but while connected to the Internet).

An integral part of the idea is that the reader is not "alone". The individual will be interacting via the web with the instructor (me) at least once a week. There exists a possibility that there might be more than one student enrolled with me who is reading the same book. In this case there will also be the opportunity for some sharing of views and insights among the students.

How do we select the books? Two ways. In the following section is a list of 6 potential titles.

The other way is for a student to suggest the title. This would likely come from considerations such as "While taking course X, I came across a book called Y that we didn't have time to follow through on. I would really like an opportunity to thoroughly read this book as part of my graduate program". I am prepared to consider books in the following general areas [cognitive/social psychology, computer applications/issues in education, internet, computer-augmented mathematics, simulation/modeling and Logo]. Please direct all enquiries to me at dale.burnett@uleth.ca

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2. Potential Books

More information about each of these books may be obtained from  http://www.amazon.com .

I would like to indicate my willingness to supervise an Independent Study based on a reading of each of the following books:

Birkerts, Sven (1994). The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age. Boston: Faber & Faber.

A popular and controversial book that explores the issues arising from our tendency to embrace new computer and communications technologies with particular emphasis on the future of the printed word.
[11 chapters, 229 pages, softcover]
 

This interesting book traces the evolution of intelligence, from early beginnings to speculations about the future. From the author's preface: "In the game of life and evolution there are three players at the table: human beings, nature, and machines. I am firmly on the side of nature. But nature, I suspect, is on the side of machines." This is not a book about classrooms and students, but it is a thought provoking book about where we may be headed as we continue to develop new kinds of machines and new types of intelligence.
[12 chapters, 286 pages, hardcover]

This book provides a description of "evolving ways of knowing that allows us to view adult development much as we view child development, as an open-ended process born of the dynamic interaction of cultural demands and emerging mental capacities". I am presently reading this book and find it fascinating. The ideas apply to all adults, but there are strong implications for anyone involved in education.
[10 chapters, 396 pages, softcover]

This is a book written for teachers that provides many concrete examples of how teachers might use the Internet in their classrooms.
[15 chapters, 386 pages, softcover]

A popular book that suggests in a rather informal manner that much of the hype about the information highway is just that. He poses questions such as, "when do the networks really educate, and when are they simply diversions from learning?".
[13 chapters, 247 pages, softcover]

This best-seller provides a rich description of many different ways in which children are using computers and the internet to further their learning. This book should be of interest to anyone interested in the effects of technology on children in the present era.
[13 chapters, 338 pages, hardcover]

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3. Registration for an Independent Study

Independent Study provides a mechanism for students to explore an area of study not included in regular course electives or special topics courses. The student works under the supervision of a Faculty memeber to develop a proposal and the details of the study.

Here are the steps to be followed in registering for this course:

1. Send an email to dale.burnett@uleth.ca indicating your willingness to at least pursue the idea of Reading With the Web further.
2. The email should indicate the book you are interested in "reading". This may, or may not, be a book from the above list.
3. If the book is from the above list, and if I haven't received too many replies, I will send a reply indicating that I will supervise an Independent Study (Ed 5990).
4. Contact the Faculty of Education Graduate Studies Office to arrange for the necessary Official Registration.
5. Order, or make sure you can obtain, a copy of the book.
6. Send me an email dale.burnett@uleth.ca indicating that you have started Official Registration procedures and that you are prepared to begin by September 10, 1998.
7. All Independent Study courses require a "second reader". Please let me know if you would like to suggest an individual or if you would like me to suggest someone. This decision can be discussed between us (via email) until we agree on the person. This person will likely also become involved in the overall process each week. I am willing to do the necessary "contact" work at this end to find the appropriate person (i.e. someone we both agree on who then agrees to say "yes"). I would also like to explore the possibility that some of these second readers be faculty members from other universities, connected to this course through the Internet.
8. Students are expected to complete an Independent Study within one semester.
9. The "product" for this study will consist of the weekly submissions plus a final report summarizing the semester's activities.
10. The Supervisor and Second Reader determine the final grade based on the following evaluation procedures:
1. regular and timely submissions
2. following the spirit of the steps indicated in the following section (#4).
3. indications of computer-based activities
4. indications of web-based activities
5. overall quality of all submitted work
6. quality of the reflective comments about the process
7. additional interactions as appropriate.
11. If the final grade is an "A" or an "A+" the weekly submissions and final report may be coil bound and made available to faculty and students.

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4. Reading with the Web

1. Noteworthy Features of the Selected Book
2. Reflections on the Procedures Used in the Course.

1. they require the reader to "actively do something", and
2. they have a tendency to become prescriptive.

While the spirit reflects the belief that content reading is fundamentally a constructive activity (that it involves the creation of new mental structures rather than a "barking at print" interpretation), it also tries to incorporate some new activities - activities made possible by utilizing the Internet, and by using other computer software packages.

In order to reduce the probability of becoming prescriptive, the approach is intended to be amenable to mid-course corrections as the individual discovers "what seems to work best" for the selected material at this moment in time.

