To the Point
Is Internet Reading Speeding Us Up by Dumbing Us Down?
More and more kids spend long hours on the Internet. At the same time, reading scores are declining. Is there a connection? Does the brain work differently with a book than with a computer? What’s the impact on reading proficiency? Should schools recognize that young people are on the Internet and teach them how to use it well? Also, will Barack Obama be a special challenge for stand-up comedians? (This edition of To the Point will be pre-empted by holiday programming, but will be archived online.)
By Warren Olney • • 1h 0m ListenMore and more kids spend long hours on the Internet. At the same time, reading scores are declining. Is there a connection? Does the brain work differently with a book than with a computer? What’s the impact on reading proficiency? Should schools recognize that young people are on the Internet and teach them how to use it well? Also, after 8 years of George Bush jokes, what will comedians do with Barack Obama? (This edition of To the Point will be pre-empted by holiday programming, but will be archived online.)
In this episode
3 storiesD-Day for Analog Conversion to Digital
February 18 is D-Day for the conversion of all broadcasting from analogue to digital TV . "Rabbit ears" won't work any more, and there could major booms in appliance sales and cable subscriptions. Charles Golvin is principal analyst for the technology research company Forrester Research.
Read the story6 minReading in a World Wide Web of Distraction
The National Endowment for the Arts has a program called The Big Read , encouraging Americans to read books and talk about them together.
Read the story38 minBarack Obama and the World of Comedy
As Inaugural Day approaches, Barack Obama is even more the center of world attention than he was last year, before and after Election Day. What does that mean for the world of comedy? Will white comics have to be careful? Will black comedians have a built-in advantage?
Read the story6 min
