Educators continue to learn more and more about the differences between learning to read in print vs. reading on screen. “Already, there is some intriguing research that looks at that question. A 2012 Israeli study of engineering students — who grew up in the world of screens — looked at their comprehension while reading the same text on screen and in print when under time pressure to complete the task. The students believed they did better on screen. They were wrong. Their comprehension and learning was better on paper.” See: Serious reading takes a hit from online scanning and skimming, researchers say .
Saint Mary’s continues to explore new learning technologies and strategies. Promethean “smart boards” were introduced into three classrooms in 2013 and teachers are designing and updating lessons that utilize this technology. Kathy Lee, an Instructional Assistant and World Language teacher at Saint Mary’s has spearheaded the introduction of an iPad cart of 25 iPads available to all classes in 2014. A “soft implementation” strategy is being used as teachers learn and try the best ways to incorporate the technology into the instructional process.
The challenge remains to find the best possible instruction for a combination of skills that lead to a productive and adaptable graduate of Saint Mary’s.