Growing up when I was first learning how to read everyone was taught the same way for the most part. Start on the first page, read the title/chapter and every line on the pages from left to right. Now in the digital age of computers and online media, everyone reads differently, and not just because instead of reading pages left to right they are now scrolling up and down. For me online reading has some similarities to reading paper, but there are some differences. When reading online, I first scroll through the page(s) to see how long the article is and look for any bolded or key words/names as well as scanning topic sentences so I have a general idea of what it is about. I then read through the entire article without pausing. After I go back and reread each paragraph making sure I fully understand the context of it and how it relates to the next paragraph or other ideas brought up within the article. If there are clickable links to other pages or bios/definitions, I will click on those to learn more. After completing all of these tasks I then go through and reread the entire page once again. Most of my online reading comes from sports news. Naturally I hear about something from someone or get and alert and then I go online to hear the full story. My favorite reads are those that cover what happened and the news you don’t get from reading just the headline.
Writing for me is difficult to just pick up and start but after a little bit of time sitting and thinking about what it is I’m writing and once I begin then I usually write it all the way through with little to no stopping during it. One of the reasons it takes me a while to start writing is because I sometimes worry about the final product and how the reader(s) will perceive what I have written. But most of my time is also planning and prepping what I am actually writing onto a separate sheet that breaks down the topics of each paragraph and the details. Throughout the day I will get examples and ideas for writing that aren’t necessarily the main argument or idea but as I write them down and begin to organize them I am able to formulate a clear and concise heading for writing.
