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Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
Skim, Dive, Surface: Teaching Digital Reading
Students are reading on screens more than ever—how can we teach them to be better digital readers?
Smartphones, laptops, tablets: college students are reading on-screen all the time, and digital devices shape students’ understanding of and experiences with reading. In higher education, however, teachers rarely consider how digital reading experiences may have an impact on learning abilities, unless they’re lamenting students’ attention spans or the distractions available to students when they’re learning online. Skim, Dive, Surface offers a corrective to these conversations—an invitation to focus not on losses to student learning but on the spectrum of affordances available within digital learning environments. It is designed to help college instructors across the curriculum teach digital reading in their classes, whether they teach face-to-face, fully online, or somewhere in between. Placing research from cognitive psychology, neuroscience, learning science, and composition in dialogue with insight from the scholarship of teaching and learning, Jenae Cohn shows how teachers can better frame, scaffold, and implement effective digital reading assignments. She positions digital reading as part of a cluster of literacies that students should develop in order to communicate effectively in a digital environment.
Smartphones, laptops, tablets: college students are reading on-screen all the time, and digital devices shape students’ understanding of and experiences with reading. In higher education, however, teachers rarely consider how digital reading experiences may have an impact on learning abilities, unless they’re lamenting students’ attention spans or the distractions available to students when they’re learning online. Skim, Dive, Surface offers a corrective to these conversations—an invitation to focus not on losses to student learning but on the spectrum of affordances available within digital learning environments. It is designed to help college instructors across the curriculum teach digital reading in their classes, whether they teach face-to-face, fully online, or somewhere in between. Placing research from cognitive psychology, neuroscience, learning science, and composition in dialogue with insight from the scholarship of teaching and learning, Jenae Cohn shows how teachers can better frame, scaffold, and implement effective digital reading assignments. She positions digital reading as part of a cluster of literacies that students should develop in order to communicate effectively in a digital environment.
351 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2021
14 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 13, 2021
After pandemic, entire academic world is moving towards digital. Willy-nilly one has to be accustomed with reading pdf, doc. and using cloud. This book shows advantages of digital reading. Though author never denies importance of reading from paper, but one has to be prepared to embrace digital reading.
The source of various useful online resources which help in digital annotation, cloud service etc. are beneficial for students and researchers.
The source of various useful online resources which help in digital annotation, cloud service etc. are beneficial for students and researchers.
September 2, 2021
This book and the way it was written just wasn't for me. I probably wouldn't have finished it if I wasn't reading it with a group.
I appreciate the history in section one, and found one or two surprising tidbits, but found it to be a chore to read.
Section two was better and I liked that the analogies were a thread she wove throughout the chapters, but they were too long and the activity portion was too short. Some of the activities I loved. Some I felt would maybe work for Gen Ed but not program students.
I loved the final section and feel like I took the most away from the shortest section. It was information I haven't spent much time thinking about and it was compact. Everything seemed to the point and usable.
I wish the rest of the book had been more like the third section.
The tools list was a nice addition. While I understand that technology changes, this is the sort of information educators will latch onto. I'm glad there was something there.
I appreciate the history in section one, and found one or two surprising tidbits, but found it to be a chore to read.
Section two was better and I liked that the analogies were a thread she wove throughout the chapters, but they were too long and the activity portion was too short. Some of the activities I loved. Some I felt would maybe work for Gen Ed but not program students.
I loved the final section and feel like I took the most away from the shortest section. It was information I haven't spent much time thinking about and it was compact. Everything seemed to the point and usable.
I wish the rest of the book had been more like the third section.
The tools list was a nice addition. While I understand that technology changes, this is the sort of information educators will latch onto. I'm glad there was something there.
December 9, 2022
When I sat down to read Skim, Dive, Surface: Teaching Digital Reading by Jenae Cohn, I was struck by the irony that I had purchased this book to read on my Kindle. As Cohn states “99% of community college students own smartphones” often using them for homework, and I was not an exception.
As technology has evolved, so have student learning needs. Cohn argues teachers must incorporate digital teaching techniques into their practices because students are not equipped to sort and interpret information they encounter in digital spaces. She backs up her argument with substantial research and statistics from other academics in the teaching and rhetoric field. Finally, Cohn offers practical advice for how teachers can create a digital reading framework, including classroom exercises which encourage students to curate information, connect ideas, create frameworks of knowledge, contextualize, and understand the importance of critical analysis.
