Reading in Between the Information Age

Reading is often dreaded and misinterpreted. Base on my experiences, People often

react badly when they see a very thick book or handout. They look at it, as if it contains a
dangerous disease. For these people, reading is only essential to literature and academics. This
is why the essence and true meaning of reading is often misinterpreted. Reading is the process
of constructing meaning from written texts. - Anderson et al., 1985 study (as cited in
Definitions of Reading and Word Identification, 1997). Reading is not just any ordinary type of
process. It is one of the primary component to writing and understanding. It is a gives deeper
meaning, to help a reader understand. Opening up a book and just loosely focusing your eyes
on the words without even understanding a word or paragraph is not reading.

In fact, reading proficiently is a skill that has been studied by most researchers since it is
a great factor that contributes to learning and school performance of children and teenagers.
They say that a childs learning and performance are influenced by ones ability to read
proficiently. If a person has a high reading proficiency there is a great possibility that he/she
would perform well in class. Performing well in class is a must for most people because this is
where they attain their achieved status that would be great for their future as adults.

As we might as well think, Adults are also affected by the decline of reading proficiency.
Since most jobs require the primary ability to read and write, being able to read proficiently has
been a must for adults to be accepted in jobs because as it is connected to the performance of
children in schools, reading proficiency also reflects on the job and work done by adults. To be
able to function in the society correctly we need to be able to write and read to call ourselves
educated. If we dont it may affect our countrys economy to sink because believe it or not
losing jobs just because you dont how to read and write may greatly affect the global
competitiveness of ones country.

In the Philippines, Education has been a very wide focus. It has been very valuable since
many believe that education will be able to bring their families out of poverty. Rizal himself, the
National Hero of the Philippines, has showed the importance of reading and education in his
published books and annotations. To excel in a field of mastery has been the goal of many. But

1
it seems that despite being called an English speaking country, Most Filipinos still dont know
how to read and write. This raises a very valuable question. In a generation where information
is widespread why does it seem that there is still a decline in the reading proficiency of Filipino
Students?

Information in this generation has now been prevalent. Even in the islands of the
Philippines. A country that has been known for its intact cultural aspects. Filipinos were known
for their faith and religiosity and also for our family-orientedness. But it seems that as time pass
by, we are slowly being influenced by the countries around us. The culture that once flourished
in the Philippines are slowly fading and is being replaced with technology.

Technological and Information Age

Technology has been wide set and dispersed, in the Philippines. No matter what ranking
of class youre in, most Filipinos are eager to join in the new trend. It is a social situation where
in Filipinos would gladly participate in just to keep up with the group. According to an article
posted by BBC, they claim that more than 60% of Filipinos have smartphones (Could the
Philippines be Asia's next tech tiger, 2014) but they dont only stop there. There are more
advancing technologies in the Philippines such as, computers, laptops and projectors. These
technologies are widely used in a classroom setting which are often used to help in the
advancement of ones own intellectual value.

In this technological age most people expect this generation to be more intellectual due
to the information that could now be easily gathered through different ways. Technologies has
made interaction between people easier. Information transmitters like phones, televisions and
computers can now be seen in almost everyones home. Projectors and visual aids are now
more readily available for classrooms learning and teaching. But despite this, recent studies
have shown that there is still a decline in the reading proficiency of students.

Philippine-Informal Reading Inventory test or also known as Philippine-IRI tests were

taken from schools in the Division of Manila during SY 2003-2004. These tests are oral
assessments taken to examine the capabilities of students to read. In this test, Students are
given 5 test questions. The results are then sectioned into three, independent reader,
2
instructional reader and frustrated reader. Independent readers are students who could
already read without the help of anyone. Instructional readers, on the other hand are those
pupils who have answered 3 out of the five questions that were given. Lastly, frustrated readers
gets two or below correct number of answers. Based on the results, there were more frustrated
readers than independent readers In elementary schools in the Division of Manila, reading test
scores reveal that only one-sixth to one-third of pupils can read independently at the desired
grade level. By the end of the elementary cycle (Grade 6), over one-third of elementary
graduates were identified as frustrated readers; another one-third were instructional
readers. Both levels are below the desired reading level at the end of the elementary cycle
(Luz, 2007). Maybe generalizing the reading proficiency of students just based on this test result
is not reliable but this is not the only assessment test that has been declining. One more
example is the National Achievement Test (NAT).

The NAT is an exam taken by Grade 6 and 4th year high school. These are taken by
students to test their knowledge capacity on subjects like Math, English and Science. DepEd
order No. 72 dated September 20 showed that of roughly 5,600 secondary schools, some 67.10
percent of schools scored within the lower average range (26 and 50 percent correct) in NAT
for second year high school students. Some 0.35 percent of schools scored between 0 and 25
percent. (Quismundo, 2011). The results of the Nat results last 2011 also showed another
decline in the school performance of students. This could be the wave of effect brought by the
last declining Phil-IRI tests that were taken.

The Causes bought by declining reading proficiency is not just a show up and then fade
out kind of thing. It leaves a mark and sooner or later it may affect our education system and
economy if not treated right. It is like a disease but before we will be able to solve this problem.
We have to look at the causes of this disease.

