Date of Award

1-1-2014

Language

English

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

College/School/Department

Department of English

Content Description

1 online resource (ii, 65 pages) : color illustrations

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Helene Scheck

Keywords

Cognition, Digital, Literacy, Proprioception, Reading, Writing, Reading, Psychology of, Computers and literacy, Computer literacy, Spatial ability

Subject Categories

Cognitive Psychology | Education

Abstract

Drawing on research in the fields of neuroscience, reading cognition, and the history of writing, the author explores the condition of reading today. Rather than accepting the apocalyptic pronouncements that the Internet is "dumbing down" current readers, the author argues for a more nuanced understanding of the effects of digital media. He argues that the literacies needed for the new digital realm are not new, but are literacies developed over thousands of years. The author argues for the need of more education and instruction in the use of digital media, and that the digital realm requires new proprioceptive (spatial awareness) abilities to navigate.

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