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How do I process information and read? The answer is slowly. I have always read slowly, doesn’t matter how much I read. This can be frustrating, especially, as an education professional many of my colleagues seem to read a lot faster.

As a qualified experienced English teacher, I am aware of reading and comprehension strategies and such as looking at book covers/images on pages, reading titles and actively read. I set out to do this, but if I am hurried or anxious to finish, I may miss some of these steps and go straight to the text.

When I read a novel or for relaxation, I prefer the tactile nature of a physical book. An e-book is more strain on the eyes and comes with cold, glassy discomfort – perhaps the lit background also being a detractor. Even though e-books have properties that allow the reader to jump chapters, it is easier to find information and orientate place in a physical book.

Reading information and research, I prefer the computer most of the time. You can obtain information easily by printing – then I can highlight. If I want to search for information, I can easily perform a control ‘f’ find to quickly locate the information. Citing can be easier with the ability to cite information from the library catalogue search engines (although each title can be different and the format cannot be relied on).

Young people need more digital and information literacy skills – how to search, how to find information, what information is credible, authoritative and reliable. They need to perhaps learn the comprehension strategies, be interested and value reading and education. Young people need to learn how to use that information, for example how to note take, keep a record of sources, copyright, plagiarism and creative commons. Young people, generally are more attuned to using the computer and internet for social media purposes rather than academic.

Ebooks have not taken off in my school. In fact, after one last analytical study, I will, most probably, be unsubscribing to the expensive endeavour. I have promoted the platform, especially during co-vid lockdown but improvement in usage was minor.  I searched for an answer and have been told even when it was introduced, it had not ‘taken off’. I relayed the fact to a representative of the ebook subscription company and received the response that in some schools it just doesn’t ‘take off’. The deduction might be that the school is in a lower socio economic area and access to the electronics may be difficult, value for reading and education may also be low. However, it could also be the case that most of the books in the e-collection are fiction and, as above, students prefer to read physical books for relaxation.