The Absences of Print Rich Books in a Childs Environment

Reading is a skill that starts at home. This is where they utter their first world and take
their first step. It is a place where child development is evident. The development of a child
depends on the way he was brought up. The intimacy and environment plays an important part

3
in his development which on the other hand also mirrors his reading development. Homes
should have books that would help a child in her growing up years especially on their first 7
years because these is where they build their foundation if they will be able to talk or not.
Having books inside your homes would be a great help.

Theories on development states that when a child is introduced to something at a very

young age they would pick it up and could be able to bring it until their teenage days. Stages 3-
5 year or also known as the Pre-school age according to Erik Eriksons Life Stage Model. This is
the most important part of a childs development. This stage is where a child starts to be aware
about his/ her environment and would try to discover the world. This stage is where the child
would start to look up to someone to be his role model. When the child could see his mother
reading a book, He would think to himself that he would also like to read a book. At this stage,
children are prone to imitating what they see, especially what they think their role models do.
They would try to build up an image that is like their parents, brother, sisters or whoever they
think is above them. They would recreate or do everything they see because they think that
everything that their peer do is right.

The peers should start reading books to children at this stage to make the child more
open to reading. Children should be exposed to books because at this very young age children
starts to develop the five essential components to reading. Phonemic awareness, Phonics,
Vocabulary, Reading comprehension, Fluency (oral reading) (Boyse, 2010). These are
important in ones reading journey. When you let your child continue their travel into the road
of reading. There is a greater possibility that she would also do well in class. Reading is
connected to learning. It is the basis because reading is the fundamental step towards learning,
speaking and writing.

The interaction between parents and child during reading sessions arent only beneficial
to reading proficiency. It also pose a great health benefits mentally, emotionally and
psychologically as a child grows up. Reading books to your children with the accompaniment of
an adult would be of great help to the development of the child. But what is the importance of

4
books anyway when they could just use technologies such as DVDs and VCDs of learning
materials?

Books are information rich. It could greatly help in the enrichment of vocabulary and
reading strategies such as Activating prior knowledge, predicting, visualizing, questioning
(Hughes, 2007). People differ on how they read, some would usually google the book or read
reviews about it, to enlighten them before reading. To them, gaining prior knowledge about a
certain book would give them motivation to read it. Some people on the other hand, would try
guessing the outcome of the book. They would try and evaluate the ending according to their
prediction or to the outcome that they want to happen. Others, like visualizing what they read.
They would replace or act as the protagonist of the book to fully visualize the scenarios. They
do this to help them understand and feel the essence of the book. Lastly, some people try to
question what they read. What happened in the last scene? When did he die? They formulate
questions to help them retain what they have just read. By asking these questions they are able
to re-review what theyre reading thus helping them to remember details more.

Readily available resources for children to explore would lead to a healthier journey to
learning. Books are really reliable sources. May it be fiction, non-fiction or fantasy books. Books
are great way to connect your child to the world. A home filled with these books are
appropriate for learning and exploring because these would lead to great child development
not only neurologically but also psychological and sociological. Having books around your house
would make it easier for children to keep in touch with reading. Rather than letting them roam
around perilous information that they think is right because as technological advancements
continue to progress, people rely on them more and more. They look up to these technological
advancements to make their lives easier. Rather than trying to strive for knowledge they would
prefer the easier way out and unfortunately, not all these technological advancements are
capable of giving us the information we need. An example of this is the Internet.

Over Reliance of Students on Internet Sources

The internet is a network that connects the world in just one click. People may interact
through it because it is widespread and very easy to associate into. A place where most people

5
are free to do their own will without any limitations or guidance. With this freedom comes the
endangerment of information. Reading on the internet is not bad but if we seem to believe
everything that we read, we might face misinformation. The easiest way to connect to it is that
is how easy it could be plagiarized or even changed. Internet is open to all people. a great
example of this is the students reliability on the internet. The internet is a network that
connects almost every part of the world together

Often times reading materials, handouts or books are given to students at school but
due to the lack of interest or the absences of time. Students would try to look for an alternative
way to read. Rather than trying to open up their books, students would prefer to go on the
internet to look for sources that they would be able to use for their projects or papers.

Book summaries posted on different sites on the internet sometimes arent as exact and
as real as the book in terms of the moral that the author want to expose. Physical books come
in different sizes and shapes and in each books comes a different story. Theres the authors
story, which is the actual text; theres the publishers story, which has to do with the choice of
format and design; and, finally, theres the readers story what a particular book telegraphs
about ones education and tastes. (Hamid, 2013) Books in libraries or any book in particular
have undergone their own rough experiences. Being handled by different personalities or
maybe even historical people. Each book has a story to tell in each and every browning page it
offers. It is the knowledge of the past but it seems like our generation nowadays prefer
technology over traditional reading.

Yes, summaries focus only on the important parts of the books but why do you think
that the author puts extra information of words into a book? This is to help students visualize
more and be able to read more and help them in the enhancement of their vocabulary. To help
students understand more about the certain topic that was given unlike just reading a certain
part and be able to come up with an understanding out of that piece of information. Books are
contains more information to help create a concrete image of the subject in their heads.

