Wednesday 19 February 2014

Reading Survey

I've noticed quite a bit that both the books I chose to read and the way I would read has changed tremendously. The changes I've made as a reader disappoint me. In my elementary years I loved to read, everywhere and anywhere I went. I was a very thorough reader, I absorbed every word that was on the paper, making sure I knew what was going on, and if I didn't understand something I would reread. I always knew what was happening throughout the story. As I look back on the last few times I've read, I can see the gaping difference. I now skip over words and sentences, I don’t follow the story line well, and I speed read rather then slowly consuming each word. The most prominent switch to my reading habits is the fact that I had lost all of the enjoyment reading once gave me. So I knew an adjustment was greatly needed. Indeterminately I chose to take a break from reading, seeing as it used to be an escape, a way to forget for a moment, a way to become a different person and jump into a whole other world! Though my problems started to leak into those worlds, terrorizing them. The stress from high school, home, friends, work and the boyfriends had become so extensive that as I would read; my mind would start to drift towards those problems, those responsibilities. Taking a break would be my only option, until I got things under control.  Many issues have been put to rest, and I feel prepared to pick up a book again.
 Similar to many kids of this generation I have a smart phone, iPhone 5 to be exact; it is without a doubt my lifeline. I use it for absolutely everything and it goes everywhere with me. My schedule, to do lists, photos, and numbers, along with a large majority of my life is on this phone. I've got reminders set daily to make sure I take my iron supplements, and to remind me of when I work or when projects are due, not to mention that it is also my alarm clock in the mornings. Along with all of these things I have many apps, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, all are my personal accounts that I very rarely use, and when they are used, it is it scroll through news feeds, never to post anything. Along with a cellular device, I have my own personal gateway laptop that I got as a Christmas present a few years ago, it is mainly used for school work, or playing games such as Sims 3. I've never considered myself to be one of those tech savvy types of people and throughout this course I’m looking forward to learning to build my own blog, and seeing how reading and technology come together,  I’m also curious on how twitter fits into creative writing and eager to find out the answer.
            As and ex-reader I have many goals set for myself throughout this semester, I would love to get back into my old joy of reading, as I mention in the paragraphs earlier, reading had lost its magic for me, I couldn't get into the books I would attempt reading, it had become another thing on my long list of to-dos.  As well as gain back my love of reading I want to put an end to my speed reading, and develop good habits. Such as thinking about what I’m reading, and coming up with predictions, and asking myself questions about why the antagonist or protagonist are acting the way they are.  I am also looking to expand my reading genres, towards books on skills, and novels with different perspectives other than first person, throughout this course I also hope to improve on my writing style,  wish to be able to write my thoughts down on paper with ease, and become more accustom to using more sophisticated words and writing technique.  I am very excited for this course and look forward to making a blog and incorporate technology into my writing. 

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