Katherine Watson, Coastline Distance Learning 1

Not dead yet:

The enduring import of the printed word

Katherine Watson, Coastline Distance Learning 2

Not dead yet…

What is “dead”, generally & with respect to the printed word?Who says what “dead” means & what is “dead”?When is “death” supposed to occur, or has it occurred?How is death occurring & how will we know when the process is over?Why might it happen/be happening & why should anyone care?“Where is it written?”

Katherine Watson, Coastline Distance Learning 3

Not dead? Not yet!

Four areas of life for the printed wordReadingLearningCommunicating Remembering

Katherine Watson, Coastline Distance Learning 4

Not dead yet! Reading helps…

… physiologically …mentally/intellectually

… practically

Katherine Watson, Coastline Distance Learning 5

Physiological benefits: Your brain on reading

Visual exercise Imagination stimulation Heightened connectivity

Katherine Watson, Coastline Distance Learning 6

Mental/intellectual benefits

Improved, more efficient information processingIntegrated, multiple modes of cognitionImproved analytical skills, understanding

Katherine Watson, Coastline Distance Learning 7

Practical benefits of reading

• Improved navigability of our world•Reduction of the “woolly”•Reduction in criminality• Improved job prospects

Katherine Watson, Coastline Distance Learning 8

Not dead yet! Learning through words in print

Mental/intellectual benefits Practical benefits

Katherine Watson, Coastline Distance Learning 9

Mental/intellectual learning benefits

Discernment/recognition of what “counts” in language/cultureWays of thinking, workable modes of self-expressionWays of imagining

Katherine Watson, Coastline Distance Learning 10

Practical benefits of learning via words

Forced attentiveness to le mot justeEase of reading/understanding text v. multimedia

Katherine Watson, Coastline Distance Learning 11

Not dead yet: Communicating words

Physiological benefitsMental/intellectual benefitsCultural benefits

Katherine Watson, Coastline Distance Learning 12

Physiological benefits of communicating •Brains change productively via linguistic cues•Words can (and do) change your brain!•Written words can change you

Katherine Watson, Coastline Distance Learning 13

Mental/intellectual benefits

Engaging the brain’s central, peripheral processing units

Forced improvement of intellect

Increased precision of thought

Katherine Watson, Coastline Distance Learning 14

Cultural benefits of communicating

Cultural transmission =“design feature” of human LanguageOrality and literacy Codes that “count”Veracity

Katherine Watson, Coastline Distance Learning 15

Not dead yet: Remembering…

Benefits of doing it with words….biological/neurological/mental/intellectualsocial/cultural

Katherine Watson, Coastline Distance Learning 16

Remembering: The mental side of it…

Temporal & functional memory changes via words “The written word is the enemy of memory”? Not! “Mental landscape”, “topography”, etc. The role of “graphicacy”

Katherine Watson, Coastline Distance Learning 17

Remembering, culture, and print

The literacy thesis“Books bind our understanding”The “font finding” & remembering Desire to recall the “true”

Katherine Watson, Coastline Distance Learning 18

Not dead yet: Outliving…

Educators & wordsWords & changeDissonance & harmonyVideo killed the radio star?