E-reading effectively.

People of earlier generations who were raised with book reading have a tendency to want to print everything of interest so that they can get away from the computer, hold the paper in their hands and scribble notes on it if they so choose.

The new electronic generation of readers read from  the screen and save a lot of paper. If you are still one of those people who would prefer to use paper and continue to deplete our forests, this section is for you.

Reading electronic text is slightly different from the manner in which we tend scan text in books. We often find ourselves a the bottom of a page and have to sroll to see the next line. These are a few tips that will make your e-reading more effective and enjoyable:

1. Try to take in as much of the page as possible as you read. As you scroll the page, view large sections of text at a time, and try to see all of the text on the page as opposed to a single line or single words.
2. If you are stuck on a word you don't understand, it is faster to open a new browser window and go to an online dictionary than it would be to pull out a paper dictionary. If you need to find out what a word means, go to dictionary.com or do a Google search for new dictionaries online and type the word into the search box provided by the electronic dictionary.
3. Look for words that are bold or highlighted.
4. If there is a summary, go there first.
5. Try not to be distracted by your music.   ........Yes, we know you are probably listening to your personal mp3 player right now. (smiles)

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Page Last Updated: April 12, 2006 9:55 AM

Skills for the 21st Century