Prompt #3- Are Alternative Texts Making Us Stupid?

There are many advantages to the internet such as the constant access to information and the sheer breadth of information available. There is no longer a point of asking someone a question when you can Google the information. There is also a speed and efficiency in finding information that in a sense enriches lives. We are constantly connected to each other through this medium for better or for worse and it is easier to find out information about anyone and anything.

There are also disadvantages to this technology as well. Some examples are the lack of concentration and focus many of us have gained from attempting to multitask and absorb all this information since everything can be found so quickly. As Carr describes it "Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along like a guy on a Jet Ski" (Carr, 57). Traditional text based literacy allows for more time with words and learning as there needs to be more time to decipher text. Whereas, the internet and Google allow for text to be passed through quickly and the actual absorption of knowledge is questionable. I too, have noticed my attention span with books decreasing which is surprising considering how much I love books and how much I used to read. It is becoming increasingly more difficult for me to sit through a book unless it is really good. Often when articles or books are longer I will attempt to skip over them which is a little bizarre. I have become very proficient at skimming reading that is longer much like the article states. I am not sure if it is due to laziness or some form of efficiency. Either way I am not sure if it is beneficial to my learning process. Also, we do not have to remember many of the facts that we look up as it is easy to look them up again if we forget. This might be making us more stupid as our working and long term memories do not have to be as sharp. With the internet it is important to keep our brains sharp in order to be avoid being drawn in by websites such as the bimbo site where girls are told that being dumb, blonde, skinny with a boyfriend to take care of you is the ideal.

So the question at hand is: are alternative texts making us stupid? I would say no. I think that they are making us lazier when reading and interpreting texts.  Yet, this can be avoided by combining alternative texts along with traditional texts. Alternative texts do not have to include written word either they can include video and audio as well. As I have stated in previous posts this aids different learners in opening up traditional texts to those who previously would not have been able to read them. Also, if critical thinking is taught wading through the vastness of information will not be as scary and concerning for those who have to interpret and teach from them.