Page 164 - Keys To Community College Success

Screen readers tend to notice heads and subheads, bullet points,
and visuals, scanning material for the important points instead of
staying focused through long paragraphs or articles. They may also
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develop what Web researcher Jakob Nielsen calls F-pattern read-
ing—reading across the line at the beginning of a document, then
reading less and less of the full width of the line as you move down
the page, and only seeing the left-hand text by the time you reach
the bottom of the document. 7
Nielsen suggests making the most of screen reading using a
step-by-step process, which includes aspects of SQ3R:
1. Skim through the article. See whether it contains important
ideas.
2. Before reading in depth, save the article on your computer
or device. This gives you the ability to print the article if
you prefer to highlight and add notes on hard copy.
3. Survey the article. Read the title, subtitle, headings, figures,
charts, and tables.
4. Come up with questions to guide your reading. Ask your-
self what general and specific information you want to learn
from the article.
5. Read the article in depth. You have already judged that
the material is important, so take it much slower than you
would normally.
6. Highlight and take notes. Use the program’s highlighter
and comment functions.
7. Print out articles you would rather study on hard copy.
Make sure printouts include any electronic highlighting
and comments you’ve created.
8. Review your notes. Combine them with your class and
Much, although not all, research can be done using text notes.
online databases. Get to know the databases and
other resources your school makes available to Finally, remember that “it is not so much about the tool and
students. what it can do, but more about the purpose for using the tool,”
says educator Mary Beth Hertz. Every choice, from the latest iPad
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to a book and a pencil, has pros and cons. Evaluate on a case-by-
case basis and see what works best for you, especially if you are a “digital native” who
gravitates toward technology.

HOW CAN YOU BE AN INFORMATION LITERATE
reader and researcher?

When it comes to research, most students’ first instinct is to power up the com-
puter and start jumping around on Google. However, there are a myriad of research
resources at your fingertips. Library materials have been evaluated by librarians and
researchers and are likely to be solid and credible—a definite time-saver compared to the
myriad of Internet sources that may turn out to be nothing more than conjecture, opin-
ion, and rants. Risking time and effort to search carefully will reward you with the most
useful, accurate, and reliable information.

Map Out the Possibilities

To select the most useful information for your research, get an overview of what is
available. Sign up for a library orientation session. Familiarize yourself with the library

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