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5. Steps for a Computer-Augmented Reading of a Non-fiction Book

1. Pre-reading
1. Read the front & back covers.
2. Create a one sentence summary of what you think the book is about.
3. Obtain additional information from the Internet
1. Use a search engine using author, title
2. Access internet bookstores (eg. amazon.com, BarnesandNoble)
3. Access dejanews.
4. Examine the Table of Contents
5. Create a diagram (map) of the structure (Inspiration is a good software program for this)
6. Summarize the chart in your own words (one or two sentences)
7. Get as much as you can out of the book in 5 minutes.
8. Summarize the main points from your 5 minute reading.
2. Reading the First Chapter
1. Try reading the first chapter in less than 10 minutes
1. notice the sub-headings
2. read the first few paragraphs
3. read the last few paragraphs
4. glance at any figures or tables
5. make a few notes on the important points.
2. Reread the first chapter, this time enjoying the words
1. read the chapter smoothly (NO note taking)
2. let the chapter unfold (or flow) in the author's words.
3. Reread the chapter with a highlighting pen
1. identify important words and phrases
2. try to avoid highlighting complete sentences
3. copy these words on a sheet of paper (or word processor)
4. recreate the chapter in your own way.
4. Ask a few questions about the chapter
1. what points did you agree with?
2. what points did you take exception to?
3. where were you lost?
4. what points were very important?
5. what else could you read about this?
6. what else could you find on-line about this?
5. Share your thoughts with a "remote other"
1. use email (with attachments)
2. use a web page with forms (created by the instructor) to submit your ideas
3. create your own web-site explicating your ideas
3. Read the Remaining Chapters Following a Similar Approach.
1. Avoid becoming a slave to the steps
2. The steps are a heuristic, not a prescription.
3. The primary goal is to understand the author.
4. The secondary goal is to reflect on points of agreement/disagreement.

Resources

Adler, M. J. & van Doren, C. (1972). How to read a book. New York: Touchstone.

Morris, A. & Stewart_Done, N. (1984). Learning to learn from text. Addison-Wesley.

Novak, J. D. & Gowin, D. B. (1984). Learning how to learn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Here is an additional journal reference:

Lorch, R. F., Jr., Lorch, E. P. & Klusewitz, M. A. (1993). College students' conditional knowledge about reading. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85 (2), 239-252.

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Brief Biography

I then became an Assistant Professor at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario where I taught for 14 years. I became an Associate Professor in 1976. My teaching consisted of the following courses:

(a)  M.Ed. Program

 28.885  Computers in Education
 28.854  Psychological Principles of Learning
 28.891  Statistics in Education
 28.890  Measurement and Evaluation
 28.886  Computer-based Simulation

(b)  B.Ed. Program

 28.463  Introduction to Educational Psychology
 28.464  Psychology - Learning & Development in Childhood
 28.472  Psychology - Human Problem Solving
 28.292  Special Education, Part I
 28.244  Computer Applications in Education
 28.245  Computer Assisted Instruction
 28.246  Introduction to Programming
 28.247  Introduction to Computers
 28.135  Measurement & Evaluation

(c)  B.A. Program

 84.100  Introduction to Psychology

(d)  Continuing Education Program

 QUAL 701  Part I Computers in the Classroom
 QUAL 702  Part II Computers in the Classroom

In 1985 we moved from Kingston to Lethbridge, where I was hired to provide leadership on the use of computers in education. I was promoted to Professor in 1988. My teaching experience at the University of Lethbridge includes the following courses:
 
(a)  M. Ed. Program

 Education 5950 - Strategies for Educational Research
 Education 5937 - Computer Based Simulations
 Education 5850 - Technology and the Internet: Educational Issues (web based)
 Education 5410 - Research Seminar in Quantitative Methods and Statistical Analysis (web based)

(b)  B. Ed. Program

 Professional Semester I: Computer Literacy Module
 Education 3202 - Evaluation and the Teacher
 Education 4760 - Computers in the Classroom
 Education 4761 - Critical Appraisal of Microcomputer Software
 Education 4762 - Teaching Problem Solving with Computers
 Education 4763 - Computer Applications in the Curriculum
 Education 4769 - Logo: A Language for Exploration
 Education 4769 - Mathematics Education and Computer Technology
 Education 4769 - The Internet and Education (web based)

I have received over $500,000. in research grants, almost all directed toward the use of computers in education. I had one of the first books published on the use of Logo (in 1982), was the director of a software development project that led to the highly successful reading program "The Puzzler" marketed by Sunburst Communications, and had one of the first web-based university credit courses in Canada in 1995. I have also presented and published over 100 papers at international conferences and symposiums in the United States, England, France, Holland, Belgium, Australia and Japan and will be presenting a paper on using the web in education in Beijing in September.

I have been very fortunate to have met many fine people during my professional career, and am indebted to them for much of the excitement and stimulation that has kept me young during these periods of rapid technological development. The internet, particularly the web, when combined with a number of close friends and colleagues, promise to keep me young for many more years.

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