Reading from internet summaries may also shorten our vocabulary exploration since
most people that post summaries on the internet only focuses on the basic information of the

6
book that the author wants to portray. Sometimes even the essence that the book wants to
portray isnt as accurate at what the summaries conclude. Reading is understanding. Reading
isnt just an ordinary hobby or action. It is more than straining your eyes trying to read small
letters that are packed. It is trying to find yourself and getting lost in the words of an author
who would like you to gain more knowledge. Reading is understanding and growing. How could
you understand what the books want to portray if the summaries itself makes it hard for you to
grow?

Sometimes the bloggers or editors of this summary look at the book in a different
perspective. The students depend too much that often times they forgot to express themselves
and rather just relate to what the information that way portrayed through the site they have
read. Posting your own responses and reactions towards a certain subject is not bad but other
people reading it may cause some misinformation and confusion. Sometimes contains biased
reactions and misconceptions of information causing the readers themselves on the internet to
believe so easily.

Text to Speech Technology

Technology have been running our society for quite some time now. It have offered
several of gadgets and technological advancement that helps us in our everyday life. One
example of this is an Electronic Book. EBooks are digital copies of physical books converted into
pdf or epub. EBooks are somewhat the same in the content of a physical book but it contains
other aspects such as the Electronic Books are said to have many advantages in terms of
convenience, compactness, note taking, highlighting, and text to speech technology.

Text-to-speech technology. This is a technology that reads for you. It transforms the text
into a voice that would be over heard through the speaker of the device. These technology are
commonly used by eBooks or other devices but how do we process information when we are
reading?

There are five (5) major parts of the reading process Pre-reading, Reading, Responding,
Exploring and Applying (Hughes, 2007). The first part is Pre-reading. It is the part where
background knowledge is activated and the standard cause of reading is identified. In this stage
7
people would often ask, why am I reading this? What would I get from reading this? With this
questions the reader would formulate a response. There would be a connection between the
brain and the words that are perceived while reading. In this stage, the readers would slowly
formulate a thought about the text. Most often, readers in this phase would react in different
ways to represent their stand about the topic. After finding their stand about the topic the next
step is exploring. This is where the readers would start to know more about the topic that they
found interesting. They would read more about the given topic that caught their attention.
After reading all text the readers would more likely want to prove what they have just read.
This is where applying comes in. The reader would try experimental things based on the text
that they have read.

Now, imagine your computer reading and decoding for you so all you have left to do is
to explore and respond. If you actually consider this, it is not a bad way to read but think of it
when it becomes a habit. It may affect the reading proficiency of children in the long run. They
would adapt and depend on the eBooks text to speech technology to read for them causing
them to depend on it more and more. Imagine your childs inside voice being ruled over by the
robotic voice that is emitted from the device.

Yes, you may try not try to separate your kids with those radiation emitting screens but
what would happen to them when suddenly one day there would be no more electricity?
Would your children still be able to read? If children would continue using this type of
technology what do you think would happen to their voices? The emotions that are elicited by
having actual humans read for them. Reading using robotic voices might make children be less
expressive due to the fact that they got use to listening to robotic. The greatest fear that TTST
might pose to us is the possibility that their vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation would
decline and their reading proficiency vanish along with this technology.

The Problem in the Reading Proficiency

Technology has played a very important role in the birth of todays information age.
These things have changed our surroundings positively and negatively. The usage of technology
in terms of education is still not favored by many. It still needs more proofs to show that it truly

8
helps in the knowledge expansion of students. Despite this, It have made everything easier for
us. We could connect and gain information through different devices such as phones,
cellphones and computers but it also opened possibility for different people to be misguided. It
have also posed some defects and endangerment to our reading proficiency and reading habit.
It has caused less time to interact with a real human. It has stopped the growing and interaction
between growing children and parents. Parents nowadays would just seem to leave their kids
while watching DVDs or VCDs that would grab their kids attention rather than being physically
present beside them. They have thought of an alternative that could replace their presence.

The problem with information age is that there are so many readily available
information but were not sure if it is reliable. This is also another problem in the information
age. People always take the easy way out not knowing that they are cheating themselves. They
are endangering their own intellect and capacity to learn and explore for new knowledge.
Rather than trying to read knowledge rich books to enhance their reading proficiency they
would rather just read the summaries. Economy is affected by ones education. Books are the
connector and reading is the entryway to education. How could we enhance our own economy
when we ourselves are too lazy to read?

Reading a bulk of books would also help us expand our focus rather than reading a
summary that is only equivalent to less than half of the book itself. Reading makes you more
focus on a certain subject but if you prefer the usage of summaries on the internet there is a
greater possibility that your reading focus capacity would lessen if you would not try and learn
to exercise it.

The information age maybe a cause of the declining reading proficiency but we just
solely blame it on technology. Technology would not move at its own will. We as human beings
are the one in charge of it. We cause our own decline. There are two outcomes of the usage of
technology its either negative or positive. Yes, this technology may also be the reason why the
reading standards for generations now a days are raised but it could also be the reason why it
declines. It is just solely based on how we use it.