Though a dense book, Cohn’s use of personal anecdotes makes the information easy to understand and memorable. Her detailed centering of digital reading within the evolution of historical literacy is quite moving since it views digital reading as the next step, rather than apart from what educators view as traditional literacy. She dispels some common myths about digital reading that might prevent implementation in the classroom such as the idea that most students are “digital natives” when many have never used digital programs that may be introduced in their classes. Cohn also provides class exercises that are easily adaptable for classroom use broadly across the liberal arts.
While Cohn addresses the scope of digital reading, she does not offer suggestions for which skills she believes teachers should cover, nor does she comment on what digital reading means for the future of higher ed. With technology usage continually increasing, universities may need generalized teaching practices to help students rather than an individual approach.
Despite this, Cohn’s information and class exercises are a wonderful addition to the discussion of digital teaching practices.
As technology has evolved, so have student learning needs. Cohn argues teachers must incorporate digital teaching techniques into their practices because students are not equipped to sort and interpret information they encounter in digital spaces. She backs up her argument with substantial research and statistics from other academics in the teaching and rhetoric field. Finally, Cohn offers practical advice for how teachers can create a digital reading framework, including classroom exercises which encourage students to curate information, connect ideas, create frameworks of knowledge, contextualize, and understand the importance of critical analysis.
Though a dense book, Cohn’s use of personal anecdotes makes the information easy to understand and memorable. Her detailed centering of digital reading within the evolution of historical literacy is quite moving since it views digital reading as the next step, rather than apart from what educators view as traditional literacy. She dispels some common myths about digital reading that might prevent implementation in the classroom such as the idea that most students are “digital natives” when many have never used digital programs that may be introduced in their classes. Cohn also provides class exercises that are easily adaptable for classroom use broadly across the liberal arts.
While Cohn addresses the scope of digital reading, she does not offer suggestions for which skills she believes teachers should cover, nor does she comment on what digital reading means for the future of higher ed. With technology usage continually increasing, universities may need generalized teaching practices to help students rather than an individual approach.
Despite this, Cohn’s information and class exercises are a wonderful addition to the discussion of digital teaching practices.
February 19, 2022
Very rarely do books about teaching and learning acknowledge the importance of context and this one does! Not only does the book introduce history and affect but also gives a framework for teachers implementing reading in their courses with practical and accessible activities. Lastly there is a robust discussion of the importance of talking about security and archiving with our students. Thanks for such a well researched and thoughtful book.
July 23, 2023
I recommend this monograph for a couple of reasons. Readers will more deeply appreciate that how and why we read, hard copy or digital, should be a conversation that we have with our students. We should avoid imposing only one way, and Cohn supports with research. In addition, faculty will find the suggested teaching techniques useful.
November 15, 2024
Cohn presents five concepts: curation, connection, creativity, contextualization, and contemplation to show how educators can use each to cultivate sustained and engaged student reading. I've never thought so much about when, how, and where I read! Using the digital reading framework for peer tutor training has been very useful!
September 12, 2022
While it contained some useful nuggets, I found this book to be more philosophical than practical. The first part is great if you are curious about how today's concern over digital readers compares to ancient Greek worries about the new emphasis on writing or the 16th century concerns about printing. The second section is about the digital reading framework: curation, connection, creativity, contextualization, and contemplation. There are a few suggested classroom activities for each - most can take place either online or in a ground classroom. The final section is just a single chapter, on the ethical implications of digital reading (metadata, student ownership of their work).
I recommend reading it backwards, starting with the conclusion and final chapter then section two, and only diving into section one (the largest section) if you are interested in the history of reading.
I recommend reading it backwards, starting with the conclusion and final chapter then section two, and only diving into section one (the largest section) if you are interested in the history of reading.
March 25, 2025
This was a wonderful book full of exciting ideas for how to make digital reading experiences memorable and impactful for student readers. I appreciated Cohn's ethos and the extensive literature review she provided throughout.
Want to read
September 20, 20212021-09-08
February 5, 2022
Excellent tips and resources! I am particularly eager to do more social annotation with students. What a fantastic way to build community!
September 15, 2023
A great book on reading in the digital age.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews