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Discussion on screen. The child will have to carry only a
2�4�1 Print and Online Reading laptop or a tablet to school. The weight of the
school bag will not be an issue for the child.
We have all been to a library. Why do we Also, it will be easier to search for contents
all go to a library? A school library or a public in an online book. Since you have to possess
library is the place where we go to read books only a gadget in order to access online reading
in printed form. The library’s reading rooms resources, it is much more comfortable than
make it easier to settle down and read the reading in print.
books we desire. We also borrow books from
the library to read at home. Thus, print reading There are a number of sources available on
refers to the practice of reading things printed the internet to read different things. Numer-
on paper. Hard copies of books, journals, or ous websites are available where we can find
magazines are examples of reading materials stories, articles, novels, essays, poems, scien-
in print. tific journals, and even the newspaper on the
internet. Web logs (blogs) are available on the
Is reading in print the only medium to internet, where people write their thoughts and
read? Are there any other options available for opinions for others to read. They are similar to
people who wish to read things? On our laptop the writings that we find in printed magazines.
and phone, we watch videos that are informa- Everything is available at the tip of our fingers.
tive, and we also find audio books. Similarly, Some internet resources are free, while others
books are also available on the internet. Online require payment. Since the sources are plenti-
reading refers to the practice of reading things ful, there will be a number of reading materials
that are available on the internet. This is also accessible to us. All of them can be accessed
known as digital reading. While reading some- within a very short time. Thus, the amount of
thing on a screen, rather than going through the information that can be acquired in a narrow
content systematically, we might skim through time frame is much more than the information
the content. When we read from a book in that books in our hands can provide.
hand, we start reading from the beginning and
continue it till the end. But when the reading Imagine going to a library and searching for
is done online, we have the facility to search a book. We take the time to look at the book
for the particular thing that we are looking for. number and find the book on the shelves of the
For example, if we are reading a PDF (Portable library. Now, what is the difference if we read
Document Format) file, there will be a search the book online? The time that we use to search
bar at the top where we can type and search for the book can be saved. When we search for a
the content we want. If the reading material is book online, we get it within seconds. In the
too heavy, it is easier to skim through the con- previous unit, we have discussed decoding the
tent if reading is done online. dictionary. While reading online, if we find an
unfamiliar word, instead of searching for the
As technology progresses, our daily tasks word in the dictionary, we can get the word’s
have become more simpler. Online reading is meaning by merely touching or clicking on
an example of such an innovation. Consider the the word. The internet provides us with this
situation of a school-going child. The person facility too.
has to take all the books to school according
to the timetable given by the school. Now, Let us look at another instance. If you have
imagine if all the books were available to them to share a book with your friend, what will you

SGOU - FYUGP - SLM - English for Communication 79